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This book is a collection of essays that explore the interconnectedness of life and death, beauty and sorrow, youth and age. The author draws inspiration from their own experiences, as well as from literature, philosophy, and art, to explore the human condition and the meaning of our existence. They write with a keen eye for detail and a profound understanding of the human heart, offering a unique perspective on the complexities of life. This book is a must-read for anyone who seeks greater understanding of themselves and the world around them.

The terrifying story of a young man who has recurring nightmares. A classic story of fear from the master of Edwardian Literature. This classic short story, originally published in 1912, is being republished here together with a new introductory biography of the author.

This book delves into the intriguing world of blackmail, a captivating and ethically complex subject that has long fascinated readers and writers. Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London, the author crafts tales of socialites, aristocrats, and the underbelly of high society, where secrets and scandals abound. The book explores the motivations behind this illicit practice, examining the psychological intricacies of both the blackmailer and the blackmailed. Through engaging storytelling, the author uncovers the vulnerability of even the most seemingly powerful figures, revealing that wealth and social standing are no match for the cunning and calculating nature of the blackmailer. The stories offer a glimpse into the moral ambiguities of the time, challenging readers to question the boundaries of acceptable behavior and the true cost of secrets.

Edward Frederic Benson (1867 – 1940) was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist and short story writer, known professionally as E.F. Benson. His friends called him Fred.Benson's first book was Sketches from Marlborough. He started his novel writing career with the (then) fashionably controversial Dodo (1893), which was an instant success, and followed it with a variety of satire and romantic and supernatural melodrama. He repeated the success of Dodo, which featured a portrait of composer and militant suffragette Ethel Smyth with the same cast of characters a generation later: Dodo the Second (1914) and Dodo Wonders (1921) The Mapp and Lucia series, written relatively late in his career, consists of six novels and two short stories. The novels are: Queen Lucia, Lucia in London, Miss Mapp (including the short story "The Male Impersonator"), Mapp and Lucia, Lucia's Progress (published as The Worshipful Lucia in the United States) and Trouble for Lucia. The short stories are "The Male Impersonator" and "Desirable Residences".

An extraordinary collection of short stories of the supernatural and the weird from E. F. Benson, one of the greatest horror and fantasy writers.

For some years after his death in 1940, E.F. Benson was a forgotten man of English letters, remembered only by a few enthusiasts of his supernatural fiction. But over the last decade this has all changed, as successful TV adaptations of his comic masterpieces, the "Mapp and Lucia" stories, have transformed his reputation and led to the reissue of his best comic novels. Now, Jack Adrian, an authority on twentieth-century popular fiction, has brought together twenty-six of Benson's delightful short stories, some of which are newly discovered, and most of which have never been published in book form. In Desirable Residences we find all of Benson's archetypical characters--absurd, gossipy socialites, appalling meddlers, and hapless males--sketched with a fine satirical wit, and juxtaposed in hilarious short stories. Benson's typical tale involves the humorous misadventures of his sorry, but lovable crew of main characters. One story relates the catastrophe which ensues when a pair of misogynistic bachelors mistakenly think they have solved their domestic problems by investing in the latest household appliances ("electricity," they hoped, would "take the place of a staff of greedy, incompetent females"). Adrian includes several of Benson's society stories (such as "The Drawing Room Bureau," in which a feud develops between two fashionable women over who will be able to divulge the most classified information from their "sources" at the War Office), and four depicting "The Diversions of Amy Bondham," a meddlesome social climber who is revived on her death bed when her husband reads to her the lineage of the Duke she has just visited. A typically pointed Benson passage has Amy complaining of the dreary social scene: "There had been so many pianists, so many singers, so many operations, and though a play by West African cannibals was a novelty, there would be risks in asking these artists to her house....She would never forgive herself if any of her guests were killed or eaten." Benson's taste for the bizarre is well represented, and the collection includes three of his ghost stories (which he like to call "spook stories"). Throughout, Benson creates memorable, often absurd characters--from the unfortunate Miss Mapp (featured in the title story) to the priceless Dodo to humorous hypochondriacs like Dicky Pepys and Bertram Potter. Like his dozens of novels, these stories show Benson to be a master of many genres--from the society spoof to the chilling supernatural tale. These never-before-collected stories will only increase the burgeoning popularity of this once forgotten author.

