Description

Love, mystery, and danger combine in Wilkie Collins's haunting tale of The Woman in White. A young art teacher falls in love with one of his students, a girl who is promised to another man. Although the object of the art teacher's affection marries her intended, it soon becomes clear that her husband is no honorable fellow. A dastardly scheme is uncovered, and when they realize that the young bride may be in grave danger, the art teacher and the woman's younger sister join forces to rescue her. Throughout this entrancing tale, the two young people encounter a mysterious lady dressed all in white, who wanders the outskirts of their town, lonely and forlorn. She seems to want to tell them something—perhaps her own tragic story, or even an important warning about their quest. What message might this strange and eerie figure have for the young detectives? Never out of print since its first publication, the mystery of The Woman in White continues to intrigue readers to this day with its ghostly beauty and unforgettable events.

About the Author

Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) was the author of hundreds of literary works, one of the lucky writers who enjoyed immense popularity in his lifetime. Born to a creative family, young Collins drifted a bit in his choice of career, working as a clerk and contemplating becoming an artist. He settled on writing eventually, publishing his first novel in 1850. Collins was inspired to continue writing when he met Charles Dickens the following year. The two men would be professional colleagues and close friends for many years to come, both titans of the literary world throughout the Victorian age. Collins led a rather solitary life, battling what some suspected to be the drug addiction that fueled the remarkable imagery that permeates some of his most famous gothic tales. Beloved as a master of suspenseful and hauntingly atmospheric novels—among them The Woman in White and The Moonstone—Collins offers just as many thrills and chills as ever to modern readers.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure, and what a Man's resolution can achieve.
If the machinery of the Law could be depended on to fathom every case of suspicion, and to conduct every process of inquiry, with moderate assistance only from the lubricating influences of oil of ...