Glimpses of the Unknown: Lost Ghost Stories

by Mike Ashley (Editor)

A figure emerges from a painting to pursue a bitter vengeance; the last transmission of a dying man haunts the airwaves, seeking to reveal his murderer; a treasure hunt disturbs an ancient presence in the silence of a lost tomb.

From the vaults of the British Library comes a new anthology celebrating the best works of forgotten, never since republished, supernatural fiction from the early 20th century. Waiting within are malevolent spirits eager to possess the living and mysterious spectral guardians—a diverse host of phantoms exhumed from the rare pages of literary magazines and newspaper serials to thrill once more.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Ghost Stories, Halloween, Weird Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2018

About the author

Michael Raymond Donald Ashley is the author and editor of over sixty books that in total have sold over a million copies worldwide. He lives in Chatham, Kent.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

"...a ghost story can work on several levels ranging from the unnerving tingle of the unknown, to that hauntingly evocative atmosphere of something strange or uncertain."
Part of the British Library Tales of the Weird series. This one is a collection is a collection of stories that have not been reprinted in any of the thousands of anthologies published over the years and some of the authors are completely unknown: there are a number of authors here who we know nothing about at all. There are some who were known in the time. The only one that is well known is E F Benson; the story published here is one not in any of his ghost story anthologies.
We have the usual types of classic ghost stories here: a cursed tomb, a figure emerging from a picture, the dead seeking vengeance, a dying man heard on the airwaves trying to reveal his killer, haunted houses, a seat on a bench on the embankment that even the homeless won’t sit on, a cursed sword, a haunted violin, replaying of past events, a faithful servant (even after death) and much more; eighteen in all.
The quality is variable and some of these should probably have stayed unknown, but there are some good ones: The House of Black Evil is quite original and taps into the Victorian obsession with spiritualism, One Strange Traveller with a mysterious hiker is also of interest as is the story set on the London Embankment. As with many in this series, you take the good with the bad.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Ashley (presumably not the guy who owns Sports Direct in an unexpected case of moonlighting) points out, in his introduction, that ghost story anthologies are often repetitive. Rather than featuring 'The Signalman' or 'The Monkey's Paw' yet again, Glimpses of the Unknown aims to bring little-known tales and forgotten authors to light. None of the 18 stories in the book have been reprinted since their first publication, and they all date from between the 1890s and the 1920s. A short biography of the author prefaces each story: some of these are reasonably detailed; for others there's little more than a name and a bit of speculation.

Some of the themes inevitably feel dated. More than once the punchline is basically just 'there's a GHOST!', and there are the usual pitfalls of fiction from this era: outdated attitudes to women, terrible attempts to write dialogue mimicking various regional accents, and in one case in particular, noticeable racism. But overall I found Glimpses of the Unknown a really enjoyable book, and a great introduction to a number of writers I'd never heard of before. It's refreshing to read new and unusual stories from what Ashley terms the 'Golden Age of the supernatural story'.

'On the Embankment' by Hugh E. Wright (1919)
A decent but unremarkable tale to open the book. The narrator spots an always-empty seat on the Embankment, and thinks it odd; soon, 'Fate sent me to the one man in London who knew the story'. This man, a successful writer, tells the tale of his arrival in the city and how he came to learn of the seat's spectral occupant.

'The Mystery of the Gables' by Elsie Norris (1908)
A group of men make a bet that one of their number will not be able to spend a full night in The Gables, a reputedly haunted house. The outcome is predictable, though the nature of the haunting is somewhat unexpected.

'The Missing Word' by Austin Philips (1907)
I had to read the first few paragraphs of this about three times before they started making sense. Sample sentence: 'The needles of the instruments on the Sub-office circuit swung in sudden unison, so that they stood a-row like compasses and pointed, each one of them, at the selfsame angle, no longer northwards, but north-west by north.' Philips (E. Nesbit's son-in-law) apparently wrote a lot of stories set in the Post Office, and I think he may have assumed descriptions of contemporaneous tech would be understood by the reader. For me, this was one of the weakest points of the book: aside from some difficult language, the conclusion is very obvious and not particularly alarming.

'Phantom Death' by Huan Mee (1900)
I loved the initial premise of this, which feels very modern among the other stories. A painting is exhibited in an unusual manner: it is displayed in an otherwise empty room, which is shrouded in black fabric; visitors must enter the room and look at the painting alone. It is said to have an extraordinarily disquieting effect on all who see it. Our narrator is understandably perturbed when, during his viewing, another man appears, but isn't there something oddly familiar about him? From this point, the story becomes a little more conventional while remaining very engaging.

