Caleb Williams

Godwin, William : Edited with an introduction by David McCracken

ISBN 10: 0192816217 / ISBN 13: 9780192816214

Published by Oxford University Press World's Classics, London, 1982

About this Item

First printing with revisions. The text is based on Godwin's recently discovered manuscripts and includes his later revisions. Included as an appendix is the startlingly different manuscript ending. Light toning to the page edges otherwise an uncommonly nice copy. It appears unread. Seller Inventory # 006757

Bibliographic Details

Title: Caleb Williams

Publisher: Oxford University Press World's Classics, London

Publication Date: 1982

Binding: Paperback

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket as issued

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

The story of Caleb Williams (1794) is the first psychological thriller ever written. Caleb Williams, a poor orphan, is employed as a secretary for the wealthy and benevolent country squire, Fernando Falland. Falkland is subject to unexplained fits of melancholy, and soon Caleb becomes convinced that the squire must be hiding a dark secret. Caleb’s obsession with uncovering the truth provokes a suspenseful and disastrous train of events in which he is relentlessly pursued by the vindictive and controlling Falkland. E. J. Black has written an abridgement of Caleb Williams that is true to the original work in terms of mood and tone. He has captured all the essential parts of Godwin's most important novel, so that the reader can enjoy a faster pace for this powerful tale of the pursuit of an innocent man by a man of power. Our Monmouth Press abridged edition includes the preface and the author's memoirs exactly as they were published in the original 1832 edition.

About the Author:

William Godwin (1756 – 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. In 1793, while the French Revolution was in full swing, he published his great work on political science, Enquiry concerning Political Justice, and its Influence on General Virtue and Happiness. He augmented the influence of Political Justice with the publication of Caleb Williams. He was the husband of feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft, and father to Mary Godwin (later Mary Shelley). Godwin wrote prolifically in the genres of novels, history and demography throughout his lifetime. Using the pseudonym Edward Baldwin, he wrote a variety of books for children, including a version of Jack and the Beanstalk.