Tales of Terror and the Supernatural

by Wilkie Collins, Herbert van Thal (Editor)

Wilkie Collins (1824-1889), associate of Charles Dickens and author of 15 novels, is perhaps best remembered for his great mystery novel The Moonstone. But Collins also wrote several short stories, tales of terror and the supernatural, which many consider comparable to those of Poe and J. Sheridan LeFanu.

This new edition contains twelve of Collins's most masterful horror tales - The Dream Woman, A Terribly Strange Bed, The Dead Hand, Fauntleroy, Blow Up with the Brig!, A Stolen Letter, The Lady of Glenwith Grange, Mr Policeman and the Cook, Me Lepel and the Housekeeper, Miss Bertha and the Yankee, Mad Monkton and The Biter Bit. Herbert van Thal, the noted authority on Victorian literature, has made the selection, and has also contributed a new introduction summarizing Collins's life and briefly evaluating his career.

These tales are not easily forgotten; they feature unusually imaginative situations, couple with vivid descriptions and surprising plots, Collins's ventures into the shadowy realms of the half-dead, and his explorations of subtle, morbid psychology, strange diseases and uncanny coincidences are every bit as fascinating and terrifying as those of Poe. Also like Poe, he was an excellent craftsman, able to carry the suspense to the very end by keeping the mystery shrouded until the final page.

Although a few of these stories have been anthologized, most of them are now extremely hard to find. With this reprinting, they will once again be available both to lovers of supernatural fiction and to those who enjoy perfection in the art of storytelling. As G.K. Chesterton put it: Wilkie Collins is the one man of unmistakeable genius who has an affinity with Dickens:... there were no two men who could touch them at a ghost story.

Genres: Horror, Gothic, Fiction, Victorian, Supernatural, Short Stories, Classics

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright, best known for The Woman in White (1860), an early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), a pioneering work of detective fiction. Born to landscape painter William Collins and Harriet Geddes, he spent part of his childhood in Italy and France, learning both languages. Initially working as a tea merchant, he later studied law, though he never practiced. His literary career began with Antonina (1850), and a meeting with Charles Dickens in 1851 proved pivotal. The two became close friends and collaborators, with Collins contributing to Dickens' journals and co-writing dramatic works.
Collins' success peaked in the 1860s with novels that combined suspense with social critique, including No Name (1862), Armadale (1864), and The Moonstone, which established key elements of the modern detective story. His personal life was unconventional—he openly opposed marriage and lived with Caroline Graves and her daughter for much of his life, while also maintaining a separate relationship with Martha Rudd, with whom he had three children.
Plagued by gout, Collins became addicted to laudanum, which affected both his health and later works. Despite declining quality in his writing, he remained a respected figure, mentoring younger authors and advocating for writers' rights. He died in 1889 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His legacy endures through his influential novels, which laid the groundwork for both sensation fiction and detective literature.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this out as my Halloween reading and was disappointed to find that, with possibly two exceptions ("The Dream-Woman" and "Mad Monkton"), these were not, after all, tales of terror and the supernatural. They were merely well-crafted stories displaying Wilkie Collins's considerable talents at devising a strange but satisfying plot. I have loved the author's The Woman in White and Armadale, though I do not feel the same way about his more famous The Moonstone.

If you want tales of terror and the supernatural, I would advise you to look elsewhere. But if you are interested in odd plot twists, I urge you to read "Mr. Lepel and the Housekeeper" and "Mr. Policeman and the Cook." "A Stolen Letter," "A Terribly Strange Bed," and "Blow Up with the Brig!" might well have been crafted by Edgar Allan Poe as samples of his Tales of Ratiocination. The last tale, "The Biter Bit," has a wry ironical humor that left me smiling.

It's a pity that people don't read short stories much any more. Dover Publications has some excellent collections that worth dipping into. Since I have not yet indulged my Halloween mood, I'll just have to reach for another Victorian or Edwardian horror story collection on the shelf adjacent to my fiercely uncomfy chair in which I do most of my reading.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining bunch of short stories, with a misleading title. Of the dozen stories in this book, only two could possibly be deemed supernatural, and even those two might have more mundane explanations for the events described. Two other stories in this collection might be called action/suspense tales. But the others have nothing to do with terror or the supernatural at all. Rather, they are mysteries, or tales of false identity, or tales of blackmail, or of suspicion. All eminently readable, and all good fun. My favorite story in the book is "Mad Monkton," one of the tales with a more supernatural cast. This longish story takes its time but builds to a very satisfying conclusion. The mystery tales show Collins developing the type of format he would later perfect in "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone." I feel that any fan of Collins would enjoy these varied stories. Just don't go in expecting a really scary time.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less terror and more macabre--lots of Poe vibes here!