'The Wraith of the Rapier' by Firth Scott (1911)
A collector visits a dealer in antiques, from whom he buys a supposedly cursed sword. Although the scenes of the possessed rapier do go on a bit, this is an impressively vivid and unusual tale.

'The Soul of Maddalina Tonelli' by James Barr (1909)
An amateur violinist is delighted to chance upon a Stradivarius in a pawn shop. But when he takes to the stage, he is disturbed to notice a striking woman staring and gesturing at him throughout his performance – and it soon becomes apparent only he can see her. More than a little melodramatic, but I really liked the imagery and this definitely stands out as one of the more memorable pieces in the book.

'Haunted!' by Jack Edwards (1910)
Great title and irresistible opening line: 'When Roydon came down the stairs he saw it waiting for him, and as usual it vanished as he approached.' This turns out to be one of the longest tales in the anthology, moving from the POV of Roydon, the haunted artist, to Chalmers, a man he encounters in the street when too afraid of the ghost to enter his own house. This works in the story's favour, allowing it to reach a delightfully unsettling conclusion.

'Our Strange Traveller' by Percy James Brebner (1911)
Two young men are hiking across France when they encounter something peculiar. There's someone walking ahead of them, but no matter whether they speed up, slow down or stop altogether, he always seems to remain the exact same distance away from them. Nice sense of place and character in this one.

'A Regent of Love Rhymes' by Guy Thorne (1905)
A reclusive married couple are struck by tragedy. This was fine, but it entirely dropped out of my mind as soon as I'd finished it.

'Amid the Trees' by Francis Xavier (1911)
While wandering in a forest, a young man is suddenly overwhelmed by a desire to find 'love' – by which he clearly means sex, but the author can't say that in 1911, so instead there's a ridiculously overblown string of ruminations on how much he wishes to find this 'love'. Which is all rather annoying, but it compensates for that with a fantastic ending.

'The River's Edge' by Mary Schultze (1912)
While visiting friends, a man watches a young woman rescue a child from drowning, and is intrigued by her impassive attitude. Mostly notable for the author's attempt at a religious contextualisation of the idea of ghosts.

'A Futile Ghost' by Mary Reynolds (1899)
Two sisters – one married, one engaged to a rather feckless man – keep encountering a veiled ghost in their family home. This is mainly a sort of social drama, with a haunting added in, and it's pretty effective. However, I'm still puzzled about exactly what the moral of the story was meant to be (and it seems obvious from the last few paragraphs that there's supposed to be one).

'Ghosts' by Lumley Deakin (1914)
This was apparently part of a series of stories featuring the rakish Cyrus Sabinette. In 'Ghosts', Sabinette befriends a corrupt businessman and sets about blackmailing him. With cartoonish characters and a whiff of racism, this was one of my least favourites. Incredibly schlocky (not in a good way) and, despite the title, it's not even a bloody ghost story!

'Kearney' by Elizabeth Jordan (1917)
An Army officer accidentally shoots his servant and can't seem to escape the man's lasting impression. Reasonably compelling for the most part; the conclusion was rather too sentimental for me.

'When Spirits Steal' by Philippa Forest (1920)
Another story from a series, this time featuring the characters of Carwell and Wilton (as Ashley notes, there's something of Holmes and Watson about them). The pair come across a charming country inn and are mutually fascinated by the activities of a nervous maid. I found this very readable and I'd happily devour a few more Carwell and Wilton adventures. Though I must say the title seems entirely unsuited to the story.

'The House of the Black Evil' by Eric Purves (1929)
The narrator comes upon a stunned postman, 'in the strangest agitation', who makes a bizarre claim: a house he delivers to has nothing beyond the door but pure blackness. According to the editor, this caused something of a sensation when it was originally published, and you can see why: it's highly dramatic, enjoyably written, and the central concept is original.

'The Woman in the Veil' by E.F. Benson (1928)
The only story in Glimpses of the Unknown by a writer I've previously heard of and read. It's included here because it has never been reprinted, having been overlooked by previous compilations of Benson's ghost stories. It's about a man who, while holidaying on the Cornish coast, keeps spotting a veiled woman from the windows of his hotel. Despite the author's stature, this is by no means the best in the book, but I did like it better than some of the tales included in the 2016 Benson collection Ghost Stories.

'The Treasure of the Tombs' by F. Britten Austin (1921)
Ashley says in the introduction that this creepy adventure story would be 'ideally suited to Indiana Jones', and I have to agree. A retired Major is visited by two young pilots, who tell him about an amazing discovery they made after crashing in the mountains of Saudi Arabia. Together, the three men hatch a plot to return to the scene and recover the treasure they suspect is hidden there. But of course there's a curse. This is totally gripping, nail-biting even – another writer I would gladly read more of.

