The Mystery of Edwin Drood

The final novel by Charles Dickens, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", was unfinished at the time of his death in 1870. The novel revolves around John Jasper, choirmaster and opium addict, who is the guardian of his orphaned nephew Edwin Drood. Before the death of his parents, Edwin was promised to marry Rosa Bud, another orphan, but their affections have cooled upon reaching adulthood. Rosa has also attracted the affections of Jasper, her teacher, as well as Neville Landless, a fellow orphan and the twin brother of Rosa's friend, Helena. While Rosa and Edwin have ended their engagement on pleasant terms and remain friendly, Neville is jealous and angry and it takes him and Edwin sometime to settle their differences over Rosa. At the same time, Jasper lives a shadowy and secret double life in opium dens and also harbors hidden desires for Rosa, his pupil. Suddenly and mysteriously Edwin disappears and Neville is quickly accused of murdering him, though Jasper is also a likely suspect. While uncompleted, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is a fascinating tale whose ending, as Dickens may have intended, will remain forever shrouded in mystery and speculation. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 - 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction.