150th Anniversary of 'The Woman in White'

If anyone's interested, the 150th anniversary of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is this month and there's a very cool project underfoot to mark the occasion! Paul Lewis (who also does 'Money Box' on Radio 4) is serialising The Woman in White and will email it in bits to you if you sign up - just the way people read it in chapters 150 years ago. Not only that, but you get the original illustrations as well!

One hundred and fifty years after its first publication The Woman in White is being published once more in its original weekly parts. For the first time in one and a half centuries readers can enjoy the original text. And experience the agonising week's wait after each cliff hanging ending.   

The story first appeared as a serial in Charles Dickens's periodical All The Year Round beginning on Saturday 26 November 1859 and ending on Saturday 25 August 1860.

The parts are being published week by week 150 years after their original publication on the same calendar date. The first part will be available on Thursday 26 November 2009 and the last on Wednesday 25 August 2010, in the morning UK time.

http://www.wilkiecollins.com/ (Click on the link that says 'Goes Live 26 November 2009')

Email Paul Lewis at paul@paullewis.co.uk with The Woman in White as the subject line to sign up.

I hope people join in because it really sounds like fun!

That's really cool.

I think this is a great idea!  I have the book but haven't gotten around to reading it. 

Wilkie Collins is one of my favourite authors and I wrote my UG dissertation on his women characters. If you've never read 'The Woman in White' before, getting it this way will be really exciting.

Wilkie Collins is one of my favourite authors and I wrote my UG dissertation on his women characters. If you've never read 'The Woman in White' before, getting it this way will be really exciting.

I've never read it before, so I'm really looking forward to it.

This is great, thank you!!!

Wilkie Collins is one of my favourite authors and I wrote my UG dissertation on his women characters. If you've never read 'The Woman in White' before, getting it this way will be really exciting.

It's been so many years since I've read it, that I feel as if I'm going to be reading it for the first time. I think I'm getting it muddled with The Moonstone in my head.

So many books of that era are meant to be read in installments, that it seems odd that we only ever read them in one go like an ordinary novel. I think this is a brilliant idea!

I'm so excited about this!  Thank you for posting it.

Thanks for posting this.  I will have to show this to Mr. A. This is one of his favourite books.

I wondered if any of you who've signed up would be interested in having a little online book club discussion? I'm not sure how much we'll get each week to read, so it might not work, but I think it's worth a try if anyone else is game! The first installment is tomorrow!

I wondered if any of you who've signed up would be interested in having a little online book club discussion? I'm not sure how much we'll get each week to read, so it might not work, but I think it's worth a try if anyone else is game! The first installment is tomorrow!

I'd be interested!  But, isn't it starting on Thursday?  Or did I misread the information?

Me too!   (I didn't read the info carefully, so I'm not sure)

There's an addendum somewhere saying it starts today. I got my first installment this morning!

There's an addendum somewhere saying it starts today. I got my first installment this morning!

oh no! I didn't get it any way you could email it to me, please?

oh no! I didn't get it any way you could email it to me, please?

Me, either!  Is it only open to certain people maybe?