Wilkie Collins

The Moonstone Illustrated Wilkie Collins

The Moonstone is commonly known as the first English-language detective novel. The title's Moonstone is a gem. The association with the Hindu Moon god, Siva, earned its name. Originally placed on the forehead of a holy God statue at Somnath, and later at Benares, the Vishnu commanded hereditary watchmen to wax and wane brightly with moon light. The storey was first reproduced in the All the Year Round journal of Charles Dickens. The Moonstone has also expressed in the treatment Collins' enlightened social attitudes, besides establishing many of the founding rules for the detective novel.