Writing at the dawn of the 19th century, E.T.A. Hoffmann was, in many ways, the father of modern horror. This collection of some of his best work offers tales of vampirism, ghosts, sorcery, extrasensory perception, and a deadly family dispute over inheritance money. Settings include a cemetery, a haunted castle, and a seemingly abandoned old house. Hoffmann's work often even foresaw the age of weird fiction. In this collection, lost primordial worlds dangerously reveal themselves in the fo...

"Strange man, how can you have eyes for sale? Eyes? Eyes?" 'The disturbing tale of a young man's obsession with the Sandman, stealer of eyes, which has inspired writers from Sigmund Freud to Neil Gaiman.One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - i...

The classic Christmas story comes to new life in this vibrant graphic novel adaptation of the beloved E.T.A. Hoffmann classic, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.**Of all the gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve, only one captures Marie Stahlbaum’s heart: a humble nutcracker.He’s a curious little man, with kind eyes, sweet red cheeks, and a friendly appearance.And as midnight nears, he comes to life, revealing a fairy-tale world of magic an...

The city of Paris is part of the world's fantasy. Whether as the birthplace of democratic revolutions, or as the capital of love and romance. Writers and artists from all over the world have always looked to Paris for inspiration. In this book you will find seven short stories that have the city of Paris as their setting and inspiration: - Mademoiselle De Scudéri - E. T. A. Hoffmann - The Murders in the Rue Morgue Edgar Allan Poe - A Queer Night in Paris by Guy de Maupassant - A New Leaf -...

This book contains 25 short stories from 5 classic, prize-winning and noteworthy authors. The stories were carefully selected by the critic August Nemo, in a collection that will please the literature lovers.The theme of this edition is: Horror. For more exciting titles, be sure to check out our 7 Best Short Stories and Essential Novelists collections. This book contains: - Edgar Allan Poe: - The Tell-Tale Heart - The Cask of Amontillado - The Masque of the Red Death - The Pit and the Pend...

Presented here are two holiday classics: E.T.A. Hoffmann's "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (which formed the basis for the Christmas ballet "The Nutcracker") and Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," (upon which Disney's "Frozen" is based).First, we meet young Marie, young girl who is given a precious nutcracker as a Christmas present by her godfather, the enigmatic Drosselmeier. When the nutcracker is broken, Marie attempts to repair it and stays up late to tend to her n...

This is a collection of the 7 best short stories of one of the most innovative and influential fantasy and horror authors ever to have been published, E.T.A. Hoffmann. This selection specially chosen by the literary critic August Nemo, contains the following stories: The Golden PotThe SandmanCouncillor KrespelaAutomataThe Elementary SpiritThe Jesuits' Church in G--The Story of the Hard NutHoffmann short stories have inspired great writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and...

Science fiction, whose roots go back to ancient times, is related to fantasy, horror, and superhero fiction, and includes many subgenres. Science fiction have become popular and influential over much of the world. Besides providing entertainment, it can also criticize present-day society, and is often said to generate a "sense of wonder". Enjoy these seven classic science fiction short stories selected by the critic August Nemo: - A Thousand Deaths by Jack London - A Martian Odyssey by Sta...

Automata and Other Stories (including Automata, The Deserted House, The Cremona Violin, etc.), by E.T.A. Hoffmann, is a collection of tales where the fantastic, the mechanical, and the uncanny intersect. In the story Automata, Hoffmann explores the fascination and fear inspired by lifelike machines. The plot revolves around intricate mechanical dolls and automata that blur the line between human and machine, cre...

This book contains 70 short stories from 10 classic, prize-winning and noteworthy authors. The stories were carefully selected by the critic August Nemo, in a collection that will please the literature lovers. For more exciting titles, be sure to check out our 7 Best Short Stories and Essential Novelists collections. This book contains: - Washington Irving:The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Rip Van Winkle The Devil and Tom Walker Christmas Guest from Gibbet Island The Legend of the Engulphed Conv...

E.T.A. Hoffmann's "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" intricately weaves fantasy and reality into a captivating narrative that explores themes of childhood wonder, the duality of the human experience, and the challenge of confronting fear. Written in the early 19th century, this pioneering tale employs a rich, whimsical style, blending dark elements with enchanting moments that reflect Hoffmann's broader literary context, marked by Romanticism's emphasis on imagination and emotion. The sto...

The air cools down and the days begin to shorten; the leaves changing color put us in contact with the passing of time in a visible way. The autumn has served as inspiration for several writers that you confer in this volume, through great seven short stories. This book contains: - One Autumn Night by Maxim Gorky. - The purloined Letter - Edgar Allan Poe. - Domestic Peace by Honore de Balzac. - A Painful Case by James Joyce. - An Honest Thief by Fyodor Dostoevsky. - An Old-Fashioned Thanks...