The Twickenham Peerage

· Otbebookpublishing
Ebook
224
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

This book was published around 1902, a few years after The Beetle. It's as far as possible from the mood of that gothic fantasy, and illustrates Marsh's amazing ability to hop from one genre to another with ease. The plot revolves around a double. James Merrett discovers he bears an exact resemblance to the Marquis of Twickenham, one of the richest peers in England. The Marquis, who was always a bad lot, has disappeared for fifteen years, and his needy relatives wish he could be proved dead, so they could inherit. As it happens, James is a performance artist able to mimic death - to the point of fooling teams of doctors. Perhaps you see where this is going... The plot is a delightful mix of absurd situations, moral perplexities, emotional ups and downs, and startling turns of events. (Amazon)

About the author

Richard Marsh, born Richard Bernard Heldmann on October 12, 1857, in London, was a prolific British author whose works spanned the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. Marsh's writing career began under his birth name, but after a stint in prison for forgery, he adopted his more famous pseudonym. This intriguing twist in his life story adds a layer of mystery and redemption that captivates modern readers.Marsh is best known for his supernatural and horror fiction, with "The Beetle" (1897) often cited as his magnum opus. This novel, which outsold Bram Stoker's "Dracula" in its time, showcases Marsh's ability to blend horror with social commentary, reflecting the anxieties and fascinations of a rapidly changing society. His works often explore themes of identity, transformation, and the uncanny, resonating with contemporary issues of self and otherness.Marsh's influence on contemporary writers is notable; his innovative narrative techniques and genre-blending style paved the way for future horror and mystery authors. His ability to weave suspense with psychological depth prefigured the works of later masters like H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King.Despite his commercial success, Marsh's reputation waned after his death in 1915, only to be revived by modern scholars and readers who appreciate his contributions to genre fiction. His life, marked by scandal and reinvention, mirrors the themes of his stories, making Richard Marsh a figure of enduring fascination in literary history.

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