Wilkie Collins

Two literary giants take to the road on a comic journey - both chaotic, and completely unforgettable Tired of the grind of work, two apprentices set out on a walking tour with no fixed plan, determined to do as little as possible. As they drift from town to town, they encounter curious characters, regale strange stories and witness moments of quiet absurdity that disrupt their idleness. BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days

Marian and her sister Laura live a quiet life under their uncle's guardianship until Laura's marriage to Sir Percival Glyde. Sir Percival is a man of many secrets - is one of them connected to the strange appearances of a young woman dressed all in white? And what does his charismatic friend, Count Fosco, with his pet white mice running in and out of his brightly coloured waistcoat, have to do with it all? Marian and the girls' drawing master, Walter, have to turn detective in order to work out what is going on, and to protect Laura from a fatal plot… A beautiful deluxe gift edition of the great Victorian mystery novel with foiled covers, marbled endpapers, sprayed edges, beautiful paper and finished with a silk ribbon.

Audiobook The Law and the Lady, written by Wilkie Collins. Incorrectly signing her name in the marriage registry leads Valeria Woodville to discover further disturbing information about her husband, Eustace Macallan. Each revelation leads to further questions as Valeria’s journey prompts her to defy him, taking the law into her own hands as she endeavours to navigate her way through a series of false clues and obstructions.

Audiobook Poor Miss Finch, written by Wilkie Collins. First published in 1872, Poor Miss Finch tells the story of Lucilla Finch, a young woman who is blind due to an accident. Lucilla lives with her devoted companion, Madame Pratolungo, and fiancé, Oscar Dubourg. However, experimental surgery offers Lucilla the possibility of regaining her sight. Over time a love triangle emerges between Lucilla, Oscar and Oscar’s identical twin, Nugent.

Collins gyönyörű regénye két szerelmesről, akiket a végzet egymásnak rendelt. Vajon elszakíthatják-e őket a körülmények egymástól?

Audiobook Jezebel’s Daughter, written by Wilkie Collins. Set in the financial centres of 1820s Frankfurt and London, Jezebel’s Daughter (1880) tells the story of two widows: Madame Fontaine, who will go to any lengths to secure her daughter’s marriage, and Mrs Wagner, who devotes herself to her late husband’s social reforms. In pursuit of her endeavours, Mrs Wagner befriends Jack Straw, a former inmate of Bedlam, who plays a pivotal role as the action, full of plotting and counterplotting, unfolds, culminating in the morgue, where several lives hang in the balance.

Wilkie Collins (1824-1889), přítel Charlese Dickense, který o něm řekl, že toužil být stejně dobrým spisovatelem jako on. Kniha ´Slečna nebo paní?´ má dvě základní zápletky. Patnáctileté dívce fyzicky dobře vyvinuté a docela hezké se dvoří mnohem starší muž, kterého nenávidí. Natalie je totiž zamilovaná do mnohem mladšího muže, svého bratrance a on do ní, ale její bohatý otec, který je poněkud naivní, což se mu stane osudné má s ní jiné plány. Druhá zápletka se soustředí na staršího nápadníka. Existuje podezření, že byl v minulosti zapleten do ohavné vraždy. I v tomto případě oceníte, jak Wilkie Collins dokáže poutavě vyprávět svůj příběh.

Audiobook Basil by Wilkie Collins. Appearing in 1852, Basil was Wilkie Collins’s second published novel. The eponymous narrator is emotionally torn between two women: Margaret Sherwin and his sister Clara. His marriage to Margaret, a draper’s sexually precocious daughter, is to remain secret and unconsummated for the first year, as agreed with her father.

