Uncanny Tales

by F. Marion Crawford

UNCANNY TALES
by F. Marion Crawford (1854-1909)
Seven CLASSIC Stories of Ghosts, Vampires, and Horror Stories for Halloween

SPECIAL PRICE from now until HALLOWEEN--ONLY 99 cents!!!

~Publisher’s Note to the 2011 Hundred-Year Anniversary edition~

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the original print edition of UNCANNY TALES, GideonFell Books, Ltd. has gone back to the source and restored to their original form the first and last stories in this collection. Later editions of this book presented abridged versions of both “The Dead Smile” and “The Doll’s Ghost,” which deviated greatly from the author’s original intention made evident in the 1911 First Edition. We have also included in this revised eBook both the original cover and front-piece title page, so now this classic work of horror and fantasy (containing the short story which both Dorothy L. Sayers AND Stephen King have called the “greatest ghost story ever written”: THE UPPER BERTH) can be read as it first appeared in book-form a century ago—with all the thrills and chills are just as fresh a hundred years later.


This is an enduring, all-time CLASSIC collections of ghost stories by early-American author, F. Marion Crawford.
Crawford wrote dozens of novels (many set in Ancient Rome), but today he is best remembered for his classic ghost stories, such as "THE UPPER BERTH" considered by many the "greatest" of ghost stories, and "MAN OVERBOARD!", as well as the classic Gothic vampire tale, "FOR THE BLOOD IS THE LIFE."

The other stories in this collection are likewise classic tales: "THE DEAD SMILE," "THE SCREAMING SKULL," "BY THE WATERS OF PARADISE," and "THE DOLL'S GHOST."

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2010

About the author

Francis Marion Crawford (1854-1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels. He was born at Bagni di Lucca, Italy. In 1879 he went to India, where he studied Sanskrit and edited the Allahabad Indian Herald. Returning to America he continued to study Sanskrit at Harvard University for a year, contributed to various periodicals, and in 1882 produced his first novel, Mr Isaacs. This book had an immediate success, and its author's promise was confirmed by the publication of Doctor Claudius: A True Story (1883). After a brief residence in New York and Boston, in 1883 he returned to Italy, where he made his permanent home. He also published the historical works, Ave Roma Immortalis (1898), Rulers of the South (1900) renamed Sicily, Calabria and Malta in 1904, and Gleanings from Venetian History (1905). The Saracinesca series is perhaps known to be his best work, with the third in the series, Don Orsino, set against the background of a real estate bubble, told with effective concision. A fourth book in the series, Corleone, was the first major treatment of the Mafia in literature.

Reviews

[Patrick.G.P · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of Uncanny Tales, F. Marion Crawford’s best tales are almost aggressively creepy and are steeped in a wonderfully spooky atmosphere, perfect autumn reading. His stories “The Dead Smile”, “The Screaming Skull”, and “For the Blood is the Life” are all well worth seeking out. I also really enjoyed Von Degen’s (Crawford’s older sister) two tales, “A Mystery of the Campagna” and “A Shadow on a Wave”. Both are imbued with beautiful prose and an excellent sense of place and ambiance. It is too bad she did not produce any more stories than these two. Richard Dalby’s introduction to the volume is also incredibly fascinating and sheds some interesting light on the lives and works of Crawford and his sisters.

[Vultural · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crawford, F. Marion - Uncanny Tales

The definition of crusty stories. What one would listen to or share in bygone gentleman’s clubs. Leather armchairs, cigars, pipes, glass of port or whisky.

“The Dead Smile” circles two hopeful lovers. Waiting for knowledge, or enlightenment, to dispel an unspoken taint, so they may marry, burden eased.

Our narrator acquired the house, and a splendid one it is – aside from the teensy issue of “The Screaming Skull.” Nor, he feels, should it scream at him. His was only an offhand comment.

“Man Overboard” and “The Upper Berth” are both nautical adventures. Riggings, seaspray, heaving waves, as well as the odd ghost or two. One can always try to ignore.

To extend this collection, a few stories from Crawford’s sisters have been included. For me, the most memorable was “A Shadow On A Wave,” by Madame von Rabe. Neither a haunting, nor at first blush a supernatural spell, it is a memory of passion. A great Passion between an artist and half-glimpsed muse. Our artist is smitten with Venice, and the city is gloriously described. In affairs of the heart however, he is heedless of messages and consequences.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old school ghost tales. A quick October read.

[Jeff Hobbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read so far:

The dead smile--1
The screaming skull--2
Man overboard!--3
For the blood is the life--3
The upper berth--2
By the waters of paradise--3
The doll's ghost--3