The Amber Witch

Wilhelm Meinhold

Summary

The Amber Witch is a German novel published by Wilhelm Meinhold (1797–1851) in 1838. Its German title is Maria Schweidler, die Bernsteinhexe. The novel was originally published as a literary hoax which purported to be an actual 17th-century chronicle. Meinhold later admitted to the hoax but had some difficulty in proving that he was its author. In 1844, it was published in Britain as The Amber Witch in two English translations: one by E. A. Friedlander and another, more enduring, translation by Lucie, Lady Duff-Gordon. Lady Duff Gordon's translation was very popular with the Victorians and went through numerous editions, including a luxurious one in 1895 illustrated by Philip Burne-Jones. The novel was a favourite of Oscar Wilde's when he was a boy, and in 1861 it was made into an opera, The Amber Witch, composed by William Vincent Wallace. Wallace's opera has faded into obscurity, but the novel on which it was based has continued to be republished, both on its own and in anthologies. The story is set during the Thirty Years' War. The purported author, Reverend Abraham Schweidler, almost loses his only child, Maria, to a plot by a rejected suitor, Sheriff Appelmann, who has accused Maria of practicing witchcraft. In this he was aided by an evil and jealous woman of the neighborhood. After a trial and under threat of the most dire torture, Maria, wholly innocent of the crime, confesses. While on her way to the stake, she is rescued by a courageous young nobleman who loves her and who exposes the evil plot against her.

Available since: 05/02/2017.

Other books that might interest you

Mystery Stories of Violet Strange

Anna Katharine Green

Violet Strange is no ordinary well-to-do young New York City debutante. Unbeknownst to her family and society friends, she leads a secret life as a professional sleuth for a private detective agency. On a mission to raise money for an undisclosed project, the determined and gutsy young debutante diligently snoops around sleepwalking widows, violent and sinister characters, whispering clocks, and concealed tombs, connecting clues to solve tales of murder, mystery, and intrigue.The quirky tales of detection included in this collection are "The Golden Slipper," "The Second Bullet," "The Intangible Clue," "The Grotto Spectre," "The Dreaming Lady," "The House of Clocks," "The Doctor, His Wife, and the Clock," "Missing: Page Thirteen," and "Violet's Own."

Show book

Nonsense Verses

Edward Lear

Edward Lear was the greatest nonsensicalist of all time. He was the inventor of the limerick and created the Jumblies and The Owl and the Pussycat. This complete edition of Lear's nonsense verse—including the limericks, longer verses, alphabets and his own illustrations—is lovingly restored and beautifully presented, for adults and children to enjoy together.

Show book

The Complete Make Believe...

Laura Lee Hope

The Complete Make Believe Stories Series includes 11 children's books.The Make Believe Stories series, begun in 1918 under the pseudonym of Laura Lee Hope (best known for the Bobbsey Twins series), consisted of 12 books. The final book was published in 1923, while the series continued to be printed in different versions for years to come. It is highly likely that Lilian Garis and her husband Howard R. Garis were responsible for the writing of these books for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, although other syndicate authors may have been involved.Included in this collection:1. The Story of a Sawdust Doll (1920)2. The Story of a White Rocking Horse (1920)3. The Story of a Lamb on Wheels (1920)4. The Story of a Bold Tin Soldier (1920)5. The Story of a Candy Rabbit (1920)6. The Story of a Monkey on a Stick (1920)7. The Story of a Calico Clown (1920)8. The Story of a Nodding Donkey (1921)9. The Story of a Plush Bear (1921)10. The Story of a Stuffed Elephant (1922)11. The Story of a Woolly Dog (1923)

Show book

Arizona Nights - Booktrack Edition

Stewart Edward White

Listen to Arizona Nights with a movie-style soundtrack and amplify your audiobook experience. 
A series of stories loosely connected by the narrative device of different speakers swapping yarns around the campfire at the end of each trail-riding day."A series of spirited tales emphasizing some phase of the life of the ranch, plains and desert, and all, taken together, forming a single sharply-cut picture of life in the far Southwest. All the tonic of the West is in this masterpiece of Stewart

Show book

Rinkitink in Oz (Unabridged)

L. Frank Baum

Rinkitink in Oz: Wherein is Recorded the Perilous Quest of Prince Inga of Pingaree and King Rinkitink in the Magical Isles that Lie Beyond the Borderland of Oz. is the tenth book in the Land of Oz series written by L. Frank Baum. Most of the action takes place on three islands - Pingaree, Regos, and Coregos - and within the Nome King's caverns. Since the original ruler of the nomes, Roquat

Show book

The Black Vampyre

Uriah Derick D’Arcy

Uriah Derick D’Arcy seems to all intents to be a literary pseudonym.  Why no-one would want to take ownership of this story from its first publication in 1819 has been the subject of several conjectures.   
 
The only settled agreement is that it was written by a man and from there the trail runs cold until it was reprinted in 1845 and attributed to Robert C. Sands. 
 
But modern opinion now suggests that the true author was his fellow Columbia graduate Richard Varick Dey, a theologian, who’s religious career caused him to distance himself from the creation, in those socially difficult times, of this remarkable story. 
 
In many respects it was far ahead of its time both in the construction and structure of its story, as an early tale of vampires and, of course, its damnation of slavery.

Show book