Results: 73856 books
Sort By:
NewTrending

Näkymättömät tulet : Kolminäytöksinen näytelmä

Eero Alpi

"Näkymättömät tulet : Kolminäytöksinen näytelmä" by Eero Alpi is a three-act play written in the early 20th century. Set in a Western Finnish farmhouse about half a century earlier, it follows the grieving widow Heleena, her forceful brother-in-law Valenti, the empathetic Pastor Martti, and Aunt Miili, with the innocent Liisu as a poignant chorus. The drama turns on a drowning that exposes tensions of faith, guilt, and power, as family pressure and unspoken motives begin to surface. The opening of the play presents a meticulous rural home preparing for Mauri’s funeral: Miili tends to tasks, and Liisu sings hymns and praises the pastor, while the exhausted Heleena struggles with shock. Pastor Martti arrives to offer spiritual counsel, but Valenti’s brusque skepticism and hints of past familiarity with Heleena spark friction; talk shifts to how the household will be run and what the tragedy “means.” In a charged exchange, Martti suggests Mauri had been drinking; Valenti claims Mauri chose a risky shortcut over weak ice, while Heleena denies any drinking and, in anguish, accuses Valenti of deliberate harm before retracting. As the cortege forms, Liisu shares a disturbing dream of Valenti pushing Mauri back under the ice, and a grim omen occurs when Mauri’s furs fall from their peg; Valenti dons them and vows to seize “everything.” At the start of the second act, three days later, Heleena begs Miili to stay, fearing relatives—especially Sipilä—are maneuvering to install Valenti as master and to bind her future, while she recalls how she once rebuffed Valenti’s advances. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Seinä väliä : Yksinäytöksinen huvinäytelmä

Martti Wuori

"Seinä väliä : Yksinäytöksinen huvinäytelmä by Martti Wuori" is a one-act comedic play written in the late 19th century. It centers on a noise feud between a young piano student and her studious neighbor that unexpectedly rekindles an old romance. The piece pokes gentle fun at domestic nerves, artistic ambition, and propriety, while turning a thin wall—and what passes through it—into a catalyst for reconciliation. Maikki Peron practices tirelessly for music studies, to the irritation of the new neighbor, a scholar who complains through the house staff and then blasts a hunting horn in retaliation, frightening Maikki’s anxious aunt, Neiti Filander. Maikki writes a polite appeal, and the neighbor arrives—revealed as Ville Karén (now calling himself Verho), Maikki’s former suitor, determined to finish his exams and secure a post. After awkward apologies, a comic interrogation by the aunt, and a softening song that wins her over, the couple reconcile. With Iida’s bustling help and jokes about opening a door in the wall, peace is restored: the piano will move to an inner room so study and music can coexist, and the evening closes with a cheerful toast and a promise of future happiness. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Die Masken Erwin Reiners : Roman

Jakob Wassermann

"Die Masken Erwin Reiners : Roman" by Jakob Wassermann is a novel written in the early 20th century. It appears to be a psychological and social study set in Vienna, following the delicate young scientist Manfred Dalcroze, his steadfast beloved Virginia, and his brilliant, wealthy friend Erwin Reiner, whose charisma and restlessness unsettle their bond. The book probes friendship, desire, class, and the deceptive “masks” people wear. The opening of the novel follows Manfred, ordered to spend two years at sea to heal his lungs, as he secures a berth on a deep-sea expedition and asks his admired friend Erwin to watch over Virginia in his absence. We see Manfred’s earnest love, Virginia’s cautious integrity, and the couple’s modest circumstances, set against Erwin’s opulent, disciplined, and worldlier life. A private confession from Virginia’s mother reveals Virginia’s illegitimate birth, deepening Manfred’s tenderness and anxiety. Before departure, Manfred shows Erwin Virginia’s photograph; Erwin is struck, and promises solemnly to protect her. After a restrained first meeting, Manfred leaves by train, and Erwin tactfully steps in—offering Virginia a ride, visiting regularly, and channeling her faltering art studies into a serious school, then guiding her through galleries and a fashionable exhibition. Virginia is both drawn and unsettled by Erwin’s magnetic presence and blunt cynicism about society and love, while he hints at jealousy over Manfred’s devotion. The excerpt closes with Erwin confiding how Manfred became his true friend and how that bond shapes his stance toward Virginia. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Morning and evening hymns for a week

