Wordsworth - Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural

[Fried Egg]

I noticed the other day, when browsing in a book shop, that the horror section was populated with numerous books published by Wordsworth in their Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural series. They seem rather well priced at £3 each.

Does anybody know anything about this series? It appears to be a collection of classics from the horror genre. Since I am rather new to horror, this seems like a good place to begin my introduction to many of the classics of the genre.

Or would I do better looking elsewhere?

[EDIT]Also, if anyone has the time to perouse the list, which books in this series should I start with? I've read Edgar Allen Poe and a fair bit of Lovecraft but nothing else in this series.

 

[brsrkrkomdy]

There's always Algernon Blackwood, M.R. James, E.F. Benson, Oliver Onions, Robert Bloch, Arthur Machen, and J. Sheridan LeFanu. There's plenty more that are just as good as they are, and even better.

 

[j d worthington]

Fried Egg: while a handful of these (such as the Robert E. Howard or Lovecraft selections) may have textual problems beyond the usual typos and such, the majority of them, I understand, are quite good. Certainly the selection of tales for the series is outstanding. I'd highly recommend them as a good series to familiarize yourself with many of the classics of the genre, as well as some of the obscurer writers, to boot....

 

[Barney]

The only problem with starting with the Classics is that they can seem a bit tame to our modern sensibilities. A lot of Victorian ghost stories are pretty underwhelming. A character might go and stay at some remote/foreign place. They go for a walk at night and have a conversation with someone.

The next day their host asks them if they had a pleasant evening. They say "oh yes I had a perfectly delightful evening, I went for a walk and met this funny little priest".

The host seems uneasy and asks "what was his name?"

"Father Brown" the hero replies.

"Oh my God!" the host cries. "Father Brown died 10 years ago!"
The host then turns pale and collapses to the floor in a dead faint.

Not all of the older supernatural fiction is that predictable, but if you are looking for some stories to pique your interest I would suggest going for an anthology that collects recent horror stories. Any good bookshop should stock a few decent ones (the 2007 Mammoth book of Best New Horror is what i'm reading at the moment. I have only read about 4 of the stories so far but on the whole they have been pretty good).

 

[j d worthington]

The only problem with starting with the Classics is that they can seem a bit tame to our modern sensibilities. A lot of Victorian ghost stories are pretty underwhelming. A character might go and stay at some remote/foreign place. They go for a walk at night and have a conversation with someone.

The next day their host asks them if they had a pleasant evening. They say "oh yes I had a perfectly delightful evening, I went for a walk and met this funny little priest".

The host seems uneasy and asks "what was his name?"

"Father Brown" the hero replies.

"Oh my God!" the host cries. "Father Brown died 10 years ago!"
The host then turns pale and collapses to the floor in a dead faint.

Not all of the older supernatural fiction is that predictable, but if you are looking for some stories to pique your interest I would suggest going for an anthology that collects recent horror stories. Any good bookshop should stock a few decent ones (the 2007 Mammoth book of Best New Horror is what i'm reading at the moment. I have only read about 4 of the stories so far but on the whole they have been pretty good).

Not a bad parody of the worst (or the least) of the Victorians -- or, more properly I think, the Edwardians -- in this respect, but hardly representative of an enormous amount of what's out there, especially when you're dealing with writers such as Hichens, Morrow, Lee, James (either M. R. or Henry), Gilman, Northcote, Wakefield, Benson, Blackwood, Machen, Hodgson, Kipling, Wells, Bierce, Bowen, Doyle, Hearn, Buchan, and the like... most of which are represented in the series in question, and many of which wrote some of the most haunting and disturbing pieces in the realm of weird fiction....

 

[Fried Egg]

I must admit that I am naturally inclined towards starting with older stuff, mainly because these days I am tending to prefer older stuff in the realms of science fiction and fantasy.

I think with these titles at a mere £3 a pop, I can afford to take a chance, even if they're not all my cup of tea.

 

[Fried Egg]

Well, I've gone out and plumped for "the Devil Rides Out" by Dennis Wheatley because it looks interesting. Hopefully I won't be disappointed.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Yes, I'm tempted by that one, too.

I already have some of the others (I wouldn't recommend Wagner the Werewolf by the way). And I figure I've probably read most or all of the short stories in the LeFanu collections, though I would certainly recommend them to others who haven't had the pleasure yet.

But my typing fingers are itching to order The House by the Churchyard, and The Right Hand of Doom (I've only read a couple of Solomon Kane stories, but I liked them very much), and the Bowen, and the Gilchrist. I've been looking for more of Gilchrist's stories since I read two of them a while back, and they're very hard to find.

