'Who was Marie Corelli?' shrieked the news headlines after she died in 1924, but no-one really knew. Her past was obscured by such a fog of lies and concealment that it was impossible to unravel.In the 1890s her novels were eagerly devoured by millions around the world, her readers ranging from Queen Victoria and Gladstone to the lowest of shop girls. It was known that the famous authoress had dined with the Prince of Wales, entertained Sarah Bernhardt and Ellen Terry, and even managed to split Stratford-upon-Avon into warring factions.In all she wrote thirty-one books, the majority of which were phenomenal bestsellers, in which she dealt intriguingly with the popular themes of the day, spiritualism, science, romance, transcendentalism and religion. At the height of her success Corelli was reputedly one of the most highly paid, and undoubtedly the best selling author in England. Yet the critics generally ignored her or belittled her work.Setting Corelli's story against the context of her time, it tells how she blazed into fame from nothing to become the bestselling novelist of her generation. Born around 1855, Marie, desperate to escape the shame of illegitimacy, had fabricated several different pasts, changed her name from Minnie Mackay to Marie Corelli and knocked fourteen years off her age. In 1886 she published her first novel, A Romance of Two Worlds and rapidly achieved success.In 1899, after a serious illness she moved to Stratford-upon-Avon with her devoted companion, Bertha Vyver. Here she became one of the first conservationists. She bestowed money on many worthy causes, but was constantly at war with the local council for her insistence on the preservation of the town's old houses. When she died in 1924 crowds gathered outside her home. The press - capitalising on her outstanding popularity - invented fantastic stories about her origins. The mystery of Marie Corelli, however, has never been solved. After her death she faded from public memory, but today she is once again being recognised for her extraordinary place in Victorian society and her remarkable ability to captivate the reading public of her era.

Marie Corelli dined with the Prince of Wales, entertained Sarah Bernhardt and split Stratford into warring factions, but she seems to have invented her own past. The bestselling novelist of her age, she blazed into fame from nothing.

A beautiful and wealthy lady novelist, Delicia Vaughan, marries Lord Carlyon, a charming cad, who spends her money and treats her with callous neglect.

“We strongly caution viewers that the footage about to be broadcast is of a highly graphic and unsettling nature.” The blonde anchor glanced nervously off-camera, as if there were a gun pointed at his head, then gazed back into the lens. “I’d like to remind our audience that it has never been the policy of this station to panic or unduly alarm our viewership in bringing such events to public attention, or exploit or sensationalize any such footage we may receive. That said, the videotape we’re about to present is uncensored and unedited in hopes that viewers might better prepare themselves for what is happening in the eastern portion of the country and which, by all reliable indicators, may spread our way in coming weeks. “This footage comes to us from our affiliate station in Chicago and was shot by W.N.C. cameraman Dennis Kabrich in the neighboring community of Elmhurst. Once again, what you are about to witness is real and is attributed to the so-called ‘Wormwood’ or ‘Yellowseed’ virus, first reported near the town of Willard, Pennsylvania, just two short months ago. This footage is of an extremely graphic nature and viewer discretion is strongly advised.” With that, the cautions ceased and the videotape rolled. “We need to start making plans,” Rudy Cheng told his wife later in bed, nudging her out of a warm drowse. “We need to start getting ready for this thing.” Aimee propped herself up on an elbow. “Rudy, Chicago is almost two thousand miles away. They’ll figure out how to stop it before it gets much further.” He flipped himself on his back and gazed at the ceiling. “I wish I could believe that.” “That news report must have been something to tie you in knots like this.” “It was. I don’t know whether to wish you’d seen it or be grateful you didn’t.” “Well you know how television can be. They like to play things up, make them look bigger than they actually are. What they didn’t show you is how normal things are a block or two away. You only saw what they wanted you to see.” He nodded, thinking of the pile of bodies and the line of gunners on the roof. “This looked like the apocalypse.” She laughed softly in the dark. “People have been seeing the apocalypse for two thousand years.” Against his closed eyelids, a dead man came shambling out of a dingy garage and disintegrated in a storm of gunfire, taking a screaming soldier with him. “This looked pretty convincing.” The bedroom lapsed into silence. “What have you been doing all night?” she finally asked. “Watching the news. Thinking about what I’ll do when this thing finally shows up.” “If this thing shows up,” she amended, touching a finger to his lips. “If,” he allowed, though not believing it. Aside from the Chicago video, more snapshots of the epidemic were surfacing, opening up like new doors to Hell. It didn’t matter if you called it Wormwood or Yellowseed, it wasn’t the sort of thing that just petered out of its own volition. It had a maw the size of Texas and wasn’t likely to stop chewing until there was nothing left but silent earth and rotting dead. “What sorts of plans have you been making?” Aimee asked, though hesitantly. “I drew a map of the neighborhood,” Rudy told her. “That sounds harmless enough,” Aimee said, relieved. “Maybe I’ll show it to some of the neighbors tomorrow,” he decided. “See if anyone else has given this serious thought.” In his first published novel, Michael James McFarland draws an unforgettable portrait of Quail Street, whose residents have joined together to survive an emerging epidemic. Their initial plans, threatened by widespread panic, fall to pieces with the arrival of the virus itself and, pitted against one another for survival, courage and cowardice become malleable — more often than not a consequence of circumstance —the characters forced to change with each new crisis. Warning: this novel contains graphic material and is not intended for readers 17 and under.

After a brief illness and premature death, an Italian man returns home to find his deceitful wife in the arms of his former best friend. This shocking reveal pushes him to seek retribution from the unsuspecting parties. In cholera-ridden Italy, Count Fabio Romani lives in an illustrious home with his beautiful wife. Yet, his life takes an unsuspected turn when he suddenly falls ill and is presumed dead. He is buried alive but manages to escape and find a way back to the woman he loves. Unfortunately, his return is soured when he discovers his closest friend has taken his place. Heartbroken, Fabio conceals his identity and devises a plan to avenge everything he has lost. Vendetta: A Story of One Forgotten is the second novel published by Marie Corelli following her debut, A Romance of Two Worlds. It’s an epic drama fueled by one man’s desperate need to retaliate. Fabio is a tortured hero who ultimately plays judge, jury and executioner. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Vendetta: A Story of One Forgotten is both modern and readable.

Despite the ridicule of reviewers, Marie Corelli (1855-1924) was the most popular novelist of her time. Federico (English, James Madison University) points out the creative, combative and contradictory nature of Corelli's participation in the culture, and argues that her attempts to create her own image illuminate continuing debates about literary value, class hegemony, and gender politics. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Though disparaged by literary critics of her day, Marie Corelli was one of the most popular novelists of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. Wormwood (1890) is a lurid tale of unrequited love, betrayal, vengeance, murder, suicide, and addiction. The novel recounts the degeneration of Gaston Beauvais, a promising young Parisian man who, betrayed by his fiancée and his best friend, falls prey to the seductive powers of absinthe. The impact of Gaston's debauchery and addiction on himself, his family, and his friends is graphically recounted in this important contribution to the literature of fin de siècle decadence. This Broadview edition includes a critical introduction and a generous selection of contextualizing documents, including excerpts from Corelli's writings on art and literature, nineteenth-century degeneration theories, and clinical and artistic views on absinthe.

Based on close readings of five Victorian novels, Hallum presents an original study of the interaction between popular fiction, the marriage market and the aesthetic movement. She uses the texts to trace the development of aestheticism, examining the differences between the authors, including their approach, style and gender.