Old Hoggen and Other Adventures

by Bram Stoker, John Edgar Browning (Editor), Brian J. Showers (Editor)

"Old Hoggen had disappeared: and murder was naturally suspected." — Bram Stoker

At the time of his death in 1912, Bram Stoker was preparing for publication three volumes of stories. The first, Dracula’s Guest, saw print in 1914; the second and third never manifested. Old Hoggen and Other Adventures is a tantalising possibility of one of these unrealised selections, and the stories in this volume span the author’s entire career. In reading them, one thing becomes clear: adventure and mystery rival even the gothic in Stoker’s literary heart. And yet, one will find among these pages many of the same themes found in Dracula: reverence for the dead, the malice of wicked men, black humour, hidden fortunes, daring bravery, exotic locales, a deep love of the sea, and the creeping intrusion of the supernatural.

Contents
"Preface" by Brian J. Showers
"Introduction" by John Edgar Browning and Brian J. Showers
"Old Hoggen"
"Saved by a Ghost"
"The Man from Shorrox'"
"Our New House"
"The Chain of Destiny"
"The 'Eroes of the Thames"
"Buried Treasures"
"To the Rescue"
"The Red Stockade"
"Acknowledgements"

Bram Stoker (1847-1912) was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College. As a young man he worked as a civil servant at Dublin Castle, and as an unpaid theatre critic for local newspapers. He is best remembered today for his classic novel Dracula (1897), but during his lifetime he was known as the personal assistant of actor Henry Irving, and business manager of Irving’s Lyceum Theatre in London. Other notable works include The Jewel of Seven Stars and The Lair of the White Worm.

186 pages, Hardcover

First published February 11, 2014

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

[Karl]

This hardcover is numbered 53 of 100 numbered copies and is signed by Brian Showers.

The book also includes an exclusive numbered postcard.

Contents:

vii - "Preface" by Brian J. Showers
xi - "Introduction" by John Edgar Browning and Brian J. Showers
003 - "Old Hoggen"
037- "Saved by a Ghost"
048 - "The Man from Shorrox'"
064 - "Our New House"
073 - "The Chain of Destiny"
127 - "The 'Eroes of the Thames"
137 - "Buried Treasures"
160 - "To the Rescue"
166 - "The Red Stockade"
185 - Acknowledgments

[Vultural · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stoker, Bram - Old Hoggen And Other Adventures

To be honest, these were all new to me.
No Vlad, nor tales from the posthumous collection, Dracula’s Guest.
Nevertheless, this is a fine sampler showcasing the man’s diversity.

The title story is the most macabre. The section where our narrator is lugging a carcass across a forlorn beach is vivid and spills over with delicious images.

“Saved By A Ghost” is a traditional, Victorian spook tale.

Regrettably, “The Man From Shorrox” is written in full dialect, a technique I detest.

“The Chain of Destiny,” while eerie, is also borderline romance. Such was not unexpected, however. In Swan River’s Green Book, Issue #8, there is a lengthy essay on Stoker’s romantic novels. While I was mildly curious, I was not curious enough to chase after a whole novel. This extended work satisfied my interest.

I’m skipping past a few other titles to get to “The Red Stockade,” a full bore pirate adventure! A lone British frigate battles against a nest of Malay cutthroats in a yarn that would fit in wonderfully with the coming age of pulps.