Gilbert Henry Collins was a British author of adventure and detective fiction. He was born in Southampton to Henry Collins, a merchant, and his wife Harriett. He was educated at King Edward VI School and served as a Gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery during the First World War. From 1919 through 1922 he served as a member of the British Consular Service in China. He travelled extensively in Japan and China and his first novels were set in the region. His first novel was Flower of Asia: A novel of Nihon, a thriller set in Japan. His next two novels The Valley of Eyes Unseen and The Starkenden Quest are considered classics of the Lost World (genre) and are listed in 333: A Bibliography of the Science-Fantasy Novel a collection of the best efforts in Science-Fantasy up to and including 1950. Abridged versions were subsequently published in the American magazine Famous Fantastic Mysteries in 1952 and 1949 respectively. Far Eastern Jaunts and Extreme Oriental Mixture are memoirs based on his experiences in Asia. In the late 1920s he also wrote for Punch (magazine).