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A Country Still All Mystery
‘The English landscape was made . . . not just for food and shelter and pleasure, but also for the journey of the soul. There is a field of supernatural stories set in this “other” country, the country of the spirit . . .’
In A Country Still All Mystery, Mark Valentine explores how certain writers have used their fiction to convey the idea of numinous terrain, places where we might at any moment stray into the realms of the unearthly and uncanny.
These essays continue similar literary and antiquarian themes to his well-received earlier volume, Haunted By Books (2015). When and where was the last wolf seen in England? Why were certain lonely houses left beyond parish boundaries? Is there a missing book by T.E. Lawrence? What was the secret history of Cope & Fenwick, liturgical publishers? What became of the original Tower of Moab?
A Country Still All Mystery will be read with pleasure by those who enjoy the out-of-the-way, the obscure, the eccentric and the outré. It will appeal to anyone who has ever strayed into remote country which seems to be not quite fully in this world.
In A Country Still All Mystery, Mark Valentine explores how certain writers have used their fiction to convey the idea of numinous terrain, places where we might at any moment stray into the realms of the unearthly and uncanny.
These essays continue similar literary and antiquarian themes to his well-received earlier volume, Haunted By Books (2015). When and where was the last wolf seen in England? Why were certain lonely houses left beyond parish boundaries? Is there a missing book by T.E. Lawrence? What was the secret history of Cope & Fenwick, liturgical publishers? What became of the original Tower of Moab?
A Country Still All Mystery will be read with pleasure by those who enjoy the out-of-the-way, the obscure, the eccentric and the outré. It will appeal to anyone who has ever strayed into remote country which seems to be not quite fully in this world.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2017
6 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Mark Valentine
269 books138 followersMark Valentine is an English author, biographer and editor.
Valentine’s short stories have been published by a number of small presses and in anthologies since the 1980s, and the exploits of his series character, "The Connoisseur", an occult detective, were published as The Collected Connoisseur in 2010.
As a biographer, Valentine has published a life of Arthur Machen in 1985 (Seren Press), and a study of Sarban, Time, A Falconer (Tartarus Press), is published in 2010. He has also written numerous articles for the Book and Magazine Collector magazine, and introductions for various books, including editions of work by Walter de la Mare, Robert Louis Stevenson, Saki, J. Meade Falkner and others.
Valentine also edits Wormwood (Tartarus Press), a journal dedicated to fantastic, supernatural and decadent literature, and has also edited anthologies, including The Werewolf Pack (Wordsworth, 2008) and The Black Veil (Wordsworth, 2008).
Valentine’s short stories have been published by a number of small presses and in anthologies since the 1980s, and the exploits of his series character, "The Connoisseur", an occult detective, were published as The Collected Connoisseur in 2010.
As a biographer, Valentine has published a life of Arthur Machen in 1985 (Seren Press), and a study of Sarban, Time, A Falconer (Tartarus Press), is published in 2010. He has also written numerous articles for the Book and Magazine Collector magazine, and introductions for various books, including editions of work by Walter de la Mare, Robert Louis Stevenson, Saki, J. Meade Falkner and others.
Valentine also edits Wormwood (Tartarus Press), a journal dedicated to fantastic, supernatural and decadent literature, and has also edited anthologies, including The Werewolf Pack (Wordsworth, 2008) and The Black Veil (Wordsworth, 2008).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Want to read
August 17, 2017This hardcover book is limited to 350 copies and is signed by Mark Valentine.
May 7, 2020
A Country Still All Mystery is another delightful volume from Mark Valentine about strange books, obscure authors, and the mystical aspects of the English countryside. From Machen and Blackwood to the last wolf in England and Hesse’s Glass Bead Game, Valentine explores a country deeply rooted in mystery in literature, history, and tradition. Valentine’s enthusiasm and knowledge leap off the pages, pulling the reader into the lives of forgotten authors and the hidden byways of England. His love for the mysterious lies in the search, in the very essence of the mystery itself, pondering, fantasizing about what once was and what could have been.
