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The Yellow Sign
"One night last winter I was lying in bed thinking about nothing at all in particular. I had been posing for you and I was tired out, yet it seemed impossible for me to sleep. I heard the bells in the city ring ten, eleven, and midnight. I must have fallen asleep about midnight because I don't remember hearing the bells after that. It seemed to me that I had scarcely closed my eyes when I dreamed that something impelled me to go to the window. I rose, and raising the sash, leaned out. Twenty-fifth Street was deserted as far as I could see. I began to be afraid; everything outside seemed so--so black and uncomfortable.
26 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1895
10 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
About the author
Robert W. Chambers
1,137 books580 followersRobert William Chambers was an American artist and writer.
Chambers was first educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute,and then entered the Art Students' League at around the age of twenty, where the artist Charles Dana Gibson was his fellow student. Chambers studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at Académie Julian, in Paris from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the Salon as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, In the Quarter (written in 1887 in Munich). His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is The King in Yellow, a collection of weird short stories, connected by the theme of the fictitious drama The King in Yellow, which drives those who read it insane.
Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections The Maker of Moons and The Tree of Heaven, but neither earned him such success as The King in Yellow.
Chambers later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers was one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Many of his works were also serialized in magazines.
After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction.
Chambers for several years made Broadalbin his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown.
On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa Vaughn Moller (1882-1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (later calling himself Robert Husted Chambers) who also gained some fame as an author.
Chambers died at his home in the village of Broadalbin, New York, on December 16th 1933.
Chambers was first educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute,and then entered the Art Students' League at around the age of twenty, where the artist Charles Dana Gibson was his fellow student. Chambers studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at Académie Julian, in Paris from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the Salon as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, In the Quarter (written in 1887 in Munich). His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is The King in Yellow, a collection of weird short stories, connected by the theme of the fictitious drama The King in Yellow, which drives those who read it insane.
Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections The Maker of Moons and The Tree of Heaven, but neither earned him such success as The King in Yellow.
Chambers later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers was one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Many of his works were also serialized in magazines.
After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction.
Chambers for several years made Broadalbin his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown.
On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa Vaughn Moller (1882-1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (later calling himself Robert Husted Chambers) who also gained some fame as an author.
Chambers died at his home in the village of Broadalbin, New York, on December 16th 1933.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 9, 2011
This story has me thinking and wondering. It starts out as one thing, and then turns into something else.
What I liked:
*The creepy guy that made everyone think of something dead or like a gross worm or something. It made me laugh, but also made me shiver.
*The narrator's sweet relationship with his artist model. How it meant more to him than could admit, because he felt he was not a good man, and because of his lost true love.
*The imagery of the story, filled with symbolism that I will ponder and will cause me to reread this story again soon.
*The ambiguity of the implicit threat of the night watchman.
*So many unanswered questions. How does it all tie together???
*The romanticism throughout this story. Not just in a love story way. But in the use of language.
*The clear, infectious writing style that has a biting edge of humor that is still fresh after so many years.
*The narrator, who is both a deep romantic, and a true cynic.
I'm scratching my head over this one, and mourning the quick, although effective ending. And Chambers was considered a hack, pulp writer in his time? That's sad to me. Glad I have finally read this story!
What I liked:
*The creepy guy that made everyone think of something dead or like a gross worm or something. It made me laugh, but also made me shiver.
*The narrator's sweet relationship with his artist model. How it meant more to him than could admit, because he felt he was not a good man, and because of his lost true love.
*The imagery of the story, filled with symbolism that I will ponder and will cause me to reread this story again soon.
*The ambiguity of the implicit threat of the night watchman.
*So many unanswered questions. How does it all tie together???
*The romanticism throughout this story. Not just in a love story way. But in the use of language.
*The clear, infectious writing style that has a biting edge of humor that is still fresh after so many years.
*The narrator, who is both a deep romantic, and a true cynic.
I'm scratching my head over this one, and mourning the quick, although effective ending. And Chambers was considered a hack, pulp writer in his time? That's sad to me. Glad I have finally read this story!
November 8, 2018
I really liked this story. It has an eerie atmosphere and I liked the mysterious slug like man appearing outside the window. What a story! If you ever come a book named The King in Yellow be aware, don't open and don't read it. A quick read that will cause you some goosebumps. Recommended classic!
March 15, 2020
Ultimately disappointing, but oddly enough reading it made me want to buy The King in Yellow in order to check out the other stories in the book.
I found the author's prose charming. For some reason, I imagine Robert W. Chambers as a polished gentleman from the post-World War I era in the United States. The Yellow Sign, moreover, gave me the impression that I was watching a Hollywood film from the 50's... But it's probably just me.
I found the author's prose charming. For some reason, I imagine Robert W. Chambers as a polished gentleman from the post-World War I era in the United States. The Yellow Sign, moreover, gave me the impression that I was watching a Hollywood film from the 50's... But it's probably just me.
May 5, 2015
Very similar in theme to Chambers' other short story, 'In the Court of the Dragon,' which precedes this one in the collection, The King in Yellow.'
Here, a bohemian artist senses malevolence from the figure of the night watchman of the churchyard outside his window. It seems to him, the man looks almost like a corpse himself. He attempts to dismiss his irrational fears, but they only seem to be compounded with the strange and morbid dreams his favorite model has been having, and disturbing tales from neighbors...
An ill-advised gift hints of doom; and when the artist and his model are oddly compelled to sit down and read 'The King in Yellow,' their fate is sealed.
Here, a bohemian artist senses malevolence from the figure of the night watchman of the churchyard outside his window. It seems to him, the man looks almost like a corpse himself. He attempts to dismiss his irrational fears, but they only seem to be compounded with the strange and morbid dreams his favorite model has been having, and disturbing tales from neighbors...
An ill-advised gift hints of doom; and when the artist and his model are oddly compelled to sit down and read 'The King in Yellow,' their fate is sealed.
September 19, 2023
Entertaining horror listening 🎧
I listened to this as part of Cliassic Horror Tales - 500+ stories box set. The story is very interesting and a very quick read. I would recommend to readers of horror novels. 2023
As with all box sets some story you will like better than others but that is normal.
I listened to this as part of Cliassic Horror Tales - 500+ stories box set. The story is very interesting and a very quick read. I would recommend to readers of horror novels. 2023
As with all box sets some story you will like better than others but that is normal.
October 10, 2021
Moving on to the fourth of the stories in the infamous The King in Yellow, the reading of which is said to drive the reader mad!
Of course, the narrator warns his friend, Tessie, not to read the book. And of course, what does she do? Read the book!
And when the narrator find his friend Tessie all a-swoon and pale-like, what does he do? Does he fetch a medic? Call an ambulance? No, he reads the book!
Bwa-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa!
Moral of the story: the only real horror in the world, in most instances, are people's own stupidity.
Of course, the narrator warns his friend, Tessie, not to read the book. And of course, what does she do? Read the book!
And when the narrator find his friend Tessie all a-swoon and pale-like, what does he do? Does he fetch a medic? Call an ambulance? No, he reads the book!
Bwa-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa!
Moral of the story: the only real horror in the world, in most instances, are people's own stupidity.
August 27, 2012
I picked this up free from Librivox to listen to The Yellow Sign and The Repairer of Reputations, preparatory to listening to the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast discussion of these stories. Imagine my amazement at how detailed, deep, and surprising these stories are. The common thread of the book that links at least some of the stories is that the play The King in Yellow causes madness to anyone who reads it; certainly to anyone who reads that fatal second act (of which it is said that no one ever dares speak aloud). Despite this, it is published and sold, although some countries have banned it.
Really wonderful stuff, right?
We are told little about the book and good thing too, I want to keep my sanity, thank you very much. However, the two tales I've read of those who encounter the book (always made known as it is glimpsed out of the corner of an eye and drawing the attention fatally ... almost as if the book itself is alive) are about as different from each other as they could be ... although both riveted me by having sudden, unexpected plot twists.
I'm definitely going to listen to the rest of the stories in the collection.
Really wonderful stuff, right?
We are told little about the book and good thing too, I want to keep my sanity, thank you very much. However, the two tales I've read of those who encounter the book (always made known as it is glimpsed out of the corner of an eye and drawing the attention fatally ... almost as if the book itself is alive) are about as different from each other as they could be ... although both riveted me by having sudden, unexpected plot twists.
I'm definitely going to listen to the rest of the stories in the collection.
April 16, 2021
Empezamos con Hastur
De nuevo mejor escrito que Lovecraft. En pocas págs hace que quieras a los personajes. Un horror sutil (algo está mal y no se sabe el qué, pero se siente) y burdo a la par (un cochero fúnebre que te ronda hasta en pesadillas, objetos que OBVIO están malditos).
Pero no da ninguna explicación de nada y no sé, ya me está empezando a molestar que sea siempre así :/
De nuevo mejor escrito que Lovecraft. En pocas págs hace que quieras a los personajes. Un horror sutil (algo está mal y no se sabe el qué, pero se siente) y burdo a la par (un cochero fúnebre que te ronda hasta en pesadillas, objetos que OBVIO están malditos).
Pero no da ninguna explicación de nada y no sé, ya me está empezando a molestar que sea siempre así :/
October 31, 2025
Happy halloween
August 18, 2022
"As I turned, my listless glance included the man below in the churchyard. His face was toward me now, and with a perfectly involuntary movement I bent to see it. At the same moment he raised his head and looked at me. Instantly I thought of a coffin-worm. Whatever it was about the man that repelled me I did not know, but the impression of a plump white grave-worm was so intense and nauseating that I must have shown it in my expression, for he turned his puffy face away with a movement which made me think of a disturbed grub in a chestnut."
[Have You Seen The Yellow Sign?]
I read “The Yellow Sign” by Robert W. Chambers this year because it is featured in The Literature of Lovecraft, Vol. 1, which is a collection of strange stories that were admired by the American author H.P. Lovecraft. In his literary essay Supernatural Horror in Literature, HPL wrote this about Chambers, with particular focus on “The Yellow Sign”:
Very genuine, though not without the typical mannered extravagance of the eighteen-nineties, is the strain of horror in the early work of Robert W. Chambers, since renowned for products of a very different quality. The King in Yellow, a series of vaguely connected short stories having as a background a monstrous and suppressed book whose perusal brings fright, madness, and spectral tragedy, really achieves notable heights of cosmic fear in spite of uneven interest and a somewhat trivial and affected cultivation of the Gallic studio atmosphere made popular by Du Maurier’s Trilby. The most powerful of its tales, perhaps, is “The Yellow Sign”, in which is introduced a silent and terrible churchyard watchman with a face like a puffy grave-worm’s. A boy, describing a tussle he has had with this creature, shivers and sickens as he relates a certain detail. “Well, sir, it’s Gawd’s truth that when I ’it ’im ’e grabbed me wrists, sir, and when I twisted ’is soft, mushy fist one of ’is fingers come off in me ’and.” It is worth observing that the author derives most of the names and allusions connected with his eldritch land of primal memory from the tales of Ambrose Bierce. Other early works of Mr. Chambers displaying the outré and macabre element are The Maker of Moons and In Search of the Unknown. One cannot help regretting that he did not further develop a vein in which he could so easily have become a recognised master.
“The Yellow Sign” is a horrifying and unnerving story. HPL himself expressed surprise that Chambers could create such “weird” stories, given that most of his later work was “of a very different quality,” involving adventure, romance, and historical fiction. There is an element of romance and self-reflection to “The Yellow Sign” that is never touched upon in HPL’s own work. I think it gives this story more pathos, in turn making the strange events all that much scarier because the reader cares about the characters involved.
Title: “The Yellow Sign”
Author: Robert W. Chambers
Dates: 1895
Genre: Fiction - Short story, horror
Word count: 7,377 words
Date(s) read: 8/17/22-8/18/22
Reading journal entry #233 in 2022
Link to the story: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-sto...
Link to Lovecraft’s essay: https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/...
Sources:
Fifer, C., & Lackey, C. (2012, August 22). Episode 123 - The Yellow Sign. H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast
https://www.hppodcraft.com/episodes/2...
Lovecraft, H. P., & Joshi, S. T. (2012). The annotated supernatural horror in literature (second edition). Hippocampus Press. https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/... (Original work published 1927)
Chambers, R.W. (2021). The yellow sign. In H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (Ed.), The literature of Lovecraft, vol. 1.. (S. Branney, Narr.; A. Leman, Narr.) [Audiobook]. HPLHS. https://www.hplhs.org/lol.php (Original work published 1895)
Link to the image: https://www.reddit.com/r/Lovecraft/co...
