At its most basic, Trilly, (published in 1894) is the story of the beautiful artists' model Trilby O'Farrell and her three companions,William Bagot (Little Billee) to whom she is engaged, the Laird and Taffy, all of whom are drawn from characters from Du Manrier's student days. Trilby falls under the sinister spell of the German-Polish musician Svengali. His influence and driving personality cause Trilby to train her voice, break off her engagement with Little Billee, and to achieve astonishing success as a singer.

100 years ago, Trilby, the story of the beautiful artists" model and her sinister mentor, Svengali, burst upon an astonished world. It is a tale of Bohemian Paris that is by turns evocative, funny and poignant as it describes Trilby"s rise to musical stardom under Svengali"s influence.

The story brings together a number of strands that fascinated the Victorians. It combines the almost demonic possession of a young woman with hypnotism, mesmerism and sheer animal magnetism. A year after its publication, Sir Henry Beerbohm Tree starred as Svengali in a dramatised version of this best-selling novel, and the profits from the play enabled him to build Her Maiestv"s Theatre in London.