[Jon Ring · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book, and that comes even though it wasn't exactly what I thought it was. The supernatural stories were top-notch. Wilkie Collins wrote with a clear, concise style that was a pleasure to read, and if you read very many authors from his time period that is not always the case. The book had a few mystery stories instead of true supernatural or horror tales, so the title may be a bit misleading, but honestly I found those just as appealing. Some of the ways he wrote were interesting as well, one story is done all with statements of witnesses in a trial, another is letters exchanged between police. In both instances he was still able to weave fascinating tales. To be honest the strange formats not only worked, but actually added to the reader's experience, in ways that normal storytelling may have not done.

[Nuria Carreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celebrando el #bicentenariowilkiecollins con sus cuentos sobrenaturales y participando en la rayuela ideada por @raquel.lectora

✒️ A terribly strange bed
✒️Mad Monkton
✒️The dream woman
✒️The dead hand
✒️John Jago's ghost
✒️Miss Jeromette and the clergyman
✒️Mrs. Zant and the ghost

Relatos muy variados, algunos con cierto punto de humor muy negro y retorcido y otros muy victorianos, con damas desmayables en apuros e intrigantes amas de llaves.

He disfrutado muchísimo leyéndolos!

#talesofterrorandthesupernatural #wilkiecollins #victoriangotic #leeresvivir #leermola #leoclásicos #literaturavictoriana #britishclassic

[lise.charmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tre racconti più o meno inquietanti, di cui solo il primo può essere definito "del terrore", con una donna che appare in un sogno e poi anche nella vita reale. Gli altri due invece possono essere risultati un po' inquietanti, ma senza contenuti sovrannaturali. Dei tre il mio preferito è il terzo (La mano del morto), una storia breve ma piena di tutti quegli elementi di casualità e mistero che tanto piacevano a Wilkie Collins. Volendo, da quel solo racconto avrebbe potuto trarre un bel romanzone dei suoi, lungo 600 pagine e pieno dei suoi tipici colpi di scena

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.71⭐

The Dream-Woman • (1874) 4⭐
A Terribly Strange Bed • (1852) 4⭐
The Dead Hand • (1857) 3.25⭐
Blow Up with the Brig! • (1859) 3.25⭐
Mr. Lepel and the Housekeeper • (1884) 5⭐
Miss Bertha and the Yankee • (1877) 4.5⭐
Mr. Policeman and the Cook • (1881) 4⭐
Fauntleroy • (1858) 5⭐
A Stolen Letter • (1854) 4⭐
The Lady of Glenwith Grange • (1856) 3.25⭐
Mad Monkton • (1857) 4.5⭐
The Biter Bit (1858) 3⭐

[Freder · Rating 2 out of 5]

A better title for this collection would have been "Tales of Mild Intrigue and The Ordinary." There is little of terror in these pages, and nothing of the Supernatural. Also, several of the stories rely on the Inordinate Stupidity of their protagonists. Worth reading (up to a point) as a peek into the area of the Victorian Thriller, but nothing more. Great cover, though.

[Granger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished this after reading it on and off for a month+, and there were more stories with interpersonal drama kind of “terror,” and fewer stories involving the supernatural, but I kind of loved it, even when I was kinda bored in some stories. Feel like I just finished a lengthy journey. Thanks for the good times

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't find an edition that had the same short stories as the book I read but this one was the closest. I really enjoyed each of the stories and thought they were all very suspenseful. I like Wilkie Collins writing and will continue to read the novels I can find.

[Randy Money · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of Victorian stories by one of the major popular writers of his time. Could have just as easily been titled, "Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural," since several of the stories involve crimes.

[Aidee Rivera · Rating 2 out of 5]

nothing really scary or spooky about it.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, nice collection short stories, though most do not fall into the horror genre. "A Terribly Strange Bed" is worthy of Poe but with most of the others Collins seems to be tinkering with his "odd family in a creepy locale with a weird secret" formula.