Best Selling Books by Wilkie COLLINS

Wilkie Collins’ classic tale of murder, intrigue, madness, and mistaken identity, featuring updated endnotes and an introduction by Anne Perry “[The Woman in White] has lasted, to our great pleasure, because it is superb storytelling about people who engage our minds and our imaginations and into whose passions we are drawn.”—Anne Perry ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME Generally considered the first English sensation novel, The Woman in Whitefeatures the remarkable heroine Marian Halcombe and her sleuthing partner, drawing master Walter Hartright, pitted against the diabolical team of Count Fosco and Sir Percival Glyde. After more than a century since its publication, Wilkie Collins’s psychological thriller has never been out of print.

This premium quality large print volume includes the complete and unabridged text of Wilkie Collins'' classic tale of mystery and suspense in a freshly edited and newly typeset edition. With a large 7.44"x9.69" page size, this large print edition is printed on heavyweight bright white paper with a fully laminated cover featuring an original full color design. Page headers and modern design and page layout exemplify the attention to detail given this volume. Widely regarded as the first mystery novel in the English language and a forerunner of modern detective fiction, The Woman in White, published in 1860, opens with a chance encounter on a moonlit country road in England between a mysterious woman dressed in white and Walter Hartright, on his way to Limmeridge House, the country mansion where the eccentric Frederick Fairlie has arranged for Hartright to teach drawing to his nieces, the half-sisters Marian and Laura Fairlie. At the approach of a carriage the woman vanishes into the darkness and Hartright accepts a ride the rest of the way to Limmeridge House. Hartright falls in love with Laura, a wealthy heiress with an uncanny resemblance to the mysterious woman he encountered on the road. But Laura has pledged to marry Sir Percival Glyde. Hartright departs Limmeridge, the wedding takes place and the mystery deepens when Laura returns from the honeymoon, moody, morose and melancholy. The enigmatic Count Fosco, a friend of Sir Percival, casts a sinister shadow as secrets unravel and the truth is revealed, and Hartright returns in an attempt to save the sisters and expose the dark mystery surrounding Limmeridge House. William Wilkie Collins (1824 - 1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and author. Very popular during the Victorian era, Collins was a long-time close friend of Charles Dickens, and a number of Collins''s works were first published in Dickens'' magazines, with The Woman in White first appearing as a serial in Dickens'' "All the Year Round" journal. For decades Collins maintained a double life, living with one family under his own name, despite the fact that the woman he identified as his wife, Caroline Graves, was actually married to someone else, and with a second family, located nearby, under the name William Dawson. Although that family also used the name Dawson, Collins was not married to that woman, Martha Rudd, either. Collins'' lifestyle may have influenced his writing, in which he attacked such social issues as the legal treatment of illegitimate children and the relative helplessness of women forced by law and society to be dependent upon a husband. Trained as a lawyer and admitted to the bar, Collins never engaged in active practice, but this background influenced his work. In addition to works critical of the legal system and English law, in both The Woman in White and Moonstone (1868) Collins employed an unusual style, presenting the story as a series of "narratives" from the viewpoints of different characters. In the opening paragraphs of The Woman in White, Collins likens this to the manner in which evidence is typically produced in legal proceedings. Following an extremely productive and successful decade in the 1860''s the quality and popularity of Collins'' work began to decline, quite probably influenced by the death of his literary mentor, Dickens, in 1870 and the effects of his addiction to opium and laudanum as painkillers for his gout. Another factor was likely the increasingly strident tone of the social criticism injected into his work. Collins continued to publish both fiction and nonfiction, and was working on a novel, Blind Love, later finished by another writer, at the time of his death in 1889 following a stroke.

- Unique book edition with 77 illustrations by John McLenan, produced for the 1860 and 1863 printings by HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS, New York. William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright, and short story writer best remember today for his novels "The Woman in White" (1859), "No Name" (1862), "Armadale" (1866) and "The Moonstone" (1868), considered the first modern English detective novel. "The Woman in White," a mystery novel and perhaps an early example of detective fiction, is considered among the first and the finest novels in the so-called "sensation" genre. It is also an excellent example of Victorian serial novels. Before they appeared in volume form, these novels were first published serialized in installments in magazines such as the well-known "ALL THE YEAR ROUND," a weekly journal curated by Charles Dickens. "The Woman in White" was published in 40 weekly installments. The original publication in "ALL THE YEAR ROUND" did not contain illustrations, but the novel was also published concurrently in the American magazine "Harper''s Weekly" in a serialization that included the illustrations by John McLenan later used in the publication in book form.

