Ovington's Bank

A forgotten masterpiece from consummate story-teller Stanley Weyman (1855-1928) who was once the Charles Dickens of his day – yet 25 years ago all his books were out of print. Graham Greene described Weyman's novels as ‘key books in my life’.

Ovington’s Bank is a forgotten masterpiece from peerless story-teller Stanley Weyman who was once as popular as Dickens, Kipling and Robert Louis Stevenson. Ovington’s Bank was written at the height of Weyman’s powers, and is considered the finest of his 24 novels. Set in 1825, the novel’s themes are as relevant today as then. The tale follows a run on a private bank: in the fall-out, the protagonists are challenged to examine their motives, their morals and their values as the surprising plot unfolds. This is a tale of tension between traditional values and modern opportunities; between ambition and love; self-denial and passion. In this fast-moving story, the unforgettable characters feature in a breathtaking stagecoach dash to London, a violent mugging, a cunning theft, a desperate bid to keep up appearances and the tenderest of love scenes. This elegantly designed Merlin Unwin Books edition is a fine jacketed hardback with navy endpapers, swell-rules and is set in caslon typeface. Jim Lawley’s essay provides the most complete existing biography of Stanley Weyman (1855-1928), including Weyman’s own unabridged account of his dramatic arrest and imprisonment on suspicion of spying in France in 1885.