The Treasure

A buried fortune. A murdered pastor. A love that should never have been.

Selma Lagerlöf's gripping historical novel is a tale of greed, guilt, and the corrosive power of a secret—set against the stark beauty of sixteenth-century Sweden.

On a cold winter night, a wealthy pastor returns home to his rectory with his young bride and his mother. They are never seen alive again. The rectory is burned to the ground. The pastor's treasure—a fortune in silver—vanishes without a trace. The crime haunts the district. No one is convicted. No one forgets.

Years later, a young nobleman, Torarin, stumbles upon the hidden silver. He does not report it. He spends it. He builds a new life. But the stolen treasure carries a curse: it turns everyone who touches it into a liar, a thief, or worse. Torarin finds himself drawn into a web of violence and deceit. He falls in love with the daughter of a man he has wronged. He discovers that the secret he has buried is not his alone—and that the dead do not stay buried.

This is Lagerlöf at her most suspenseful and morally complex: a novel about the weight of hidden crimes, the impossibility of outrunning the past, and the strange, terrible justice that sometimes comes not from courts but from the hearts of those we have betrayed.

• First published in 1904, adapted into a 1915 silent film directed by Mauritz Stiller

• A masterwork of Swedish literary naturalism, blending crime fiction with psychological depth

• Explores themes of greed, shame, secrecy, and the long reach of the past

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that the most dangerous treasures are the ones we try to keep hidden.

About the Author

Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940) was a Swedish novelist and the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, receiving the award in 1909. She was also the first woman elected to the Swedish Academy, joining in 1914. Born on the Mårbacka estate in Värmland, she drew deeply on the landscapes, folklore, and peasant culture of her native region. Her major works include Gösta Berling's Saga (1891), Jerusalem (1901–1902), The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1906–1907), and The Emperor of Portugallia (1914). The Treasure (1904) remains one of her most popular and widely adapted works. She died at Mårbacka in 1940.