Caleb Williams

The story of Caleb Williams (1794) is the first psychological thriller ever written. Caleb Williams, a poor orphan, is employed as a secretary for the wealthy and benevolent country squire, Fernando Falland. Falkland is subject to unexplained fits of melancholy, and soon Caleb becomes convinced that the squire must be hiding a dark secret. Caleb’s obsession with uncovering the truth provokes a suspenseful and disastrous train of events in which he is relentlessly pursued by the vindictive and controlling Falkland. E. J. Black has written an abridgement of Caleb Williams that is true to the original work in terms of mood and tone. He has captured all the essential parts of Godwin's most important novel, so that the reader can enjoy a faster pace for this powerful tale of the pursuit of an innocent man by a man of power. Our Monmouth Press abridged edition includes the preface and the author's memoirs exactly as they were published in the original 1832 edition.