The Open Door Fantasy And Horror Classics

Many of the earliest ghost stories and tales of hauntings, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

A classic ghost story illustrated by acclaimed cartoonist, Seth. Retired officer Colonel Mortimer takes a lease on Brentwood, a mansion in Scotland that shares grounds with the ruins of an older house – including a strange, vacant doorway. When his son falls ill and eerie events begin to unfold, Mortimer must face his fears in order to save his son.

Many of the earliest occult stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This early work by E. T. A. Hoffmann was originally published in 1820. Born in Königsberg, East Prussia in 1776, Hoffmann's family were all jurists, and during his youth he was initially encouraged to pursue a career in law. However, in his late teens Hoffman became increasingly interested in literature and philosophy, and spent much of his time reading German classicists and attending lectures by, amongst others, Immanuel Kant. Hoffman went on to produce a great range of both literary and musical works. Probably Hoffman's most well-known story, produced in 1816, is 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King', due to the fact that – some seventy-six years later - it inspired Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker. In the same vein, his story 'The Sandman' provided both the inspiration for Léo Delibes's ballet Coppélia, and the basis for a highly influential essay by Sigmund Freud, called 'The Uncanny'. (Indeed, Freud referred to Hoffman as the "unrivalled master of the uncanny in literature.") Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of detective Sherlock Holmes, is the father of crime fiction. First published in 1892 in Harpers, the story tells of an Oxford college student who, through the use of Egyptian magic, manages to reanimate an ancient Egyptian mummy. Many of the horror stories of monsters and ghouls, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This carefully edited collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Table of Contents: Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "The best horror story in the English language"). Historian of fantastic literature Brian Stableford has suggested that Machen "was the first writer of authentically modern horror stories, and his best works must still be reckoned among the finest products of the genre". Table of Contents: Novels: The Three Impostors The Hill of Dreams The Terror: A Mystery The Secret Glory Short Stories and Novellas: A Fragment of Life The White People The Great God Pan The Inmost Light The Shining Pyramid The Red Hand The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War: The Bowmen The Soldiers' Rest The Monstrance The Dazzling Light The Bowmen And Other Noble Ghosts Change The Children of the Pool The Bright Boy The Tree of Life Opening the Door The Marriage of Panurge The Holy Things Psychology The Turanians The Rose Garden The Ceremony The Happy Children The Cosy Room Munitions of War The Great Return A New Christmas Carol The Islington Mystery Out of the Earth Essays: Hieroglyphics Dog and Duck Dreads and Dolls Translation: The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798 Autobiography: Far Off Things Criticism: Arthur Machen: A Novelist of Ecstasy and Sin (With Two Uncollected Poems by Arthur Machen)

Following the death of his only son during the Great War, American Delapore becomes the last remaining descendant of the De La Poer family and decides to relocate to his English ancestral estate, Exham Priory. Once there, he starts hearing the sound of rats through the walls and having strange dreams that lead him to the discovery of his family's despicable secret. "The Rats in the Walls" is a 1923 short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft. A chilling tale of a horrific family secret that will not disappoint fans of Lovecraft's seminal literature. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890–1937) was an American writer of supernatural horror fiction. Though his works remained largely unknown and did not furnish him with a decent living, Lovecraft is today considered to be among the most significant writers of supernatural horror fiction of the twentieth century. Other notable works by this author include: “At The Mountains of Madness”, “The Dunwich Horror”, and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Read & Co. is publishing this classic short story now as part of our “Fantasy and Horror Classics”imprint in a new edition with a dedication by George Henry Weiss.

William Hope Hodgson spent his early life as a cabin boy, before becoming a prolific author. Although best-known nowadays for two novels – The House on the Borderland (1908) and The Night Land (1912) – his short fiction was also extremely popular in its day. Within is 'The House Among The Laurels' which Hodgson wrote in 1910. A deserted mansion in Ireland displays signs of haunting, including what appears to be blood dripping from the ceiling, and several men have been found dead in the house. Is it a prank or a haunting? Carnacki recruits a group of burly local men to investigate, along with several dogs, and they attempt to stay the night within the mansion.