Charlotte Elliott

"Morning and evening hymns for a week by Charlotte Elliott" is a collection of Christian devotional hymns written in the Victorian era. It provides brief, meditative verse for personal worship, arranged for each morning and evening across a week, focusing on prayer, spiritual renewal, perseverance, and preparation for Sabbath rest. The book moves day by day from Sunday to Saturday, each hymn framed by a Scripture epigraph and voiced as a prayer. Sunday celebrates the “Sun of Righteousness,” asking Christ to shine on the church, the Word, loved ones, and the nations; the evening seeks Sabbath peace and fruit from the day’s worship. Monday’s pieces ask that Sabbath grace perfume the week and invite bold approach to the “throne of grace.” Tuesday urges the soul to run the race heavenward and take courage as salvation draws nearer. Wednesday calls believers to “watch and pray,” then comforts the faint-hearted. Thursday counsels guarding the tongue and rejoices in the quiet strength and peace found in prayer. Friday commends trusting God with past, present, and future and expresses a serene longing to be with Christ. Saturday prepares the heart for the Lord’s Day—laying aside earthly cares, seeking cleansing, and donning Christ’s righteousness—then closes with self-examination, repentance, and a plea for renewing rest. Throughout, the language is lyrical and petitionary, rich with biblical imagery and focused on holiness, consolation, and steady devotion. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Sydämen ääni : Romaani

E. Temple (Ernest Temple) Thurston

"Sydämen ääni : Romaani" by E. Temple Thurston is a novel written in the early 20th century. It follows Sally Bishop, a young London typist, as she navigates wearisome office life, unsettling attention from a confident stranger, and a safe but loveless proposal from a respectable suitor, with themes of independence, desire, and social respectability in a foggy, modern city. The opening of the novel sets a moody London evening where Sally, exhausted after overtime at Bonsfield & Co., is watched from the street by Jack Traill, who later follows her onto a tram and presses a bold, teasing conversation that ends with an offensive “ten-pound” bet and Sally’s abrupt exit at Knightsbridge. At her Hammersmith boarding house she spars gently with her practical, skeptical roommate Janet Hallard about work, marriage, and the compromises of the stage. That night the house’s rising banker, Arthur Montagu, takes Sally for a riverside walk and proposes, offering comfort and status; she admits no love, promises only to think, rebuffs his request for a kiss, and later prays, conflicted. The scene then shifts to Traill: after a perfunctory dinner he encounters a worn former acquaintance and brings her to his rooms for talk, where her hopes of a place in his life surface as she begins suggesting how she would “warm” his cold bachelor flat. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

"Onhan pappa sen sallinut" : Ilveily yhdessä näytöksessä

Gustav von Moser

"Onhan pappa sen sallinut" : Ilveily yhdessä näytöksessä by Moser and L'Arronge is a comedic one-act stage play (a farce) written in the late 19th century. It playfully examines literary vanity, youthful infatuation, and parental permission, as a zeal for poetry and drama sparks a chain of misunderstandings in a respectable household. Set in Dr. Teitti’s home, the farce follows the flustered writer as he’s besieged by a would‑be dramatist (Aurora), a domineering butcher father (Raninen), and Raninen’s dreamy daughter Aina. When Aina arrives to meet the renowned author, she mistakes Teitti’s nephew Kaarlo for him; the pair exchange flirtatious “lessons” in poetry, emboldened by her refrain that “father has allowed it.” Martta, Teitti’s practical wife, adds to the comic friction, while Raninen storms in to accuse the aging author of leading his daughter astray. Names are mixed up, tempers flare, and Teitti tries to shoo away Aurora and her sprawling “family drama.” In the end, the confusions resolve: Raninen blesses Aina’s match with Kaarlo, grievances are buried, and the curtain falls on a cheerful reconciliation grounded—humorously—on what papa has permitted. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The children of Old Park's Tavern : A story of the South Shore

