{"product_id":"the-woman-in-white-9780553212631","title":"The Woman in White","description":"\u003cb\u003eWilkie Collins' classic tale of murder, intrigue, madness, and mistaken identity\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eONE OF \u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"There, in the middle of the broad, bright high-road--there, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven--stood thefigure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments.\"\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGenerally considered the first English sensation novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Woman in White\u003c\/i\u003efeatures the remarkable heroine Marian Halcombe and her sleuthing partner, drawing master Walter Hartright, pitted against the diabolical team of Count Fosco and Sir Percival Glyde. After more than a century since its publication, Wilkie Collins's psychological thriller has never been out of print.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWilliam Wilkie Collins was born in London in 1824, the eldest son of a successful painter, William Collins. He studied law and was admitted to the bar but never practiced his nominal profession, devoting his time to writing instead. His first published book was a biography of his father, his second a florid historical romance. The first hint of his later talents came with \u003ci\u003eBasil\u003c\/i\u003e (1852), a vivid tale of seduction, treachery, and revenge. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1851 Collins had met Charles Dickens, who would become his close friend and mentor. Collins was soon writing unsigned articles and stories for Dickens's magazine, \u003ci\u003eHousehold Words\u003c\/i\u003e, and his novels were serialized in its pages. Collins brought out the boyish, adventurous side of Dickens's character; the two novelists traveled to Italy, Switzerland, and France together, and their travels produced such lighthearted collaborations as \"The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices.\" They also shared a passion for the theater, and Collins's melodramas, notably \"The Frozen Deep,\" were presented by Dickens's private company, with Dickens and Collins in leading roles. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCollins's first mystery novel was \u003ci\u003eHide and Seek\u003c\/i\u003e (1853). His first popular success was \u003cb\u003eThe Woman in White\u003c\/b\u003e (1860), followed by \u003ci\u003eNo Name\u003c\/i\u003e (1862), \u003ci\u003eArmadale\u003c\/i\u003e (1866), and \u003ci\u003eThe Moonstone\u003c\/i\u003e (1868), whose Sergeant Cuff became a prototype of the detective hero in English fiction. Collins's concentration on the seamier side of life did not endear him to the critics of his day, but he was among the most popular of Victorian novelists. His meticulously plotted, often violent novels are now recognized as the direct ancestors of the modern mystery novel and thriller. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCollins's private life was an open secret among his friends. He had two mistresses, one of whom bore him three children. His later years were marred by a long and painful eye disease. His novels, increasingly didactic, declined greatly in quality, but he continued to write by dictating to a secretary until 1886. He died in 1889.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bantam Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50641680793874,"sku":"9780553212631","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8faee095-8605-47f0-b44d-12fef121cade.jpg?v=1748523042","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-woman-in-white-9780553212631","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}