The Rough Diamond (1880)

The Rough Diamond is a novel written by Benjamin Franklin Craig and first published in 1880. Set in the 19th century, the story follows the life of a young man named Richard who is born into poverty but has a strong desire to rise above his circumstances and become successful. Richard’s father is a drunkard and his mother is ill, so he is forced to leave school and work in a factory to support his family.Despite his difficult upbringing, Richard is determined to make something of himself and he sets his sights on becoming a diamond merchant. He learns all he can about diamonds and eventually saves up enough money to start his own business. However, Richard soon discovers that the diamond trade is not as glamorous as he had imagined and he must navigate a world of deceit, greed, and danger.As Richard becomes more successful, he attracts the attention of a beautiful young woman named Alice. They fall in love, but their relationship is threatened by Alice’s wealthy and jealous suitor, as well as by Richard’s own past mistakes. Along the way, Richard must also confront his own inner demons and come to terms with the sacrifices he has made in pursuit of his dreams.The Rough Diamond is a gripping tale of ambition, love, and redemption that explores the darker side of the diamond trade and the human cost of success.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world’s literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.