Bücher von Wilkie Collins

Poor Miss Finch (1872) by Wilkie Collins is a novel about a young blind woman who temporarily regains her sight while finding herself in a romantic triangle with two brothers. Twenty-one-year-old Lucilla Finch, the independently wealthy daughter of the rector of Dimchurch, Sussex, has been blind since infancy. Shortly after the narrator, Madame Pratolungo, arrives to serve as her paid companion, Lucilla falls in love with Oscar Dubourg, her shy and reclusive neighbour, also wealthy, who devotes himself to craftsmanship in precious metals.After being attacked and knocked unconscious by robbers, Oscar is nursed by Lucilla and falls in love with her, and the couple become engaged. Their plans are jeopardized by Oscar's epilepsy, a result of the blow to his head. The only effective treatment, a silver compound, has the side-effect of turning his skin a permanent, dark blue-grey. Despite her blindness, Lucilla suffers a violent phobia of dark colours, including dark-complexioned people, and family and friends conceal Oscar's condition from her.Meanwhile, Oscar's twin brother, Nugent, returns from America, where he has dissipated his fortune pursuing a career as a painter. Oscar is devoted to his brother, who is as outgoing, confident and charming as Oscar is diffident and awkward. Knowing of Lucilla's blindness, Nugent has arranged for her to be examined by a famous German oculist, Herr Grosse. Herr Grosse and an English oculist each examine Lucilla but disagree on her prognosis. Lucilla elects to be operated on by Herr Grosse, who believes he can cure her. After the operation, but before the bandages are taken off, Madame Pratolungo pressures Oscar into telling Lucilla of his disfigurement, but his nerve fails and, instead, he tells her it is Nugent who has been disfigured.Nugent is secretly infatuated with Lucilla and now manipulates her into believing that he is Oscar. As Lucilla gradually regains her sight, Herr Grosse forbids family and friends from undeceiving her, since the shock might imperil her recovery. Oscar goes abroad, resigning his fiancée to his brother in despair. Madame Pratolungo intervenes decisively with Nugent, appealing to his conscience and threatening him with exposure if he continues with his plan to marry Lucilla under Oscar's name. He promises to go abroad to find his brother and return him home.Nugent soon returns to England and tracks Lucilla to the seaside, where, on Herr Grosse's orders, she is staying with her aunt, away from her immediate family. He pressures her to marry as soon as possible, without her family's knowledge, and works to poison her trust in Madame Pratolungo, who is away in Marseilles attending to her wayward father. Detecting but not understanding the change in her supposed fiancé, Lucilla becomes distraught, over-strains her eyes and begins to lose her vision.In the novel's denouement, Madame Pratolungo locates Oscar with the help of a French detective. His experiences have revealed an unexpected strength of character, and she conceives a new respect for him. The two of them race home to England to stop the marriage while there is still time. Held virtually prisoner at a Dubourg cousin's house, Lucilla is again totally blind. With the help of a kindly servant, she escapes to meet them, immediately recognizes the true Oscar, and is told the full story by Madame Pratolungo. A penitent Nugent returns to America, where he later dies on a polar expedition. Lucilla and Oscar settle in Dimchurch to raise a family, with Madame Pratolungo as her companion. Perfectly content in her blindness, she refuses Herr Grosse's offers to attempt another operation. (wikipedia.org)

Den Tod vor Augen diktiert der steinreiche Allan Armadale einem zufällig anwesenden Juristen sein großes Lebensgeheimnis: Einst hat sich Miss Blanchard, seine große Liebe, einem anderen Mann zugewandt. Aus Rache dafür habe er den Nebenbuhler bei einem Schiffsuntergang ermordet, ohne dass die Tat jemals bekanntgeworden wäre. Miss Blanchard, die den Untergang überlebte, hat danach einen Sohn zur Welt gebracht, den sie Allan Armadale nannte - ebenso wie der sterbende Armadale seinen Sohn aus einer späteren Ehe. Nun stehen sich die beiden diametral entgegengesetzten jungen Männer mit gleichem Namen in tödlicher Feindschaft gegenüber ...

1799 hat der britische Kolonialoffizier Herncastle bei einem Feldzug in Indien den für Brahmanen heiligen Mondstein gestohlen, einen großen Diamanten. Herncastle und seine Komplizen wurden später offenbar ermordet, der Edelstein gehört jetzt seiner Erbin Rachel Varinder. Als der Stein bei einem Fest auf ihrem Landsitz gestohlen wird, tappt selbst der bekannte Polizeidetektiv Sergeant Cuff zunächst im Dunkeln - bis der Mondstein plötzlich in einem Londoner Pfandhaus wieder auftaucht.

Wilkie Collins veröffentlichte seinen berühmtesten Roman 1860, mit dem er das zwischen Kriminalgeschichte und Phantastik changierende Genre des "Mystery Thrillers" begründete: Im Zentrum des umfangreichen Romans steht eine geheimnisvolle, stets in Weiß gekleidete Frau ohne Namen und Vergangenheit. Wie aus dem Nichts taucht sie immer wieder auf, wobei sich bei jedem neuen Erscheinen Schritt für Schritt die Geschichte einer dramatischen Verwandtschafts-, Ehe- und Erbschaftsintrige enthüllt.

Wilkie Collins stammte aus einer kunstsinnigen Familie - sein Vater und Bruder waren Maler -, studierte jedoch zunächst Rechtswissenschaften, ehe er sich der Literatur zuwandte. Der mit Charles Dickens eng befreundete Collins verfasste zahlreiche Romane und Erzählungen, mit denen er zum Begründer der modernen Genres Kriminalroman und Thriller wurde. »Die Dame in Weiß« ist sein bekanntestes Werk, die Geschichte einer dramatischen Verwandtschafts-, Ehe- und Erbschaftsintrige, in deren Zentrum eine geheimnisvoll auftauchende und wieder verschwindende, stets weißgekleidete Frau ohne Namen und Vergangenheit steht.

Hide and Seek - The mystery of Mary Grice is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1896.Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

The Frozen Deep - And other stories. Vol. 2 is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1874.Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.