On the northern shore of Sicily are still to be seen the magnificent remains of a castle, which formerly belonged to the noble house of Mazzini.

This Gothic mystery was Mrs Radcliffe's first novel and was considered by contemporary critics to be her finest.

The works of this ingenious writer not only possess, in common with many other productions of the fame class, the agreeable qualities of correctness of sentiment and elegance of style, but are also distinguished by a rich vein of invention, ...

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

As one of the early works of gothic fiction, this novel set the standard for the genre and continues to captivate readers with its rich literary style and haunting landscapes.