Set in France during the Dark Ages, where the good Count Richard has mysteriously disappeared and the usurper Albert and his evil wife Brunchilda reign tyrannically in his place, The Animated Skeleton is a masterpiece of Gothic horror. Brunchilda has marked out the unfortunate peasants Jacquemar and Grodern for her vengeance, but her plots will be foiled by the animated skeleton that haunts the castle, a skeleton which just may hold the key to Richard's fate A bestseller when first published in 1798, The Animated Skeleton features an unusual blend of horror and dark comedy unlike any other Gothic novel. This edition, the first in more than two centuries, includes a new foreword and notes to put the novel in context for modern readers.

The Animated Skeleton

ANONYMOUS

Romance

Valancourt Books

Set in the violent times of Edward III, when England is at war against the Scots and the French, The Mystery of the Black Tower is the story of young Leonard, who longs to escape the anonymity of his peasant's life. Seeking to win fame and renown, Leonard enlists in England's army, where he earns knighthood and the favour of the King.  But when his true love, the beauteous Emma, is kidnapped and imprisoned in the haunted Black Tower, Leonard must save her. Aided by his loyal but cowardly squire Owen, Leonard will face a series of adventures along the way. Finally, he will have to face an old nemesis in a duel to the death and escape a troop of robbers before he can rescue Emma and learn the secret of his own birth! Influenced by Don Quixote and Clara Reeve's The Old English Baron, The Mystery of the Black Tower was popular with the Gothic reading public upon its release in 1796. Critically acclaimed in its own time, and influential on later writers such as Scott and Ainsworth, it ranks among the finest historical Gothic novels. This edition includes a new introduction for modern readers, as well as the text of contemporary reviews.

Mystery of the Black Tower (Gothic Classics)

Literature & Fiction

Palmer Jun, John

Literary

"The sound approached towards him -- the chains rattled vehemently; scarcely had he sprung from his chair, and seized his sword, ere the door flew open, and a spectre, whose arms and legs were fastened with heavy chains, with a naked body covered with wounds, from which the blood still seemed to gush, with clotted hair and eyes dripping with blood, rendered visible by a flame which burnt on the crown of its head, replete with purple gashes, stood before him." In The Castle of Ollada, the first novel by Gothic master Francis Lathom, young Altador seeks to solve the mystery of the Castle of Ollada and win the love of the beautiful Matilda. Why does the Baron Garcia refuse to inhabit the ancient castle? And what is the bloody spectre that has been witnessed haunting its ruined halls? An immediate success when first published in 1795, The Castle of Ollada was the first novel by celebrated Gothic writer Francis Lathom, who wrote it at age 20. Inspired by Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto and the novels of Ann Radcliffe, The Castle of Ollada will captivate modern readers with its gloomy atmosphere and dark Gothic mysteries.  This edition includes the complete unabridged text, based on the second edition of 1831, as well as a foreword and notes for modern readers. The complete text of two contemporary reviews is also included to illustrate the novel's reception when originally published.

The Castle of Ollada

Lathom, Francis

Genre Fiction

After a three year absence and a terrifying journey through the Black Forest, young Sir Albert has returned to Dornheim, eager to see again his friend Lord Frederic and his true love, the lady Constance. But his joy on his homecoming is short-lived when he learns he has rivals for Constance's love. The Baron of Dornheim is set to marry her in three days, and anxious to prevent the marriage and wed her himself, Frederic solicits the horrified Albert to assassinate the Baron. Determined to spare Constance a future with either the aged Dornheim or the murderous Frederic, Albert plots to rescue her from her father's castle. But when their plans are discovered, and a band of assassins are sent to murder Albert, he flees to the haunted Cavern of Death, where a phantom, a skeleton, and a bloody sword will reveal an unspeakable murder and the long-concealed secret of his own birth. Phenomenally popular in both England and the United States upon its publication in 1794, The Cavern of Death was among the most influential and widely-read of early Gothic novels. This new edition includes a new introduction and notes for modern readers.

The Cavern of Death

Clermont is the story of Madeline, a porcelain doll of a Gothic heroine, who lives in seclusion from society with her father, Clermont, whose past is shrouded in mystery. One stormy night, their solitude is interrupted by a benighted traveller, a Countess who turns out to be a friend from Clermont's past. Madeline goes to live with the Countess to receive her education, but her new idyllic life soon turns into a shocking nightmare. Ruffians attack the gentle Countess, and Madeline is assaulted in a gloomy crypt. And to make matters worse, a sinister stranger appears, threatening to reveal the bloody truth of Clermont's past unless Madeline marries him. Can she avoid the snares of her wily pursuers, solve the mystery of her father's past, and win the love of her dear De Sevignie? This edition of Clermont includes the unabridged text of the novel, based on the first edition of 1798, as well as a new introduction and other supplementary materials. About the Editor Natalie Schroeder is Associate Professor of English at the University of Mississippi. She teaches courses in Victorian Literature, Dickens, and women's literature.