Favourites: 'Phantom Death', 'The Soul of Maddalina Tonelli', 'Haunted!', 'When Spirits Steal', 'The House of the Black Evil' and 'The Treasure of the Tombs'.

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[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/201...


What really makes Glimpses of the Unknown most readworthy is the fact that the stories in this book have not previously been reprinted so they're here in all their obscure glory. They range over time from the 1890s to 1929, and while editor Mike Ashley admits that "not all of them evoke horror or fear," he also says that

"...a ghost story can work on several levels ranging from the unnerving tingle of the unknown, to that hauntingly evocative atmosphere of something strange or uncertain."

which is absolutely the case, at least for me. There are eighteen stories to be found here that include, as the editor also states, "the whole spectrum of the supernatural." As with most anthologies, enjoyment (and creepiness) is found in the eye of the beholder, but it is worthy of attention from even the most seasoned readers of ghost stories.

My personal favorite, which stands on its own in its creepy greatness is "The House of the Black Evil" written by a most obscure author by the name of Eric Purves. Ashley notes in his brief introduction to this story,

"When John Reed Wade, the editor of Pearson's Magazine, ran the following story in the May 1929 issue, he announced it as 'One of the most original mystery stories ever written."

In my opinion, the sheer originality of this story, "the tale itself weird beyond imagining" offset the entire cost of the book.

But of course, there's much more more here to enjoy. As with most anthologies, it's a mixed bag and I have my own internal thing going where ghost stories are concerned so it's one that readers will want to try for themselves. However, the joy is in the discovery of these previously unread stories, so Mike Ashley and the British Library have made me a very happy reader. Definitely recommended for serious lovers and readers of ghost stories.

[Andy Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third in the British Library series (of 32) Tales of the Weird and the collection lives up to its title more than the previous two, which are basically just ghost stories (good ones though..).

It is edited by Mike Ashley, whose research here is particularly impressive, as these are unknown authors, most if whom he has found out some information about, and that precedes the story, but in a few cases the one story, from some magazine or newspaper at the start of the twentieth century, is all that remains; it hasn’t been possible to find any other information about its writer.
That really appeals to me, so much so that I was prepared to sacrifice some literary content, to find something a bit different, and understand what appealed at the time.

There is more variety than one would usually expect from such a collection, both in the aspect of horror it addresses, and the standard. In other words, some are rubbish.
My personal favourites are
Haunted by Jack Edwards
Ghosts by Lumley Deakin
and The House of the Black Evil by Eric Purves.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the third Tales of the Weird anthology I've read from The British Library, GLIMPSES OF THE UNKNOWN, master editor Mike Ashley has assembled a quite wonderful collection of early 20th century ghost and horror stories from various magazines and periodicals of the time. All of the stories were unknown to me and most of the authors were too, and with a couple of exceptions the whole anthology is of a very high quality.

Hugh E. Wright's ON THE EMBANKMENT begins things well with a simple but effective urban story of a haunted bench; nice to see a different aspect of London society depicted for a change. THE MYSTERY OF THE GABLES sees Elsie Norris tackling the old 'night in a haunted house' tale albeit with a creative twist and one that I found heartbreaking. THE MISSING WORD is by Austin Phillips and mixes the murder mystery genre with some supernatural content to its credit, while Huan Mee's PHANTOM DEATH is a slightly lesser work about a haunted painting, although still readable.

Firth Scott's THE WRAITH OF THE RAPIER is as simple as it gets: a collector comes into possession of a haunted sword – but highly entertaining thanks to the writing style. James Barr's THE SOUL OF MADDALINA TONELLI is about a haunted violin, but much more tragic and romantic in style rather than scary; I rather liked it. HAUNTED! sees Jack Edwards going for a psychological approach to chilling effect, while Percy James Brebner's OUR STRANGE TRAVELLERS relocates to a French inn for some spooky adventures and a murderous climax.

The next stories are weaker, but still not bad. A REGENT OF LOVE RHYMES sees Guy Thorne exploring the life after death topic in a sensitive way, while Francis Xavier's AMID THE TREES is as much a romance as it is a ghost story. Things pick up again for Mary Schultze's THE RIVER'S EDGE, a brief but effective tale of tragic and intervention from beyond the grave, while Mary Reynolds offers a very different kind of ghost story in A FUTILE GHOST. Meanwhile, GHOSTS sees Lumley Deakin tackling the difficiult topic of modern-day slavery with a truly loathsome antagonist.

Elizabeth Jordan's KEARNEY goes down the psychological route again for a traditional but effective chiller, while Philippa Forest's WHEN SPIRITS STEAL sees a psychic sleuth investigating mysterious events in a rural village and a serving girl who might be connected. It's good fun, but even better is Eric Purves' THE HOUSE OF THE BLACK EVIL, the stand-out story here, about a séance gone awry. It's one of the most tremendous horror stories I've ever read, and I've read plenty in my lifetime; the entire anthology is worth getting just for this one tale. We finish off with E.F. Benson's THE WOMAN IN THE VEIL, an exceptionally rare piece of ghostly vengeance and well written with it, and THE TREASURE OF THE TOMBS, in which F. Britten Austin indulges in some Mesopotamian grave-robbing.

[Carole Tyrrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glimpses of the Unknown: Lost Ghost Stories

Another highly enjoyable feast of the supernatural and strange from the British Library. This one is edited by Mike Ashley, a well known authority and figure in the world of popular fiction as the back cover blurb says. It goes onto to add that he’s written 100 books including The Age of Storytellers: British Popular Fiction Magazines 1880-1950.
So who could be more well suited to be able to source these long lost writers who may have only published one or two stories and brought them back to the limelight, albeit briefly, in this book.
In the introduction Mr Ashley states that his mission is to ‘track down stories that have never been reprinted before but date from the golden age of the supernatural story, the 1890’s to the 1920’s’ He wanted ‘the result to not only produce an anthology of stories that will be new and original to everyone but also introduce a wave of writers hitherto forgotten or only known for a few weird tales.
You often find that anthologies are often full of familiar tales as some are anthologised more frequently than others. However in this book there are none that I have read previously even the E.F. Benson is an unpublished tale. There were also some where I wanted to read more of the author’s work.

There are 18 short stories in this collection which cover the full range of the supernatural from haunted houses, visions of the dead, ancient grave guardians and a house with dark secrets behind its closed front door. The authors are varied with several women, one of which was a suffragette.
The stand out stories for me were:
A Futile Ghost by Mary Reynolds in which a woman finally sees the face of the family ghost and lives to regret it.
The House of the Black Evil by Eric Purves in which a séance goes horribly wrong
and the final story
The Treasure of the Tombs which Mr Ashley compared to Indiana Jones as 3 chaps set out to bring back the golden treasure that one of them found in an abandoned tomb and meet its guardians who are determined that they won’t succeed.
A wonderful selection. Recommended.

[Fionnuala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have nothing bad to say about this collection. Every story was excellent. Proper classic ghost stories, excellent atmosphere and suspense, good twists and backstories, thoroughly entertaining and every one of them well-written. The concept behind these stories is so fascinating, too -- they are literally lost ghost stories, stories that appeared once in magazines of the day and were never reprinted. Some of the authors are totally unknown, as in, literally nothing is known about them apart from the name they wrote under for that one story. Others are known names, but these stories slipped through the cracks. It all adds to the atmosphere.

Definitely reminded me just why I love ghost stories so much. It makes me want to go out and buy some big anthologies and settle down in an atmopsherically lit room. Exactly what I was hoping it would be, and I've found some new favourites in here.

[Ian Burrell]

A compilation of short ghost stories never before republished, mostly dating from the period between the World Wars.

The quality of the tales is variable with some being genuinely inventive and chilling whilst others although less so, are still an entertaining read. Each story is preceded by a brief biography of the author, which provides a fascinating context.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys short stories of horror from a time when the suspense was favoured over graphic gore.

I will certainly explore further tomes in the series from the British Library and may track down further stories written by the authors who impressed me most.

[Alex Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are becoming a readable comfort blanket.

[Kleineleopardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars rounded up.
Filed under Nesbitian as it includes a (mediocre) story by Nesbit's son in law, Austin Philips (by marriage to Iris)

[Mark Welsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third of the British Library’s Tales of the Weird’ series has 18 lost supernatural stories dating from 1899 to 1929 by obscure and mostly forgotten authors.

This is a solid if unspectacular collection. Most of the stories have a good set up, but few are able to stick a satisfactory landing. A particular culprit is ‘Phantom Death’ by Huan Mee, the pen name of brothers Charles and Walter Mansfield. It’s a twisted story of a haunted painting mixed in with a hefty dose of reincarnation. The concept is nothing startling, but the presentation and style are quite striking until you reach the odd, inconclusive resolution. Similarly, G Firth Scott’s ‘Mark of the Rapier’ and Eric Purves’ ‘The House of the Black Evil’ possess great story ideas that don’t build into anything very compelling.

