The Automaton (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Automaton (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: E. T. A. Hoffmann
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2015-10-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473377374

This early work by E. T. A. Hoffmann was originally published in 1814. 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 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 Entail (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Entail (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: E. T. A. Hoffmann
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 89
Release: 2015-10-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473377501

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 Shadowy Third (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Shadowy Third (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: Ellen Glasgow
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2014-12-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1447499999

Ellen Glasgow was an influential female writer, and an important chronicler of the old South. 'The Shadowy Third', first published in 1923, represents an excellent early example of the 'Southern Gothic' genre. Many of the earliest ghost 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.

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.

The New Frankenstein (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The New Frankenstein (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: E. E. Kellett
Publisher:
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2011-04-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1447405013

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 Big Book of Classic Fantasy

The Big Book of Classic Fantasy
Author: Ann Vandermeer
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 850
Release: 2019-07-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0525435565

A FINALIST FOR THE 2020 WORLD FANTASY AWARD Unearth the enchanting origins of fantasy fiction with a collection of tales as vast as the tallest tower and as mysterious as the dark depths of the forest. Fantasy stories have always been with us. They illuminate the odd and the uncanny, the wondrous and the fantastic: all the things we know are lurking just out of sight—on the other side of the looking-glass, beyond the music of the impossibly haunting violin, through the twisted trees of the ancient woods. Other worlds, talking animals, fairies, goblins, demons, tricksters, and mystics: these are the elements that populate a rich literary tradition that spans the globe. A work composed both of careful scholarship and fantastic fun, The Big Book of Classic Fantasy is essential reading for anyone who’s never forgotten the stories that first inspired feelings of astonishment and wonder. INCLUDING: *Stories by pillars of the genre like the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Mary Shelley, Christina Rossetti, L. Frank Baum, Robert E. Howard, and J. R. R. Tolkien *Fantastical offerings from literary giants including Edith Wharton, Leo Tolstoy, Willa Cather, Zora Neale Hurston, Vladimir Nabokov, Hermann Hesse, and W.E.B. Du Bois *Rare treasures from Asian, Eastern European, Scandinavian, and Native American traditions *New translations, including fourteen stories never before in English PLUS: *Beautifully Bizarre Creatures! *Strange New Worlds Just Beyond the Garden Path! *Fairy Folk and Their Dark Mischief! *Seriously Be Careful—Do Not Trust Those Fairies!

The Brownie of the Black Haggs (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Brownie of the Black Haggs (Fantasy and Horror Classics)
Author: James Hogg
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 23
Release: 2013-04-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 144749959X

Scottish author James Hogg was one of the most popular authors of his day, and has recently undergone on a widespread critical revival. 'The Brownie of the Black Haggs' is one of his best-remembered short stories, featuring a domineering Countess and a mysterious servant. Many of the finest stories of magic and fantasy, 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 Sandman. The Elementary Spirit (Two Mysterious Tales. German Classics)

The Sandman. The Elementary Spirit (Two Mysterious Tales. German Classics)
Author: E. T. A. Hoffmann
Publisher: Mondial
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2008
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1595691170

No literature can produce a more original writer than Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1776 1822), a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, better known by his pen name E. T. A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann). His works are very numerous and were published at Berlin in fifteen volumes. He is the subject and hero of Jacques Offenbach's famous but fictional opera The Tales of Hoffmann.---Of the two tales in this book, "The Sandman" is from the collection "Night Pieces," and The Elementary Spirit is from his "Later Works." In these stories, Hoffmann's purpose is to point out the ill-effect of a morbid desire after an imaginary world, and a distaste for realities. Different as their adventures are, there is a striking similarity in the characters of Nathaniel (in "The Sandman") and Victor (in "The Elementary Spirit"). However wild may be the subjects of Hoffmann, and however rambling his method of treating them, his style is remarkably lucid.---The story of the Sandman had its origin in a discussion which actually took place between La Motte Fouque (a German writer of the romantic movement, 1777 1843) and some friends, at which Hoffmann was present. Some of the party found fault with the cold, mechanical deportment of a young lady of their acquaintance, while La Motte Fouque zealously defended her. Here Hoffmann caught the notion of the automaton Olympia, and the arguments used by Nathaniel are those that were employed by La Motte Fouque."

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Sequels, Series and Remakes

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Sequels, Series and Remakes
Author: Kim R. Holston
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 375
Release: 2018-02-12
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0786496851

Science fiction, fantasy and horror movies have spawned more sequels and remakes than any other film genre. Following Volume I, which covered 400 films made 1931-1995, Volume II analyzes 334 releases from 1996 through 2016. The traditional cinematic monsters are represented--Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, a new Mummy. A new wave of popular series inspired by comics and video games, as well as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, could never have been credibly produced without the advances in special effects technology. Audiences follow the exploits of superheroes like Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Thor, and such heroines as the vampire Selene, zombie killer Alice, dystopian rebels Katniss Everdeen and Imperator Furiosa, and Soviet spy turned American agent Black Widow. The continuing depredations of Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers are described. Pre-1996 movies that have since been remade are included. Entries features cast and credits, detailed synopsis, critics' reviews, and original analysis.