Collins was
one of the great British Victorian novelists. Although he edited
Household
Words for
Dickens and collaborated with him, it is for his novels of mystery
and suspense that he is appreciated, the best-known examples being
The Woman in White (1860) and The Moonstone (1868).
Short Stories
The Queen of Hearts, Hurst and Blackett (London),
1859. 3 vols.
(Including:
Brother
Morgan's Story of the Dream Woman: First published in shorter
form as "The Ostler", is about a man who dreams that he is killed
by a woman with a knife, meets her counterpart in real life,
marries her, and is killed by her. Often reprinted as "The Dream
Woman", a title under which it was published when enlarged again
and published in The Frozen Deep and Other Tales as "The Dream Woman: A Mystery
in Four narratives". Brother Griffith's Story of Mad
Monkton:
Monkton's uncle dies in Italy and his ghost will not rest until he
is buried in England. Reprinted as "Mad Monkton".)
My Miscellanies, Sampson Low (London), 1863.
3 vols.
(Including:
"Memoirs of an Adopted Son", "My Black Mirror".)
The Frozen Deep and Other Tales, Bentley, 1874. 2
vols.
(Including:
"The Frozen Deep", "The Dream Woman".)
Little Novels, Chatto and Windus (London),
1887, 3 vols.
(Including:
Mrs Zant and
the Ghost:
Mrs Zant is protected by the ghost of her husband. reprinted as
"The Ghost's Touch". Miss Jeromette and the Clergyman: The ghost of Miss Jeromette
indicates her murderer. Reprinted as "The Clergyman's Confession.
Mr Percy and
the Prophet:
A medium tells two men that they will fight a duel and the
prophecy comes true. Reprinted as "Percy and the Prophet".)
After Dark and Other Stories, Tauchnitz
Leipzig), 1856
(Contains a
number of weird rather than overtly supernatural stories: "Leaves
From Leah's Diary", "The Traveiler's Story: A Terribly Strange
Bed", "The Lawyer's Story: A Stolen Letter", "The French
Governess' Story: Sister Rose", "The Angler's Story: The Lady of
Glenwith Grange", "The Nun's Story: Gabriel's Marriage", "The
Professor's Story: The Yellow Mask".)
ditto, Chatto and Windus (London), 1894
The Ghost's Touch and Other
Stories, Harper (New York), 1885
(Includes
the ghostly stories: "The Ghost's Touch", "Percy and the Prophet".
Also includes: "My Lady's Money".)
Novels
Armadale, Smith, Elder (London), 1866.
2 vols.
(A complex
novel of attempted muder, fate and the supernatural. Although not
as well-known as The Woman in White and The Moonstone, considered
by many to be his finest novel.)
The Two Destinies, A Romance, Chatto and Windus
(London), 1876. 2 vols.
(George and
Mary are fated to marry, despite all that conspires against
them.)
The Haunted Hotel, A Mystery of Modern
Venice, Chatto and Windus (London), 1878
(A blend of
ghost story and detective novel. After Lord Montbarry hasdied in a
Venetian palace, members of the family experience supernatural
manifestations when they revisit the building - now a
hotel.)
Further Reading
The
Secret Life of Wilkie Collins, by William M. Clarke, Allison & Busby
(London), 1988
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