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When did Wilkie Collins write The Woman In White and The Moonstone and what other novels did he write?

Wilkie Collins (1824 -  1889) is considered the first English detective novel writer, due to his novel The Moonstone

IF you're a fan or detective novels, you will probably have encountered Wilkie Collins at some point.

Here's the lowdown on the famous author of The Woman In White...

 Wilkie Collins was a British writer (portrait by John Everett Millais)
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 Wilkie Collins was a British writer (portrait by John Everett Millais)Credit: Getty - Contributor

Who was Wilkie Collins?

Wilkie Collins was a British writer, famous for novels, plays, and short stories.

He was born on January 8, 1824 and died on September 23, 1889.

Although he was born in London to painter William Collins, he lived in Italy and France as a child and became fluent in French and Italian.

He became a close friend of Charles Dickens, and they even collaborated together in drama and fiction.

 Portrait of Wilkie taken by Elliott and Fry, possibly 1971
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Portrait of Wilkie taken by Elliott and Fry, possibly 1971Credit: Getty - Contributor

When did he write The Woman In White and The Moonstone?

The Woman In White was his fifth published novel and was written in 1859.

It was made into a silent UK film in 1929, an American film in 1948, and was adapted for a BBC television series in 1997.

The Moonstone was actually originally a series in Charles Dickens' magazine All The Year Round between January 4 and August 8, 1868, before it was published in hardback later that year.

It was made into an American film in 1934, a BBC series in 1959, and another series in  2016.

 The Moonstone was made into a 2016 drama series starring John Thompson
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The Moonstone was made into a 2016 drama series starring John ThompsonCredit: BBC Handout

What else did he write?

Here are more of his works:

  • Basil, 1852
  • Hide and Seek, 1854
  • The Dead Secret, 1856
  • The Frozen Deep, 1857 (play co-written with Charles Dickens)
  • A House to Let, 1858 (short story co-written with Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell and Adelaide Anne Procter)
  • The Haunted House, 1859 (short story co-written with Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Adelaide Anne Proctor, George Sala and Hesba Stretton)
  • No Name, 1862
  • Armadale, 1866
  • No Thoroughfare, 1867 (story and play co-written with Charles Dickens)
  • Man and Wife, 1870
  • Poor Miss Finch, 1872
  • The Law and the Lady, 1875
  • The Black Robe, 1881
  • Heart And Science, 1882-1883
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