Guy Newell Boothby (1867-1905) was an Australian novelist and writer. Some of Boothby's earlier works relate to stories of Australian life, but later he turned to genre fiction. He was once well known for his series of five novels about Doctor Nikola, an occultist anti-hero seeking immortality and world domination. In "A Prince of Swindlers" he created the character of Simon Carne, a gentleman thief in the Raffles mould: Carne first appeared in 1897, predating Raffles by two years.