The Datchet Diamonds

Marsh, Richard, 1857-1915Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 294K words
Chapters: 30

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 Datchet Diamonds by Richard MarshAuthor: Marsh, Richard, 1857-1915,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 27, 2012

Editor's review

This is an English novel by the British author Richard Marsh (1857–1915), situated in the tradition of late-Victorian popular fiction, with the mystery of "The Datchet Diamonds" driving the plot. Marsh was known in his day for intricate plotting and brisk pacing, and the book serves as an English-language original for readers seeking an introduction to late-nineteenth-century British popular fiction and suspenseful narrative. The language is generally plain and the narration advances chiefly through events, so the reading threshold is not high; still, the English original poses some vocabulary and syntactic challenges for non-native readers. For those interested in late-Victorian imaginings of crime, anxieties over property and identity, or in building English reading volume through light reading, this text is a convenient entry point. Note that it is a free public-domain ebook, and typesetting and proofreading vary by edition; readers should choose a clearly collated edition and understand characters' behavior and moral assumptions in light of the period context.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners building their English reading volume through light reading of originals
Readers interested in late-Victorian popular suspense fiction
Introductory readers studying late-nineteenth-century British popular literature and crime narrative
Readers who prefer plot-driven English public-domain books of moderate length

Not a good fit for

Researchers expecting a meticulously edited, annotated edition or scholarly introduction
Readers who prefer contemporary fast-paced suspense and lack patience for older narrative styles
Beginners with weak English foundations who need sentence-by-sentence translation and notes

Reading tips

Read the first chapter to establish the character relationships and the diamond clue, then proceed chapter by chapter without looking up every word.
Mark unfamiliar words and look them up later, preserving the sense of plot continuity; review difficulties after finishing a chapter.
Read alongside background material on late-nineteenth-century British society to understand the property, identity, and legal plotlines.
After finishing, retell the main plot in a paragraph of English to test your grasp of the narrative structure.

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

What English level is this book suitable for?

The original is a late-nineteenth-century popular novel, with sentences mainly narrative and dialogue; the vocabulary is not esoteric but includes period usage. It suits readers with CET-4 or above reading ability who can tolerate longer paragraphs and older expressions; those with weaker foundations may read a plot summary before tackling the original.

What should I watch for when reading a public-domain ebook edition?

The Project Gutenberg edition prioritizes easy access, and editions may differ in typesetting, paragraphing, and individual characters. Choose a clearly typeset file, and where obvious errors appear, compare other public-domain editions; do not mistake formatting issues for the text itself.

Can I read this directly without having read other works by Marsh?

Yes. The plot is relatively self-contained and does not depend on earlier works. If you want to understand Marsh's style better, you can read his other popular novels afterward and compare his usual methods of building suspense and characterization.

Comments

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About the author

Marsh, Richard, 1857-1915 Author

Richard Marsh (1857-1915) was a British novelist of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, known for intricately plotted tales of mystery and suspense. Twenty-one of his works are held here, the best known being The Beetle: A Mystery, which belongs to the popular "monster novel" tradition of its day and echoes contemporary Gothic horror; A Second Coming draws on religious and apocalyptic themes. Other titles, such as Amusement Only, A Duel, Between the Dark and the Daylight, Miss Arnott's Marriage, Tom Ossington's Ghost and A Woman Perfected, range across the supernatural, crime, marriage and suspenseful adventure. Public information is limited and biographical details remain obscure, but his work shows a gift for atmosphere and startling twists, making him a name worth noting in the study of late Victorian popular fiction and horror literature.