Showing results by author "Wilkie Collins" in All Categories

A brilliant and humorous short story by Wilkie Collins, in which an elderly lady, whose Victorian sensibilities on morals and propriety are finely honed, finds herself living next door to Major Namby, the ultimate neighbour from hell.

After breaking off his engagement with Agnes Lockwood, Lord Montbarry marries the eccentric Countess Narona before embarking on a whirlwind honeymoon tour of Europe culminating in Venice. There they reside in the decaying Palace Hotel with the Countess' brother, Baron Rivar, and their courier, Ferrari. Lord Montbarry later dies of bronchitis and upon hearing of this from Henry Westwick, Montbarry's brother, Agnes agrees to meet with Henry at the newly renovated Palace Hotel to investigate the insurance claim that was purchased prior to his death.

Through a series of calculated moves that involve death and a large inheritance, a small community is rocked and shrouded in mystery at the hands of the conniving Sir Percival Glyde, who is interested only in making himself wealthy at the hands of others.... Celebrated as one of the first popular mystery novels, The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins, skillfully incorporates the twisting and turning of more than a few plot lines that all manage to converge beautifully at the end of the work.

A delightful collection of humorous classic tales by some of the world's greatest racconteurs.

A highly unsettling collection of macabre stories in which death and the dead are key themes. Moon’s Gibbet by Egerton Castle, A Strange Goldfield by Guy Boothby, The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy, The Pistol Shot by Alexander Pushkin, The Premature Burial by Edgar Allan Poe, The Dead Hand by Wilkie Collins, The Famous Race between the Hearse and the Steamroller by Sidney Keyes, The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe, Nine O’Clock by Wilkie Collins, The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin.

A timeless collection of classic short stories by some of the master storytellers of the world. Old Iron by Stacy Aumonier, Odour of Chrysanthemums by D. H. Lawrence, The Idiot by Arnold Bennett, Miss Harriet by Guy de Maupassant, Red Hanrahan by W. B. Yeats, The Doll's House by Katherine Mansfield, The Devil's Spectacles by Wilkie Collins, The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde, Miss Bracegirdle does her Duty by Stacy Aumonier, The Piece of String by Guy de Maupassant, Glad Ghosts by D. H. Lawrence.

A treasure chest of the most popular classic crime stories from the 19th century. •The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe •A Terribly Strange Bed by Wilkie Collins •Murder under the Microscope by William Russell •The Three Strangers by Thomas Hardy •The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe •The Mystery of Marie Roget by Edgar Allan Poe •Mr. Higginbotham’s Catastrophe by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A winning streak at a downmarket gambling den in Paris leads to a lavish drinking spree. The offer of coffee to help sober up is not all that it first seems. Our protagonist finds himself in a strange bed for the night in a house of thieves and murderers. And it turns out to be a very strange bed indeed... a bed cunningly designed with murder in mind. A spine-chilling tale... especially if you listen at bedtime.

Wilkie Collins was born on 8th January 1824 in Marylebone, London. He pursued his education at Mr Cole’s private boarding school in Highbury, Islington. Here, he began his literary career under unusual circumstances: the school bully would give him no peace until he had been told a bedtime story. This ‘little brute’ helped create one of England’s greatest writers.

The story involves a huge diamond, the moonstone, originally stolen from an Indian shrine. The gem is given to an English girl on her 18th birthday but disappears that same night. What follows is a spellbinding mystery that to this day has the power to draw the listener into its world of danger, suspense, and surprise.

Seven strange stories of intriguing optical illusions. The Diamond Lens by Fitz James O'BrienThe Devil's Spectacles by Wilkie CollinsThe Secret of the Smoked Spectacles by William Le QueuxMy Black Mirror by Wilkie CollinsThe Man who was Blind by Edwin PughA Coincidence by A. J. AlanTitbottom’s Spectacles by George William Curtis.

An excellent ghost story; ancient prophecy and the unburied dead.

After a riding accident involving her uncle, a respected General, Mina's life takes a dark turn. A new groom with a mysterious past and unsettling talents arrives at the estate, stirring whispers of hidden secrets and dangerous motives. As Mina delves deeper into the groom's enigma, she unravels a web of intrigue that threatens to upend everything she knows.

Ernest Lismore is in financial difficulties. In return for a token marriage, he is offered help by the elderly Mrs. Callender whom he had saved from a fire some years earlier. Lismore eventually agrees and they live abroad as mother and son until he meets an attractive girl in an art gallery.

"The Dream Woman" is a novella by Wilkie Collins, telling the story of Francis Raven, a young man who dreams that a strange woman is trying to kill him. Eventually, he marries a woman who looks exactly like the one from his dream. This novella is a cosy mystery that leaves readers with more questions than answers. A lot of guesswork is needed, and the reader is often disturbed by the occurrences, not knowing what or how it came to this.

"En 1860, la réputation du docteur Wybrow de Londres était arrivée à son apogée. Les gens bien informés affirmaient que de tous les médecins en renom, c'était lui qui gagnait le plus d'argent. Un après-midi, vers la fin de l'été, le docteur venait de finir son déjeuner après une matinée d'un travail excessif. Son cabinet de consultation n'avait pas désempli et il tenait déjà à la main une longue liste de visites à faire lorsque son domestique lui annonça qu'une dame désirait lui parler."

"Две судьбы" - роман знаменитого английского писателя Уильяма Уилки Коллинза, жанр зарубежная классика. Джордж и Мери с детства любят друг друга, но злой рок на долгие годы разлучает их. Любая преграда, лишь повод стать сильнее? Аудиокнига. Зарубежная классика.

The world's greatest classics retold for children. Rachel opened the box and lifted out the diamond. She held it up in a ray of sunlight that poured through the window and cried out in amazement. When Rachel Verinder inherits the Moonstone from her uncle on her 18th birthday, the wonderful jewel is intended to make her rich and happy. So why is her mother so worried about this valuable gift? Rachel seems very fond of her cousin Franklin Blake. When trouble strikes, why does she refuse his help? What has he done to offend her?

A strange figure stood in front of him, dressed from head to foot in white clothing. The moonlight showed her pale, youthful face. When Walter Hartright meets the woman in white, it is the start of an exciting and dangerous adventure. Who is she and what does she want? At first Walter is happy at Limmeridge House, teaching painting and drawing to Laura Fairlie and Marian Halcombe, but a wicked plot soon threatens to destroy the woman he loves.

Incluso en la más honorable mansión británica puede haber un robo. Lady Lydiard todavía no se cree lo que ha pasado, pero lo peor es que todas las sospechas apuntan hacía a su hija adoptiva, Isabel Miller. El abogado de la familia, el señor Troy, va intentar averiguar qué es lo que ha pasado exactamente. Por otro lado el mayordomo de la casa va a investigar lo sucedido a través de un viejo timador conocido por su agudeza a la hora de resolver casos similares.