The Beetle (1897)
Richard Marsh, Edited by Minna Vuohelainen
An ancient Egyptian evil known as ‘The Beetle’ has arrived in London to wreak a mysterious vengeance on politician Paul Lessingham. When this strange creature, ‘born neither of God nor man’, orchestrates the disappearance of Lessingham’s fiancée Marjorie, it becomes a race against time to solve the mystery of the Beetle and save Marjorie from an unthinkable fate! Told alternately from the points of view of Robert Holt, a clerk who is hypnotized into becoming a mindless slave, Sydney Atherton, a cynical inventor of murderous weapons of war, and the clever detective Augustus Champnell, The Beetle is a thrilling mystery that will keep readers guessing until its startling climax.
A runaway bestseller upon its first appearance in 1897, The Beetle was one of the most popular of late Victorian novels, outselling even Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). This new edition is certain to become the definitive edition of Marsh’s most successful novel. It features the unabridged text of the first edition, including a reproduction of its cover and all four illustrations by John Williamson. Minna Vuohelainen’s introduction corrects the biographical and factual errors of previous scholars and places the novel in the context of fin de siècle fiction and growing uneasiness over urban conditions, imperialism, and gender roles. Also included in this edition are substantial selections of fictional and nonfictional contextual material, including excerpts from Marsh’s other works and unpublished manuscripts, as well as detailed notes for modern readers.
Richard Marsh, Edited by Minna Vuohelainen
An ancient Egyptian evil known as ‘The Beetle’ has arrived in London to wreak a mysterious vengeance on politician Paul Lessingham. When this strange creature, ‘born neither of God nor man’, orchestrates the disappearance of Lessingham’s fiancée Marjorie, it becomes a race against time to solve the mystery of the Beetle and save Marjorie from an unthinkable fate! Told alternately from the points of view of Robert Holt, a clerk who is hypnotized into becoming a mindless slave, Sydney Atherton, a cynical inventor of murderous weapons of war, and the clever detective Augustus Champnell, The Beetle is a thrilling mystery that will keep readers guessing until its startling climax.
A runaway bestseller upon its first appearance in 1897, The Beetle was one of the most popular of late Victorian novels, outselling even Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). This new edition is certain to become the definitive edition of Marsh’s most successful novel. It features the unabridged text of the first edition, including a reproduction of its cover and all four illustrations by John Williamson. Minna Vuohelainen’s introduction corrects the biographical and factual errors of previous scholars and places the novel in the context of fin de siècle fiction and growing uneasiness over urban conditions, imperialism, and gender roles. Also included in this edition are substantial selections of fictional and nonfictional contextual material, including excerpts from Marsh’s other works and unpublished manuscripts, as well as detailed notes for modern readers.
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BOOK DETAILS:
ISBN: 1934555495 ISBN-13: 978-1934555491 $22.99 US, 416 pp. Trade paper Published 2008 |
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