In ''The Woman in White, '' Wilkie Collins masterfully weaves a tale of mystery and suspense, presenting a gripping narrative that explores themes of identity, madness, and the constraints of Victorian society. This illustrated edition enhances the text with visual elements that further immerse the reader in the novel''s intricate plot and atmospheric settings. Collins employs a unique epistolary structure, using multiple perspectives to build tension and develop a rich tapestry of characters, including the enigmatic figure of the woman in white, who defies societal expectations and embodies the struggle for autonomy against oppressive forces. Wilkie Collins, a contemporary and commentator of Charles Dickens, was a pioneer of the sensation novel, a genre that captivated Victorian readers with its focus on crime, psychological depth, and scandalous intrigue. His personal experiences, including his advocacy for women''s rights and his intimate knowledge of legal affairs, profoundly informed the book''s exploration of the plight of women in a patriarchal society. Collins'' rich background in literature and law allowed him to craft complex characters and intricate plots that resonate deeply with contemporary readers. I recommend ''The Woman in White'' not only for its exhilarating plot and vivid illustrations but also for its sharp critique of societal norms and its profound psychological insight. It remains a timeless masterpiece that invites readers to contemplate the darker sides of human nature and the societal roles imposed on women, making it an essential addition to the canon of English literature.

"The Woman in White is an epistolary novel written by Wilkie Collins in 1859, serialized in 1859-1860, and first published in book form in 1860. It is considered to be among the first mystery novels and is widely regarded as one of the first (and finest) in the genre of ''sensation novels''.As was customary at that time, The Woman in White was first published as a magazine serial. The first episode appeared on 29 November 1859, following Charles Dickens''s own A Tale of Two Cities in Dickens''s magazine All the Year Round in England, and Harper''s Magazine in America. It caused an immediate sensation. Julian Symons (in his 1974 introduction to the Penguin edition) reports that ""queues formed outside the offices to buy the next instalment. Bonnets, perfumes, waltzes and quadrilles were called by the book''s title. Gladstone cancelled a theatre engagement to go on reading it. And Prince Albert sent a copy to Baron Stockmar."

THE Monktons of Wincot Abbey bore a sad character for want of sociability in our county. They never went to other people''s houses, and, excepting my father, and a lady and her daughter living near them, never received anybody under their own roof. Proud as they all certainly were, it was not pride, but dread, which kept them thus apart from their neighbors. The family had suffered for generations past from the horrible affliction of hereditary insanity, and the members of it shrank from exposing their calamity to others, as they must have exposed it if they had mingled with the busy little world around them. There is a frightful story of a crime committed in past times by two of the Monktons, near relatives, from which the first appearance of the insanity was always supposed to date, but it is needless for me to shock any one by repeating it. It is enough to say that at intervals almost every form of madness appeared in the family, monomania being the most frequent manifestation of the affliction among them. I have these particulars, and one or two yet to be related, from my father. At the period of my youth but three of the Monktons were left at the Abbey—Mr. and Mrs. Monkton and their only child Alfred, heir to the property. The one other member of this, the elder branch of the family, who was then alive, was Mr. Monkton''s younger brother, Stephen. He was an unmarried man, possessing a fine estate in Scotland; but he lived almost entirely on the Continent, and bore the reputation of being a shameless profligate. The family at Wincot held almost as little communication with him as with their neighbors....

Wilkie Collins''s The Woman in White. First serialized and then published as a book in 1860, Wilkie Collins''s The Woman in White represents a seminal classic of English fiction. It is classified by some critics among mystery novels and by some others as a Gothic novel. The narrative''s structure is epistolary. It tells the story of a poor young art teacher named Walter Hartright who happens to see a strange apparition one evening as he is strolling through the streets of London. It is the unearthly figure of a woman dressed all in white and who seems to suffer from mental troubles. Later in the novel, while teaching at Limmeridge House, Walter discovers that his most beloved student named Laura has a striking resemblance to the mad woman that he has encountered. Despite the mutual love between the teacher and his student, the latter has to marry a noble man named Sir Percival Glyde to satisfy her father''s wishes. The readers then learn that the woman in white is Laura''s half sister who was confined to a mental asylum and who eventually dies of a heart condition. Glyde does not really like Laura and wishes to steal her money. He conspires to send her to the mental asylum to replace her identical sister. Helped by her other sister Marian, Laura manages to flee the asylum and finally marry Walter after the accidental death of her wicked husband.

The Woman in White: Large Printby Wilkie CollinsThe Woman in White is an epistolary novel written by Wilkie Collins in 1859, serialized in 1859-1860, and first published in book form in 1860. It is considered to be among the first mystery novels and is widely regarded as one of the first (and finest) in the genre of ''sensation novels''.As was customary at that time, The Woman in White was first published as a magazine serial. The first episode appeared on 29 November 1859, following Charles Dickens''s own A Tale of Two Cities in Dickens''s magazine All the Year Round in England, and Harper''s Magazine in America. It caused an immediate sensation. Julian Symons (in his 1974 introduction to the Penguin edition) reports that "queues formed outside the offices to buy the next instalment. Bonnets, perfumes, waltzes and quadrilles were called by the book''s title. Gladstone cancelled a theatre engagement to go on reading it. And Prince Albert sent a copy to Baron Stockmar."