Frances A. (Frances Amelia) Humphrey

"The children of Old Park's Tavern : A story of the South Shore" by Humphrey is a children's novel written in the late 19th century. Set along Massachusetts’ South Shore before railroads, it follows spirited city girl Dolly Winslow and her cousin Ned Park through tavern life, salt marsh work, and small-town politics, blending wholesome adventure with regional color and a hint of mystery. Cameos by Daniel Webster and the enigma of a shipwrecked woman called the Little Madam give the tale both historical texture and intrigue. The opening of the novel introduces Dolly’s visit to Park’s Tavern in Byfield during a bustling Whig convention, where her secret peek into the meeting-house leads to an overnight misadventure and a brave, clever ruse that scares off would‑be robbers. When news arrives that her parents must sail for Europe, Dolly stays on and is cheered by a salt‑haying sojourn to the Marshfield marshes, where Skipper Joe spins sea tales, she learns to swim, and she and Ned roam in their punt, the Daisy. Lost at dusk among the creeks, they are found by Daniel Webster, who hosts them warmly and shows them his library, farm, and famed hospitality. Back home, they befriend the Little Madam—a tiny, gentle amnesiac rescued at sea who lives simply on Hemlock “Island” with her cockatoo—and Dolly is quietly charged with watching over her as local teasing stirs concern. Inspired by reading Ivanhoe, the children dream up a tournament, and as Dolly’s thirteenth birthday dawns, a carefully kept household secret culminates in a joyous surprise. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Torpparit : 3-näytöksinen näytelmä

Urho Wiljo Walakorpi

"Torpparit : 3-näytöksinen näytelmä by Urho Wiljo Walakorpi" is a three-act social drama written in the early 20th century. It depicts rural tenant farmers facing eviction under a capricious manor owner, focusing on class injustice, precarious tenancy, and the awakening of collective resolve. The play follows two tenant families—Matti and Liisa, and Pekka and Anna—whose modest hopes are shattered when the manor owner Kuusela expels Pekka and then, when Matti seeks a formal lease, evicts him too. In the manor scene, the clerk Marttila challenges Kuusela’s cruelty and resigns in protest. Back home, the wives wait anxiously; the men return with the worst news, and despair deepens before turning into quiet defiance as Liisa’s hopeful vision of a just future rekindles their spirits. Marttila arrives to encourage them, framing their suffering within a broader struggle for rights and dignity, and the drama ends on a note of solidarity and emerging social consciousness. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Taistelujen mainingeissa : Runokokoelma entistä j uutta

Severi Nuormaa

"Taistelujen mainingeissa : Runokokoelma entistä j uutta by Severi Nuormaa" is a collection of poetry written in the early 20th century. The book gathers patriotic, historical, and philosophical poems that wrestle with justice, freedom, faith, and the fate of Finland under oppression. The poems range from portraits of historical and biblical figures to scenes of Finnish life and landscapes. Revolutionary and martyr voices speak through Andreas Hofer, Simson, Giordano Bruno, Lukanus, Sokrates, and Bertran de Born, while national pieces lament tyranny and call for courage, law, and common purpose. Lyrics of seasons, sea, and northern lights frame meditations on God and conscience, social critiques of wealth and power, and rallying cries such as “Nyt valitkaa!” There are tender interludes—Christmas songs, a child beneath a rowan, memories of a humble cottage—and a Budapest diary sketch tied to Petőfi’s legacy. Later poems brood over justice and disillusionment yet keep hope alive, and the book closes with tributes to Topelius and Juhani Aho, binding private feeling to a public plea for a freer, nobler nation. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Terpander; or, Music and the future

Edward J. (Edward Joseph) Dent

"Terpander; or, Music and the future by Edward J. Dent" is a work of musical criticism and aesthetics written in the early 20th century. It examines how Western music evolved from antiquity to modern times and weighs anxieties about “the music of the future.” The likely topic is the changing language of music—melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre—how listeners respond to it, and what those changes imply for the art’s future. The book opens by confronting fear of new music, then defines three ways music appeals (sensuous, emotional, intellectual) and argues for music’s autonomy beyond literary “programs.” It traces the rise of tonality and notation, the Church’s role, the northern invention of harmony, Renaissance secular song, and the acceleration of style through the 17th and 18th centuries toward the symphony and domestic music-making. It portrays the 19th century’s ethical fervor, orchestral spectacle, pianoforte culture, and the spread of clichés and program-music, then critiques commercialization and overproduction. Turning to the present, it rebuts claims that modern music lacks melody or feeling, explaining its break with inherited tonal associations, its abrupt forms, and its experiments in counterpoint, dissonance, rhythm, and tone-color. It urges listeners to rediscover the primary pleasure of sound and accept artistic adventure, notes the impact of mechanical reproduction, and closes by reminding us that every age laments musical decline while the art continually renews itself. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