One of the highlights of the collection is the ‘The Soul of Madelina Tonelli’ by James Barr. This concerns a haunted violin and seems to be wrapping up very satisfactory until the writer tacks on a cornball coda which wouldn’t have been out of place in a Hollywood weepie of the 1930s. I also enjoyed ‘Our Strange Traveller’ by Percy James Brebner, a variation on the tried & trusted old tale of a night spent at a murder inn. My probable favourite, though, is closing story ‘The Treasure of the Tombs’ by F Britten Austin, which features some Indiana Jones-type shenanigans in the mountains of Asia. I’d argue it’s a little out of place in this company but its still great fun.

However, the collection is weighed down somewhat by more than a few slight entries, such as ‘The Mystery of the Gables’ by Elsie Norris, ‘A Regent of Love Rhymes’ by Guy Thorne and ‘A Futile Ghost’ by Mary Reynolds, the last two in particular smacking a bit too much of soap opera for my taste.

Overall, it’s a decent anthology but I discovered no hidden gems.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I just don’t like ghost stories. I don’t understand why more than one of these were written as a character being told a ghost story by another character. That’s a sure fire way to make me feel absolutely nothing. Most of the writing of women feels…outdated, without getting into it. There’s some fainting involved and beautiful women falling very abruptly in love with the men. The stories are largely predictable. The best element of this anthology was, to me, the writing, though not all stories delivered in this regard. I was, however, partial to those written in such a way that I just enjoyed the sentences. It makes sense when considering that rarely did these stories lead to any surprise. This isn’t to say I don’t find value in predictable stories. Not all tales must contain a plot twist.

My favorites were “the Soul of Maddalina Tonelli,” which did contain some of that not-ideal writing of women, but it was more original than most other stories and far more memorable; “Our Strange Traveller,” which just had a nice tone and atmosphere, and was involved more agency than most other stories; “the House of the Black Evil,” which was by far more conceptually inventive than the remainder of the stories; and "the Treasure of the Tombs," which is just a different vibe from the rest, focusing on an expedition to recover gold from a tomb rather than haunted house type stuff.

On the Embankment – Hugh E. Wright ★★
The Mystery of the Gables – Elsie Norris ★★★
The Missing Word – Austin Philips ★★
Phantom Death – Huan Mee ★★★
The Wraith of the Rapier – Firth Scott ★★
The Soul of Maddalina Tonelli – James Barr ★★★★
Haunted! – Jack Edwards ★★★
Our Strange Traveller – Percy James Brebner ★★★★
A Regent of Love Rhymes – Guy Thorne ★★★
Amid the Trees – Francis Xavier ★★
The River’s Edge – Mary Schultze ★★
A Futile Ghost – Mary Reynolds ★★★
Ghosts – Lumley Deakin ★★
Kearney – Elizabeth Jordan ★★★
When Spirits Steal – Philippa Forest ★★★
The House of the Black Evil – Eric Purves ★★★★
The Woman in the Veil – E.F. Benson ★★★
The Treasure of the Tombs F. Britten Austin ★★★★

[David O'Mahony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology of previously never anthologised ghost stories is a gem of a find and is the first of the British Library's Tales of the Weird series that I've read in full.

There are eighteen stories here from the late 19th century to the 1920s and cover all aspects of 'horror', from creeping supernatural to moody atmospheres that unsettle rather than terrify. That's the joy of the genre, really, in that it can run the gamut without getting tiresome. We have everything from Gothic hauntings to Mesopotamian adventure stories; the editor is right to say that the last one could make a good Indiana Jones movie.

What I found especially interesting is how fresh and contemporary the stories feel. True, some of the settings are of their time, like duels with rapiers and the like or some dubious attitudes by male characters toward women (such as 'The River's Edge' by Mary Schultze), but the actual writing styles are typically engaging and fluid.

As I've mentioned the fact that these stories have never been included in a book since their initial publication makes it part archaeological/archival retrieval. There's a bio and potted history of each author but some of the authors have no history that can be found, despite the editor's efforts by going through census and other records to try and match bylines to verifiable historical figures.

There is something well, ghostly, about an author such as Eric Purves (whose story 'The House of the Black Veil' is one of the more innovative pieces) now existing solely in reference to the single story he/she/they seem to have published. Ashely in his intro to that story notes that "When John Reed Wade, the editor of Pearson's Magazine, ran the following story in the May 1929 issue, he announced it as 'One of the most original mystery stories ever written." And yet there is no trace of any other Purves work. Was it a pseudonym? We'll never know.

Not every reader will like every story, which is natural enough in an anthology, but lovers of ghost stories will have plenty to hold their interest here.

