Dead-sea fruit, Vol. 1 (of 3): Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Dead-sea fruit, Vol. 1 (of 3): author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
Dead-sea fruit, Vol. 1 (of 3) is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) (1835–1915).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Dead-sea fruit, Vol. 1 (of 3)" by M. E. Braddon is a novel written in the late 19th century. It follows Eustace Thorburn, a brilliant but nameless young man whose mother’s death drives him to uncover his parentage and avenge her wrongs. Running alongside is a high-society thread about Harold Jerningham, his estranged wife Emily, and editor Laurence Desmond, whose Platonic attachment to Emily tests public decorum and private feeling. The book explores identity, ambition, seduction, and reputation across quiet Belgian canals and London’s drawing rooms. At the start of the novel, Eustace teaches in serene Villebrumeuse until a black-edged letter summons his grief: his mother is dead, and he vows to confront the unknown father who abandoned her. Back in London’s mean suburb, he studies her papers—tender family letters and a cache from a man signing “H.,” an author who courted Celia Mayfield in Bayham, promised a secret marriage, and led to her ruin. His uncle, the gifted but dissipated journalist Daniel Mayfield, confirms there was no marriage, recalls finding Celia in London with infant Eustace, and secures the young man a post as secretary to scholar Théodore de Bergerac through their friend, editor Laurence Desmond. Interwoven chapters sketch Harold Jerningham’s luxurious but broken marriage and Emily Jerningham’s guarded bond with Desmond; and the opening closes with Eustace in Bayham, tracking the old scandal to Celia’s confidante Sarah Kimber—now Mrs. Willows—for the answers he needs.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Dead-sea fruit, Vol. 1 (of 3)
- Author credits: Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) (1835–1915)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- English fiction -- 19th century
Gutenberg collections
- Category: British Literature
- Category: Novels
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Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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