Fortunately, I can get the books through amazon.com, and wouldn't have to pay postage from the UK.

I have an idea I'll succumb to at least a few of them before the day is over ...

 

[j d worthington]

Teresa: I'll second the sentiment on Reynolds' Wagner... that one is for afficionados who really are into the genre and want to read anything that has played some role in its history. I've actually read the thing twice in my life, and I had to be in a particular sort of mood to make it even the first time. Anyone who thinks Varney is bad, well....

 

[ravenus]

Well, I've gone out and plumped for "the Devil Rides Out" by Dennis Wheatley because it looks interesting. Hopefully I won't be disappointed.

I remember it as a very entertaining if also campy movie by Hammer studios. Christopher Lee plays the gallant hero for a change and he's quite dashing at it.

 

[j d worthington]

On Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out... I've not read that book in over 30 years, so I'm not sure I'd completely trust my take on it at this point. However, I do recall it being a very entertaining read and just as others (see below) have commented, I'd say it shows the influence not only of his knowledge of the occult, but also of the writings of Sax Rohmer... not, in this case, a bad thing.

Here are some reviews from Amazon on this one; as you can see, the general consensus shows that Wheatley still hits the spot with many readers today....

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: The Devil Rides Out

 

[Fried Egg]

I noticed that the series also features "To The Devil A Daughter" which apparently vaguely follows on from "The Devil Rides Out" (although it was written many years later). That looks interesting as well.

Thanks, everyone, for the advice to avoid "Wagner the Werewolf". I was tempted to start with that one. Fortunately I chose something else.

I too was tempted by "The Right Hand of Doom" but I noticed that it was an incomplete collection of the Solomon Kane stories. A complete collection is available: The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. Not to mention j. d. worthington's comments regarding textual problems.

 

[nomadman]

I've been recommending this series for a while now.

I liked "The Devil Rides Out" but bear in mind that it's pretty pulpy. It's not really horror, so much as adventure with supernatural elements. Sort of Ian Fleming meets Aleister Crowley.

I would recommend "The Beetle" as well. A very unusual and chilling novel. I've never read anything quite like it.

Oh, yeah, check out "Sweeney Todd" (aka String of Pearls) for a fun read. Consider the manner in which it was written (serial, multiple authors) it's surprisingly well written, and this particular edition is the original. Get it while it's hot!

 

[nomadman]

I too was tempted by "The Right Hand of Doom" but I noticed that it was an incomplete collection of the Solomon Kane stories. A complete collection is available: The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. Not to mention j. d. worthington's comments regarding textual problems.

Not bad for three quid though, no?

 

[Nesacat]

Thanks for posting the link Fried Egg ... I have some of the Wordsworth collections but they are not in this genre. Am definitely going to look out for them in the UK. UKP3 is a very good deal indeed.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I had a mixed reaction to The Beetle. It was certainly frightening and some of the writing is remarkably effective, but there were times when I grew weary of all the artful obfuscation and wanted the story to reach its climax and be done.

My prediction, by the way, was an accurate one. I did order three books that same day: The Right Hand of Doom, The House by the Churchyard, and A Night on the Moor.

 

[j d worthington]

Teresa, I'll be very curious to hear your thoughts on The House by the Churchyard; especially if it's the full text (it's a rather long novel). An early effort, and very quirky... yet somehow I found it very charming, and the eerier parts worked quite well, I thought....

 

[brsrkrkomdy]

Teresa: I'll second the sentiment on Reynolds' Wagner... that one is for afficionados who really are into the genre and want to read anything that has played some role in its history. I've actually read the thing twice in my life, and I had to be in a particular sort of mood to make it even the first time. Anyone who thinks Varney is bad, well....

Hey, whatja expect from Penny Dreadfuls? They're Victorian's idea of pulp fiction.

 

[j d worthington]

Hey, whatja expect from Penny Dreadfuls? They're Victorian's idea of pulp fiction.

Often (not always, but often) the lower end of pulps, at that....

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I had a hard time getting through The House by the Churchyard and ended up doing a lot of skimming. Too many inconsequential characters doing too many inconsquential things. LeFanu couldn't seem to decide what kind of novel he was writing. I think there is a very nice novella or short novel of "mystery and the supernatural" in there, but it takes too much digging to get at it. The rest reminded me of something written by, say, Mrs. Gaskell, but not nearly as entertaining.

The best parts were the descriptions of hauntings at the Tiled House, with the ghostly hand. But I'd read that before, in an anthology somewhere, and it worked much better on its own.

I really expected better from a writer whose work I generally admire.