Satan's Circus (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

Satan's Circus (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: Lady Eleanor Smith
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 24
Release: 2016-12-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473347289

"Satan's Circus" is a collection of ghost stories written by English writer Lady Eleanor Smith, first published in 1932. Lady Eleanor Furneaux Smith (1902 - 1945) was an English writer, society reporter and cinema reviewer, and a publicist for circuses. It was the latter that led her to travel widely and inspired her third career, which was writing fiction. Most of her work had a romanticised historical or Gypsy setting, influenced by her own Romany family ties, and her work provided the foundation for the 'Gainsborough melodramas' of the time. Other notable works by this author include: "Red Wagon" (1930), "Tzigane" (1935), and "The Man in Grey" (1941). Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in a modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

Satan's Circus

Satan's Circus
Author: Mike Dash
Publisher: Granta Books
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2011-02-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1847084753

Mike Dash is a master of atmospheric and entertaining historical narrative. In Satan's Circus he vividly opens up the world of twentieth-century New York, telling the gripping story of police officer Charley Becker's rise and fall and of the sensational murder trials that led to his gruesome death in the electric chair. With a cast of colourful characters, from Big Tim Sullivan, the election-rigging vice lord, to future President Theodore Roosevelt and beloved gangster Jack Zelig, Satan's Circus brings to life an almost forgotten Gotham - a raucous, gaudy and utterly corrupt city.

The Elementary Spirit (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Elementary Spirit (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: E. T. A. Hoffmann
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2015-10-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473377382

This early work by E. T. A. Hoffmann was originally published in the 19th century. Born in Königsberg, East Prussia in 1776, Hoffmann's family were all jurists, and during his youth he was initially encouraged to pursue a career in law. However, in his late teens Hoffman became increasingly interested in literature and philosophy, and spent much of his time reading German classicists and attending lectures by, amongst others, Immanuel Kant. Hoffman went on to produce a great range of both literary and musical works. Probably Hoffman's most well-known story, produced in 1816, is 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King', due to the fact that - some seventy-six years later - it inspired Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker. In the same vein, his story 'The Sandman' provided both the inspiration for Léo Delibes's ballet Coppélia, and the basis for a highly influential essay by Sigmund Freud, called 'The Uncanny'. (Indeed, Freud referred to Hoffman as the "unrivalled master of the uncanny in literature.") Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions.

The Ensouled Violin (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Ensouled Violin (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: Madame Blavatsky
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2014-12-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1447480155

Helena Blavatsky is one of the most famous occultists of all time. Founder of The Theosophical Society, she has developed a polarising reputation; her supporters see her as a visionary and a spiritual genius, her detractors as a charlatan and a fraud. First published in 1892, 'The Ensouled Violin' is one of her lesser-known tales. Many of the earliest occult stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The Dunwich Horror (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Dunwich Horror (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: H. P. Lovecraft
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 54
Release: 2016-03-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473369193

Deformed albino Lavinia Whateley lives with her grotesque son and father in the remote village of Dunwich, Massachusetts. Growing from a child to a man in just ten years, her son Wilbur is feared by person and animal alike. His sorcerer grandfather, however, pays particular interest in him, teaching him witchcraft and the secrets of dark rituals. Suspicions are further raised in the local town as the family buys more and more cattle yet their herd never seems to grow in number, instead only developing wounds on their flesh. First published in 1929, “The Dunwich Horror” is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft and one of the main stories of the Cthulhu Mythos. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890–1937) was an American writer of supernatural horror fiction. Though his works remained largely unknown and did not furnish him with a decent living, Lovecraft is today considered to be among the most significant writers of supernatural horror fiction of the twentieth century. Other notable works by this author include: “The Call of Cthulhu”, “The Rats in the Walls”, and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. A fantastic example of Lovecraftian horror not to be missed by fans of the genre. Read & Co. is publishing this classic work now as part of our “Fantasy and Horror Classics” imprint in a new edition with a dedication by George Henry Weiss.

The Sandman (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Sandman (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: E. T. A. Hoffmann
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 39
Release: 2013-04-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 144748021X

E. T. A. Hoffmann is seen as a pioneer of both Romanticism and fantasy literature, and his novella, Mademoiselle de Scudéri: A Tale from the Times of Louis XIV is often cited as the first ever detective story. Hoffman's story 'The Sandman' provided both the inspiration for Léo Delibes's ballet Coppélia, and the basis for a highly influential essay by Sigmund Freud, called 'The Uncanny'. Indeed, Freud referred to Hoffman as the "unrivalled master of the uncanny in literature." Many of the demonic and thriller stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The Fatal Marksman (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Fatal Marksman (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: Johann August Apel
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 29
Release: 2014-12-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1447499816

Johann August Apel was a keen writer of speculative fiction. Between 1810 and 1817, he published a large anthology of ghost stories called Das Gespensterbuch (The Ghost Book). This collection included 'The Fatal Marksman' - arguably his best-known tale. Many of the horror stories of monsters and ghouls, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The Lurking Fear (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Lurking Fear (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: H. P. Lovecraft
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 27
Release: 2014-04-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473392772

"The Lurking Fear" is a 1923 short story by master of horror fiction H. P. Lovecraft. The tale revolves around an intrepid monster hunter's investigation into reports in the media of attacks perpetrated by a band of mysterious creatures that appear to reside in a foreboding mountain. A chilling tale of preternatural horror not to be missed by lovers of the genre. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890–1937) was an American writer of supernatural horror fiction. Though his works remained largely unknown and did not furnish him with a decent living, Lovecraft is today considered to be among the most significant writers of supernatural horror fiction of the twentieth century. Other notable works by this author include: “The Call of Cthulhu”, “The Rats in the Walls”, and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Read & Co. is publishing this classic work now as part of our “Fantasy and Horror Classics” imprint in a new edition with a dedication by George Henry Weiss.

Herbert West–Reanimator (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

Herbert West–Reanimator (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: H. P. Lovecraft
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2013-04-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1447480090

“Herbert West–Reanimator" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. An unnamed narrator recounts his experiences with Herbert West, a brilliant but narcissistic young man who believes that the dead can be brought back to life and endeavours to prove himself right, whatever it takes. Among the first depictions of zombies as we know them today, “Herbert West–Reanimator" is a classic of horror fiction not to be missed by lovers of chilling supernatural tales. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890–1937) was an American writer of supernatural horror fiction. Though his works remained largely unknown and did not furnish him with a decent living, Lovecraft is today considered to be among the most significant writers of supernatural horror fiction of the twentieth century. Other notable works by this author include: “At The Mountains of Madness”, “The Rats in the Walls”, and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Read & Co. is publishing this classic horror short story now as part of our “Fantasy and Horror Classics” imprint in a new edition with a dedication by George Henry Weiss.

Wait Till Helen Comes

Wait Till Helen Comes
Author: Mary Downing Hahn
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2008-04-21
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0547346034

Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their seven-year-old stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a cemetery in the backyard. If that's not bad enough, Heather starts talking to a ghost named Helen and warning Molly and Michael that Helen is coming for them. Molly feels certain Heather is in some kind of danger, but every time she tries to help, Heather twists things around to get her into trouble. It seems as if things can't get any worse. But they do—when Helen comes.