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Underground > Books, Criticism & Writing >

Weird, ghostly and supernatural fiction (1850-1950)

Tryphena Absent

09:46 / 17.09.03

I know someone who's acting as a bookseller/buyer and got this email the other day requesting anything that falls in the weird, ghost or supernatural field, although preferably fiction. The older the better (preferably 1850-1950), but the more modern Robert Aickman always wanted too. Small press publications by Ghost Story Press, Ash-Tree Press or Durtro.

I'm wondering if anyone knows where the buyer could pick this kind of fiction up in the UK and basically if anyone knows anything else about it that might be helpful or is just plain interesting?

13:00 / 17.09.03

If they're just looking for information on that kind of stuff, (how predictable is this gonna be?), H.P. Lovecraft's study "Supernatural Horror in Literature" (which you can read here and follow links to lots of the books mentioned) is a fantastic overview of the development gothic/supernatural/generally creepy fiction up to about the 1930s.

In terms of actually finding/buying books, I've got no idea. If I knew of anywhere that specialised in that kinda thing, I'd probably have descended upon them vulture-style.

Grand Panjandrum of the Pointless

13:47 / 17.09.03

There was an anthology of Austrian fantastic literature published recently by (I think) Dedalus. I have it and have read about half. Most stories are pre1950, and most are spooky.
Of course one has to recommend MR James, several of whose ghost stories are now around in a £1 Wordsworth classics ed. IMHO the best ghost story writer in the world in space. But then I came into contact with him at a v. young age.
Oxford World's Classics also brought out an edition of Sheridan Lefanu's Through a Glass Darkly in the recent past. G.K. Chesterton can get pretty weird as well, though perhaps not quite in the 'Weird Fiction' sense.
You can probably get a selection of some of this stuff in Atlantis in London, can't you? *inquiring glance at any magickians happening to be around* Last time I was in there I definitely noticed some fiction mixed in with the grimoires.
Otherwise, Charing Cross Road.

13:52 / 17.09.03

Last time I was in Atlantis, their fiction section was missing - they said they had it out back and didn't have room to put it on display.. which leads me to suspect that most of it isn't very good, although I've picked up some cool things ('The House on the Borderland', 'The King in Yellow', some Lovecraft related stuff) there in the past..

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:44 / 17.09.03

Is it just me, or has Atlantis been shrinking LIKE FUCK over the last couple of years? (always worth a look, though)

Hmm... Anna, you say the guy mentioned Durtro? If I'm not mistaken, this (and, I think, Ghost Story Press, though I could be wrong)is a fairly recent (ie last 15 years or so) imprint dealing largely with records/books by Current 93/Thomas Ligotti/a whole bunch of cool 19th century ghost story writers that David Tibet (my hero) loves. Tell 'em to ask World Serpent. They should be helpful.

Hope that's some help.

11:19 / 18.09.03

It is almost certainly worth looking on the web for this sort of thing - try Bookfinder or ABE books, or someone in the office might know some good sites - I'm sure I logged some titles from the Ash Tree Press once...

lord nuneaton savage

12:19 / 18.09.03

And be sure to recommend Arthur Machen's 'The Great God Pan', which is pants browningly scary in places. It's published by Creation press now, and with illustrations by Austin Osman Spare to boot.

13:48 / 19.09.03

boo

wm hope hodgson's a must, as his novel the night land is currently inspiring a modern webby equivalent of lovecraft's mythos - bleeding into the minds of other writers

11:18 / 20.09.03

er, it is? care to elaborate?

15:57 / 20.09.03

Two great recent reads have been Sheridan Le Fanus''In a glass darkly' (which has already been mentioned) and Gustav Meyrinks' 'The Golem. Both highly recommended and very cheap. The Golem was published by Dover which seem to specialise in 19th and early 20th century supernatural fiction and sells them from as cheaply as £1.25. Plus you get great 1970s wallpaper style covers. Wordsworth Classics publish Le Fanu and again are absurdly cheap. The huge Waterstones in London just off Picadilly Circus has a wall of shelves devoted to these two publishes so you can come out with armfulls of great books for under a tenner.

Now if anyone can tell me where i can get hold of Meyrinks' 'Das grune Gesicht' (The Green Face) i'll be a very happy man. Apparently it's about, 'the embodied soteric personality of the universe, supernatural judgements, the gods of ancient Egypt, reincarnation, prophecy, madness, voodoo, doppelgangers, eternal life in death, confrontation with the female principle of the universe and Cabalism', which sounds interesting.

Dances with Gophers

16:00 / 21.09.03

Bram Stoker fits the time frame, Besides Dracula he wrote 'Jewel of the Seven Star' and 'The Lady of the shroud.' 'Jewel of the Seven Star' is about an occultist trying to bring back to life the mummy of a female pharoah, it's quite an interesting read. 'The Lady of the shroud', I've not yet read so can't comment.

15:09 / 22.09.03

Ghadis - I can lend you that, if you like (I preferred The Golem meself, but YMMV). It is available in the UK, pub. Dedalus (excellent publishing house specialising in European literary fantasy and horror, as I think Grand Panj'm mentions upthread) who also do his other major works.

21:17 / 22.09.03

Cheers KKC. That would be great. Perhaps next time i see you IRL. Fri maybe? Been trying everywhere to get hold of it.

07:31 / 23.09.03

It might take me a little longer to get hold of it (it's at my parents' house unfortunately) but I will have a shot... I'm going down there in a couple of weeks, hopefully, so will pick it up thyen if they can't send it to me...

18:21 / 24.09.03

That would be great KCC. No rush.

00:39 / 25.09.03

ghadis, you can order The Green Face from Dedalus Books.

also I cannot say enough good about A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay.