Gibbet Hill

by Bram Stoker

"Gibbet Hill", racconto dimenticato di Bram Stoker, che l'autore di Dracula pubblicò sul supplemento natalizio dell'edizione dublinese del «Daily Express» il 17 dicembre 1890, è stato riscoperto recentemente da Brian Cleary, un appassionato di Stoker; questa prima edizione italiana annotata e illustrata, a cura di Enrico De Luca, consente di leggere il testo integrale del racconto così come apparve in rivista più di centotrenta anni or sono. Nella collana in miniatura "Bonbon", ideata e diretta da Enrico De Luca, è possibile trovare storie ignote o poco note di autori italiani e stranieri in edizioni integrali e di pregio. Attenzione: libri in miniatura non provvisti della scatolina e contenuti extra (disponibili solo sul sito dell'editore).

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Gothic, Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery

70 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1890

About the author

Irish-born Abraham Stoker, known as Bram, of Britain wrote the gothic horror novel Dracula (1897).

The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.

Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."

After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."

In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.

In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.

The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.

People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker

Reviews

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!*]

This story by Bram Stoker (of Dracula fame, also of Lair of the White Worm infamy) was newly discovered 10 days ago. It only took 8 days for someone to throw up an edition with an A.I.-generated cover and A.I.-generated blurb. Truly we live in an age of wonders.

You could buy this edition, or you could wait 4 more days and buy the edition put out by the man who discovered it which includes that account, plus biographical context, for which all proceeds go to the Charlotte Stoker Fund for research on the prevention of acquired deafness in vulnerable newborn babies.

Support generative A.I. spam, or help deaf babies. What a choice.

[Federica ~ Excusetheink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ritrova un racconto casualmente durante la ricerca per un saggio, fatto? Traducilo in italiano e stampalo a tempo di record!
Non mi sembra né acerbo né che manchi qualcosa, a differenza di altra produzione gotica assai più nota me lo sono proprio goduto! Ma oltre a Brian dobbiamo ringraziare la fama del nostro pipistrello, più giovane di sette anni rispetto alla vicenda qui narrata.

[Samichtime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equally clever and confusing! 🍿This would probably make for a good campfire tale but it requires a good attention to detail.🕵️‍♀️

Props to Brian for rediscovering this story! 👏I read the github release of this story, the proper debut will happen soon.

[Ana]

How on earth are we having a Bram Stoker’s release in 2024???? The same year we got a Mozart’s new song???

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Gibbet Hill" es ni más ni menos que el último relato inedito de Bram Stoker, encontrado por casualidad este 2025.
El cuento nos narra el desafortunado encuentro de un senderista con dos niñas y un niño demoníacos. La historia tiene un final escalofriante y es digna de la recopilación que Valdemar hizo con los relatos de terror de Stoker. El autor de Dracula realizo otras obras de gran interés y calidad en el género y este cuento no se queda atrás.

[Indieflower · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok story, atmospheric but the ending was a bit unsatisfying.

[Cloude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wake up babe, new Bram Stoker just dropped

[Sara Booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racconto pubblicato nel 1890 e poi totalmente dimenticato, riscoperto più di un secolo dopo, nell'autunno 2024.
Il titolo prende il nome da una leggendaria collina del Surrey, in Inghilterra, dove avvenivano le impiccagioni dei criminali.
Proprio in questo luogo dalla torbida reputazione si svolge una storia oscura, che ha per oggetto strani e inquietanti rituali. Una vicenda da brivido, con finale shock, narrata con il pathos e la suggestività tipici dell'autore. Nonostante sia una lettura molto breve mi è piaciuto tantissimo!
4,5★

[Gabs 🫧 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there a chance to discover the continuation? The kids seem like a peculiar bunch to read about constantly during dark, cold nights of November.

[Blair Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gibbet Hill is a lost Stoker short story that has been republished after 130 years.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

O mundo literário foi surpreendido pela descoberta deste texto esquecido de Stoker, publicado originalmente num jornal irlandês no século XIX. Lê-lo é redescobrir as estéticas clássicas do horror, numa história simples onde um tranquilo turista de visita a um cerro de antigos enforcamentos se envolve com três misteriosas crianças indianas, sendo mergulhado num inferno de horror. O final, com o protagonista a ser desperto, parece indicar que Stoker optou pela clássica artimanha do "afinal foi só um sonho", até ao parágrafo final, deliciosamente gore (envolve corações retirados ao corpo e vermes grandes, correndo o risco de fazer spoilers).