The contents of The Literature of Lovecraft, Vol. 1 are:
"The Avenger of Perdóndaris" by Lord Dunsany
"The Bad Lands" by John Metcalfe
"The Black Stone" by Robert E. Howard
The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" by William Hope Hodgson
"Count Magnus" by M.R. James
"The Dead Valley" by Ralph Adams Cram
"The Death Mask" by Henrietta Everett
"The House of Sounds" by Matthew Phipps Shiel
"Idle Days on the Yann" by Lord Dunsany
"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs
The Place Called Dagon by Herbert Gorman
"Seaton's Aunt" by Walter de la Mare
"The Shadows on the Wall" by Mary E. Wilkins
"A Shop in Go-By Street" by Lord Dunsany
"Skule Skerry" by John Buchan
"The Spider" by Hanns Heinz Ewers
"The Story of a Panic" by E.M. Forster
"The Tale of Satampra Zeiros" by Clark Ashton Smith
"The Were Wolf" by Clemence Housman
"The White People" by Arthur Machen
"The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood
Here is a list of the stories in the order in which they were written, with links to my reviews of them:
The Vampyre (1819) by John William Polidori
The Adventure of the German Student (1824) by Washington Irving
The Tapestried Chamber (1828) by Walter Scott
The Minister's Black Veil (1836) by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Venus of Ille (1837) by by Prosper Mérimée
The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains (1839) by Frederick Marryat
The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) by Edgar Allan Poe
What Was It? (1859) by by Fitz-James O'Brien
The House and the Brain (1859) by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The Signal-Man (1866) by Charles Dickens
The Man-Wolf by Erckmann-Chatrian
The Ghostly Kiss (1880) by Lafcadio Hearn
One of Cleopatra's Nights (1882) by by Théophile Gautier
The Upper Berth (1886) by F. Marion Crawford
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Horla (1887) by Guy de Maupassant
The Phantom Rickshaw (1888) by Rudyard Kipling
”The Middle Toe of the Right Foot” (1891) by Ambrose Bierce
Lot #249 (1892) by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Ghost of Fear (1894) by H.G. Wells- also called The Red Room
The Yellow Sign (1895)
The Dead Valley (1895)
The Were-Wolf (1896)
The Monkey's Paw (1902)
The Shadows on the Wall (1903)
Count Magnus (1904)
The White People (1904)
The Willows (1907)
The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" (1907)
Idle Days on the Yann (1910)
The Story of a Panic (1911)
The House of Sounds (1911)
A Shop in Go-By Street (1912)
The Avenger of Perdóndaris (1912)
The Spider (1915)
The Death Mask (1920)
The Bad Lands (1920)
Seaton's Aunt (1922)
The Place Called Dagon (1927)
Skule Skerry (1928)
The Tale of Satampra Zeiros (1929)
The Black Stone (1931)
*The difference between a short story, novelette, novella, and a novel: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Diff...
Vignette, prose poem, flash fiction: 53 - 1,000 words
Short Stories: 1,000 - 7,500
Novelettes: 7,500 - 17,000
Novellas: 17,000 - 40,000
Novels: 40,000 + words
January 10, 2017
A truly eerie story. Highly recommended to people interested in subtle horror, especially fans of Lovecraftian horror, who I'm sure will love this.
September 18, 2022
One of my favorite horror stories. In some point it is even more interesting that the cosmic horror created by Lovecraft because Chambers includes a lot of romanticism which I adore, pure love that it is lost nowadays. I love the King in Yellow tales
October 26, 2009
Entertaining pre-Lovecraftian tales of horror and intrigue...
September 27, 2017
Read as a stand alone, might be better in the full volume of The Yellow King.
August 23, 2020
“The Yellow Sign” is a short story by American writer Robert W. Chambers, published in the novel “The King in Yellow”. The collected story’s which I now am determined to read follow a connected theme of a forbidden play “The King in Yellow” which induces despair in those who read it causing them to go insane. I have been reading a lot of H.P . Lovecraft lately and as The King in Yellow was deeply admired by Lovecraft and said to be one of the most important works of American supernatural fiction it was on that basis that I picked up this random short tale to have a read, and it is extraordinary.
The horror in this book isn’t something you can see or hear creeping up behind you it’s something elsewhere, elusive. It is a slight adjustment to your perspective that grows and grows into an uneasy feeling of something being wrong. The horror is one of being stalked, not necessarily of a corporal being but more of an idea that sits in your mind like a parasite, a nagging thought that doesn’t ever quite go away. A cursed object and forbidden knowledge. The inexplicable fear of the unknown balanced with the overwhelming curiosity is what makes us human, and what also drives the supernatural undertones of this story.
The horror in this book isn’t something you can see or hear creeping up behind you it’s something elsewhere, elusive. It is a slight adjustment to your perspective that grows and grows into an uneasy feeling of something being wrong. The horror is one of being stalked, not necessarily of a corporal being but more of an idea that sits in your mind like a parasite, a nagging thought that doesn’t ever quite go away. A cursed object and forbidden knowledge. The inexplicable fear of the unknown balanced with the overwhelming curiosity is what makes us human, and what also drives the supernatural undertones of this story.
