Perry Mason is a fictional
defense attorney who originally appeared in
detective fiction by
Erle Stanley Gardner. He appeared in over 80
novels and short stories, most of which involved his client being put on trial for
murder. Typically, he was able to establish his client's innocence by demonstrating the guilt of another character. The author was one of the best-selling authors of all time, and had "135 million copies of his books in print in America alone in the year of his death." (1969). The character of Perry Mason is also well-known from many appearances in film and television, including "television's most successful and longest-running lawyer series" from 1957 to 1966, another series in 1973-1974, and more than 25 made-for-TV movies from 1985 to 1993.
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