Po úspěšném románu ´Bez jména´ od Wilkieho Collinse (1824-1889), přítele Charlese Dickense nabízíme jeho další román ´Armadale´, který považoval T. S. Eliot za "nejlepší z jeho románů". Když starý Allan Armadale učiní na smrtelné posteli strašlivé přiznání, netuší, jaké bude mít následky, neboť tajemství, které odhalí, se týká záhadné Lydie Gwiltové: plamenné svůdnice. Její zákeřné intriky jsou hnacím motorem tohoto napínavého románu: příběhu o záměně identit, dědičné kletbě, milostné rivalitě, špionáži ... Postava Lydie Gwiltové vzbuzovala u dobových kritiků hrůzu, jeden z recenzentů ji označil za "jednu z nejzatvrzelejších ženských padouchů, jejichž úklady a touhy nemají obdobu". Zůstává jednou z nejzáhadnějších a nejvíce fascinujících žen v literatuře devatenáctého století a temným srdcem tohoto skvělého viktoriánského románu.

William Wilkie Collins (8. ledna 1824 – 23. září 1889) byl anglický romanopisec, autor povídek a divadelních her. Přestože jeho tvorba zůstala ve stínu jeho slavnějšího přítele Charlese Dickense je Wilkie Collins velmi oblíbeným autorem, čemuž nasvědčuje i zvýšený zájem o jeho díla ze strany televizních a filmových producentů. Po mnohaleté pauze jeho knihy opět zaplňují regály v knihkupectvích. Román ´No Name´ (Bez jména), odsouzený viktoriánskými kritiky jako nemorální, je dnes považovaný za dílo s mimořádným společenským vhledem, ukazuje Williama Wilkieho Collinse na vrcholu jeho literární tvorby. Je to příběh dvou sester, Magdalény a Norah, které po smrti svých milovaných rodičů zjistí, že jejich rodiče nebyli v době jejich narození manželé. Vyděděné a vyhnané ze svého domova se musí postarat sami o sebe a buď se smířit se svým neblahým osudem, nebo se rozhodnout získat zpět své bohatství jakýmkoli způsobem. Romantický příběh se zajímavě rozvíjí a bude vás držet od začátku až dokonce. Kniha byla upravena i pro rozhlas, kterou vysílalo na BBC Radio 4 v šesti epizodách v roce 1989 - opakováno pro velký úspěch v roce 2013, 2019 a v září 2021.

Appearing in 1854, Hide and Seek was Wilkie Collins’s third published novel. At the centre of the plot is the mystery surrounding a deaf and dumb girl known as Madonna, whom the painter Valentine Blyth rescues from her life as a circus performer. But it is only when Blyth’s friend Zack Thorpe rebels against his disciplinarian father and falls into bad company that the secret of Madonna is revealed.

"The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins is one of the forefathers of detective fiction, cementing the foundations of the genre. At the centre of it lays the theft of a diamond, dating in origin from a religious Indian shrine, which prompts detective Sergeant Cuff to take up the case. It is an absolute page-turner of a story and goes through the accounts of the different characters, winding and meandering from fact to fiction and vice versa.

"The Dream Woman" is a novella by Wilkie Collins, telling the story of Francis Raven, a young man who dreams that a strange woman is trying to kill him. Eventually, he marries a woman who looks exactly like the one from his dream. This novella is a cosy mystery that leaves readers with more questions than answers.

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. Visit the Penguin Readers websiteExclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys. One night when Walter Hartwright is walking home, he meets and helps the mysterious 'woman in white'. Soon after this meeting, Walter starts a job as a drawing teacher in the north of England and falls in love with his student, Laura Fairlie. But Laura is engaged to Sir Percival Glyde. Then Laura receives a letter warning her not to marry Glyde. Walter is sure that the letter comes from the woman in white...

Napínavý příběh z viktoriánské Anglie.

Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure. One of the great Victorian novels, The Moonstone has engrossed, entertained and enraptured readers since its first publication in 1868. This edition features an introduction by the renowned historian, journalist and author, Judith Flanders. Lady Verinder's uncle gives her the Moonstone - a magnificent diamond as large as an egg - for her eighteenth birthday, but it is not quite the generous gift it first seems. For he obtained it through bloody and nefarious means in India, and legend says the diamond's guardians will stop at nothing to get it back. When the Moonstone is stolen, an innocent man is accused of the crime and from this simple beginning, Wilkie Collins creates a stunning, complex narrative of dark mystery, suspense and atmosphere - and one of the very first detective stories ever written.