16 h 27 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
One strange bed, one buried family burden, one hidden crime: ordinary lives turn toward danger.
In The Queen of Hearts, Wilkie Collins gathers romantic and mysterious tales within a family circle. Three elderly brothers tell stories to keep a young guest with them. Each evening opens another door: onto London streets, the English countryside, or foreign cities where visitors face dangers they do not understand.
A Terribly Strange Bed draws a traveller toward danger in an unfamiliar house. Mad Monkton explores inheritance, family pride and the pull of the past. In Anne Rodway, a poor London needlewoman follows grief and stubborn care into a search for truth. Alongside these mysteries, love stories test duty, trust and the cost of keeping a promise.
What you’ll discover
- An evening of stories Settle into a family gathering where each new tale changes the mood.
- Danger far from home Follow travellers whose unfamiliar surroundings turn a simple visit into a source of fear.
- The past presses close Explore old family burdens, where inheritance and pride give the past a troubling hold.
- A needlewoman seeks truth Meet Anne Rodway, whose grief and stubborn care draw her into the search for truth.
- Promises under pressure Discover romances where marriage, duty and hidden truths make loyalty a difficult choice.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like Victorian suspense, ghost stories and early detective tales, and who want short pieces they can read one at a time. It may be less suited to anyone who wants a single long plot with one set of characters.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A family circle gathers to tell stories
- A young man meets danger in a strange house
- Old families carry strange burdens
- Ordinary people uncover crime
- Love, loyalty and hard choices
- How Collins builds a short tale
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 16 h 27 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Die Herz-Dame in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
Die Herz-Dame
by Wilkie Collins· 1859
A family shares tales of love, crime and strange events.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Deutsch
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A family circle gathers to tell stories
The book begins from a simple idea. Three elderly brothers arrange an evening of stories to keep a young guest with them, and each evening brings a new tale. Victorian readers knew this habit well. Families read aloud and swapped stories, and magazines were written with that kind of listening in mind.
The frame matters because it sets the tone. Each storyteller has a different temper, so the tales change from romantic to eerie to sharp and comic. A listener never knows quite what the next teller will offer. That surprise keeps the book moving even though the tales are separate.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
Wilkie Collins
1824–1889 · English mystery novelist
Wilkie Collins was a British novelist and playwright born in London in 1824. He lived mainly in London and died there in 1889. His novels include The Woman in White (1859–1860), The Moonstone (1868), The Law and the Lady (1875), and The Black Robe (1881).
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More by Wilkie Collins
All 15 books
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Die Herz-Dame
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins about?
It is a collection of short tales published in 1859. They include stories of mystery, fear, crime and love, joined by a frame in which members of a family tell stories to one another.
When was The Queen of Hearts written?
It was published in 1859, when Collins was writing for Victorian magazines. Many of the tales had a first life in periodicals before they were gathered into a book.
Is The Queen of Hearts a ghost story collection?
Not only. Some tales have an eerie feeling, but others are detective stories, comic pieces or romances. The mix is part of what makes the book varied.
Popular in short stories
See all
Free
Free
Free