[Kimme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gibbet Hill

I have never read Bram Stoker and now I feel that I must. His attention to detail is intense. I was able to visualize everything from his amazing and vivid descriptions. The story grabbed my attention and was able to hold it. The story seemed a little incomplete and left me with a couple questions but I don't want to spoil it from anyone. The writing was superb but the story was incomplete.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Year of Reading by Shakespeare and Company #8

Accidentaly a new short ghost story from Bram Stoker was discovered in some archives. The story, a short one in length, turned out to be so layered and profound it shed new lights on the creation and origins of Stoker's Dracula.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ho amato tantissimo le descrizioni sul paesaggio e la natura. Per il resto…spero di non sognarmelo stanotte 🥶

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un piccolo racconto che lascia il segno

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than the superb ‘Dracula’, I’ve never red anything else by Bram Stoker, I’m sure I’m not alone in that regard. I think I’ll be seeking out some other titles, because this guy really is a master of the creepy tale! Gibbet Hill is a fun little piece, full of atmosphere and suspense which left me wanting so much more. 4 stars.

[~ Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bizzarro.

Non saprei in che altro modo descriverlo.

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

babe wake up new Bram Stoker just dropped

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reading experience was really interesting; it’s wild that a new Bram Stoker story was found in 2024, and I’m glad I got to read it. There’s a beautiful foreword about The Rotunda Foundation and the background story as to how the story was found. Then there is the short story itself, followed by two short essays on Bram Stoker’s writing and life pre-Dracula, followed then by his mother Charlotte’s essay on helping deaf children. All proceeds of this book go to The Rotunda Foundation.

As far as the new short story goes, please be prepared for two things: first, the short story is very much of its time and references an event from the 1700s that was well-known in Ireland at the time of original publication. Americans of 2024 might struggle with that reference if not for the essay that follows the short story, delving more into the background context. Second, the descriptions of the Indian children are rather uncomfortable to read in the modern age. Overall the story was enticing but left a few questions unanswered.

There is also beautifully detailed (and some disturbing) art at the end.

Content warnings for snakes and eyeball harm.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ‘lost’ tale which predates the monolithic Dracula, which was found by chance in the archives of the National Library in Ireland.

It is an incredibly short little tale at only 15 pages long so read in a few moments, but the scene is set and described so beautifully that you can visualise what the narrator is witnessing. It’s not scary, but the children are undoubtedly odd as the events unfold.

I can’t help but feel more could’ve been made of it, and there was a lot of potential there for something more. However, I enjoyed it and I feel privileged to read something from so long ago which was unknown until recently.

[Juri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schön, dass Bram Stoker weiterhin Kurzgeschichten veröffentlicht. Ich habe nicht die vorliegende Ausgabe gelesen, sondern einen geschenkten Ausdruck, auf 7 DIN-A4 Seiten. Typisch mystische und unerklärliche Begebenheiten nahe eines echten Ortes, der in Charles Dickens Büchern ebenfalls schon Erwähnung findet. Auffallend war für mich die Beschreibung des Herbstes, besonders der Wechsel zwischen den Jahreszeiten. Ich h��tte gerne mehr über die Kinder erfahren.. Aber ich denke die Chancen dafür sind recht klein :)

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This previously unknown short story by Stoker was found in 2024 after over a hundred years of dormancy.

This book provides the short story along with a foreword and additional biography and background that really contextualises this work.

There are some evocative illustrations at the end of this book that present key set pieces from the short story as well as the horror and macabre themes.

Definitely, worth reading if you’re a fan of Stoker’s work and a fan of strange and unsettling short stories!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love that we got a „new-old“ Stoker but why did it have to be creepy children? Whyyyy? Loved it though

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautiful imagery

[Lucia Graziano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sicuramente si intravvede già in nuce lo Stoker che verrà, e da questo punto il libro è interessante sotto un punto di vista storico. 2 euro li si può ben spendere, per togliersi lo sfizio di leggere questo racconto giovanile, soprattutto se si è fan dell'autore... ma diciamo che probabilmente c'è un motivo, se lo scritto è andato incontro all'oblio dei secoli riaffacciandosi alla Storia solo per caso. Non è che sia 'sta gran meraviglia della letteratura gotica, ecco.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very atmospheric, but lacks the dread other stories of Stoker have. The horror is too much in my face for my liking. Everyone knows children in horror stories are spooky and do weird things. The end also came out of nowhere. I would have preferred if less was said and the end was a bit more detailed to describe what was going on

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as scary as expected - but thenI might be jaded! - but a good story none the less.

[Carlie Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost Bram Stoker short story found, originally published on December 17, 1890. Even though it’s over a 130 years old and a little hard to read (without modern annotation) … we can all agree … children are creepy as fuck.

[Rachel Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came back here to re-rate at 5 stars. I can’t stop thinking about this little story and already want to reread it.

[mick_paolino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il racconto perduto e ritrovato di Bram Stoker è un esempio di gotico classico in cui l’autore irlandese appone la sua firma stilistica inserendo l’elemento folkloristico.