The Yellow Mask (1887) is a novel by Wilkie Collins. Written toward the end of his life, The Yellow Mask recaptures some of the author’s trademark sense of mystery and psychological unease that made him a household name around the world. Recognized as an important Victorian novelist and pioneer of detective fiction, Wilkie Collins was a writer with a gift for thoughtful entertainment, stories written for a popular audience that continue to resonate with scholars and readers today. Father Rocco is a Catholic priest in the Italian city of Pisa. Through his brother, a sculptor and teacher, he becomes aware of Count Fabio D’Ascoli, a wealthy heir and an eager student of art. Vindictive and ruled by jealousy, Rocco fabricates a story accusing D’Ascoli’s family of stealing from the Church centuries before. Determined to obtain the D’Ascoli fortune, Father Rocco creates a rift between the Count and his young lover Nanina, then places his innocent niece Maddalena in a position to marry D’Ascoli. When Maddalena dies in childbirth, however, a strange figure in a yellow mask begins haunting her distraught widower, driving him to the brink of insanity. Beyond its sensational plot, The Yellow Mask is a novel that effectively critiques the institution of marriage and the morality of leaders in the Roman Catholic Church. Collins’ novel is a masterpiece of Gothic horror and mystery for seasoned readers of Victorian fiction and newcomers alike. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Wilkie Collins’ The Yellow Mask is a classic work of English literature reimagined for modern readers.
