I have been terribly remiss lately in posting book reviews and responding to comments. In my defence, your Honour, I have been a very busy bee setting up my new publishing venture, Victorian Secrets. Victorian Secrets is dedicated to making the works of neglected nineteenth-century writers available to the modern reader. All editions are edited by scholars working in the field, and most include critical introductions, contextual footnotes and additional material. The first title, Florence Marryat’s The Dead Man’s Message, has now been published and is starting to appear on book retailers’ websites. This is an intriguing novella in which a vivisectionist enters the spirit world after death and is forced to account for his actions on earth. He also gets short shrift from his first wife, who he treated abominably during their married life.
Next up will be Florence Marryat’s Her Father’s Name, the sensational story of Leona Lacoste, a pistol-toting young woman who embarks upon a daring quest to clear the name of her late father. The compelling plot combines murder, mystery, duelling, cross-dressing, illegitimacy, amateur sleuthing, and hysteria. This title will be published on 1st October, and it can now be pre-ordered on Amazon.
2009 will also see George Gissing’s Workers in the Dawn, Charlotte Riddell’s Weird Stories, Rhoda Broughton’s Twilight Stories, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Henry Dunbar. Suggestions are very welcome, as we’re very keen to expand the literary canon and give these authors the recognition they deserve.
You can find out more about these titles and all our other plans on the Victorian Secrets website.
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Congratulations and best of luck to you!
I’ve been on a 19th Century kick lately, so i am heading over to your new web site right now!
Glad I found your blog! I am working my way through the blogroll on Wuthering Expectations, looking for bloggers who share my taste in books. Looks like I found one!
Hello there. Many thanks indeed for your comment and good wishes. I’m very pleased to meet you, albeit virtually!
What a terrific idea! I love George Gissing and have had Florence M on my reading list since grad school (I was working on the Victorian sensation novel). I love many neglected Victorian novelists (such as Ellen Price Wood, who is totally undervalued in my opinion).
Found you through The Quack Doctor – and am I glad I did!
Lidian at the Virtual Dime Museum
Many thanks for the supportive comment, Lidian. I’m glad you’ve heard of Florence Marryat, and also that you agree Ellen Wood is underrated. I’m now going to have a rummage in the Virtual Dime Museum…
This is my first time commenting here (I’ve been visiting for awhile) but I had to come out of the lurking-in-the-blog-shadows to say ‘congratulations’ and that this sounds like a fascinating venture. I’m trying to expand my Victorian exposure, so to speak (though I’ve long been a fan of the big names — George Eliot, the Brontes, etc), and Victorian Secrets sounds like an excellent way to do that!
I’m very excited to have found your blog, and even more excited by your Victorian Secrets venture, specifically looking forward to the Braddon, her work fascinates me, but also looking forward to generally getting to explore a bit more victoriana.
Thanks very much for your message, Desperate Reader. There will hopefully be a few more Braddons over the coming years.