Available again, this collection brings together all of E. F. Benson's masterfully frightening literary ghost stories. Ranking with the best chillers of M. R. James and Henry James are over fifty classics of the macabre. Benson's graceful style unites these tales to create a thoroughly eerie atmosphere. E. F. Benson's most popular works include Secret Lives and Mrs. Ames, in addition to his Mapp and Lucia novels. "The apparitions Benson creates never fail to chill and mesmerize — late-night reading fare, to be sure!" —Booklist

Jack Adrian's first collection of E.F. Benson stories, Desirable Residences , marked the return of what Kirkus Reviews hailed as "the acid-tongued author of the peerless Lucia novels." After slipping into obscurity upon his death in 1940, Benson has undergone a tremendous revival, thanks to the work of Adrian and popular television adaptations of his Mapp and Lucia stories. Now comes a second collection of Benson's delightful short stories, some of which are newly discovered, and most of which have never been published in book form. Fine Feathers captures the full expanse of Benson's long career, with stories ranging from 1894 to 1931. Here we find all of Benson's remarkably satirical wit, expressed in a delightful variety of stories. There are frothy comedies, tales of the supernatural, and biting stories of calamitous social gaffes, devastated pretensions, and clever swindles. These rare stories capture his skillful characterizations as well: one sequence of tales feature Amy Bondham, a figure very close to the celebrated Lucia of his popular Mapp and Lucia novels. Another story features the final appearance of the heroine Dodo, the character who first made the author famous; the woman who supposedly provided the model for Dodo once described her as a society girl, "a pretentious donkey with the heart and brains of a linnet." In "Dodo and the Brick," she sees off a social climber in fine style, as does the redoubtable Miss Ames in the title story. The collection also includes a little-known story with the ever-popular Miss Mapp, entitled "The Male Impersonator," in which she suffers a devastating retribution. And one of the stranger tales stars Benson himself, in "Atmospherics," as the author undergoes a mysterious and unsettling experience in his home town of Rye. When Desirable Residences brought E.F. Benson back into the bookstore, Mapp and Lucia lovers were delighted at the chance to have their favorite author in hardcover. Now comes another outstanding anthology showing the master at his best--from society spoof to chilling supernatural tale.

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Three stories, three ghosts: a picture in a tower depicts a dangerous woman; a young woman marries an older man and arrives at his house, only to find that his dead wife is still there; and a dead man walks through a house every night, because sometimes the dead do come back. "Penguin Readers" is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the series' combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language. Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders. "Penguin Readers" are graded at seven levels of difficulty, from "Easystarts" with a 200-word vocabulary, to Level 6 (Advanced) with a 3000-word vocabulary. In addition, titles fall into one of three sub-categories: "Contemporary", "Classics" or "Originals". At the end of each book there is a section of enjoyable exercises focusing on vocabulary building, comprehension, discussion and writing. Some titles in the series are available with an accompanying audio cassette, or in a book and cassette pack. Additionally, selected titles have free accompanying "Penguin Readers Factsheets" which provide stimulating exercise material for students, as well as suggestions for teachers on how to exploit the Readers in class.

Edward Frederic Benson (1867 – 1940) was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist and short story writer, known professionally as E.F. Benson. His friends called him Fred.Benson's first book was Sketches from Marlborough. He started his novel writing career with the (then) fashionably controversial Dodo (1893), which was an instant success, and followed it with a variety of satire and romantic and supernatural melodrama. He repeated the success of Dodo, which featured a portrait of composer and militant suffragette Ethel Smyth with the same cast of characters a generation later: Dodo the Second (1914) and Dodo Wonders (1921) The Mapp and Lucia series, written relatively late in his career, consists of six novels and two short stories. The novels are: Queen Lucia, Lucia in London, Miss Mapp (including the short story "The Male Impersonator"), Mapp and Lucia, Lucia's Progress (published as The Worshipful Lucia in the United States) and Trouble for Lucia. The short stories are "The Male Impersonator" and "Desirable Residences".

There's nothing sinister about a London bus. Nothing supernatural could occur on a busy Tube platform. There's nothing terrifying about a little caterpillar. And a telephone, what could be scary about that? Don't be frightened of the dark corners of your room. Don't be alarmed by a sudden, inexplicable chill. There's no need for a ticking clock, a limping footstep, or a knock at the door to start you trembling. There's nothing to be scared of. Nothing at all.

The great horror - sci-fi writer, editor and literary agent Forrest J Ackerman made an office and museum in his famed Ackermansion in the Griffith Park area of the Hollywood Hills of California underneath the observatory. On Saturday nights he would have his closest friends and guests gather together in the upper residence area of his mansion to share pizza or Zankou chicken and sit in the great living room and take turns reading their favorite horror, fantasy and science fiction stories out loud. These stories became the Tales of the Dark Forrest and have been re-recorded with music and effects to be enjoyed by Ackerman's fans and fans of great horror, fantasy and science fiction stories everywhere. These books have been published to complement the audio series. All of these recordings are available as MP3 downloads with book purchase.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The terrifying presence of a restless spirit on the top deck of a London bus; a possession at the bridge table on a cruise up the Nile; a nightmare encounter with druidic sacrifice in the innocuous setting of a terraced back garden . . . E F Benson’s "spook stories" pushed the boundaries of the ghost story tradition by exploring new, previously "out of bounds" settings—such as public transport and even hauntings by daylight—to frighten his readers from the 1890s to the 1930s. Benson delighted in twisting every idea and image and experimenting with the unexpected; this new collection of short stories from across his long career in writing draws together the most innovative, satisfyingly dark, and still resonant tales to thrill anew. This edition also features a detailed introduction containing the fascinating story of Benson’s life, and the never before-republished story "Billy Comes Through."