A.C. Gunter’s Baron Montez of Panama and Paris

Archibald Clavering Gunter (1847–1907)

A.C. Gunter’s Baron Montez (1893) is a vivid work of vanishing literature: a popular novel of romantic intrigue set against imperial ambition and financial scandal. This gripping tale of violence, deception, and reckoning, follows the fortunes of one Fernando Montez, a ruthless figure whose mixed ancestry and social rise reflect the tensions of his time. Opening with a fictionalised version of the 1856 Watermelon Riot, the narrative moves from Panama to Paris, shadowed by the collapse of the French Canal project and the Lottery Bill scandal. Gunter draws on the cultural milieu of the fin de siècle to frame a drama of appetite, race, and ambition, in which popular appeal coexists with pointed reflections on power and identity.

The serial features insightful chapter commentaries and notes by the late author and editor Brian Armour, and is enriched by atmospheric and historically grounded images..

In all, a guaranteed taste-thrill for the cultured reader.