The Lost Stradivarius

John Meade FalknerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 277K words
Chapters: 28

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 Lost Stradivarius by John Meade FalknerAuthor: Falkner, John Meade, 1858-1932,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 21, 2004

Editor's review

The Lost Stradivarius is a Gothic novel with supernatural overtones by John Meade Falkner, built around a lost Stradivarius violin and weaving together music, antiquarian collecting, and mysterious events. Falkner's own keen interest in antiquities and music lends the book's descriptions of instruments and performance a convincing texture. The work is short, its atmosphere restrained and somber, adept at hinting through detail rather than rendering horror outright—a fine example of the classic English ghost story tradition. For readers curious about English supernatural fiction of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it offers a specimen poised between classic Gothic and psychological suspense. While reading, note the narrator's sensitivity to sound and space, and how an object becomes the core that pulls the characters' fates along. As a public-domain e-book, it suits reading in installments on quiet evenings and serves as supplementary material for a ghost-story unit in an English literature course.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic English ghost stories and Gothic atmosphere
Fiction readers drawn to music and antique instruments
Students studying supernatural fiction in English literature courses
Advanced learners who want to read short public-domain English originals

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting intense gore or modern horror pacing
Readers who prefer fast plots and abundant dialogue
Beginners impatient with nineteenth-century English narrative style

Reading tips

Read through once to absorb the atmosphere, then revisit the key passages where the instrument and music appear.
While reading, pay attention to shifts in narrative perspective and consider how suspense is gradually built.
Read alongside background material on the English ghost story tradition to understand its place in the genre.
If the English original proves difficult, read chapter summaries first, then return to the text.

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 horror novel?

It is closer to classic supernatural fiction or a ghost story, creating its effects through atmosphere, suggestion, and psychological unease rather than direct violence or gore; it suits readers who enjoy somber suspense.

Can I understand it without musical knowledge?

Yes. The book involves a violin and performance, but its core is the relationship between the characters and the mysterious events; musical knowledge is not a prerequisite—simply follow the narrative and feel the pull of the object.

Is it suitable for English learners?

It suits readers with some foundation. The text is late nineteenth-century English narrative with long sentences; read chapter summaries first, then work through it closely paragraph by paragraph, using a dictionary for uncommon words.

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About the author

John Meade Falkner Author · English · 1858–1932

John Meade Falkner (1858–1932) was a British novelist and poet, born in Manningford Bruce, Wiltshire, and died in Durham. He graduated from Hertford College, Oxford, and long served as chairman of the arms manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth & Co.; in later life he was an honorary lecturer in palaeography at Durham University. Falkner is best known for his novel Moonfleet, and also wrote The Lost Stradivarius and The Nebuly Coat. His fiction often blends adventure, suspense and antiquarian interest, with a restrained, atmospheric style that gives it a distinctive place in English literature. Four of his works are held in this collection, commonly classified as inspirational coming-of-age writing; public information on his life and work is limited, so this note focuses on the themes and style of his writings.