Das Grimoire

by Montague Summers

Clssic collection of weird fiction by the legendary Montague Summers, authority on vampires, witches, werewolves and other historical entities. Includes tales by Polidori, Charles Maturin, Erckmann-Chatrian, three by LeFanu, four by Anonymous, Charles Ollier, Mrs. Hartley and the title story by Summers himself. Has a rarefrontispiece reproduced from any early edition of LeFanu's tales.

Genres: Weird Fiction, Horror

52 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

Augustus Montague Summers was an Anglican priest and later convert to Roman Catholicism known primarily for his scholarly work on the English drama of the 17th century, as well as for his studies on witches, vampires, and werewolves, in all of which he professed to believe. He was responsible for the first English translation, published in 1928, of the notorious 15th-century witch hunter's manual, the Malleus Maleficarum.

Reviews

[William Parham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert: This review is probably longer than the book itself.

This is a lovely little chapbook of a single story by Montague Summers. It was a bonus addition to the first hardback edition of The Moons At Your Door: An Anthology of Strange Tales, a collection of weird fiction, Coptic and Sumerian translations, and other ephemera, collected by David Tibet.

The story is a decent little yarn of probably only average quality. However, seeing as it is a story about a collector of rare occult and alchemical texts, I am inclined to give it a bit more leeway. It is a solid little gothic tale rather similar in tone to Algernon Blackwood's "The Damned". Seeing as "The Damned" has always been a favorite of mine, I won't complain. Others might, however. These kind of slow stories about men of leisure visiting large old estates to read large old books, only to succumb to some spiritual, psychic, or darkly paranormal malady, are not for everyone.

If it were on story alone that I rated this book, it would be a weak 3- or 4-star affair. Nothing remarkable, but nothing I could complain about. This edition steps up the game by coming wrapped in four of David Tibet's paintings of Pazuzu. The spare white on black style that Tibet draws in usually doesn't do much for me, but these images are a perfect accompaniment to this story. The paper is also extremely thick and feels great in the hand. Strange Attractor Press has done a lovely job with this chapbook. I am glad to have it in my collection.

[Hsu Jui-Ting · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a tale of average proportions, as the other reviewer correctly stated, and comes as a bonus for having ordered the hardcover edition of The Moons at Your Door. Having said that, though, it's a beautiful edition - and addition - to the library that demonstrates David Tibet's own cultivated interests in the arcane.