Clermont (Jane Austen Northanger Abbey Horrid Novels)

Regina Maria Roche

Arthur Severn, a young Englishman on holiday in the west of Ireland, is forced by a storm to stop for the night in a mysterious village, where he hears the legend of "The Snake's Pass." Long ago, it is said, St. Patrick battled the King of the Snakes, who hid his crown of gold and jewels in the hills near the village. But it is not only legend that haunts the town. The figure of the demonic money-lender Black Murdock looms over the village, as he searches for the lost treasure while manipulating the townsfolk to his own evil ends. Even more threatening than Murdock is the shifting bog, personified as a baneful "carpet of death," which will swallow up anything -- and anyone -- in its path. Art and his friend Dick will brave the dangers of the bog to seek out the treasure, but the sinister machinations of Murdock will lead to a deadly conclusion! Featuring a slow accumulation of terror worthy of Le Fanu, The Snake's Pass was Bram Stoker's first novel. A clear precursor to Dracula, The Snake's Pass was the only of Stoker's novels set in his native Ireland. This edition follows the text of the first edition published at New York in 1890.

The Snake's Pass (Irish Classics)

Stoker., Bram

"He drew aside the covering which concealed the face of the subject...guess, if you can, the horror, the astonishment, when, in the countenance of the deceased, I beheld my own mother!" The worthy doctor Urbino di Cavetti is kidnapped and led blindfolded to the bedside of a young woman. A mysterious nobleman offers him an immense fortune if he will consent to cure her...of her life! Horrified, Urbino refuses to murder her, and must flee his native Venice with his family to avoid the powerful stranger's vengeance. They flee to the isolated Castello della Torvida, which local peasants affirm to be haunted. But the spectre the servants see and the supernatural warnings the family receives are the least of their worries when Urbino's niece, the lovely Paulina, is kidnapped by the lascivious Marchese di Valdetti. Confined a prisoner in Valdetti's castle, Paulina must choose: become the Marchese's wife, or fall victim to his insatiable lust! Can her friends penetrate the mysteries of the haunted castle and save Paulina in time? With a colourful cast of characters and an intricate plot, Italian Mysteries was among Francis Lathom's most successful Gothic novels. This edition, the first since 1820, includes a new introduction and explanatory notes for modern readers.

Italian Mysteries (Gothic Classics)

"The unfortunate Rosalina St. Almo is torn from her father's arms by vicious banditti, who slaughter her father before her eyes. Fortunately she is rescued from the villains by young Rosalva di Barozzi, who takes her to his father's palace in Venice. But more terror awaits her there when a hideous sorceress at a masked ball prophesies her doom! Is the mysterious sorceress trying to help Rosalina escape her enemies' clutches, or is she scheming to sacrifice her in a demonic ritual? Can Rosalina evade the assassins sent to destroy her and solve the mystery of the sorceress in time? This edition reprints the complete text of the 1815 edition and includes a new introduction for mo dern readers."

Barozzi: or the Venetian Sorceress (Gothic Classics)

Smith, Catherine

Contemporary

The cowardly but evil Baron de La Braunch wants desperately to rid himself of his wife and her son so he can marry the enchanting Lady Alwena. He enlists the aid of the hideous Hag of Ravensworth, a wicked witch who has sold her soul to demons in exchange for supernatural power. The witch leads the Baron deeper and deeper into depravity and murder, leading to a startling and unforgettable conclusion! First published in 1808 and long out of print, The Witch of Ravensworth is a masterful blend of Gothic horror, fairy tale, and bizarre dark humour. George Brewer's grotesque Witch is the clear precursor to later Gothic literary monsters like Frankenstein and Dracula. This edition features a new introduction and notes for modern readers, as well as the complete text of contemporary reviews.

The Witch of Ravensworth (Gothic Classics)

Brewer, George

"His foot struck against something, he stumbled, and had nearly fallen; he stooped to examine what it was, and his hand rested on the face of a human being, cold, putrid, and clammy!" Young Edgar's father, the noble Baron Fitz-Elmar, has been mysteriously slain, and his uncle, the scheming Sir Armine, rules in his place. Determined to retain power, Armine will stop at nothing to destroy Edgar, who stands to inherit the castle. Now Edgar must flee his tyrannical uncle and outrun the murderous army of assassins sent to kill him. His flight will lead him, on a dark and stormy night, to a ruined priory, where he will discover the horrible truth behind his father's untimely end. A gothicized retelling of Hamlet, and heavily influenced by the tragedies of Shakespeare and the Gothic romances of Walpole and Radcliffe,The Phantom of the Castle was the first of Richard Sickelmore's Gothic novels. This edition, the first since its initial publication in 1798, includes a new introduction, notes, and the complete text of contemporary reviews.

Edgar; Or, the Phantom of the Castle (Gothic Classics)

Sickelmore, Richard

Sicklemore, Richard

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