17 h 43 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 17 h 43 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
On the Scottish coast, a place of rest becomes a world of second sight, hidden treasure, and danger.
Archibald Hunter comes to northeastern Scotland for rest, but Cruden Bay offers little peace. Sea, cliffs, and shifting weather bring him close to things he cannot easily explain. Gormala MacNiel, an older Scottish woman with second sight, recognises the same gift in him and urges him to take it seriously.
Then Hunter meets Marjory Drake, a wealthy American woman whose dangerous predicament gives his stay a new purpose. Attraction draws him closer, while concealed information and a cipher open a trail toward buried treasure. In Bram Stoker's gothic adventure, romance and practical puzzle-solving share the coast with supernatural unease.
What you’ll discover
- A coast of contrasts Explore a Scottish landscape where the sea offers beauty, refuge, and the threat of danger.
- The burden of second sight Follow Hunter as Gormala presses him to face experiences he cannot easily explain.
- Romance under threat Meet Marjory Drake, whose predicament makes Hunter's growing attraction a source of urgent concern.
- A cipher worth pursuing Enter a treasure mystery that gives the patient work of deciphering a substantial place.
- Secrets beyond the supernatural Discover how old secrets and international tensions sit beside the coast's less explainable mysteries.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy Scottish coasts, ghostly omens, buried treasure, secret codes, and a love story that grows through danger.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A coffin on the bridge starts everything
- An old rune names three omens
- Lammas night brings the procession of the drowned
- A bought chest hides a ciphered Spanish secret
- Two women on a rock bring Archie a love
- The heiress behind the name proves her own steel
- The cave under the cellar nearly drowns them
- A proud Spaniard and a vanished wife
- Fate, honor and nations clash in the story
- Water, gold and codes shape the telling
Who’s who
- Archie HunterA shy young barrister with money, who tells the story, has second sight, and wants to build a house at Whinnyfold and win Marjory.
- Marjory Anita DrakeA brave, clever American heiress who hides her fame, loves codes and adventure, and is set on helping her country against Spain.
- Gormala MacNielA tall, fierce seer from the western islands who follows Archie, knows the old rune, and wants to see the Mystery of the Sea solved.
- Lauchlane MacleodA golden haired fisherman from the Outer Isles, noble and fearless, whom Gormala has foreseen lying dead on the rocks.
- Mrs. JackMarjory's warm, loyal older companion, who frets over her but trusts her judgment and supports her marriage.
- Don Bernardino de EscobanA proud Spanish count who guards a family Trust to protect the Pope's lost treasure, and who is bound by honor.
- Sam AdamsA diplomat at the American Embassy, Archie's old friend, who wants to protect Marjory from a kidnapping plot.
- CathcartA cheerful British embassy man on leave who offers Archie his help and joins the search.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read today.
- 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.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
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 USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 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.
The Mystery of the Sea
by Bram Stoker · 1902
A seer-woman tells a young man that a golden fisherman will die on a Lammas tide, and he watches it happen.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 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 USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
What would you do if a stranger told you that the look on your face meant death was near? Archie Hunter, a young barrister, sits on a low wall at Cruden Bay and sees a small black box carried on a man's shoulder.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A coffin on the bridge starts everything
Archie Hunter arrives at Cruden Bay for his yearly visit. He sits on the wall beside the bridge and watches three people go by. For a moment the man in front seems to carry a small black coffin on his shoulder. Then the picture clears and the three walk on.
A tall, gaunt old woman has been staring at him. She asks what made his eyes look so shocked. She tells him to wait, because by this time tomorrow he may know. That evening a child has drowned in the little harbor, and its parents are the very pair Archie saw on the bridge.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 9 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1902
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Stoker, Bram. The Mystery of the Sea. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mystery-of-the-sea.
Stoker, B. (2026). The mystery of the sea. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mystery-of-the-sea (Original work published 1902)
Stoker, Bram. The Mystery of the Sea. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mystery-of-the-sea.
@book{stoker2026mystery,
author = {Stoker, Bram},
title = {The Mystery of the Sea},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mystery-of-the-sea},
note = {First published 1902}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 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
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Mystery of the Sea
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 Mystery of the Sea about?
It tells of Archie Hunter, a young man with second sight who lives on the Aberdeenshire coast. He helps fulfill a rune about a golden man, finds a ciphered Spanish treasure, marries an American heiress, and faces a Spanish count and a kidnapping gang.
Where is the story set and is it real?
It is set mainly at Cruden Bay, Whinnyfold and the Skares rocks in Aberdeenshire, with a castle called Crom inland. The places are real, though the story is invented, and the tale is placed in 1897 and 1898 during the Spanish American War.
What does the rune mean?
Three omens appear in the rune: the moon shining gold above an incoming tide, floods at Lammas sustaining the spell, and a golden man wedded to death. Gormala says they must come together before the Mystery of the Sea can be understood.
The author
Bram Stoker
1847–1912 · Irish Gothic novelist
Bram Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, born in Dublin in 1847. He moved to London in 1878 and worked as manager of the Lyceum Theatre. He wrote Dracula (1897), The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903), and The Lair of the White Worm (1911). He died in London in 1912.
More by Bram Stoker
All 7 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
