&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RThe Moonstone&&L/I&&R, by
&&LB&&RWilkie Collins&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble
Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at
affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new
scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras.
Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble
Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&R
All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior
specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest.
&&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of
influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each
reader's understanding of these enduring
works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R
&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RAlongside Edgar Allan Poe in America, Britain's
&&LB&&RWilkie Collins&&L/B&&R stands as the inventor of the modern
detective story. &&LI&&RThe Moonstone&&L/I&&R introduces all the
ingredients: a homey, English country setting, and a colorfully exotic
background in colonial India; the theft of a fabulous diamond from the
lovely heroine; a bloody murder and a tragic suicide; a poor hero in
love with the heroine but suspected of the crime, who can't remember
anything about the night the jewel was stolen; assorted friends,
relatives, servants, a lawyer, a doctor, a sea captain--suspects, all;
and, most essentially, a bumbling local policeman and a brilliant if
eccentric London detective. Adding spice to the recipe are unexpected
twists, a bit of dark satire, a dash of social comment, and an unusual
but effective narrative structure--eleven different voices relate parts
of the tale, each revealing as much about himself (and, in one case,
herself) as about the mystery of the missing
Moonstone.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RFilled with suspense, action, and romance,
&&LI&&RThe Moonstone&&L/I&&R is as riveting and intoxicating today as it
was when it first appeared more than a century ago.&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R
&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LB&&RJoy Connolly&&L/B&&R teaches in the
Classics Department at New York University. Her recent research includes
the history of rhetoric and political thought, and the relationship of
literature and ethics. She writes book reviews for the New York Times
and other publications.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R
