Bird of Ill Omen

£10.99

Coincides with renewed academic interest in Crowe’s important influence on the English Gothic and ‘real’ ghost story traditions. This anthology shines a spotlight on a writer whose work played a significant role in the development of popular Victorian ghost literature, but whose name has remained in the shadows for too long. Showcases the author’s well-researched interest in Gothic tropes of vampirism, mesmerism, and includes the first English werewolf story penned by a woman: ‘A Story of a Weir Wolf’.

Out of stock

Description

When morning broke, the ravages of this strange visitant were but too visible – graves had been opened, and the remains of the dead, frightfully torn and mutilated, lay scattered upon the earth.

A village is driven to a murderous frenzy by the wolf walking among them. In the dead of night, a sleepwalking monk reenacts a scene of violence glimpsed as a child. A lycanthropist draws closer to a monstrous truth while investigating a spate of grisly grave-robbings.

In the nineteenth century, Catherine Crowe’s name was synonymous with haunting accounts of ‘real’ ghost stories, glimpses of the ‘night side of nature’ and well-wrought Gothic tales, earning her a reputation comparable to Dickens’ to the Victorian readership. This new collection edited by Crowe expert Ruth Heholt features Crowe’s unique, journalistic short tales of real ghost sightings alongside her Gothic stories written for popular periodicals, showcasing her singular gifts as one of the great storytellers of the Victorian era.

Additional information

Dimensions 19 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

288

Language

English

Edition

Short stories

Dewey

823.8 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K