'The Golden Silence' by C N and A M Williamson - Methuen’s Colonial Library 1910 first edition, 3rd reprint. Includes full-colour portrait of the heroine protected by tissue. 507 pages. Hard cover, red with some fading. Title (pressed gold) only on spine, No loose pages or inscriptions. Sound binding. See my other listings.

'The Golden Silence' is set in Algerian Sahara, when the French still controlled parts of North Africa. A plot is uncovered to lead an uprising against the French. historically accurate, as the first expressions of discontent against the French started around the time of writing (c. 1910). A young American has married an Arab and not been heard of for ten years. Next there’s a passionate and devious bad guy, a shining White Knight good guy, sheiks on glamorous horses, an appealing heroine, and the most vivid secondary characters. There are three love triangles. The settings move from the elegant gardens of harems, noisy and nasty markets, in the heat of the desert to the great dunes, where only a "golden silence" reigns.

The book is one of many best-sellers written by a husband and wife team. Most of the plotting and dialogue were by Alice Muriel. The reportage was by Charles, an actual reporter and foreign correspondent.

The book has some of the prejudices of its time, including both anti-Islamic and anti-Christian sentiments.