1 h 57 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 1 h 57 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In Cullerne, a carved shield can hold a secret, and an old church can seem to keep watch.
The Nebuly Coat by John Meade Falkner follows a young man trained in architecture into the shadowy life of an English town. His work leads him among church towers, old records and family arms. Here, stone and glass are more than decoration: a pattern on a shield can point toward a buried story.
At the heart of Cullerne stands the Minster, a presence as strong as any person. Around it move old families, church officials and men of business, their loyalties tangled. As the young architect looks more closely, the mystery turns from buildings to the people behind them, and the mood grows darker.
What you’ll discover
- A town with secrets Explore streets, close and tower where the weight of the past fills the scene.
- The language of shields Discover how a wavy, cloud-like division on a shield becomes part of a puzzle.
- An architect's careful eye See old buildings through the precise attention of a young man trained to study them.
- Loyalties beneath the stone Look beyond carved arms to families, church officials and businessmen bound by tangled loyalties.
- A slowly gathering darkness Settle into a steady Gothic mystery whose damp, shadowy atmosphere matters more than speed.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy old churches, heraldry and unfolding mysteries will love this book. It also suits lovers of English country towns, sharp comic portraits and ghost-tinged tales of family secrets.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An architect arrives in a drowned town
- A shield of green and silver haunts everyone
- A faded inn hides a family of strangers
- A clerk's tale and a painting of flowers
- Someone wants to buy a worthless picture
- A stranger sings in the choir stalls
- An organist fights his thirst and his fears
- A crack in the tower keeps growing
- A small town runs on pride, gossip and debt
- How a ghost story hides in a comedy of manners
Who’s who
- Edward WestrayA scrupulous young architect sent to restore Cullerne Minster, who fears for its tower and slowly becomes entangled in the town's secrets.
- Mr SharnallThe sharp-tongued, hard-drinking organist who loves his old organ, mistrusts the Blandamers, and keeps Martin Joliffe's papers.
- Miss Euphemia JoliffeA kind, proud, impoverished landlady who struggles to pay her dead brother's debts and guards a family picture.
- Anastasia JoliffeHer niece, a dreamy, bookish young woman who longs for a wider life than the town allows.
- Lord BlandamerThe grave, reserved lord of Fording, home after years abroad, who takes a quiet interest in the church and in Bellevue Lodge.
- Canon ParkynThe pompous rector of Cullerne, who boasts of his learning, guards his income and enjoys gossip.
- Clerk JanawayThe talkative sexton who remembers every family tale in Cullerne and loves telling them.
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El escudo nebulado
by John Meade Falkner · 1903
A young architect hears the arches of a failing tower speak, while a green and silver shield marks every secret.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to readEspañol
Excellent
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In short
What would you do if the arches above your head seemed to speak? Edward Westray, a young architect, steps from a rain-soaked omnibus into the vast church of Saint Sepulchre at Cullerne.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
An architect arrives in a drowned town
Sir George Farquhar, senior partner of a London firm, sends his junior Westray to Cullerne Minster with a warning. The roofs need work, the money is thin, and the central tower is not to be discussed. Sir George calls the rector an ass but admits he guards the place in law.
Cullerne is a fallen seaport. Now its river has silted up and a sandbar cuts off the harbour.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1903
- Language
- Español
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Falkner, John Meade. The Nebuly Coat. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-nebuly-coat.
Falkner, J. M. (2026). The nebuly coat. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-nebuly-coat (Original work published 1903)
Falkner, John Meade. The Nebuly Coat. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-nebuly-coat.
@book{falkner2026nebuly,
author = {Falkner, John Meade},
title = {The Nebuly Coat},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-nebuly-coat},
note = {First published 1903}
}
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What is The Nebuly Coat about?
It follows a young architect restoring a cathedral-sized church in a decayed seaport. He learns of an old claim to a noble title, a mysterious picture, and a tower that may fall. It blends comedy, ghostly dread and mystery.
What does nebuly mean in heraldry?
Nebuly describes a wavy edge on a shield, traditionally said to resemble clouds. In the book, the Blandamer arms show silver and sea-green wavy bars, and the shield appears all over the town.
Who is Lord Blandamer?
He is the new lord of Fording and owner of the town, back after about twenty-five years abroad. He is grave, courteous and well read, and he offers to pay for the minster's restoration.
The author
John Meade Falkner
1858–1932 · English novelist and poet
John Meade Falkner (1858–1932) was a British novelist and poet. He was born in Wiltshire, England, and later lived in Durham, where he died. He wrote three novels: The Lost Stradivarius (1895), Moonfleet (1898), and The Nebuly Coat (1903). He also worked for the engineering firm Armstrong Whitworth.
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