The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Sabine Baring-Gould: Including Three Novelettes, 'Margery of Quether,' 'Mustapha' and 'a Professional Secret'

by Sabine Baring-Gould

Victorian chills from a great writer of the genre

As with so many writers of the nineteenth century, the author of this single volume collection of tales of the supernatural and other worldly, Sabine Baring-Gould was a man of many talents. Born near Exeter in 1834, his output was astonishing and his bibliography contains at least 1,240 works. In his time he was a well known and admired antiquarian, scholar and novelist. Many remember him as a writer of hymns, among which 'Onward Christian Soldiers' is the most well known today. The ghost story was such a popular literary form in the Victorian period that it barely needs saying that Baring-Gould tried his hand at writing them-it would be more surprising if he had not. This did not guarantee he would be a good writer of chilling tales, but fortunately for posterity he was. This Leonaur collection of Baring-Gould's supernatural fiction includes three novelettes, 'Margery of Quether' a chilling story that features an eternal succubus, 'A Professional Secret' and 'Mustapha.' Among the twenty-two short stories in this substantial Leonaur edition readers will find 'Crowdy Marsh, ' 'Glamr, ' 'The Dead Trumpeter of Hurst Castle, ' 'The 9.30 Up Train, ' 'The 'Bold Venture' and many others.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.

496 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 2012

About the author

Sabine Baring-Gould was born in the parish of St Sidwell, Exeter. The eldest son of Edward Baring-Gould and his first wife, Sophia Charlotte (née Bond), he was named after a great-uncle, the Arctic explorer Sir Edward Sabine. Because the family spent much of his childhood travelling round Europe, most of his education was by private tutors. He only spent about two years in formal schooling, first at King's College School in London (then located in Somerset House) and then, for a few months, at Warwick Grammar School (now Warwick School). Here his time was ended by a bronchial disease of the kind that was to plague him throughout his long life. His father considered his ill-health as a good reason for another European tour.

In 1852 he was admitted to Cambridge University, earning the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in 1857, then Master of Arts in 1860 from Clare College, Cambridge. During 1864, he became the curate at Horbury Bridge, West Riding of Yorkshire. It was while acting as a curate that he met Grace Taylor, the daughter of a mill hand, then aged fourteen. In the next few years they fell in love. His vicar, John Sharp, arranged for Grace to live for two years with relatives in York to learn middle class manners. Baring-Gould, meanwhile, relocated to become perpetual curate at Dalton, near Thirsk. He and Grace were married in 1868 at Wakefield. Their marriage lasted until her death 48 years later, and the couple had 15 children, all but one of whom lived to adulthood. When he buried his wife in 1916 he had carved on her tombstone the Latin motto Dimidium Animae Meae ("Half my Soul").

Baring-Gould became the rector of East Mersea in Essex in 1871 and spent ten years there. In 1872 his father died and he inherited the 3,000 acre (12 km²) family estates of Lew Trenchard in Devon, which included the gift of the living of Lew Trenchard parish. When the living became vacant in 1881, he was able to appoint himself to it, becoming parson as well as squire. He did a great deal of work restoring St Peter's Church, Lew Trenchard, and (from 1883 – 1914) thoroughly remodelled his home, Lew Trenchard Manor.