Anthologies
A collection of horror stories by a variety of English and American authors.
This is a book to be read by a blazing fire on a winter's night, with the curtains drawn close and the doors securely locked. The unquiet souls of the dead, both as fictional creations and as 'real' apparitions, roam the pages of this haunting new selection of ghost stories by Rex Collings. Some of these stories are classics while others are lesser-known gems unearthed from this vintage era of tales of the supernatural. There are stories from distant lands - Fisher's Ghost by John Lang is set in Australia and A Ghostly Manifestation by 'A Clergyman' is set in Calcutta. In this selection, Sir Walter Scott (a Victorian in spirit if not in fact), keeps company with Edgar Allen Poe, Sheridan Le Fanu and other illustrious masters of the genre.
The tales of terror and hysteria published in the heydey (1817-32) of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine became a literary legend in the nineteenth century. Blackwood's was the most important and influential literary-political journal of its time, and a major institution not just in Scottish letters but in the development of British and American Romanticism. This edition selects some of the best tales from the magazine's first fifteen years, and includes works by well-known writers such as Walter Scott, James Hogg, and John Galt alongside talented but now almost forgotten authors like William Godwin, Samuel Warren, and William Mudford.
In his acclaimed collection Tales Before Tolkien , Douglas A. Anderson illuminated the sources, inspirations, and influences that fired J.R.R. Tolkien’s genius. Now Anderson turns his attention to Tolkien’s colleague and friend C. S. Lewis, whose influence on modern fantasy, through his beloved Narnia books, is second only to Tolkien’s own. In many ways, Lewis’s influence has been even wider than Tolkien’s. For in addition to the Narnia series, Lewis wrote groundbreaking works of science fiction, urban fantasy, and religious allegory, and he came to be regarded as among the most important Christian writers of the twentieth century. It will come as no surprise, then, that such a wide-ranging talent drew inspiration from a variety of sources. Here are twenty of the tributaries that fed Lewis’s unique talent, among them: “The Wood That Time Forgot: The Enchanted Wood,” taken from a never-before-published fantasy by Lewis’s biographer and friend, Roger Lancelyn Green, that directly inspired The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; E. Nesbit’s charming “The Aunt and Amabel,” in which a young girl enters another world by means of a wardrobe; “The Snow Queen,” by Hans Christian Andersen, featuring the abduction of a young boy by a woman as cruel as she is beautiful; and many more, including works by Charles Dickens, Kenneth Grahame, G. K. Chesterton, and George MacDonald, of whom Lewis would write, “I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master.” Full of fascinating insights into Lewis’s life and fiction, Tales Before Narnia is the kind of book that will be treasured by children and adults alike and passed down lovingly from generation to generation. INCLUDING SEVENTEEN MORE WORKS BY THE PROGENITORS OF MODERN FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION: “Tegnér’s Drapa” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “The Magic Mirror” by George MacDonald “Undine” by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué “Letters from Hell: Letter III” by Valdemar Thisted “Fastosus and Avaro” by John Macgowan “The Tapestried Chamber; or, The Lady in the Sacque” by Sir Walter Scott “The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton” by Charles Dickens “The Child and the Giant” by Owen Barfield “A King’s Lesson” by William Morris “The Waif Woman: A Cue—From a Saga” by Robert Louis Stevenson “First Whisper of The Wind in the Willows ” by Kenneth Grahame “The Wish House” by Rudyard Kipling “Et in Sempiternum Pereant” by Charles Williams “The Dragon’s Visit” by J.R.R. Tolkien “The Coloured Lands” by G. K. Chesterton “The Man Who Lived Backwards” by Charles F. Hall “The Dream Dust Factory” by William Lindsay Gresham
Ghost short stories became very popular in the first half of the nineteenth century and this collection by Andrew Barger, award-winning author of COFFEE WITH POE: A NOVEL OF EDGAR ALLAN POE'S LIFE and BEST GHOST SHORT STORIES 1850-1899: A PHANTASMAL GHOST ANTHOLOGY, contains the very scariest of them all. As he has done with a number of other books, Andrew Barger has added his scholarly touch to this collection by including story backgrounds,annotations, author photos and a foreword titled "All Ghosts Are Gray."Buy PHANTASMAL: THE BEST GHOST STORIES 1800-1849 tonight and be ready to be scared. Boo! The Tapestried Chamber (1827) Sir Walter Scott was a leading proponent of supernatural tales in Europe.The Tapestried Chamber is the second oldest scary story in the anthology and contains moments of sheer terror. Adventure of the German Student (1824) Washington Irving is best known for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," but the"Adventure of the German Student" is as compact a fright as one will find in a little ghost story. The Old Maid in the Winding Sheet (1837) Nathaniel Hawthorne makes his only appearance with a horror tale that is superbly written. It was also an Edgar Allan Poe favorite. The Spectral Ship (1828) Wilhelm Hauff died in his mid-twenties, yet still showed early promise that he could have been one of the all time great supernatural writers. "TheSpectral Ship" leaves an indelible tang of horror. A Night in a Haunted House (1848) This anonymous ghost story will make a person think twice when they hear a thump coming up the stairs. The Mask of the Red Death (1842) "The Mask of the Red Death" is perhaps Edgar Allan Poe's finest ghost story. The writing and symbolism are unparalleled for this period in question. A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family (1839) Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu was the early king of the short ghost story. He would later publish "Green Tea," which is contained in BEST HORROR SHORT STORIES 1850-1899: A 6A66LE HORROR ANTHOLOGY. The Deaf and Dumb Girl (1839) This anonymous ghost story is collected for the first time in any anthology since its original publication in 1839. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1819) Washington Irving's most popular ghost story--and perhaps the most popular ghost short story of all time (assuming Dickens's "A Christmas Carole" is a novella)--is "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Although typically disfavored in a scary ghost story, it is one of the first to do it without losing the element of terror and it is the oldest in the Top 10, which gives the story high marks for originality and creativity.