[Aaron Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first British library tales of the weird read and currently in the process of collecting them all. A beautiful series no doubt with alluring covers. I love what Mike Asley has done here collecting lost ghost stories from the 1800s to the early 1900s, authors who are obscure and tales which had only previously been printed in obscure magazines. Little is known about many of the authors in this anthology and Ashley has done a super job of tracking down lesser known works from these bygone authors. So what did I think of the anthology itself? I thought it was average with 11 solid enough and the other 7 falling flat. I'll list my standouts below but will say if you are into the old stylized ghost story then I'd recommend you pick this up, as there are some real hidden gems in here not previously reprinted.

1) On the Embankment by Hugh E. Wright- The opening story and a strong start to the anthology penned in 1919 which is about a man who is waiting to start a newly acquired job in London in a few weeks but has no money or no place until he chances upon a bench on an embankment which is usually home to a handful of tramps and something else of unknown origin.

2) The Mystery of the Gables by Elsie Norris- A hotel which is seemingly haunted but by what exactly? Loved the ending here and also loved the style in which this was written.

3) Phantom Death by Huan Mee- A man admires an old eastern European painting which proves to be more than just an average painting.

4) Haunted by Jack Edwards- In the introduction to this story, Mike Ashley expresses that he couldn't find out anything about the author when researching this superb tale of terror which for me kind of gives the story more of an uneasy edge. This one for me was by far the best of the bunch and one which grabbed me throughout. A man is convinced that an apparition is constantly following him and is always in his house. A lost tale full of intensity and unease, superb stuff.

5) A Regent of Love Rhymes by Guy Thorne- A widow loses her husband who was an author and hadn't finished a book, although perhaps there's a chance the typewriter took matters into its own hands. This is a sad tale of love, loss, grief and ultimately what could well be communicated from the other side.

6) Amid the Trees by Francis Xavier- Again Mike Ashley couldn't find anything out about the author who remains elusive and unknown. A lonely man in Portugal tires of the bustle of the city and decides to head off into the vineyards and wilderness of real Portugal and finds himself willing a woman into his life on a lonely stretch of country road.

7) The Rivers Edge by Mary Schultze- Many readers of this anthology stated that this was the strongest of the collection and I disagree while its a strong enough tale to be included, I thought it was just okay and not amazing. The story follows a man who is visiting friends in rural England and while on a walk discovers a bridge which has overflown with water from the river. Suddenly a young child darts out of a house towards the edge with no parent in sight. The onlooking man cannot make it to save the child but is taken aback after peering over the edge.

8) When Spirits Steal by Philippa Forest- Two English gentlemen are wandering in the English countryside at their leisure until hunger calls and they look for the (Green Dragon) Inn which they eventually find. The young maid makes the two gents feel at home but both eventually get more than they bargained for. Loved this one and is also one of the strongest entries in the collection.

9) The House of the Black evil by Eric Purves- Mike Ashley also couldn't find anything relating to this author or any other works by him and seemed as though Eric only penned this one tale which may I add is absolutely superb. Easily my second favorite of the book. A mystified postman stares through a letter-box into impenetrable darkness which lead him and a neighbor to investigate further. The story itself is full of unease and atmosphere from start to finish. Never has this story been reprinted until now, so great job Mike Ashley for bringing these lost gems to readers.

10) The Woman in the Veil by E.F. Benson- A man visiting Cornwall stays at a hotel in Poltreath with great views overlooking the sea but isn't prepared for the sight of a mysterious female apparition standing on the gravel walk outside his window.

11) The Treasure of the Tombs by F. Britten Austin- A real solid adventure tale which could easily rival Indiana Jones. Two young soldiers Richard Franks and Henry Jefferson approach a retired major and reveal a secret to him about a cave of treasure they had accidentally stumbled upon while out in Mosul, Iraq. All three decide to go in search of this gold and to locate the cave and tomb. While its predictable, the references to ancient Mesopotamia and its pantheon of gods and kings were a very welcome addition and showed that the author knew his stuff regarding this ever-mysterious region. The last story of the book and a real solid conclusion to a book which included a mixed bag of shorts. There are 18 in all and cared really only for the 11 I've listed above.

[Anthomansland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology is a collection of old, slightly obscure, slightly dated, previously unpublished "Ghost stories", dating from the early days of the genre, 1880 to the end of World War One.

The stories in this book sometimes belong to successful authors whose early work was forgotten. Sometimes they are the only trace of a mysterious author, whose identity we can only guess. Biographic details, when they exist, are given before each story.

We know the great names of horror and eerie : Poe, Lovecraft, Maupassant. It is interesting to look at some more obscure authors, contemporary of the better known ones, and see how they helped to define the genre as we know it, and perhaps understand why they did not achieve so much notoriety in their time.

What is quite striking with most of the stories is that they are interesting ideas, but only foreshadowed, not fully developped, as if leading the way for other authors. For example, the first story, "On the Embankement", is the prototypical ghost story of a man unable to find rest in death ; a well-known trope, often worked on in modern stories, but here shown in the most basic and rudimentary form - which makes for quite a nice story to read.

