In The Closed Room

Frances Hodgson Burnett

May 2015 · Read Books Ltd

About this ebook

This classic book is Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1904 short story, “In the closed room”. It is a gothic ghost story about a family that moves into a large house abandoned by the previous owners. A surprisingly chilling and eerie story from the author of “The Secret Garden” (1911), “In The Closed Room” is highly recommended for fans of gothic literature, and is not to be missed by those who have read and enjoyed other works by this author. Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924) was an American-English writer and dramatist. Many classic books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

About the author

Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote for children and adults, publishing both plays and novels. She was born in Manchester, England, on November 24, 1849. Her father, who owned a furniture store, died when she was only four years old. Her mother struggled to keep the family business running while trying to raise five children. Finally, because of the failing Manchester economy, the family sold the store and immigrated to the United States. In 1865 they settled just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee. Hoping to offset her family's continuing financial troubles, Burnett began to submit her stories to women's magazines. She was immediately successful. In the late 1860s her stories were published in nearly every popular American magazine. Burnett helped to support her family with income from the sale of her stories, even saving enough to finance a trip back to England, where she stayed for over a year. In 1879, Burnett published her first stories for children; two of her most popular are A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. In contrast to an extremely successful career, Burnett's personal life held many challenges. Her son Lionel was diagnosed with tuberculosis at age 15, from which he never recovered. His death inspired several stories about dead or dying children. Burnett lived her later years on Long Island, New York. She died in 1924.