Rodney Stone is a Gothic

Gothic fiction

Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...

 mystery and boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 novel by Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...

 first published in 1896.

The eponymous narrator is a Sussex

Sussex

Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...

 country boy who is taken to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 by his uncle Sir Charles Tregellis, a highly respected gentleman and arbiter of fashion

Fashion

Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...

 who is on familiar terms with the most important people of Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. The novel interweaves Rodney's coming-of-age story with that of his friend Boy Jim's boxing endeavors, and a large portion of it deals with the famous bare-knuckle bruisers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, such as Jem Belcher

Jem Belcher

Jem Belcher was an English bare-knuckle boxer and Champion of All England 1800-1805.Born in Bristol, Belcher beat Paddington Tom Jones in April 1799 in the Middleweight Championship of England. He drew with champion Jack Bartholomew in a 51-round bout in 1799, and won the rematch in the...

, John Jackson

John Jackson (boxer)

"Gentleman" John Jackson was a celebrated pugilist of the late 18th century.He won the title Champion of England in a fight on 15 April 1795 in which he beat...

, Daniel Mendoza

Daniel Mendoza

Daniel Mendoza was an English prizefighter, who was boxing champion of England 1792–95.-Success:...

 and others. The book includes vignettes of a number of historical personages, notably the Prince Regent

George IV of the United Kingdom

George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...

, Lord Nelson, Sir John Lade, Lord Cochrane

Lord Cochrane

Lord Cochrane can refer to:*William Cochrane, 1st Earl of Dundonald who prior to receiving the earldom was create Baron Cochrane of Dundonald*Earl of Dundonald has a subsidiary of Baron Cochrane of Paisley and Ochiltree...

 and Beau Brummell

Beau Brummell

Beau Brummell, born as George Bryan Brummell , was the arbiter of men's fashion in Regency England and a friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV...

.

It was adapted into a 1913 silent film The House of Temperely directed by Harold M. Shaw

Harold M. Shaw

-Selected filmography:* The Land Beyond the Sunset * Lawyer Quince * The Firm of Girdlestone * Me and Me Moke * The Last Challenge * Die Rose von Rhodesia * The Pursuit of Pamela...

.