In his essay on Hesse’s Glass Bead Game Valentine vividly recounts a German who recreated the game, and described the intricate process to him through a series of letters, and Valentine wanted to write a story describing how the game had been devised and played, but never did so in fear of ruining the sense of mystery for himself that lingers heavily over the game. For me, this is more evocative than reading a story based on these accounts, as I found myself dreaming of how this mysterious and wonderful game might have been played.
Another wonderful article in the book which I had read before on the Wormwoodiana blog, was The Original Tower of Moab, in which Valentine traces the origins of L.A. Lewis’s Tower of Moab to the strange real-life building The Tower of Jezreel. Built by a small evangelical sect in England in 1885, the strange tower stood empty and alluring until it was torn down sometime in the 1960s.
Through the various essays and articles in this collection, Valentine makes the obscure and mystical truly alluring and his wonderful erudite prose engulfs the reader. The discerning bibliophile will quickly have found 10 strange, new authors to hunt for in dim corners of antiquarian bookstores. Like his previous volume Haunted by Books (and no doubt the third volume A Wild Tumultory Library) this collection is a must for anyone interested in the lives, works, superstitions, and history that make up this strange and mysterious country Valentine is in search of.
In his essay on Hesse’s Glass Bead Game Valentine vividly recounts a German who recreated the game, and described the intricate process to him through a series of letters, and Valentine wanted to write a story describing how the game had been devised and played, but never did so in fear of ruining the sense of mystery for himself that lingers heavily over the game. For me, this is more evocative than reading a story based on these accounts, as I found myself dreaming of how this mysterious and wonderful game might have been played.
Another wonderful article in the book which I had read before on the Wormwoodiana blog, was The Original Tower of Moab, in which Valentine traces the origins of L.A. Lewis’s Tower of Moab to the strange real-life building The Tower of Jezreel. Built by a small evangelical sect in England in 1885, the strange tower stood empty and alluring until it was torn down sometime in the 1960s.
Through the various essays and articles in this collection, Valentine makes the obscure and mystical truly alluring and his wonderful erudite prose engulfs the reader. The discerning bibliophile will quickly have found 10 strange, new authors to hunt for in dim corners of antiquarian bookstores. Like his previous volume Haunted by Books (and no doubt the third volume A Wild Tumultory Library) this collection is a must for anyone interested in the lives, works, superstitions, and history that make up this strange and mysterious country Valentine is in search of.
March 22, 2020
Highly enjoyable essays with Mark Valentine's warm narration style. Mr. Valentine is one of my favorite writers and I have enjoyed all of his books so far.
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October 14, 2021As with much of Mark’s work, I didn’t want this volume of memorable and erudite essays on writers and the places they inhabit to end. Any encounter with the man leaves me with countless, enticing avenues to explore. A very highly recommended collection.
September 10, 2017
A wonderful collection of essays on literature and landscape, many dealing with lesser-known writers of the fantastical and macabre, all handled with Mark Valentine's amiable erudition. Subjects include: the falling-place of the last wolf in England; an attempt to realise Hesse's Glass Bead Game; and the yew trees of Wiltshire. Highly recommended!
January 26, 2021
From my review elsewhere under my name ...
Although, of course, I shall continue reading this beautiful book (of over 300 pages), I have decided there is little added value in writing for you or for me a real-time review of it. The gestalt method was designed by me for fiction, and although this is ABOUT fiction, it is essentially a book of non-fiction. I shall, however, show below its contents list – and an example of one of its generously supplied illustrations – to entice you into having a relationship yourself with this remarkable tome.
Although, of course, I shall continue reading this beautiful book (of over 300 pages), I have decided there is little added value in writing for you or for me a real-time review of it. The gestalt method was designed by me for fiction, and although this is ABOUT fiction, it is essentially a book of non-fiction. I shall, however, show below its contents list – and an example of one of its generously supplied illustrations – to entice you into having a relationship yourself with this remarkable tome.
May 13, 2024
Dreamy forays amongst wan poets, the overlooked writers who touched upon the potency of landscape, antique publishing catalogues. Gulfs of mystery, ruined shrines, places that could have been or never were.
May 23, 2018
Fantastic read with some excellent stories and anecdotes about eccentric, off-beat and left field writers and books. Made me appreciate how writers and artists have always struggled to make an impression - and a living.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews