The Woman in White (Collins Classics)

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.‘The woman who first gives life, light, and form to our shadowy conceptions of beauty, fills a void in our spiritual nature that has remained unknown to us till she appeared.’One of the earliest works of ‘detective’ fiction with a narrative woven together from multiple characters, Wilkie Collins partly based his infamous novel on a real-life eighteenth century case of abduction and wrongful imprisonment. In 1859, the story caused a sensation with its readers, hooking their attention with the ghostly first scene where the mysterious ‘Woman in White’ Anne Catherick comes across Walter Hartright. Chilling, suspenseful and tense in mood, the novel remains as emotive for its readers today as when it was first published.

From the Back Cover

‘Through all the ways of our unintelligible world, the trivial and the terrible walk hand in hand together.’  On his last night in London before travelling north to new employment, Walter Hartright walks the lonely, moonlit road to his family home. Lost in thought, he is interrupted by a mysterious woman dressed all in white. The brief, somewhat distressing encounter is to trigger a chain of strange events that will greatly affect not only Walter, but the lives of those he holds dearest. Wilkie Collins based his most famous novel on a real-life eighteenth-century case of abduction and wrongful imprisonment. First published in 1859, The Woman in White caused a sensation with its chilling, suspenseful plotline and remains one of the greatest mystery stories in English literature.

About the Author

William Wilkie Collins (1824–1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. He wrote 30 novels, more than 60 short stories, 14 plays, and more than 100 essays. His best-known works are The Woman in White and The Moonstone.

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