THE CHARM OF THE OLD WORLD ROMANCES – Premium Collection: 10 Novels in One Volume (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Love and war, lawbreakers and detectives in a gothic late-19th-century worldBy Robert Barr
Length103h 8m
About this audiobook
This premium collection gathers ten of Robert Barr's novels, displaying the breadth of his "Old World" romance: tales of courtship, intrigue, adventure, disguise, and social maneuvering set against recognizably European landscapes and institutions. Barr's prose combines late-Victorian narrative briskness with urbane wit, journalistic clarity, and a fondness for suspenseful reversals. Situated between the historical romance, the comic novel, and early popular mystery fiction, these works preserve the pleasures of serialized storytelling while revealing a shrewd intelligence about class, ambition, and modernity. Robert Barr (1849–1912), born in Scotland and raised in Canada, brought to fiction the cosmopolitan perspective of an emigrant, educator, journalist, and editor. His years in newspapers sharpened his eye for incident, dialogue, and public character, while his literary associations in London—most notably as co-founder of The Idler with Jerome K. Jerome—placed him at the center of fin-de-siècle popular letters. His fiction often reflects this double inheritance: North American directness joined to European sophistication. Readers who enjoy richly plotted classic fiction, elegant irony, and romantic adventure without sentimentality will find this collection rewarding. It is especially recommended for admirers of Anthony Hope, Conan Doyle, and Stevenson, and for anyone seeking a substantial introduction to a versatile writer whose entertainments remain intelligent, spirited, and historically illuminating.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreRomance
Length103 hrs 8 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 12, 2016
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1THE CHARM OF THE OLD WORLD ROMANCES – Premium Collection: 10 Novels in One Volume (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5Novels
Show all chaptersShow less
6Tekla: A Romance of Love and War
7CHAPTER I. THE EMPEROR ENTERS TREVES.
8CHAPTER II. THE ARCHER INTRODUCES HIMSELF.
9CHAPTER III. LISTENERS HEAR LITTLE GOOD OF THEMSELVES.
10CHAPTER IV. THE EMPEROR DISAPPEARS.
11CHAPTER V. LOVE LEADS THE WAY.
12CHAPTER VI. AN UNWISHED-FOR MARRIAGE DAY.
13CHAPTER VII. THE FLIGHT OF THE COUNTESS.
14CHAPTER VIII. THE RAPIER AND THE BROADSWORD.
15CHAPTER IX. A PALATIAL PRISON.
16CHAPTER X. THE INTERCEPTED FUGITIVES.
17CHAPTER XI. IN QUEST OF A WIFE WITH A TROOP OF HORSE.
18CHAPTER XII. CUPID'S BOW GIVES PLACE TO THE ARCHER'S.
19CHAPTER XIII. THE BLACK COUNT IS PERSUADED NOT TO HANG HIS EMPEROR.
20CHAPTER XIV. A RELUCTANT WELCOME.
21CHAPTER XV. CASTLE THURON MAKES A FULL MEAL.
22CHAPTER XVI. THE COUNTESS TRIES TO TAME THE BEAR.
23CHAPTER XVII. THE ENVOY'S DISASTROUS RETURN.
24CHAPTER XVIII. A TWO-HANDED SWORD TEACHES DEPORTMENT.
25CHAPTER XIX. A MAN AND A WOMAN MEET BY TORCHLIGHT.
26CHAPTER XX. A BREAKFAST ON THE TOP OF THE SOUTH TOWER.
27CHAPTER XXI. AN EXPERIMENT IN DIPLOMACY.
28CHAPTER XXII. THE FIRST ATTACK ON CASTLE THURON.
29CHAPTER XXIII. THE TWO ARCHBISHOPS FALL OUT.
30CHAPTER XXIV. COUNT BERTRICH EXPLAINS HIS FAILURE.
31CHAPTER XXV. THE SECOND ASSAULT ON THE CASTLE.
32CHAPTER XXVI. AN ILLUMINATED NIGHT ATTACK ON THURON.
33CHAPTER XXVII. THE TWO YEARS' SIEGE BEGINS.
34CHAPTER XXVIII. THE SECOND ARCHER ANNOUNCES HIMSELF.
35CHAPTER XXIX. CONRAD VENTURES HIS LIFE FOR HIS LOVE.
36CHAPTER XXX. THE STRUGGLE IN THE DARK.
37CHAPTER XXXI. BRAVE NEWS OF THE EMPEROR.
38CHAPTER XXXII. "FOR YOUR LOVE I WOULD DEFY FATE."
39CHAPTER XXXIII. A GRIM INTERRUPTION TO A LOVER'S MEETING.
40CHAPTER XXXIV. THE BLACK COUNT'S DEFIANCE.
41CHAPTER XXXV. THE NIGHT ESCAPE OF THE EMPEROR.
42CHAPTER XXXVI. THE FIVE BILLETLESS ARROWS.
43CHAPTER XXXVII. THE TRAITOR AND HIS PRICE.
44CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE INCOGNITO FALLS.
45CHAPTER XXXIX. THE EMPEROR AT THE HEAD OF HIS ARMY.
46CHAPTER XL. THE ARCHBISHOPS ENVIRONED WITH A RING OF IRON.
47CHAPTER XLI. "WHY HAVE YOU DARED TO LEVY WAR?"
48CHAPTER XLII. TEKLA REPLENISHES HER WARDROBE.
49CHAPTER XLIII. THE COUNTESS AND THE EMPEROR.
50A Woman Intervenes
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