See also: PG#1552

Release date is 2004-04-01

The Queen of Spades / A.S. Pushkin -- The general's will / Vera Jelihovsky -- Crime and punishment / F.M. Dostoyevsky -- The safety match / Anton Chekhoff -- Knights of industry / V.V. Krestovski -- The amputated arms / J.W. Bergsöe -- The manuscript / Otto Larssen -- The sealed room / B.S. Ingemann -- The rector of Veilbye / S.S. Blicher -- The living death / Ferencz Molnar -- Thirteen at table / Maurus Jokai -- The dancing bear / Étienne Bársony -- The tower room / Arthur Elck.

Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Project Manager; Keith M. Eckrich, Post-Proofer; the Online Distributed Proofreaders Team

"The Continental Classics, Volume XVIII. Mystery Tales" is a collection of mystery stories compiled from various authors, published during the early 20th century. This volume includes renowned works from celebrated authors such as Feodor Dostoevsky and Alexander Pushkin, as well as stories from lesser-known writers from Russian and Hungarian literature. The overall theme of the collection revolves around suspenseful narratives, containing intriguing plots that often explore human psychology and morality. At the start of the collection, the opening story, "The Queen of Spades" by Alexander Pushkin, sets a compelling tone. It introduces readers to a card party where the character Hermann, a young engineer, is fascinated by card games and particularly by the mystical secret of winning cards that is held by the mysterious Countess. As the narrative unfolds, Hermann becomes increasingly obsessed with learning this secret, leading him down a dark path that intertwines themes of greed, desperation, and the supernatural. The initial scenes effectively build suspense while drawing readers into the social dynamics of the characters and their intriguing interactions, hinting at moral questions that will resonate through the entire tale. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Original publication data not identified