The Weiser Book of the Fantastic and Forgotten

314 Pages·2020·10.37 MB·English

Edited and Introduced by J u d i k a i l l e s

T h e W e i s e r B o o k o f

THE FANTASTIC

AND FORGOTTEN

Tales of The supernaTural, sTrange, and Bizarre

Edited and Introduced by

J u d i k a i l l e s
T h e W e i s e r B o o k o f

THE FANTASTIC AND FORGOTTEN

ISBN: 978-1-57863-606-8 U.S. $16.95

www.redwheelweiser.com
ISBN: 978-1-57863-606-8 U.S. $16.95

The Weiser Book of the Fantastic and Forgotten features classic stories by
masters of occult fiction including Dion Fortune, Edgar Allan
Poe, Oscar Wilde, H. P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, Marie Corelli,
R. W. Chambers, and more—the very authors and tales that inspired
modern masters like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Nic Pizzolatto.
Edited and introduced by leading occult author and scholar Judika
Illes, this selection of timeless tales will thrill and chill readers down
to their bones.

Illes writes, “These collected stories are each powerfully evocative;
forgotten in the manner of long-buried treasure. I hope to remedy
this situation, transforming the status of these tales from forgotten to
favorite. I confess: there is not a single story in this collection that I
do not enjoy, even after repeated readings.

While wonderful if read silently, the tales reveal their nuances,
humor, and suspense with even more potency if read aloud. During
the dark, eerie hours, when the wind is blowing and the ghosts are
roaming outside, the night can be filled with pleasant terror.”

While not all of the stories are forgotten, they are all fantastic. They
make us think. They introduce and explore possibilities—things that
perhaps could happen. They encourage our minds to venture beyond
the mundane into the realm of the fantastic, to question and redefine
reality. Above all, they entertain.

“

The Weiser Book of

The FANTASTIC
AND FORGOTTeN

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Tales of the Supernatural,
Strange, and Bizarre

The Weiser Book of

The FANTASTIC
AND FORGOTTeN

Edited and Introduced by Judika Illes

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This edition first published in 2016 by Weiser Books, an imprint of
Red Wheel/Weiser, llc
With offices at:
65 Parker Street, Suite 7
Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright © 2016 by Judika Illes
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission
in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, llc. Reviewers may quote brief passages

ISBN: 978-1-57863-606-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Cover design by Jim Warner
Cover image: hand-drawn set of old school tattoos © Symonenko Viktoriia/
Shutterstock
Interior by Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama
Typeset in Mrs. Eaves and Futura

Printed in the United States of America
M&G
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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For Zoltan Illés, who taught me to love a good short story.

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A c k n o W l e d g m e n T s

With heartfelt thanks to Michael Kerber, Bonni Hamilton, Jane
Hagaman, and the wonderful staff of Weiser Books; to Rachel
Nagengast, typist extraordinaire; and, especially, to the authors of
the fabulous stories in this compilation for the many hours of reading
pleasure they have given me

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vii

c o n T e n T s

Introduction, by Judika Illes
ix

The Stories

Dracula’s Guest, by Bram Stoker
3

A Water Witch, by H. D. Everett
17

The Ash Tree, by M. R. James
37

The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde
53

The Haunted Orchard, by Richard Le Gallienne
85

The Yellow Sign, by Robert W. Chambers
95

Dagon, by H. P. Lovecraft
117

The Horror at Martin’s Beach,
125
by H. P. Lovecraft and Sonia H. Greene

The Trial for Murder, by Charles Dickens
135

The Twisting of the Rope, by W. B. Yeats
149

The Inmost Light, by Arthur Machen
157

Blood Lust, by Dion Fortune
189

The Woman’s Ghost Story, by Algernon Blackwood
209

The Lady with the Carnations, by Marie Corelli
221

The Guest, by Lord Dunsany
233

The Oval Portrait, by Edgar Allan Poe
237

The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers
243

The Monkey’s Paw, by W. W. Jacobs
267

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ix

I n T r o d u c T I o n

It is pleasant to be afraid when we are conscious that we are in no kind of danger . . .

—Virginia Woolf

Welcome to The Weiser Book of the Fantastic and Forgotten. In these pages, you
will find a host of supernatural and weird tales featuring ghosts,
witches, vampires, ominous crossroads, houses with secrets, haunted
paintings, and more. The stories in this book are old—vintage and
classic. They are written in the language of their time, but language
has a way of evolving, shapeshifting into new meanings that may
obscure previous ones. For that reason, let’s define some words to
make sure we’re all on the same page.
This book contains “fantastic and forgotten tales.” “Forgotten”
is straightforward: it means no longer remembered; an accurate
assessment of some of the stories and their authors; for example, the
works of H. D. Everett and Marie Corelli. How many readers are now
familiar with the massive literary output of Lord Dunsany, among the
primary masters of the weird tale genre? Even something like “The
Monkey’s Paw”—sure, people are familiar with the title and the basic
plot outline, but how many have actually read the original tale or, in
fact, realize that there is an original tale, that the monkey’s paw is not
some kind of ancient folklore?
These collected stories are each powerfully evocative; forgotten in
the manner of long-buried treasure. I hope The Weiser Book of the Fantastic
and Forgotten will help remedy this situation, transforming the status
of these tales from forgotten to favorite. I confess: there is not a sin-
gle story in this collection that I do not enjoy, even after repeated
readings.

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