Before You Begin

Before you begin.

In London, Robert Holt is an out-of-work journalist searching for shelter when an extraordinary encounter draws him into a mystery he cannot explain. The story moves through private rooms, laboratories, crowded streets, and distant places, as Holt and the people around him try to understand a stranger whose presence unsettles the ordinary world.

Richard Marsh published The Beetle: A Mystery in 1897. Its four books unfold through changing narrators, each bringing a different view of events. The novel combines Gothic suspense with questions about mesmerism, trust, and the limits of what can be known. It asks the reader to listen closely as one account gives way to another.

This illustrated edition follows the complete novel through its 48 chapters. Meet the principal characters, explore selected places in London and Egypt, and see full-page scenes from the story. Six Story Medallions hold images from chosen passages; chapter recaps gather only the events reached so far and unlock as you read. Begin with Holt's search for a bed, and let each new voice widen the mystery.