"Rodney Stone" is a Gothic mystery and boxing novel by Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in 1896. Set in the years preceding the Battle of Trafalgar, the story follows Rodney Stone, a teenager who moves from his rural Sussex village to London to live with his wealthy uncle, Sir Charles Tregellis. Tregellis, a renowned dandy, introduces Rodney to the worlds of boxing and gambling. Rodney's closest friend, Jim Harrison, is the nephew of the village blacksmith, Jack Harrison, a retired boxing champion. When Jim disappears mysteriously on the eve of an important fight arranged by Tregellis, Jack is forced to step into the ring in his place, and ultimately finds himself involved in the Battle of Trafalgar alongside admiral Nelson. This edition contains 90 illustrations by Sidney Paget, carefully selected to let the mind wander through the treacherous realm of bare-knuckle boxing and political intrigue that reigned in 19th-century England. Moreover, this edition boasts a bilingual English/French format, and ensures that both vocabulary and grammar may be easily inferred and compared. This allows one to approach language learning using a far less burdensome and effective method instead of applying traditional memorisation techniques. This method happens to also be much less stressful for the mind. So whether it be linguistic passion or a love for timeless classics that drives you, this bilingual version of "Rodney Stone" promises to not disappoint!
