In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe: Classic Tales of Horror, 1816-1914

Description

Edgar Allan Poe did not invent the tale of terror. There were American, English, and Continental writers who preceded Poe and influenced his work. Similarly, there were many who were in turn influenced by Poe's genius and produced their own popular tales of supernatural literature. This collection features masterful tales of terror by authors who, by and large, are little-remembered for their writing in this genre. Even Bram Stoker, whose Dracula may be said to be the most popular horror novel of all time, is not known as a writer of short fiction. Distinguished editor Leslie S. Klinger is a world-renowned authority on those twin icons of the Victorian age, Sherlock Holmes, and Dracula. His studies into the forefathers of those giants led him to a broader fascination with writers of supernatural literature of the nineteenth century. The stories in this collection have been selected by him for their impact. Each is preceded by a brief biography of the author and an overview of his or her literary career and is annotated to explain obscure references. Read on, now, perhaps with a flickering candle or flashlight at hand ...Stories by: Ambrose Bierce, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Theodor Gautier, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Arthur Conan Doyle, Lafcadio Hearn, M. R. James, Bram Stoker, and many others.

Leslie S. Klinger is one of the world's foremost authorities on Sherlock Holmes. He is the editor of the three-volume set The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. The first two volumes, The Complete Short Stories, won the Edgar for "Best Critical/Biographical" work. He is also the editor of The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft. Klinger is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars and lives in Malibu.

"Klinger (The New Annotated Dracula) mixes well-known and obscure authors in this solid anthology of 20 short tales of terror. A good introduction to dark fiction of an earlier age." -- Publishers Weekly "A sharp, affectionate, light-footed collection." -- New York Times Book Review "A fascinating and largely unpredictable assortment of stories drawn - -as the book's title indicates - from decades following the peak of Poe's working life." -- Open Letters Monthly "What makes this volume distinctive are Klinger's annotations and footnotes. He enlightens by explaining artistic and historical references of the period, archaic words and expressions are given perspective and defined. Klinger metaphorically shakes the dust off the muslin, making antiquated writing styles more accessible to the modern reader." -- Diabolique Magazine "Delightful. The tales, all exceedingly clever, are sometimes in classic Holmesian style and time period. Ingenious twists." -- The Seattle Times "Great fun for anyone who loves crime fiction. Diverting, delightful, and best taken with a cup of hot tea." -- Hallie Ephron, bestselling author of 'Never Tell a Lie'