The magic casket: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The magic casket: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
The magic casket is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Freeman, R. Austin (Richard Austin) (1862–1943).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"The magic casket" by R. Austin Freeman is a collection of detective stories written in the early 20th century. The tales follow the brilliant forensic sleuth Dr. John Thorndyke—narrated by his colleague Dr. Jervis—as he unravels intricate crimes through scientific observation, legal acumen, and cool logic in and around London. Expect methodical investigations, subtle clues, and puzzles that hinge on precise technical details rather than melodrama. The opening of the book presents two complete Thorndyke cases and the start of a third. In The Magic Casket, Thorndyke traces a years-old pearl theft and a menacing Japanese-made trinket to a hidden message revealed by the “magic mirror” effect in shakudo bronze, leading to the recovery of the pearls concealed inside a public pump. In The Contents of a Mare’s Nest, he exposes a forged cremation and a fictitious death: forged certificates, a sealed coffin no undertaker was allowed to view, and ashes made from butchered mutton rather than human bone, culminating in the embezzler’s capture. The Stalking Horse begins with a railway-carriage murder of a prominent anti-suffrage figure, a scented handkerchief, and a militant circular left as apparent clues, setting up a politically charged mystery.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The magic casket
- Author credits: Freeman, R. Austin (Richard Austin) (1862–1943)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Detective and mystery stories, English
- Short stories, English
- Thorndyke, Doctor (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: British Literature
- Category: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery
- Category: Short Stories
Read this edition
View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
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.
Sources
More in Books & Authors
Keep reading