Other themes such as ghosts possessing objects ("The Wraith of the Rapier"), airwaves ("The Missing Word") are developped and give good food for the imagination. The themes of travellers encountering ghosts, of romnace, archeology (with "The Treasure of the Tombs" reading almost like an early draft of Indiana Jones!) are all touched on. While some stories were a bit too dramatic for my tastes (for example, the strange "Kearney"), most of them were quite good and a very enjoyable read. If you are looking for ideas, or if you're simply interested in some of the most forgotten themes of Eerie fiction, or if you're just curious for something else than Poe or Lovecraft, then look no further.

[Alex Sarll]

Finally, I get around to finishing the first Tales Of The Weird I ever bought - can it really have been only five years ago? Regular readers will be familiar with my regular grumbles about the series, all of which this dodges. There are no overreaching introductions, only potted biographies and/or assessments of the contributors, and sometimes not even that; editor Mike Ashley will freely admit when he's been unable to learn anything about an author such as Mary Reynolds, and with a name like that it's no wonder. As for stories already familiar, perhaps stuffed in to oblige a connection to the theme? Not a chance, because the theme here is simply obscurity. The only author here I'd heard of at all before I started reading this series is EF Benson, and even then it's his never before reprinted The Woman In The Veil. Otherwise, you're looking at a line-up where F. Britten Austin and Guy Thorne are the closest things to big names. Are all the stories winners? Definitely not; Thorne's A Regent Of Love Rhymes is one of a couple that's far too cloying for modern tastes, while the pig-headed social conventions in Reynolds' A Futile Ghost got under my skin in a way I'm not convinced was intentional. And if you go to many small gigs, a comedy update of James Barr's The Soul Of Maddalina Tonelli is far too easy to picture. Ashley is also wowed by one hit wonder Eric Purves' The House Of The Black Evil, while I was mostly reminded of how reliably entertaining blindfold tasks are on Taskmaster. But these are outnumbered by long-forgotten pieces which deserve their own revenant moments, and above all, there's not a thing here I already own twice over. It's a clarity of vision - or in some ways, a refusal to force a vision - that the imprint could stand to remember.

[Redmond Mitchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of struggled with the star rating for this one.

As a collection of forgotten ghost stories from the golden age of the weird tale it's absolutely brilliant. Some of the stories are dusty, some are dated, some of them are decent presentations of old chestnuts. All of them are readable, at least.

Some of them I enjoyed more than I probably should have, like The Wraith of the Rapier featuring a laughably swashbuckling spectre and a real 'Boy's Own' vibe.

Some of the stories I enjoyed the most were the old chestnuts. The madly intricate, the inevitable twists, the creaky.

My favourite was probably Haunted! which surprised me with its restraint, psychological depth and vivid imagery.

It's an even mix between unfairly forgotten stories and stories that are interesting as an illustration of the time. The anthology has been very well selected and there isn't a dead loser in the lot.

Overall I think the review here is: you already know if you will enjoy this book. If you want to read ghost stories from the early 20th century that have never been reprinted, together with well researched, frequently fascinating biographies of the authors you're basically guaranteed to enjoy this.

This book was a gift from my partner. We gave each other ghost books then sat reading them on Christmas Eve. For that it was beyond perfect.

[Lynsey Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthology books are like bags of Giant Skittles, some of the stories are the best green ones and some are the shit red ones which pop up every so often to ruin the experience.

This book started out strong but, for me, fizzled out at the end and even threw in some sentimental tales of love and all that shite which was probably the most scary thing contained in these pages.

Some stories are lovely little Victorian treats to be enjoyed curled up in front of a fire and others.... not so much, this is a collection of lost stories and some, perhaps, should have stayed lost.

None of the stories were particularly frightening which leads me to the conclusion that this book is the epitome of inoffensive beige. It will neither change your life nor ruin it.

I would normally do a wee review for each story but there are to many here so you shall just have to suffice with a wee star rating for each

On The Embankment 🖤🖤🖤🖤

The Mystery of The Gables 🖤🖤🖤

The Missing Word 🖤🖤🖤

Phantom Death 🖤🖤🖤

The Wraith of the Rapier 🖤🖤

The Soul of Maddalina Tonelli 🖤

Haunted! 🖤🖤🖤🖤

Our Strange Traveller 🖤🖤🖤

A Regent of Love Rhymes 🖤🖤

Amid the Trees 🖤

The Rivers Edge 🖤🖤

A Futile Ghost 🖤🖤

Ghosts 🖤

Kearney 🖤🖤🖤

When Spirits Steal 🖤🖤🖤

The House of the Black Evil 🖤🖤🖤🖤

The Women in the Veil 🖤🖤🖤

The Treasures of The Tombs 🖤

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great collection, I loved that the theme was the fact that these stories have never been republished since their first publishing. They were all great stories, all featuring the strange/creepy aspects but nothing else really tided them together. I am quite shocked that some of these have not been reproduced especially the story by E.F. Benson considering how popular he is.