PART I. PARADISE LOST. CHAPTER I. THE BRIDE''S MISTAKE. CHAPTER II. THE BRIDE''S THOUGHTS. CHAPTER III. RAMSGATE SANDS. CHAPTER IV. ON THE WAY HOME. CHAPTER V. THE LANDLADY''S DISCOVERY. CHAPTER VI. MY OWN DISCOVERY. CHAPTER VII. ON THE WAY TO THE MAJOR. CHAPTER VIII. THE FRIEND OF THE WOMEN. CHAPTER IX. THE DEFEAT OF THE MAJOR. CHAPTER X. THE SEARCH. CHAPTER XI. THE RETURN TO LIFE. CHAPTER XII. THE SCOTCH VERDICT. CHAPTER XIII. THE MAN''S DECISION. CHAPTER XIV. THE WOMAN''S ANSWER. PART II. PARADISE REGAINED. CHAPTER XV. THE STORY OF THE TRIAL. THE PRELIMINARIES. CHAPTER XVI. FIRST QUESTION—DID THE WOMAN DIE POISONED? CHAPTER XVII. SECOND QUESTION—WHO POISONED HER? CHAPTER XVIII. THIRD QUESTION—WHAT WAS HIS MOTIVE? CHAPTER XIX. THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DEFENSE. CHAPTER XX. THE END OF THE TRIAL. CHAPTER XXI. I SEE MY WAY. CHAPTER XXII. THE MAJOR MAKES DIFFICULTIES. CHAPTER XXIII MY MOTHER-IN-LAW SURPRISES ME. CHAPTER XXIV. MISERRIMUS DEXTER—FIRST VIEW. CHAPTER XXV. MISERRIMUS DEXTER—SECOND VIEW CHAPTER XXVI. MORE OF MY OBSTINACY. CHAPTER XXVII. MR. DEXTER AT HOME. CHAPTER XXVIII. IN THE DARK. CHAPTER XXIX. IN THE LIGHT. CHAPTER XXX. THE INDICTMENT OF MRS. BEAULY. CHAPTER XXXI. THE DEFENSE OF MRS. BEAULY. CHAPTER XXXII. A SPECIMEN OF MY WISDOM. CHAPTER XXXIII. A SPECIMEN OF MY FOLLY. CHAPTER XXXIV. GLENINCH. CHAPTER XXXV. MR. PLAYMORE''S PROPHECY. CHAPTER XXXVI. ARIEL. I PASSED a sleepless night. CHAPTER XXXVII. AT THE BEDSIDE. CHAPTER XXXVIII. ON THE JOURNEY BACK. CHAPTER XXXIX. ON THE WAY TO DEXTER. CHAPTER XL. NEMESIS AT LAST. CHAPTER XLI. MR. PLAYMORE IN A NEW CHARACTER. CHAPTER XLII. MORE SURPRISES. The same evening I received my "abstract" by the hands of a clerk. CHAPTER XLIII. AT LAST! CHAPTER XLIV. OUR NEW HONEYMOON. CHAPTER XLV. THE DUST-HEAP DISTURBED. CHAPTER XLVI. THE CRISIS DEFERRED. CHAPTER XLVII. THE WIFE''S CONFESSION. "GLENINCH, October 19, 18—. CHAPTER XLVIII. WHAT ELSE COULD I DO? CHAPTER XLIX. PAST AND FUTURE. CHAPTER L. THE LAST OF THE STORY.

The moonstone in the title refers to a brilliant but flawed gem seized by a British officer in India. He brought it back to England as a family heirloom - with a supposed curse placed upon it. The officer bequeathed the stone to his niece, Rachel Verinder, for her to inherit when she turns 18. The night of her 18th birthday, the Moonstone goes missing. Everyone connected with Rachel at her family estate in Yorkshire is under suspicion. It is up to the London detective, Sergeant Cuff, to solve the crime.

Widely regarded as the precursor of the modern mystery and suspense novels, The Moonstone tells of the events surrounding the disappearance of a mysterious (and cursed) yellow diamond. T. S. Eliot called it ''the first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels''. It contains a number of ideas which became common tropes of the genre, including a crime being investigated by talented amateurs who happen to be present when it is committed, and two police officers who exemplify respectively the ''Scotland Yard bungler'' and the skilled, professional detective.

William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 - 23 September 1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and writer of short stories. He was hugely popular in his time, and wrote 27 novels, more than 50 short stories, at least 15 plays, and over 100 pieces of non-fiction work. His best-known works are The Woman in White, The Moonstone, Armadale and No Name.