Classic Gothic Literature

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was born on August 28th, 1814, at 45 Lower Dominick Street, Dublin, into a literary family with Huguenot, Irish and English roots. Between 1838 and 1840 Le Fanu had written and published twelve stories which purported to be the literary remains of an 18th-century Catholic priest called Father Purcell. Set mostly in Ireland they include classic stories of gothic horror, with grim, shadowed castles, as well as supernatural visitations from beyond the grave, together with madness and suicide.

This chilling tale of one man’s descent into madness was published shortly before the author was institutionalized for insanity, and so The Horla has inevitably been seen as informed by Guy de Maupassant’s mental illness. While such speculation is murky, it is clear that de Maupassant—hailed alongside Chekhov as father of the short story—was at the peak of his powers in this innovative precursor of first-person psychological fiction.

The story is set in Padua and follows botanist Giacomo Rappaccini’s garden of poisonous plants. A student from the university of Padua falls for a maiden in the luscious garden, but he soon learns some troubling information about his beloved’s true nature.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) will forever be known as the author of one of the all-time great Gothic novels, Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus (1818). In 1824, she published her essay "On Ghosts", which offers a personal glimpse into her own opinions and experiences. This edition includes a new preface with historical context and an excerpt from M.G. Lewis' 1796 work The Monk: A Romance that Shelley references in "On Ghosts".

This collection of short stories contains several gothic tales of the macabre and chilling, by writers as diverse as Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Shelley, H. P. Lovecraft and A. M. Burrage. These tales are designed to unsettle you, just a little, as you sit back and take in their words as they lead you on a walk to places you’d perhaps rather not visit on your own. Our stories are: "The Body Snatcher", by Robert Louis Stevenson; "The Mortal Immortal", by Mary Shelley; "The Thing on the Doorstep", by HP Lovecraft; and "Waxworks", by AM Burrage.

This collection of short stories contains several gothic tales featuring the macabre and chilling voices of writers as diverse as Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Edith Nesbit, and MR James. These tales are designed to unsettle you, just a little, as you sit back and take in their words as they lead you on a walk to places you’d perhaps rather not visit on your own.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a Gothic novella written during the late 19th century. The story explores the duality of human nature through the contrasting figures of the respectable Dr. Jekyll and the malevolent Mr. Hyde, and delves into themes of morality, identity, and the struggle between good and evil.

Step into the chilling prelude to Dracula in Bram Stoker's gothic tale, Dracula's Guest. Set in a desolate European landscape, this haunting story builds a sense of creeping dread as a lone English traveler encounters ominous signs, supernatural forces, and the shadow of something far darker awaiting in the night.

Step into the haunting world of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, a gothic masterpiece that explores the illusion of safety, the inevitability of death, and the futility of escaping fate.

In From the Dead, E. Nesbit crafts a haunting and poignant gothic tale of love, betrayal, and regret beyond the grave. When Arthur Marsh drives away his devoted wife, Ida, with cruel words born of wounded pride, he seals a tragic fate neither can undo. Months of heart-wrenching loss follow until a mysterious telegram summons him to her deathbed—but it is too late. Or is it? What follows is an unforgettable encounter between the living and the dead, where the heart’s deepest yearnings clash with fear, guilt, and the chance for redemption lost.

Edgar Allan Poe's early literary works were poetic, but he quickly turned to prose. He worked for several magazines and journals till in January 1845, The Raven was published and became an instant classic. Poe was also an early proponent of the detective story and announced his entry to this genre with the classic short story 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue'.

William Legrand si è trasferito da New Orleans a Sullivan's Island, nella Carolina del Sud, dopo aver perso la fortuna di famiglia. Il narratore del racconto è un amico di Legrand e la storia inizia quando, una sera, gli fa visita per osservare un insolito scarabeo d'oro che questi ha trovato. Legrand porta l'attenzione dell'amico-narratore al carapce dello scarabeo, su cui sembrerebbe disegnato un teschio stilizzato. Confuso dall'attenzione morbosa che Legrand sembra prestare a questo sinistro particolare, il narratore si congeda per la notte.

El rancio abolengo de la tradición aristocrática británica, se enfrenta a su peor enemigo: una familia americana.....El gran fantasma de Canterville que había llevado durante más de 500 años una vida tranquila, aunque triste, se va a ver de repente enfrentado a la peor de las pesadillas que se podia imaginar: los Otis.El respeto al terror tradicional, provocado por los fantasmas medievales, el pánico generado por esos espíritus ancestrales.

Edgar Allan Poe's tales of the deaths of three wives and each woman's embrace or rejection of the hereafter.

El genial Edgar Allan Poe nos trae dos obras llenas de misterio y exponiendo hasta donde un ser humano puede hundirse en el odio irracional: "Carta Robada" y "Corazón Delator".

"The Horla" is the chilling tale of one man's descent into madness. Maupassant established a reputation in France as an absolute master of the short story, before himself succumbing to the mental illness that ravaged his later life. This story is the terrifying tale of an invisible vampire, told by a narrator himself on the brink of insanity, and written by a master of the macabre clearly at the peak of his powers.

Young Giovanni arrives in Padua to discover a lush and mysterious garden on the estate of the mysterious Doctor Rappaccini. Amidst the verdant and exotic foliage, Giovanni finds love in the form of Beatrice - the Doctor's daughter. What deadly secret does the young girl and her father keep hidden?

Forbidden love in name baronial estate. An evil man dies with an evil smile upon his face believing his evil secret is going with him to the grave. And there it remains until the lovers creep into the crypt shortly after the stroke of midnight. An erie tale certain to creep you out and keep you in suspense.

Fitz-James O'Brien, born in Cork, Ireland, in 1826, is considered an important early writer of science-fiction. His three probably best-known stories are included in this volume. They are “The Diamond Lens”, “What Was It?”, and “The Lost Room”.

Northanger Abbey, a satire of Gothic melodrama, is one of Jane Austen's most popular works. When Catherine Morland is launched into the politics and pitfalls of the Bath social season, she behaves with the cheerful open-mindedness of one of Jane Austen's most eligible classic heroines.