When Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's first novel, The Cock and Anchor, first appeared in 1845, critics were quick to hail it as a work worthy of Sir Walter Scott and predicted that its anonymous author might be the national novelist Ireland had been waiting for.
Set against the historical backdrop of turbulent mid-eighteenth century Dublin, The Cock and Anchor is the story of heroic young O'Connor, who wants nothing more than to marry the beautiful Miss Mary Ashwoode. But her father, the wicked Sir Richard, who just may have struck a bargain with the devil, is firmly opposed and has resolved to marry her to Lord Aspenly. Meanwhile, unknown to the lovers, another obstacle to their union waits. Mary's brother, Sir Henry Ashwoode, has gotten mixed up with the evil Nicholas Blarden, who demands Mary for himself. And when Mary finds herself imprisoned by these villains in the great old house at Morley Court, she must find a way to escape before falling victim to their horrible schemes!
Often characterized as a historical novel, The Cock and Anchor nevertheless contains most of the elements of Le Fanu's later Gothic thrillers, such as his famous Uncle Silas (1864). This new edition, which includes the unabridged text of the three volume first edition published in Dublin in 1845, also features a scholarly introduction and annotations by James F. Wurtz, as well as an appendix containing contemporary reviews of the novel and other writings by Le Fanu.
