Wilkie Collins

The Moonstone Illustrated Wilkie Collins

The Moonstone is generally considered to be the first detective novel in the English language. The Moonstone of the title is a diamond. It gained its name from its association with the Hindu god of the moon, Shiva. Originally set in the forehead of a sacred statue of the god at Somnath, and later at Benares, it was said to be protected by hereditary guardians on the orders of Vishnu, and to wax and wane in brilliance along with the light of the moon. The story was originally serialised in Charles Dickens' magazine All the Year Round. Besides creating many of the ground rules of the detective novel, The Moonstone also reflected Collins' enlightened social attitudes in his treatment of the servants in the novel.