La Révolution russe : sa portée mondiale

Leo Tolstoy

"La Révolution russe : sa portée mondiale" by graf Leo Tolstoy is a political-philosophical treatise written in the early 20th century. It argues that states everywhere are founded on violence, that Western parliamentary reforms only spread moral corruption, and that the Russian Revolution should reject both autocracy and revolutionary coercion. Grounded in Christian ethics and a defense of agrarian life, the work calls for nonviolent noncooperation—refusing taxes, military service, and participation in government—as the only moral and workable path. The opening of the treatise presents the revolution as a crisis in the people’s relationship to power and asks what Russians must do now. It traces how rulers everywhere arise from violence, degenerate through luxury and war, and are ultimately resisted as public conscience matures; it disputes social‑contract myths and economic determinism. The work contrasts two perilous roads—Eastern submission to despotism and Western democratized domination—then critiques parliaments, mass politics, industrial luxury, and colonial exploitation as a false “civilization.” It claims Russia has unique advantages for a peaceful transformation: a still-agrarian society, a living Christian moral sense, and clear evidence of the West’s dead end. The text explains obedience as a kind of hypnosis born of lost religious conscience, argues that government actually spreads crime, and answers objections about “order” and industry by urging a return to necessary, dignified rural labor. It concludes that one need not predict future institutions; the immediate duty is to refuse obedience to any violent authority, whether governmental or revolutionary. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

A description of Killarney

Dunn

"A description of Killarney by Dunn" is a travelogue and topographical account written in the late 18th century. The book portrays the Lakes of Killarney and their surroundings in County Kerry, sketching landscapes, islands, mountains, flora and fauna, echoes, and local lore with a picturesque sensibility. The narrative maps the two main northern lakes (the Great Lake/Lough Leane and Turk Lake) and the upper southern lake, tracing shores, bays, peninsulas, rivers, and cascades while naming key features such as Glená, Tomies, Mangerton, Turk, the Eagle’s Nest, M’Gilly Cuddy’s Reeks, and the Mucrus peninsula. It lingers on O’Sullivan’s Cascade, the wooded richness of Mucrus and Camillan, and the dramatic echoes at the Eagle’s Nest and along the Great Range; it catalogs islands in detailed clusters—Ross Island, Innisfallen, Brickeen, Dinish, the Oak Islands, and Arbutus Island—describing their vegetation (yew, holly, arbutus) and wildlife (red deer, eagles, grouse). Anecdotes include a learned poor boy, a backsliding hermit at Mucrus Abbey, the legend of O’Donahue, and a hunter’s cottage on a remote islet; there are notes on arbutus fruit, bog formation, and concerns about felling ancient woods. The final section defines Killarney’s character as variety and beauty, recommends vantage points (Yellow Mountain, Aghadoe, Dunloe, Mucrus, Turk, Mangerton, Crom-a-glaun), celebrates shifting light and weather, and defends the region’s abundant rains as the source of its luxuriant scenery. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The Attic theatre : a description of the stage and theatre of the Athenians, and of the dramatic performances at Athens

A. E. (Arthur Elam) Haigh

"The Attic theatre : a description of the stage and theatre of the Athenians,…." by A. E. Haigh is a scholarly historical study written in the late 19th century. It examines the physical theatres, staging practices, machinery, festivals, competitions, and personnel of Athenian drama, drawing on inscriptions, archaeological remains, and ancient texts. The work aims to reconstruct how Attic performances actually looked and operated, emphasizing institutional and technical details rather than literary criticism. The opening of the work sets out its purpose and method, explains the reliance on inscriptions, excavations, and scattered ancient notices, and notes how later revisions incorporate new finds and debates about stage-buildings and performance space. Prefaces review shifting scholarship (especially controversies around the Greek stage), additions of evidence and illustrations, and updated appendices; a contents overview maps chapters on contests, preparation, theatre architecture, scenery and machines, actors, chorus, audience, and inscriptions. The narrative then begins with the religious and civic character of Athenian drama, performed only at Dionysiac festivals and organized as state-run competitions with prizes and juries. It details the City Dionysia—its grand procession, dithyrambic contests by tribe, and tragic program of three poets each presenting three tragedies plus a satyr play (often in linked trilogies/tetralogies, especially under Aeschylus), later shifting to fewer new plays and occasional revivals. Comedy appears later at the City festival (three, then five poets, one play each) and eventually includes revivals chiefly from the New Comedy. The Lenaea is sketched as a smaller, winter, largely Athenian festival where comedy predominates, while Rural Dionysia feature widespread revivals across Attica and the Anthesteria has only minor performative elements. Finally, the selection and voting process for judges is described—carefully randomized and oath-bound, yet sometimes vulnerable to pressure and bribery—before the discussion breaks off. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Le droit à l'avortement

