The Collected Supernatural And Weird Fiction Of Hugh Walpole Volume 1

The first volume of the works of a literary master of strange fiction Sir Hugh Walpole was one of the most popular and prolific British authors of the first half of the 20th century. After the publication of his first novel, 'The Wooden Horse', in 1909 he produced one significant work each year including the acclaimed 'Herries' series. Born in New Zealand in 1884, the son of an Anglican clergyman, Walpole was committed to becoming a writer and encouraged in his ambition by Henry James and Arnold Bennett. A. C. Benson was also a mentor and early influence upon his writing. Despite his acknowledged talent as a storyteller, Walpole's work has been largely ignored since his death in 1941, in part because he was savagely lampooned by Somerset Maugham's fictional characterisation of him in 'Cakes & Ale'. Walpole, in keeping with many of his contemporaries, wrote in several genres of fiction and among his thirty-six novels, five volumes of short stories and two plays are historical, juvenile and even detective stories. His associations with A. C. Benson, Henry James, H. G. Wells and the fact that Horace Walpole (author of the first gothic novel, 'The Castle of Otranto') and Richard Harris Barham (author of the 'Ingoldsby Legends') were both among his ancestors surely stimulated his taste for gothic and macabre fiction. In fact, during the 1930s Walpole edited two well received anthologies of 'creepy stories' in which some of his own material appeared. His own literary excursions into the world of the ghostly and bizarre, which remain highly regarded by aficionados of supernatural fiction, include several novels and a substantial number of short stories all of which are included in this three volume Leonaur collected edition. Included in this first volume are the novel 'The Old Ladies' and fifteen short stories of the strange and unusual including 'The White Cat', 'Lizzie Rand', 'Mrs. Porter and Miss Allen', 'The Tiger' and 'The Twisted Inn'. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

The second volume of Hugh Walpole's collected strange fiction Sir Hugh Walpole was one of the most popular and prolific British authors of the first half of the 20th century. After the publication of his first novel, 'The Wooden Horse', in 1909 he produced one significant work each year including the acclaimed 'Herries' series. Born in New Zealand in 1884, the son of an Anglican clergyman, Walpole was committed to becoming a writer and encouraged in his ambition by Henry James and Arnold Bennett. A. C. Benson was also a mentor and early influence upon his writing. Despite his acknowledged talent as a storyteller, Walpole's work has been largely ignored since his death in 1941, in part because he was savagely lampooned by Somerset Maugham's fictional characterisation of him in 'Cakes & Ale'. Walpole, in keeping with many of his contemporaries, wrote in several genres of fiction and among his thirty-six novels, five volumes of short stories and two plays are historical, juvenile and even detective stories. His associations with A. C. Benson, Henry James, H. G. Wells and the fact that Horace Walpole (author of the first gothic novel, 'The Castle of Otranto') and Richard Harris Barham (author of the 'Ingoldsby Legends') were both among his ancestors surely stimulated his taste for gothic and macabre fiction. In fact, during the 1930s Walpole edited two well received anthologies of 'creepy stories' in which some of his own material appeared. His own literary excursions into the world of the ghostly and bizarre, which remain highly regarded by aficionados of supernatural fiction, include several novels and a substantial number of short stories all of which are included in this three volume Leonaur collected edition. Included in this second volume are the novel 'The Killer and the Slain' and thirteen short stories of the strange and unusual including 'Seashore Macabre. A Moment's Experience', 'The Staircase', 'Miss Morganhurst', 'The Snow' and 'The Faithful Servant'. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

The final volume of the collected strange fiction of a literary master Sir Hugh Walpole was one of the most popular and prolific British authors of the first half of the 20th century. After the publication of his first novel, 'The Wooden Horse', in 1909 he produced one significant work each year including the acclaimed 'Herries' series. Born in New Zealand in 1884, the son of an Anglican clergyman, Walpole was committed to becoming a writer and encouraged in his ambition by Henry James and Arnold Bennett. A. C. Benson was also a mentor and early influence upon his writing. Despite his acknowledged talent as a storyteller, Walpole's work has been largely ignored since his death in 1941, in part because he was savagely lampooned by Somerset Maugham's fictional characterisation of him in 'Cakes & Ale'. Walpole, in keeping with many of his contemporaries, wrote in several genres of fiction and among his thirty-six novels, five volumes of short stories and two plays are historical, juvenile and even detective stories. His associations with A. C. Benson, Henry James, H. G. Wells and the fact that Horace Walpole (author of the first gothic novel, 'The Castle of Otranto') and Richard Harris Barham (author of the 'Ingoldsby Legends') were both among his ancestors surely stimulated his taste for gothic and macabre fiction. In fact, during the 1930s Walpole edited two well received anthologies of 'creepy stories' in which some of his own material appeared. His own literary excursions into the world of the ghostly and bizarre, which remain highly regarded by aficionados of supernatural fiction, include several novels and a substantial number of short stories all of which are included in this three volume Leonaur collected edition. Included in this final volume are the novel 'Portrait of a Man with Red Hair' and fifteen short stories of the strange and unusual including 'The Clocks', 'The Silver Mask', 'Major Wilbrahim', 'Field with Five Trees' and 'Tarnhelm'. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

