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From the Dead
Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) is principally remembered for her books for younger readers, among them Five Children and It (1902), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904) and The Railway Children (1906), all of which have been republished for subsequent generations through a reassuring lens of Edwardian nostalgia.
However, there was a dark side to Edith Nesbit’s imagination, and in this volume we have collected twenty-three short stories in which she explored the more macabre and sometimes downright horrific side of her imagination. From the Gothic ‘A Strange Experience’ (1884) and the classic ‘Man Size in Marble’ (1887), through to ‘The Detective’ (1920) written almost four decades later, Nesbit turned time and time again to the supernatural. Her life long fascination for ghosts and spectres appears to have been a direct result of her own childhood experiences, and these are discussed in a new Introduction to this volume of her collected Dark Tales
However, there was a dark side to Edith Nesbit’s imagination, and in this volume we have collected twenty-three short stories in which she explored the more macabre and sometimes downright horrific side of her imagination. From the Gothic ‘A Strange Experience’ (1884) and the classic ‘Man Size in Marble’ (1887), through to ‘The Detective’ (1920) written almost four decades later, Nesbit turned time and time again to the supernatural. Her life long fascination for ghosts and spectres appears to have been a direct result of her own childhood experiences, and these are discussed in a new Introduction to this volume of her collected Dark Tales
366 pages, Paperback
Published May 23, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 6, 2025
4.25⭐
The story begins in London, where Ida gives Arthur Marsh a letter supposedly written by his fiancée, Elvire. In it, Elvire confesses her love for Ida’s brother. Arthur, devastated, breaks off the engagement and marries Ida instead. However, sometime later Ida confesses that she wrote the note to reveal the truth about Elvire's affair and true feelings. Arthur shaken by the betrayal leaves their house to clear his mind but when he returns, he discovers that Ida has disappeared. He searches across England until he receives a note from Ida, who is in Mellor, Derbyshire. When he arrives, he learns that she has recently died during childbirth. Arthur spends the night at the farm with his newborn son, only to find Ida's body in the room. That night, Arthur hears noises from the room where Ida’s body lies. She appears to him wrapped in a white sheet, asking for forgiveness. Arthur reacts negatively with horror to her ghostly appearance, and she disappears. The next day, she is buried, and a scientific explanation is provided for her "ghost" by the doctor.
The story begins in London, where Ida gives Arthur Marsh a letter supposedly written by his fiancée, Elvire. In it, Elvire confesses her love for Ida’s brother. Arthur, devastated, breaks off the engagement and marries Ida instead. However, sometime later Ida confesses that she wrote the note to reveal the truth about Elvire's affair and true feelings. Arthur shaken by the betrayal leaves their house to clear his mind but when he returns, he discovers that Ida has disappeared. He searches across England until he receives a note from Ida, who is in Mellor, Derbyshire. When he arrives, he learns that she has recently died during childbirth. Arthur spends the night at the farm with his newborn son, only to find Ida's body in the room. That night, Arthur hears noises from the room where Ida’s body lies. She appears to him wrapped in a white sheet, asking for forgiveness. Arthur reacts negatively with horror to her ghostly appearance, and she disappears. The next day, she is buried, and a scientific explanation is provided for her "ghost" by the doctor.
Displaying 1 of 1 review