A collection of seventeen classic tales of the macabre and supernatural by some of the best known writers in these genres.E.Nesbit - “Man-Size in Marble” and “The Letter in Brown Ink”Edgar Allan Poe - “The Sphinx” and “The Angel of the Odd”Arthur Conan Doyle - “The Case of Lady Sannox” and “Playing with Fire”Henry Seton Merriman - “The Tale of a Scorpion”M.R. James - “The Ash Tree”Robert Louis Stevenson - “The Body-Snatcher” and “Markheim”Mary Elizabeth Braddon - “The Cold Embrace”Wilkie C...

“Reginald in Russia and other sketches” was published in 1910 and was the second of Saki's collections of short stories following “Reginald” (1904). It consists of 15 stories or “sketches” as the author calls them and contains two of his most famous tales “Gabriel Ernest” and “The Reticence of Lady Anne.” The stories are:Reginald in RussiaThe Reticence of Lady AnneThe Lost SanjakThe Sex that Doesn't ShopThe Blood-Feud of Toad-WaterA Young Turkish CatastropheJudkin of the ParcelsGabriel Ern...

Hugh Walpole is best known for his “Herries Chronicle”, a saga of four books relating the history of the Herries family and set in the Lake District in the north of England where Walpole settled in his later life. The”Chronicle” was extremely popular as was another series of books, for children, the “Jeremy” trilogy. Many of his novels were in the psychological horror genre. He also wrote many short stories, which were published in several collections. The ones in this recording are: The T...

Robert Browning (1812-1889) playright and poet is known and admired for his dramatic monologues in blank verse of which he is a recognized master. He also wrote many lighter poems with a humorous touch. Here is one of his best known: “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.”

A selection of sonnets by William Shakespeare. There are 24 in number in this first selection. They are in order:Numbers: 18, 33, 11, 3, 5, 6, 29, 10, 22, 2, 4, 7, 1, 9, 27, 8, 30, 116, 34, 54, 12, 66, 77, 60.

CONFESSIONS OF AN ENGLISH OPIUM-EATER was first published anonymously in 1821 in the London Magazine and was published in book form a year later. A revised edition was published in 1856. It is an account by the author of his addiction to laudanum and the effects it had on his life. This recording presents an abridged version of the 1856 edition.

Henry Seton Merriman was the pen name of Hugh Stowell Scott (1862-1903) He was a successful and popular Victorian novelist. He wrote many novels in his short life (he died at the age of 41) including best sellers. His only book of short stories “Tomaso's Fortune” was published posthumously in 1904, the stories having appeared originally in various magazines. This recording contains a selection of seven stories from that volume. They are:“Tomaso's Fortune”“Sister”“For Juanita's Sake”“In a C...

“The Ballad of Reading Gaol” was written by Oscar Wilde in France where he was in exile after his release from Reading Gaol. Wilde had been imprisoned and sentenced to two years hard labour. A hanging took place while Wilde was incarcerated and the poem is the narrative of the execution.

E.F. Benson (1867-1940) is probably best known today for his sparkling, comic “Lucia”novels. In his own day it was his ghost stories which were his most popular works. “Mrs Amworth” with it's theme of vampirism exemplifies Benson's fine literary style and his ability to create the most frightening of supernatural and macabre tales.

M.R. James (1862-1936) was provost of King's College, Cambridge and Eton College. He was a highly regarded scholar and academic but is today remembered for his ghost stories which are considered among the finest in the genre. His short novel for children “The Five Jars” is a bewitching fairy tale in the form of a letter to a young friend telling of the writer's strange experiences after discovering a box containing five jars with labels which indicate the mysterious powers of their content...