The goal of this collection of the greatest sea adventure novels is to awake your lust of voyage, your sense of adventure and the joy of discovery. Content: Captain Charles Johnson: The History of Pirates R. L. Stevenson: Treasure Island Jack London: The Sea Wolf The Mutiny of the Elsinore A Son of the Sun Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe Captain Singleton Tobias Smollett: The Adventures of Roderick Random Walter Scott: The Pirate Frederick Marryat: Mr. Midshipman Easy Masterman Ready; Or, The Wreck of the "Pacific" Edgar Allan Poe: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket James Fenimore Cooper: The Pilot: A Tale of the Sea The Red Rover Afloat and Ashore: A Sea Tale Miles Wallingford Homeward Bound; Or, The Chase: A Tale of the Sea Thomas Mayne Reid: The Ocean Waifs: A Story of Adventure on Land and Sea Victor Hugo: Toilers of the Sea Herman Melville: Redburn White-Jacket Moby Dick Benito Cereno R. M. Ballantyne: The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean Fighting the Whales Jules Verne: The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Hatteras In Search of the Castaways; Or, The Children of Captain Grant 20 000 Leagues under the Sea Dick Sand: A Captain at Fifteen An Antarctic Mystery L. Frank Baum: Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea Randall Parrish: Wolves of the Sea Charles Boardman Hawes: The Dark Frigate The Mutineers Joseph Conrad: The Nigger of the 'Narcissus' Lord Jim Typhoon The Shadow Line The Arrow of Gold Rudyard Kipling: Captains Courageous Ralph Henry Barbour: The Adventure Club Afloat Rafael Sabatini: Captain Blood The Sea-Hawk Jeffery Farnol: Black Bartlemy's Treasure Martin Conisby's Vengeance Henry De Vere Stacpoole: The Blue Lagoon The Garden of God
The 'Beach Books Anthology' is a compelling showcase of adventure, imagination, and literary innovation, offering a diverse tapestry of tales designed to captivate readers through a wide array of literary styles and genres. The anthology immerses readers into a world where each story acts as a tide, reshaping the shoreline of our understanding and expectation. Through thrilling narratives and explorations of human spirit, themes of exploration, adventure, and personal discovery emerge, highlighted by standout pieces that contribute to the greater dialogue on courage and resilience. The anthology situates itself firmly in the literary context of the 18th to early 20th century, bridging Romanticism, Victorian sensibilities, and the advent of modern adventures. The editor's selection draws from the rich legacies of literary titans like Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Herman Melville, whose collective contributions paint a vivid picture of a transformative era in literature. The anthology harmonizes voices from different backgrounds, bounded by a common thread of exploration and adventure. Aligned with historical and cultural movements such as Romanticism and early Modernism, these diverse perspectives enrich the collection, each author bringing unique insights into human nature, conflict, and the sublime in nature's untamed beauty. 'Beach Books Anthology' is a recommended treasure trove for those eager to explore the depths of literary history through a well-curated selection embracing different styles and perspectives. This collection is more than a compilation; it is an educational journey that provides expansive insights into the evolving narrative forms across the centuries. Whether you are a scholar, an enthusiast of classic literature, or a curious reader, this anthology offers a unique dialogue among authors, each narrative offering a refreshing dip into the sea of classic literature. Engage with timeless tales that invite reflection and enjoyment, all within a single, enriching volume.
Scottish Stories is a treasury of great writing from a richly literary land, where the short story has flourished for over two centuries. Here are chilling supernatural stories from Robert Louis Stevenson, Eric Linklater and Dorothy K. Haynes; side-splittingly funny stories from Alasdair Gray and Irvine Welsh; a stylish offering from urban realist William McIlvanney. Iain Crichton Smith evokes the Gaelic-speaking highlands, George Mackay-Brown the Orkney islands, Andrew O'Hagan working-class Glasgow; while Leila Aboulela, originally from Sudan, ponders the relations between colonizers and colonized from her home in Aberdeen. Though there is no one 'Scottishness' that binds the authors together, writes editor Gerard Carruthers, each has a Scottish footprint or accent. And perhaps more importantly, all are masters of their form.