My one of my favourite was:
The Soul of Madalina Tonelli by James Barr - I liked the fact that it built up this history and the fact that the main character - Herman - actually had agency and progressed the story. Often with short stories from this time period it is often a story told after the fact or gathering of facts after an event has occurred. I also liked the puzzle aspect of story as well as the ending it was rather sweet with everything coming full circle. 4.5 stars.

Other honourable mentions are:
On the Embankment by Hugh E. Wright - 4 Stars
The Missing Word by Austin Philips - 4 Stars
Phantom Death by Huan Mee - 4 Stars
A Regent of Love Rhymes by Guy Thorne - 4 Stars
The House of Black Evil by Eric Purves - 4 Stars
The Woman in the Veil by E. F. Benson - 4 Stars

[Richard Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting collection of stories from the British Library series though I'm not surprised some of these were 'lost', as some are quite poor. There's not a one that induces a pleasurable shiver often, such as is the case of E.F. Benson's 'Woman In The Veil', because the author insists on a lengthy explanation or clarification after what would have been a good final sentence. There's a lot of moralising and bad science too and 'The Wrath of the Rapier' is just downright bonkers! Jack Edwards 'Haunted' is the best of the punch, as it resists speculation over the grim fate of its protagonist.

[Mestor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb collection of ghost stories containing such staples of the genre as motiveless vengeful ghosts, ghosts returning to avenge murder, hauntings linked to objects, and ancient curses. This is an almost uniformly strong collection, with highlights including 'On the Embankment', 'The Mystery of the Gables', 'Haunted!', and 'The Woman in the Veil'. Highly recommended to lovers of the genre. My only quibble is that this printing is riddled with typographical errors, a fault of the publishers and proof readers.

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A volume for aficionados of English-language supernatural fiction. Many unknown authors and neglected stories, most of which appeared in popular magazines of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A lot of the stories have simple plots and most build tension effectively. There are no minor masterpieces - even the story by E. F. Benson, though lyrically written as usual, is rather obvious - but there a few that are worth keeping in the memory, such as the story of the haunted violinist.

[Sohxpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting collection of ghost stories. I really loved the variance in this collection, they weren't all horror, there were some sweet ones too. I really enjoyed "A Regent Of Love Rhymes." It was a lovely story, well minus the whole death thing of course. It was different (to me at least) to have a story where the ghost wasn't a dick and was actually quite sweet. I loved the little introductions before each story, they were really interesting to read, especially as most of the authors were unknown to me. There were definitely a few authors I am going to read more of!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 from me. There are some really fun stories in here, including "The Woman in the Veil," "Haunted!" and "The Wraith of the Rapier." There is the usual selection of "products of their time," too, of course, too. Some of the biographical sketches are interesting and informative and some are a tad on the odd side. Overall, decent collection and worth checking out if you're interested in reading ghost stories that haven't been reprinted endlessly.

[p. · Rating 3 out of 5]

this did not enthral me as much as i had hoped. maybe i just was not quite in the mood for it.

regardless, 'the mystery of the gables' and 'the house of black evil' were very, very good. i also enjoyed 'our strange traveller', 'a regent of love rhymes', 'the river's edge', 'ghosts' and 'the treasure of the tombs' albeit to a lesser extent.

[Chrys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading these in between other books and have enjoyed them in the most part. There were a couple of absolute gems for me personally, and I think that there's definitely going to be something in here for everyone.
A really good collection.

[Darryl Tomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant collection of weird, forgotten stories from the late 19th/early 20th centuries, which was a golden age of these kind of pulpy occult tales. Most of them are interesting and amusing rather than chilling, although I found the story 'Haunted!' to be genuinely bloody frightening.

[Muaz Jalil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wide eclectic collection of stories. All the stories are from out of print authors, hence very unique collection. Many of the authors are so unknown that even the Editor could not trace their history. Hence the quality varies.

[Ned Netherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a noble enterprise, to republish forgotten stories, often by forgotten authors. The editor displays excellent curative instincts with nothing here being chosen exclusively for its obscurity. No, I enjoyed every single tale. 4 stars for the stories and a bonus star for the worthy concept.

[Dan Lockwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book of stories annoyingly let down by a lack of proofreading