In the autumn of 1873, Wilkie Collins followed the example of fellow literary celebrities Dickens and Thackeray, and began a six-month reading tour of America. This book places this tour within the American lyceum movement of the later nineteenth century.

For many in the nineteenth century, the spoken word had a vivacity and power that exceeded other modes of communication. This conviction helped to sustain a diverse and dynamic lecture culture that provided a crucial vehicle for shaping and contesting cultural norms and beliefs. As science increasingly became part of public culture and debate, its spokespersons recognized the need to harness the presumed power of public speech to recommend the moral relevance of scientific ideas and attitudes. With this wider context in mind, The Voice of Science explores the efforts of five celebrity British scientists—John Tyndall, Thomas Henry Huxley, Richard Proctor, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Henry Drummond—to articulate and embody a moral vision of the scientific life on American lecture platforms. These evangelists for science negotiated the fraught but intimate relationship between platform and newsprint culture and faced the demands of audiences searching for meaningful and memorable lecture performances. As Diarmid Finnegan reveals, all five attracted unrivaled attention, provoking responses in the press, from church pulpits, and on other platforms. Their lectures became potent cultural catalysts, provoking far-reaching debate on the consequences and relevance of scientific thought for reconstructing cultural meaning and moral purpose.

This collection of essays by international scholars celebrates the 200th anniversary of Wilkie Collins's birth by exploring his unconventional life alongside his works, critical responses to his writings and their afterlife, and the literary and cultural contexts which shaped his fiction. Topics discussed include gender, science and medicine, music, law, race and empire, media adaptations, neo-Victorianism, disability, and ethics. Along with an analysis of his novels, the essays included also recognize the importance of his short stories, journalism, and contributions to Victorian theatre, most notably illuminating the strong connections between sensation fiction and melodrama, as well as exploring his influence on film and TV. Engaging with yet also delving far beyond the famous novels, this volume promotes awareness of Collins' remarkable and diverse writerly achievements and paints a vivid portrait of an author whose fluctuating reputation among contemporary critics stands in stark contrast to his immense and still-enduring popularity.

Packed with new evidence, Making Oscar Wilde tells the untold story of a local Irish eccentric who became a global cultural icon. This must-read book dramatizes Oscar Wilde's remarkable rise in Victorian England and post-Civil War America. Michèle Mendelssohn interweaves biography and social history to reveal a life like no other.

This comprehensive collection offers a complete introduction to one of the most popular literary forms of the Victorian period, its key authors and works, its major themes, and its lasting legacy. Places key authors and novels in their cultural and historical context Includes studies of major topics such as race, gender, melodrama, theatre, poetry, realism in fiction, and connections to other art forms Contributions from top international scholars approach an important literary genre from a range of perspectives Offers both a pre and post-history of the genre to situate it in the larger tradition of Victorian publishing and literature Incorporates coverage of traditional research and cutting-edge contemporary scholarship

A pioneer of detective fiction, Wilkie Collins produced masterpieces like ‘The Woman in White’ and ‘The Moonstone’, establishing himself as the master of sensation fiction. Collins perfected the mystery story, producing countless classics that would have a lasting impact on the history of the novel. For the first time in publishing history, this comprehensive eBook presents Collins’ complete works, with numerous illustrations, many rare texts, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 5) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Collins’ life and works * Concise introductions to the novels and other texts * ALL 24 novels, with individual contents tables * Includes rare novels often missed out of collections * Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original Victorian texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the short stories * Rare tales from periodicals and magazines, appearing here for the first time in digital publishing * Easily locate the short stories you want to read * Includes Collins’ rare plays – available in no other collection * Includes Collins’ non-fiction – spend hours exploring the author’s rare magazine essays and articles * Special biographical section, with essays and biographical pieces evaluating Collins’ literary and private life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Novels ANTONINA BASIL HIDE AND SEEK A ROGUE’S LIFE THE DEAD SECRET THE WOMAN IN WHITE NO NAME ARMADALE THE MOONSTONE MAN AND WIFE POOR MISS FINCH THE NEW MAGDALEN THE LAW AND THE LADY THE TWO DESTINIES THE HAUNTED HOTEL THE FALLEN LEAVES JEZEBEL’S DAUGHTER THE BLACK ROBE HEART AND SCIENCE “I SAY NO” THE EVIL GENIUS THE GUILTY RIVER THE LEGACY OF CAIN BLIND LOVE The Short Story Collections AFTER DARK THE QUEEN OF HEARTS MISS OR MRS.? AND OTHER STORIES IN OUTLINE THE FROZEN DEEP AND OTHER STORIES LITTLE NOVELS MISCELLANEOUS SHORT STORIES The Short Stories LIST OF SHORT STORIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER LIST OF SHORT STORIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER The Plays THE FROZEN DEEP NO THOROUGHFARE BLACK AND WHITE NO NAME THE WOMAN IN WHITE THE NEW MAGDALEN MISS GWILT THE MOONSTONE The Non-Fiction MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE OF WILLIAM COLLINS ESQ, RA RAMBLES BEYOND RAILWAYS MY MISCELLANIES MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS AND ARTICLES The Biographies WILKIE COLLINS’ CHARMS by Olive Logan MEN OF MARK: W. WILKIE COLLINS by Edmund Yates WILKIE COLLINS by William Teignmouth Shore Extracts from ‘MEMORIES OF HALF A CENTURY’ by Rudolph Chambers Lehmann Extracts from ‘LIFE OF CHARLES DICKENS’ by John Forster Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles or to purchase this eBook as a Parts Edition of individual eBooks

This book builds on a critical and scholarly revival of interest in Collins. Baker draws upon biographical revelations and the recent publication of Collins's letters to provide a unique insight into both the man and the writer. The volume will appeal to all students of Collins and those with an interest in the life of Nineteenth-century England.