The Lost Stradivarius - Softcover

Falkner, John Meade

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1533390622 ISBN 13: 9781533390622

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016

Synopsis

The Lost Stradivarius (1895), by J. Meade Falkner, is a short novel of ghosts and the evil that can be invested in an object, in this case an extremely fine Stradivarius violin. After finding the violin of the title in a hidden compartment in his college rooms, the protagonist, a wealthy young heir, becomes increasingly secretive as well as obsessed by a particular piece of music, which seems to have the power to call up the ghost of its previous owner. Roaming from England to Italy, the story involves family love, lordly depravity, and the tragedy of obsession, all conveyed in a "high" serious tone not uncommon in late Victorian literature. Preceding M.R. James's ghost stories by several years, it has been called the novel James might have written, had he written novels.

About this title

About the Author:

John Meade Falkner, the son of a country clergyman, was born in 1858. After taking his degree at Oxford, he went to Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a private tutor to the sons of Andrew Noble. When they had grown up he stayed on with the family, and entered the firm where Sir Andrew worked. He traveled a great deal for the firm, particularly to the Balkans, helping to export warships and armaments, for which he received many decorations from appreciative foreign governments. Meade Falkner was a great collector of books, and an expert paleographer - he even received a medal from the Pope for this. He was a benefactor to libraries, not only in England, but also to the Vatican library in Rome. He loved the small Cotswold town of Burford which it was said of in 1970 that it owed its then present state of preservation to his generosity. He was buried in its churchyard after his death in 1932. He published guide books, historical essays, and some poetry, but his best work was in his novels. He wrote four, but only published three as he lost one while on a train. Of these, Moonfleet, his best adventure story, was made into a feature film.

Review:

"Splendid edition of a key--if forgotten!--work."--David Gorman, Northern Illinois University

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1533390622
• ISBN 13: 9781533390622
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 132
• Editor: Edibooks