Volume one of a unique three volume collection Mrs. Henry Wood was one of a notable cadre of proficient authors of all manner of fiction, much of which appeared serially in the numerous periodicals of the Victorian period. Ellen Wood (formerly Price) was born in Worcestershire in 1815 and is principally remembered as the author of 'East Lynne'-one of the most popular sensation novels of the mid-19th century. She wrote over 30 novels as well as many shorter works of mystery, crime and suspense. Her supernatural fiction has endured by virtue of its lasting quality and has been acclaimed by aficionados and critics alike, including the not lightly given approbation of M. R. James. The Victorian public's appetite for stories of the weird and ghostly was insatiable and huge amounts of it was published. This resulted in a golden age for the genre. Almost every popular fiction writer of the period tried their hand at ghostly or terrifying stories, including some of the most notable authors of the time such as Dickens, R. L. Stevenson, Kipling and Conan Doyle. Some became well known and well regarded 'specialists' in the ghostly tale; foremost among these were women writers who had a particular talent for supernatural themes. Among the first rank of these was Mrs Henry Wood and this substantial Leonaur three volume collection is probably the first comprehensive collection of her other worldly fiction to be published. In volume one readers will discover 'Featherston's Story, ' 'A Mystery, ' 'Gina Montani' and ten more stories of the strange and unusual. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

Hugh Walpole (1884-1941) was one of the most popular and prolific English authors of his time, best known for his historical fiction and novels for boys. But it was in the field of the macabre and supernatural that Walpole was at his best, and this collection of sixteen tales contains many of his finest, including the classic werewolf story 'Tarnhelm'; the oft-anthologized 'The Little Ghost'; 'The Snow', a chilling story of vengeance from beyond the grave; and perhaps the highlight of the collection, 'The Silver Mask', which one critic has called 'a masterpiece, a classic example of how a tale can be truly terrible and ghostly with no ghost and only the wispiest hint of the supernatural.'

The third volume of a unique collection of bizarre tales from a master of the genre Richard Marsh was the pseudonym of British born author Richard Bernard Heldman (1857-1916). His most famous work of supernatural fiction, The Beetle, was published in 1897, the same year as Bram Stoker's tale of the vampire Count Dracula, and it is believed that initially Marsh's book, which also features a bizarre and sinister figure capable of 'shape shifting, ' was even more popular with readers than Stoker's. Today Marsh's book is still widely regarded as a classic of its genre. Although a prolific author who wrote in a number of genres including adventure fiction under his real name, Marsh is principally remembered as a writer of supernatural thrillers and his output in this field was prodigious. Most aficionados of the genre have heard of The Beetle, but this special Leonaur collection of the author's excursions into the other worldly and strange extends to six satisfyingly substantial volumes containing many tales that will be unfamiliar to modern readers. In volume three readers will find two novels, A Second Coming and A Duel, one novelette, 'The Strange Occurrences in Canterstone Jail, ' and three short stories of the strange and unusual. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

Hugh Walpole (1884-1941) was one of the most popular and prolific English authors of his time, best known for his historical fiction and novels for boys. But it was in the field of the macabre and supernatural that Walpole was at his best, and this collection of sixteen tales contains many of his finest, including the classic werewolf story 'Tarnhelm'; the oft-anthologized 'The Little Ghost'; 'The Snow', a chilling story of vengeance from beyond the grave; and perhaps the highlight of the collection, 'The Silver Mask', which one critic has called 'a masterpiece, a classic example of how a tale can be truly terrible and ghostly with no ghost and only the wispiest hint of the supernatural.'

Hugh Walpole (1884-1941) was one of the most popular and prolific English authors of his time, best known for his historical fiction and novels for boys. But it was in the field of the macabre and supernatural that Walpole was at his best, and this collection of sixteen tales contains many of his finest, including the classic werewolf story 'Tarnhelm'; the oft-anthologized 'The Little Ghost'; 'The Snow', a chilling story of vengeance from beyond the grave; and perhaps the highlight of the collection, 'The Silver Mask', which one critic has called 'a masterpiece, a classic example of how a tale can be truly terrible and ghostly with no ghost and only the wispiest hint of the supernatural.'