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Poor Miss Finch: a novel By Wilkie Collins Contents I-Madame Pratolungo presents herself II-Madam Pratolungo makes a voyage on land III-Poor Miss Finch IV-Twilight view of the man V-Candlelight view of the man VI-A cage of finches VII-Daylight view of the man VIII-The perjury of the clock IX-The her... More

Delve into the seamy underside of eighteenth-century Paris in this gripping short story from beloved British author Wilkie Collins. <P> <P> The fair penitent of the title is a renowned stage actress who decides to give up her life of cultural refinement and cushy creature comforts to seek out a m... More

Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) is best known as the innovator of the English detective novel, whose sensational novels, plays, and short stories were hugely popular in the Victorian Era. <P> <P> Today, readers enjoy Collins' intricate and suspenseful plots, and his penetrating social commentary on ... More

Excerpt from book: unpromising material the lively imaginations of the women built up a romance. The men only noticed that Mr. Cos way was rather silent and thoughtful; that he was not ready with his laugh; and that he had a fancy for taking long walks by himself. Harmless peculiarities, surely ?... More

A series of tales supposed to be told to a portrait-painter by his sitters; the framework tells us how he came to think of publishing the stories thus collected; the introductions describe the circumstances under which the tales were told. These portions have a delicate every-day interest. The tales... More

A romance of the fifth century, in which many of the scenes described in the 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ' are reset to suit the purpose of the author. Only two historical personages are introduced into the story,-- the Emperor Honorius, and Alaric the Goth; and these attain only a seconda... More

Unusual and convoluted mystery. Viewed by the Clap-trap morality of the day, this may be a very daring book. Judged by the Christian morality which is of all time, it is simply a book daring enough to speak the truth.... More

A tale of criminality, almost revolting from its domestic horrors.... More

A high ranking Catholic priest schemes to recover land considered Church property.... More

Blind Love is Wilkie Collin's final novel. Although he did not live to complete the work, he left detailed plans for the last third of this novel which were faithfully executed by his colleague, the popular author Sir Walter Besant. The novel is set during the Irish Land War of the early 1880s and t... More

The first idea of this little story was suggested to the author by a printed account of a trial which actually took place, early in the present century, in the United States... It may not be amiss to add, for the benefit of incredulous readers, that all the ''improbable events'' in the story are mat... More

William Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) 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 (1860), The... More

An editor introduces the confession of a former star of the Paris stage who leaves her life of vice and sin to eventually become a Carmelite nun.... More

Experience of the reception of "The Fallen Leaves" by intelligent readers, who have followed the course of the periodical publication at home and abroad, has satisfied me that the design of the work speaks for itself, and that the scrupulous delicacy of treatment, in certain portions of the story, h... More

Based on the doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, The Frozen Deep is a dramatic tale of vengeance and self-sacrifice. Exchanging vows of love with sailor Frank Aldersley the night before his departure, Clara Burnham is haunted by the memory of Richard Wardour, and his mistaken belief that they will... More

The guilty river is the "ugliest, muddiest stream in England." It runs back of an old mill, inhabited by the miller, his beautiful daughter, and a lodger, who is deaf and almost insane with jealousy if any one notices the miller's daughter. The rich young man of the place, after being absent for yea... More

Is there no explanation of the mystery of The Haunted Hotel? Is The Haunted Hotel the tale of a haunting -- or the tale of a crime? The ghost of Lord Montberry haunts the Palace Hotel in Venice --- or does it? Montberry's beautiful-yet-terrifying wife, the Countess Narona, and her erstwhile brother ... More

An anti-vivisection novel.... More

The girl named Mary -- they called her Madonna, and she was deaf and dumb and beautiful as a painting by Raphael -- was a mystery. The Blyths adopted her from a kindly old woman connected to a traveling circus, but everyone knew she wasn't from circus folk. All they DID know about her identity was t... More

William Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) 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 (1860), The... More

The plot revolves around the use of poisons and includes forensic details applicable to detective fiction.... More

In three months from the memorable day when his solicitor had informed him that he was a free man, Mr. Vanborough possessed the wife he desired, to grace the head of his table and to push his fortunes in the world--the Legislature of Great Britain being the humble servant of his treachery, and the r... More