December 26, 2025
Ένα διήγημα που ξεκινάει απλά, σχεδόν καθημερινά, και πριν το καταλάβεις έχει ανοίξει μια ρωγμή στην πραγματικότητα. Αυτό που με τράβηξε περισσότερο ήταν η συνεχής αίσθηση ότι οι χαρακτήρες αγγίζουν κάτι που δεν έπρεπε να δουν, μια μορφή "απαγορευμένης γνώσης " που θυμίζει λίγο τον Αδάμ και την Εύα, όχι ως θρησκευτικό σχόλιο, αλλά ως αρχέτυπο: το βλέπεις, το μαθαίνεις, και μετά δεν υπάρχει επιστροφή.
Η ατμόσφαιρα χτίζεται αθόρυβα, με όνειρα, βλέμματα και λεπτομέρειες που με έκαναν να νιώσω ότι κάτι έχει ήδη πάει στραβά πριν καν συμβεί. Το τέλος έρχεται πολύ απότομα, σχεδόν βίαια, σαν να κόβεται η ίδια η αφήγηση μαζί με την ψυχική αντοχή του αφηγητή. Δεν σου δίνει απαντήσεις και νομίζω ότι αυτό είναι ένα από τα δυνατά του σημεία. Θέλει τη σκέψη του γενικά.
Καταλαβαίνω απόλυτα γιατί επηρέασε τόσο έντονα τη μετέπειτα πορεία του Λάβκραφτ.
Η ατμόσφαιρα χτίζεται αθόρυβα, με όνειρα, βλέμματα και λεπτομέρειες που με έκαναν να νιώσω ότι κάτι έχει ήδη πάει στραβά πριν καν συμβεί. Το τέλος έρχεται πολύ απότομα, σχεδόν βίαια, σαν να κόβεται η ίδια η αφήγηση μαζί με την ψυχική αντοχή του αφηγητή. Δεν σου δίνει απαντήσεις και νομίζω ότι αυτό είναι ένα από τα δυνατά του σημεία. Θέλει τη σκέψη του γενικά.
Καταλαβαίνω απόλυτα γιατί επηρέασε τόσο έντονα τη μετέπειτα πορεία του Λάβκραφτ.
June 26, 2019
My favourite story from "a king in yellow" so far.
Much easier to follow than the previous stories, much clearer horror combined with characters I grew to care for.
Small cast of characters, a short story that still gives us enough time to get to know the artist narrator and their favourite model Tess.
Much easier to follow than the previous stories, much clearer horror combined with characters I grew to care for.
Small cast of characters, a short story that still gives us enough time to get to know the artist narrator and their favourite model Tess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2024
Another okay entry into the Yellow Mythos. I think Chambers' biggest issue is that while he's a great horror author, he's not great at bringing human stories into it even though he clearly likes to. It makes a lot of the story feel very uninteresting, and then there's a burst of action and then the end.
August 12, 2021
Genuinely fascinating tale. You can see the influence on Lovecraft so strongly that I first thought it was a much newer story in the Mythos! But it is also beautifully written and very evocatively horrible.
December 25, 2025
3.5
I loved the writing style; however, the plot seemed to become lackluster in the second half. The story heavily relies on another work called The King in Yellow. Ultimately, no explanations or motives were given for their demise.
I loved the writing style; however, the plot seemed to become lackluster in the second half. The story heavily relies on another work called The King in Yellow. Ultimately, no explanations or motives were given for their demise.
July 8, 2020
Creepy gothic Adam and Eve story.
February 12, 2021
A rare story that still has the power to alarm the reader.
February 22, 2021
I came along
I read a book to you
And it broke our brains in two
And it was called "Yellow ... King"
- Coldplay remix
I read a book to you
And it broke our brains in two
And it was called "Yellow ... King"
- Coldplay remix
April 27, 2021
Beautiful, poetic and bonechilling. This is as good as even the best of Lovecraft. I'm going to have to read the entire collection now.
September 29, 2022
The ending actually sent a shiver through me.
September 29, 2022
The ending actually sent a shiver through me!
October 8, 2023
What a creepy story! Atmospheric and with well-developed characters, with a touch of humour and even romance. The less you know about it beforehand the better, of course ;)
October 17, 2023
Very sexually interesting for its time updating that whole Adam and Eve type story. Personally though, I want more of the Carcosa mythos!
October 20, 2023
Definitely not a fan of the story, but I can see some glimmers of positive world building
December 26, 2023
A very well written short story, with a very eerie atmosphere. So mysterious, poignant and romantic.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews