7 h 43 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 43 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a disappointing supper leaves you owning a luxury hotel—and caught in its secrets?
Theodore Racksole is an American millionaire who expects to get what he asks for. When a London hotel cannot satisfy him, he buys the place. But the Grand Babylon offers more than marble corridors and fine manners. A crime, a missing royal guest and foreign plots turn ownership into a dangerous business.
His daughter Nella Racksole is quick, brave and curious enough to become an active partner in the mystery. Around them, princes, financiers and servants share a world of hidden purposes. In The Grand Babylon Hôtel, Arnold Bennett mixes crime and adventure with a sharp comic eye for money, rank and the power of getting your way.
What you’ll discover
- A purchase with consequences Follow a millionaire whose answer to bad service draws him into an unexpected mystery.
- A daughter with nerve Meet Nella, whose courage and curiosity make her much more than a bystander.
- Secrets behind grand manners Step into a hotel where titled guests bring hidden purposes beneath a smooth surface.
- Money meets royal rank Watch Bennett play with wealth and status, as money opens doors a title cannot.
- Speed with a smile Enjoy brisk chapters that leave you with a question or a small shock.
Who will love it
For readers who love fast Edwardian adventure, rich settings and mysteries with a light comic touch. It also welcomes readers who know Bennett's quieter novels and enjoy his sharp eye for manners and money.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A millionaire cannot get his supper
- He buys the hotel to prove a point
- Nella Racksole is no passive daughter
- A grand hotel is a world of secrets
- Money, class and manners drive the story
- A tale told with speed and a smile
Who’s who
- Theodore RacksoleAn American millionaire, used to getting his way, who buys a great London hotel and then has to deal with what happens inside it.
- Nella RacksoleHis quick, brave daughter, who shares his nerve and is drawn into the mystery as an active partner.
- Prince Eugen of PosenA noble guest from the courts of Europe, whose presence ties the hotel to larger plots of rank and politics.
- Felix BabylonThe former owner of the hotel, who hands over a place built on tradition and discretion.
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
- 7 h 43 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
- 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, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Das Grand Babylon-Hotel 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.
Das Grand Babylon-Hotel
by Arnold Bennett · 1902
A millionaire buys a London luxury hotel, and a missing royal guest draws him and his daughter into foreign plots.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Grand Babylon Hotel is a novel of crime and adventure by Arnold Bennett. It first appeared as a serial in a London magazine around 1901 and came out as a book in 1902.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A millionaire cannot get his supper
The story opens with Theodore Racksole, an American whose fortune is large enough to be a kind of weather system. He is in London, and he is used to getting what he asks for. One evening he goes into the Grand Babylon Hotel with his daughter and asks for something simple to eat. The hotel has its rules, and the rules say no.
This small refusal sets the tone of the whole book. Bennett shows a place so proud of its own ritual that it will turn away a very rich guest over a matter of timing and custom. The scene is funny, but it also tells you what the hotel stands for. It is a world with its own laws, where staff and manners count for as much as money.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. 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 - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Das Grand Babylon-Hotel
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 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.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Grand Babylon Hotel about?
It is an Edwardian adventure and mystery. An American millionaire buys a luxury hotel in London after bad service, then finds himself and his daughter caught up in a plot involving European royalty and crime.
Who wrote The Grand Babylon Hotel and when?
Arnold Bennett wrote it. It appeared as a magazine serial around 1901 and was published as a book in 1902, early in his career as a journalist and novelist.
Is The Grand Babylon Hotel a true story?
No, it is fiction. The hotel is invented, though Bennett drew on the real world of London luxury hotels and on the popular sensation novels of his time.
The author
Arnold Bennett
1867–1931 · English novelist
Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) was an English novelist and journalist born in Hanley, Staffordshire. He lived in London and France before returning to England. He wrote The Grand Babylon Hôtel (1902), The Old Wives’ Tale (1908), and How to Live on 24 Hours a Day (1910). He died in London.
More by Arnold Bennett
All 3 booksMore like this
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
