HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

Tales of Horror and the Supernatural (1948)

by Arthur Machen

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1784153,867 (4.23)10
"Tales of Horror and the Supernatural" is a collection of some of Welsh author and mystic Arthur Machan's best horror and mystery fiction. Throughout his life, Machan espoused the existence of the mystical and supernatural, a belief reinforced by numerous inexplicable and, he would argue, preternatural experience that he himself was witness to. His life and work revolved around this idea, and in time he became one of the masters of modern supernatural horror fiction. The stories of this collection include: "The Novel Of The Black Seal", "The Novel Of The White Powder", "The Great God Pan", "The White People", "The Inmost Light", "The Shining Pyramid", "The Happy Children", "The Bright Boy", "Out Of The Earth", "Children Of The Pool", and "The Terror". Arthur Machen (1863 - 1947) was a Welsh author and renowned mystic during the 1890s and early 20th century who garnered literary acclaim for his contributions to the supernatural, horror, and fantasy fiction genres. His seminal novella "The Great God Pan" (1890) has become a classic of horror fiction, with Stephen King describing it as one of the best horror stories ever written in the English language. Other notable fans of his gruesome tales include William Butler Yeats and Arthur Conan Doyle; and his work has been compared to that of Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde. This chilling tale of inexplicable circumstances in London's borough of Islington is highly recommended for fans of the macabre and is not to be missed by collectors of vintage supernatural fiction. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.… (more)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 10 mentions

Showing 4 of 4
What can you say about a collection of some of the best stories by a Master of the uncanny story? And a beautiful book beautifully produced by Tartarus Press. It's fat and has one of those little ribbon thingys in it. 'Nuff said.

One criticism I did have is it presented the Novel of the White Powder and the Novel of the Black Seal outside of [b:The Three Impostors|59397|The Three Impostors|Arthur Machen|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348182135s/59397.jpg|1455448] framework. I know this happened with Machen's approval even during his life, but I always get the feeling the stories all ring as more uncanny and elegant when they are set in the Impostors framing story. IMHO.

There are a couple of dead ducks in here but they are short and every great author has a few duds. I'm not going to tell you which ones because you ought to read the whole book; no skipping. Why haven't you read this?

Lovecraft only wrote 17 great stories and heaven knows he had more than his share of really bad ones. ( )
  Gumbywan | Jun 24, 2022 |
Machen is considered one of the great early horror writers, but he is usually too grim for my taste. I own this collection simply because I inherited it from my father. One curiosity in it is the story "the Bowmen" which is usually credited with inspiring the legend of the "Angels of Mons" in World War I --Machen wrote a fictional story about St George leading the bowmen of Agincourt to support the beleaguered British Expeditionary Force and eventually some people claimed they really had seen the bowmen in the sky. That is about the only cheerful story in the book.Another one may have contributed to Howard's vision of the Picts as small dark creatures surviving underground and taking terrible vengeance on their enemies. ( )
  antiquary | Feb 18, 2018 |
The raison d'etre of these stories is not whether there is any factual basis for them which a reading of them might determine, but the savouring of the atmosphere conjured up by the admittedly old-fashioned writing skills of this author, who knows well his time and his place. ( )
  comsat38 | Jul 31, 2015 |
452. Tales of Horror and the Supernatural, by Arthur Machen (read 29 Nov 1952) On Nov 23, 1952, I said: "Machen stories are interesting but in cold reality one must admit they are silly. Unless I can get myself to accept his thesis that talk about 'little people' and elves and the like must have a factual basis--else why would people have ever talked of them?" ( )
  Schmerguls | Aug 4, 2013 |
Showing 4 of 4
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (5 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Arthur Machenprimary authorall editionscalculated
Dobson, RogerIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

Belongs to Publisher Series

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
"Haunted, you said?"
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

"Tales of Horror and the Supernatural" is a collection of some of Welsh author and mystic Arthur Machan's best horror and mystery fiction. Throughout his life, Machan espoused the existence of the mystical and supernatural, a belief reinforced by numerous inexplicable and, he would argue, preternatural experience that he himself was witness to. His life and work revolved around this idea, and in time he became one of the masters of modern supernatural horror fiction. The stories of this collection include: "The Novel Of The Black Seal", "The Novel Of The White Powder", "The Great God Pan", "The White People", "The Inmost Light", "The Shining Pyramid", "The Happy Children", "The Bright Boy", "Out Of The Earth", "Children Of The Pool", and "The Terror". Arthur Machen (1863 - 1947) was a Welsh author and renowned mystic during the 1890s and early 20th century who garnered literary acclaim for his contributions to the supernatural, horror, and fantasy fiction genres. His seminal novella "The Great God Pan" (1890) has become a classic of horror fiction, with Stephen King describing it as one of the best horror stories ever written in the English language. Other notable fans of his gruesome tales include William Butler Yeats and Arthur Conan Doyle; and his work has been compared to that of Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde. This chilling tale of inexplicable circumstances in London's borough of Islington is highly recommended for fans of the macabre and is not to be missed by collectors of vintage supernatural fiction. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
A Superb Collection of the fiendish and the fantastic by Arthur Machen.

Long recognised as one of the great master of horror, his tales of the nightmareish and the devilish have thrilled and chilled millions for over half-a-century. Here in this volume are some of his finest stories, classics of the supernatural like The Bowmen and Children of the Pool and of terror such as The Shining Pyramid and The Terror. Tales that enfold the shuddering reader in their clammy mists of fear and transport him into the eerie realms of darkness. It is a book for only those with the strongest nerves of steel.

Contents: 

7 • The Shining Pyramid • (1895)

31 • The Bowmen • (1914)

35 • The Great Return • (1915)

70 • The Happy Children • (1920)

76 • The Bright Boy • (1936)

106 • Out of the Earth • (1915)

113 • The Children of the Pool • (1936)

133 • The Terror • (1917)
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (4.23)
0.5
1
1.5
2 1
2.5 1
3 4
3.5
4 6
4.5 1
5 13

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 205,876,410 books! | Top bar: Always visible