Séverine

"Le droit à l'avortement by Séverine" is a polemical journalistic essay written in the late 19th century. It challenges the legal and moral order of its time, arguing for women’s right to end a pregnancy and denouncing social hypocrisy around sexuality, motherhood, and the state’s demands for population growth. The piece opens on the “Toulon scandal,” portraying the prosecution of a local politician as a vengeful, provincial conspiracy by magistrates and naval authorities rather than a quest for justice. From there, it presses a broader case: questioning where abortion “begins,” exposing the law’s inconsistencies, and asserting that before birth there is only the woman, whose life and conscience must prevail. It rebuts demographic alarms by showing how society abandons large families, citing a skilled worker with many children refused housing, and argues that many working women choose abortion out of maternal love to protect the children they already have; others act to shield their families from disgrace or, in the case of sex workers, to survive and to spare future children hardship. Dismissing the stereotype of vain “coquettes,” it notes that most women are driven by necessity, not vanity. The essay portrays abortion as a misfortune rather than a crime, honors the courage of women who risk their health, and concludes that punitive laws and a callous social order create the very conditions that force such decisions—making the law, not women, the true culprit. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Three millions! : or, The way of the world

Oliver Optic

"Three millions! : or, The way of the world" by Oliver Optic is a novel written in the late 19th century. It centers on Eugene Hungerford, a principled young New Englander suddenly enriched by his uncle’s immense fortune—on the condition that he marry and produce a son named John Hungerford—setting up a conflict between love, duty, and personal integrity. The story moves among Poppleton’s mills and harbor and the nearby islands, following Eugene’s feelings for Mary Kingman, the attentions of an ardent artist, Eliot Buckstone, and the counsel of his friend Dick Birch, as wealth collides with character and community. The opening of the novel recounts the rise and death of Baltimore magnate John Hungerford and the reading of his elaborate will: generous bequests to friends and charities, and the bulk—three million dollars—held in trust for nephew Eugene until age thirty, to be inherited outright only if he is married and father to a son named John; otherwise the estate is divided among family members and institutions. Eugene, his mother, and sister Julia return to Poppleton dazed by their new status, while Eugene wrestles with the idea of marriage on principle rather than for money, dreams of improving Pine Hill, and sketches modest philanthropic plans to build decent homes for the poor. His college friend Dick Birch arrives, becomes his adviser, and warns him not to let pride or the will’s “price” chill genuine love. Meanwhile, a marine painter, Eliot Buckstone, spots Mary Kingman adrift after losing her oars and swims out, but Eugene and Dick soon tow her safely in, leading to a visit at her family’s weathered house on The Great Bell. There, Eugene’s restraint and stiffness—born of his fear of seeming to buy love—leave Mary unassured, while the charming Buckstone shows keen interest, setting the stage for the social and romantic tensions to come. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Notes on the book of Numbers

Charles Henry Mackintosh

"Notes on the book of Numbers" by Charles Henry Mackintosh is a Christian biblical commentary written in the late 19th century. The work treats Numbers as the “wilderness book,” reading Israel’s journey as a type of the Christian’s walk, worship, and warfare. It emphasizes the plenary inspiration of Scripture, the believer’s assurance of sonship (“pedigree”), allegiance to Christ alone as the true standard, and the Spirit’s sufficiency for church life, while drawing practical lessons from the Levites’ calling and service. The opening of this commentary begins with publishing notes and a preface that frame Numbers as a divine history of Israel’s wanderings under God’s presence, guided by the cloud, trumpets, and ordered encampments, with special focus on the Levites. The author then introduces Numbers I–II by contrasting the Pentateuch’s themes, defending Scripture’s authority against infidelity and superstition, and urging Christians to know their spiritual “pedigree” and rally under Christ alone, before outlining three arenas of conflict (Romans 7, Galatians 5, Ephesians 6). The next section recasts Israel’s camp as a type of the Church—separated from the world, wholly dependent on God—and argues for the all-sufficiency of Jesus’ name and the Holy Spirit for ministry and worship. It closes by presenting the Levites as workers set apart by grace and cleansed for service, linking their story to self-judgment and the summons, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The censorship of the Church of Rome and its influence upon the production and distribution of literature, volume 1 (of 2)

