The Abandoned Room

Charles Wadsworth Camp (Wadsworth Camp)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 441K words
Chapters: 45

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Abandoned Room by Wadsworth CampAuthor: Camp, Wadsworth, 1879-1936,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 2004

Editor's review

The Abandoned Room is a suspense-tinged novel by Wadsworth Camp centered on a deserted room, with a gloomy atmosphere and a mystery that unfolds layer by layer. It continues the narrative tradition of early detective and Gothic suspense fiction, emphasizing scene-setting and psychological pressure rather than the simple satisfaction of a solved puzzle. Its value lies in atmosphere and the building of suspense: the abandoned space itself becomes the engine of the narrative, and the characters' hesitation and investigation within it drive the plot. Readers who enjoy old-fashioned suspense, locked-room-style setups, and a slow-burning atmosphere will find it immersive. As a public-domain ebook, it is also a sample of early twentieth-century American popular suspense fiction. The language is generally accessible, though some description and pacing are slow, and readers need patience with the groundwork.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy old-fashioned suspense and Gothic atmosphere
Those interested in locked-room or abandoned-space setups
Readers curious about early twentieth-century American popular fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking fast-paced modern thrillers with sharp twists
Readers who prefer light, cheerful books without a gloomy atmosphere

Reading tips

Try to read it in uninterrupted stretches so the suspense clues stay fresh in mind
Pay attention to descriptions of the room and setting; they are often the source of both atmosphere and clues
If the pace feels slow, read the first few chapters to judge whether it suits your taste before committing

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a detective novel or Gothic suspense?

It leans toward suspense fiction with a Gothic atmosphere, centered on the mystery of the abandoned room and the characters' investigation; it emphasizes mood and suspense rather than following a strict detective-procedure formula.

How difficult is the language? Can I read the original English?

The original is early twentieth-century popular English fiction. The language is generally accessible but contains period vocabulary; intermediate readers can attempt it with a dictionary for difficult passages.

Why is it called "The Abandoned Room"?

The title points to the story's central spatial image—a deserted room that is both the setting of the action and the source of the suspense and unease. Its precise meaning is revealed gradually as you read.

Comments

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About the author

Charles Wadsworth Camp (Wadsworth Camp) Author · American · 1879–1936

Charles Wadsworth Camp (1879–1936), known by the pen name Wadsworth Camp, was an American journalist, playwright and novelist. His works include The Abandoned Room, The Gray Mask and The Guarded Heights, with three titles held in the collection. He served as a war correspondent and was injured by poison gas during World War I; he died in 1936. Because public information is limited, a full account of his writing is difficult to give, but his surviving works show a talent for building suspense, tight plotting and attention to his characters' psychology under pressure, with the readability of popular fiction. He was also the father of children's author Madeleine L'Engle, a family background that offers a further clue to his life.