What Book ?

Perhaps this should be moved to a Games Forum , I don't know . When some guesses correctly another question can be posed .

Let's see how good y-o-u are . For some it might be too easy . Tell me what work of fiction this is from .

"Mind ! I don't mean to say that I know , of my own knowledge , what there is particularly dead about a doornail . I might have been inclined , myself , to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of iron-mongery in the trade . But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile ;and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it , or the country's done for ."

Hint: It's from the first page . I don't need to tell you that cheating is wrong .:type:

 

So we have to go from the category of books to authors first ? Was the question in my post that obscure ?

The author WAS not American . That's two hints for you .

 

Bingo Roger ! You nailed it ! ( Pun intended ) . Now it's your turn if you'd like to take a stab at it .