George Haven Putnam

"The censorship of the Church of Rome and its influence upon the production and… by George Haven Putnam is a historical study written in the early 20th century. It examines how the Roman Catholic Church’s censorship—especially the Index of Prohibited and Expurgated Books and the work of the Inquisition and the Congregation of the Index—shaped what could be written, printed, and circulated. The study also compares Catholic, Protestant, and state censorship and evaluates their impact on the book trade, scholarship, and public opinion. The opening of the work lays out a detailed two-volume plan, then a preface that defines its scope: cataloging Indexes from the mid-16th century to 1900, noting earlier precedents, summarizing key decrees, describing the Roman Inquisition and the Congregation of the Index, and assessing effects on literary production, distribution, and commerce; it also names principal sources (notably Reusch) and explains the method. The introduction traces censorship from an early church ban on the Acta Pauli, shows how printing magnified the stakes, and explains the creation of the papal Index (1559), the more authoritative Tridentine Index (1564), and later practices (including expurgation). It argues the Index doubles as a historical record of literature, outlines how prohibitions affected the value and circulation of books, and notes inconsistencies among different national and ecclesiastical lists. The narrative sketches contrasting enforcement—Spain’s Inquisition as highly effective, France’s Gallican and royal controls more selective, and Italy’s mixed picture with places like Venice resisting Rome. It also touches on limits placed on vernacular Scripture and recurring condemnations of the Talmud, setting the stage for the detailed chapters that follow. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Jibby Jones : A story of Mississippi River adventure for boys

Ellis Parker Butler

"Jibby Jones : A story of Mississippi River adventure for boys" by Butler is a children’s adventure novel written in the early 20th century. The story follows a crew of Riverbank boys who befriend the tall, literal, and endearingly odd Jibby Jones, a newcomer with an author father, as they dive into river mischief, fishing contests, and the tantalizing hint of a hidden pirate hoard. It’s a humorous, good‑natured tale of ingenuity, friendship, and life on the Mississippi. The opening of the novel introduces Birch Island’s stilted cottages and the boys—Tad, Skippy, Wampus, and the narrator—meeting Jibby, whose giant “jib” nose, calm logic, and far‑flung river anecdotes make him unforgettable. After Jibby fixes their balky motor and charms them with his offbeat thinking (like calling his too‑small clothes his “big suit”), the group pranks him with a tall tale about nose‑diving for pearls; Jibby dives anyway and, to everyone’s shock, surfaces with a large pearl that keeps his family on the island. A rainy‑day story from Jibby about the land pirate John A. Murrell—plus the clue “Riverbank” and the lone‑pine signal—spurs them to form a treasure‑hunting club, while a sapling‑catapult fishing stunt flings a carp into a tree, fueling comic debates about animals “climbing.” The boys then compete for Uncle Oscar’s fishing prize: Jibby seems to “smell” fish but actually wins by smart preparation—choosing a proven hole and “scouring” worms per Izaak Walton—before the section closes with the narrator’s dog Rover back home and howling, hinting that nightfall and new trouble lie ahead. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The Corbin necklace

Henry Kitchell Webster

"The Corbin Necklace" by Henry Kitchell Webster is a mystery novel written in the early 20th century. It follows a prominent Midwestern family on the eve of Judith Corbin’s wedding, when an infamous pearl necklace becomes the center of danger, pride, and intrigue. Narrated by a nearby family friend confined with a broken leg, the story watches sharp-eyed young Punch, reluctant bride Judy, their formidable grandmother, their strained mother Victoria, and returning Uncle Alec as a vanished heirloom exposes hidden loyalties and fault lines. The opening of the novel sets the scene: Punch frets that newspapers have announced the pearls as Judy’s wedding gift, the neighbor-narrator sketches the Corbin dynasty and its iron-willed matriarch, and Judy arrives home ambivalent about her marriage to Bruce Applebury. At The Oaks, Punch discovers the safe once left unlocked; tensions flare between Victoria and Mrs. Corbin over who should have the necklace; Judy hints at her grandmother’s morphine use; and Uncle Alec reappears from the Philippines. On the day the guests arrive, Judy abruptly feigns a sprained ankle after a jolting encounter, and that evening Mrs. Corbin invites her to wear the pearls—but the case proves empty, prompting Victoria to urge secrecy while Alec argues for detectives. The party continues: Judy hides a hastily delivered note in a vase, Punch keeps a nocturnal watch, glimpses a man in torn, pale pajamas heading upstairs, and encounters Miss Digby in the hall, until morning brings Punch a sudden idea about where to look, cutting the opening on a taut cliff. (This is an automatically generated summary.)