8 h 33 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 33 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In a world of polite dinners and country houses, a pleasant manner can hide a dangerous purpose.
The Yellow Crayon by E. Phillips Oppenheim takes you into wealthy drawing rooms, clubs and country houses where crime sits close to comfort. Money and rank shape this world, but good manners offer no promise of good intentions. Beneath the polished surface, secrets give some people power and leave others searching for answers.
Secrecy drives this crime thriller from chapter to chapter. Some people hold information that others want, and quiet menace runs through the social world they share. Oppenheim keeps the focus on intrigue and forward movement. The pleasure lies in following schemes behind polite manners, with short chapters that invite you to keep going.
What you’ll discover
- Manners with a hidden edge Look beyond pleasant company to the dangerous purposes that a polished manner can conceal.
- Secrets worth pursuing Follow a plot driven by information some people guard and others want to uncover.
- High society under suspicion Enter drawing rooms and country houses where money and rank are more than background.
- One more short chapter Enjoy brisk storytelling that puts intrigue first and keeps pulling you toward the next page.
- The thriller taking shape Discover early habits of the thriller in a story built around secrecy and quiet menace.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this book if you like clever heroes, secret societies, glittering drawing rooms and quick duels of wit. It suits readers who love a husband's devoted quest and polished villains who smile while they plot.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Grief turns into quiet action
- The yellow crayon signals hidden power
- Calm exposes the boss's fear
- A charming visitor carries a threat
- London's silence hides another danger
- Lucille becomes a political tool
- Love unsettles the pursuit of power
- Calm courage gives the search direction
Who’s who
- Mr. SabinThe Duc de Souspennier, an elderly, limping diplomat who travels under a plain name and will risk everything to win back his wife.
- LucilleMr. Mr. Sabin's wife, beautiful and clever, taken away during a visit to New York and made to carry out a task she hates.
- Prince of Saxe LeinitzerA smooth, fair-haired nobleman who leads the Order in England and wants Lucille for himself.
- Lady Muriel CareyA bold, sharp-tongued adventuress who serves the Order yet plays her own game around Mr. Sabin.
- Reginald BrottA powerful radical statesman, tipped for Prime Minister, who has loved Lucille for twenty years.
- DusonMr. Sabin's pale and silent servant, who is torn between loyalty to his master and fear of the society.
- FelixLucille's brother, once Mr. Sabin's enemy, who warns and watches him but cannot openly help.
- HorserA brutal New York political boss who tries to frighten Mr. Sabin into giving up a report.
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The Yellow Crayon
by E. Phillips Oppenheim · 1903
A scrap of yellow crayon sends an aging duke on a search for his vanished wife.
Medium level2–5 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What do you do when the person you love is taken from you without a word? In The Yellow Crayon, an old duke sits motionless for a day and a night in his country house.
The Yellow Crayon at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 55 min3 h 55 min fast, 5 h 50 min slow
- Length
- 70,000 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1903by E. Phillips Oppenheim
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A duke gives up his title to search
The story begins in stillness. In a dim room in late summer, a man sits in a high-backed chair, arms folded, eyes fixed on nothing. Bees hum outside among the flowers. Yet he has not moved for a day and a night.
Then he strikes a silver gong and calls for his servant Duson. He orders Burgundy and drinks it with care. He orders his things packed, the staff paid off, and rooms taken in New York. His wife, he says, will not be coming back, but her belongings must stay exactly as she left them.
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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
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 35 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Oppenheim, E. Phillips. The Yellow Crayon. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-yellow-crayon.
Oppenheim, E. P. (2026). The yellow crayon. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-yellow-crayon (Original work published 1903)
Oppenheim, E. Phillips. The Yellow Crayon. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-yellow-crayon.
@book{oppenheim2026yellow,
author = {Oppenheim, E. Phillips},
title = {The Yellow Crayon},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-yellow-crayon},
note = {First published 1903}
}
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What is The Yellow Crayon about?
It follows the Duc de Souspennier, traveling as Mr. Sabin, as he searches for his wife Lucille. A secret society, marked by a yellow crayon, has taken her away, and the hunt leads from New York to London.
What does the yellow crayon mean in the book?
It is the sign of the Order of the Yellow Crayon, a society of aristocrats opposed to socialism. Its members use yellow pencil for warnings, orders and summons, so the colored mark carries real power.
Who is Mr. Sabin?
Mr. Sabin is the name used by the Duc de Souspennier, an old French exile and former schemer. He hides his title while he searches for his wife, and he relies on wit, manners and nerve.
The author
E. Phillips Oppenheim
1866–1946 · English thriller novelist
Edward Phillips Oppenheim was an English novelist, born in London in 1866. He lived in Leicester and later on Guernsey, where he died in 1946. He wrote novels and short stories, including The Yellow Crayon (1903), The Zeppelin’s Passenger (1918), and The Great Impersonation (1920).
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