Fantastic and Horrific Stories is a collection of short fiction by Arthur Machen. Condemned as decadent and obscene upon publication, Machen's writing earned praise from Oscar Wilde and H. P. Lovecraft. Throughout the years, Machen's work has been referenced and adapted by such figures as Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Josh Malerman for its masterfully unsettling blend of science, myth, and magic. The Great God Pan, perhaps Machen's most celebrated work, is the story of an occult experiment gone horribly wrong. Clarke has always taken an interest in occult matters, so when a friend offers him a chance to witness an experimental procedure intended to access the spirit realm, he cannot refuse. When the young patient Mary awakens, she shows signs of terror and soon falls into a catatonic state. Convinced of their success in discovering the world of "the great god Pan," Clarke and Raymond agree to keep their discovery a secret. Years later, a nearby town begins reporting the mysterious disappearances of young children, all of whom have been seen in the forest with a young woman named Helen Vaughn. In "The White People," originally published in Horlick's Magazine in 1904, a Welshman receives the diary of a young girl introduced to witchcraft. Surprisingly well-kept for its age, the green book accompanies Cotgrave on a journey through the lush countryside. Its pages contain the diary of a young girl who, encouraged by her nurse, immerses herself in the world of magic. As she grows adept in the ways of witchcraft, the girl begins referring to strange beings and unknown places, all while doing her best to conceal her secret life from friends and family. The Hill of Dreams is a semi-autobiographical novel about a young man who begins having strange visions after visiting an ancient Roman fort near his rural Welsh home. Published alongside "The Inmost Light," "The Shining Pyramid," The Terror, "Out of the Earth," and Ornaments in Jade, these tales by Arthur Machen showcase his gift for illuminating the presence of the supernatural in everyday life. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Arthur Machen's Fantastic and Horrific Stories is a classic of British horror fiction reimagined for modern readers.

'I will not read it; I should never sleep again' A doctor performs an experiment on a young woman that goes horribly wrong, and a series of increasingly strange events follow: sinister woodland rituals, disappearances, suicides... Viewed as immoral and decadent on first publication in 1894, Machen's weird tale has since established itself as a classic of its genre and has been described by Stephen King as 'one of the best horror stories ever written. Maybe the best in the English language'. The Penguin English Library - collectable general readers' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.

Lucian Taylor believes he has been damned through contact with an erotically pagan world--or possibly through something degenerate in his own nature--in this critically acclaimed horror story. Moving to London to shake off his fears of being trapped by the dark imaginings of a creature inside him, Taylor soon finds his hallucinations becoming increasingly real. An important and moving work, this story is one of the first explorations in fiction of the figure of the doomed artist. A forward that provides literary and historical context from renowned author Ramsey Campbell is also included.

Fantastic and Horrific Stories is a collection of short fiction by Arthur Machen. Condemned as decadent and obscene upon publication, Machen's writing earned praise from Oscar Wilde and H. P. Lovecraft. Throughout the years, Machen's work has been referenced and adapted by such figures as Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Josh Malerman for its masterfully unsettling blend of science, myth, and magic. The Great God Pan, perhaps Machen's most celebrated work, is the story of an occult experiment gone horribly wrong. Clarke has always taken an interest in occult matters, so when a friend offers him a chance to witness an experimental procedure intended to access the spirit realm, he cannot refuse. When the young patient Mary awakens, she shows signs of terror and soon falls into a catatonic state. Convinced of their success in discovering the world of "the great god Pan," Clarke and Raymond agree to keep their discovery a secret. Years later, a nearby town begins reporting the mysterious disappearances of young children, all of whom have been seen in the forest with a young woman named Helen Vaughn. In "The White People," originally published in Horlick's Magazine in 1904, a Welshman receives the diary of a young girl introduced to witchcraft. Surprisingly well-kept for its age, the green book accompanies Cotgrave on a journey through the lush countryside. Its pages contain the diary of a young girl who, encouraged by her nurse, immerses herself in the world of magic. As she grows adept in the ways of witchcraft, the girl begins referring to strange beings and unknown places, all while doing her best to conceal her secret life from friends and family. The Hill of Dreams is a semi-autobiographical novel about a young man who begins having strange visions after visiting an ancient Roman fort near his rural Welsh home. Published alongside "The Inmost Light," "The Shining Pyramid," The Terror, "Out of the Earth," and Ornaments in Jade, these tales by Arthur Machen showcase his gift for illuminating the presence of the supernatural in everyday life. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Arthur Machen's Fantastic and Horrific Stories is a classic of British horror fiction reimagined for modern readers.

"Of living creators of cosmic fear raised to its most artistic pitch, few if any can hope to equal the versatile Arthur Machen." -H.P. Lovecraft

Actor, journalist, devotee of Celtic Christianity and the Holy Grail legend, Welshman Arthur Machen is considered one of the fathers of weird fiction, a master of mayhem whose work has drawn comparisons to H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. Readers will find the perfect introduction to his style in this new collection. With the title story, an exercise in the bizarre that leaves the reader disoriented virtually from the first page, Machen turns even fundamental truths upside down. "There have been those who have sounded the very depths of sin," explains the character Ambrose, "who all their lives have never done an 'ill deed.'"

These astonishing tales blend elements of horror, science fiction and cosmic terror that are as powerful today as they were when they were first published.

Something pushed out from the body there on the floor, and stretched forth a slimy, wavering tentacle... Perhaps no figure better embodies the transition from the Gothic tradition to modern horror than Arthur Machen. In the final decade of the nineteenth century, the Welsh writer produced a seminal body of tales of occult horror, spiritual and physical corruption, and malignant survivals from the primeval past which horrified and scandalised-late-Victorian readers. Machen's 'weird fiction' has influenced generations of storytellers, from H. P. Lovecraft to Guillermo Del Toro-and it remains no less unsettling today. This new collection, which includes the complete novel The Three Impostors as well as such celebrated tales as The Great God Pan and The White People, constitutes the most comprehensive critical edition of Machen yet to appear. In addition to the core late-Victorian horror classics, a selection of lesser-known prose poems and later tales helps to present a fuller picture of the development of Machen's weird vision. The edition's introduction and notes contextualise the life and work of this foundational figure in the history of horror.

When first published in 1894, Arthur Machen's novella 'The Great God Pan' was scorned by the critics, who inveighed against its decadent sexual content. But there is much more to this tale: a timeless warning that scientific experimentation in forbidden realms can lead to terrible unforeseen consequences. Machen's 'The Terror' is another masterful mix of horror and murder, set in England during the carnage of the First World War. Humanity's abandonment of morality in search of total victory results in a series of mysterious killings by unlikely avengers. In 'The Angels of Mons' Machen gives a stirring account of the ghostly bowmen of Agincourt coming to the aid of hard-pressed British infantry during the Great War. The tale resonated so well with the deepest desires of Britain's wartime population that, decades later, many still believed it to be an actual event.

The Three Impostors (1895) is a novel by Arthur Machen. Consisting of interwoven stories involving the title characters, The Three Impostors was compared to the prose style of Robert Louis Stevenson on publication. Condemned as decadent and obscene upon publication, Machen's writing earned praise from Oscar Wilde and H. P. Lovecraft. Throughout the years, Machen's work has been referenced and adapted by such figures as Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Josh Malerman for its masterfully unsettling blend of science, myth, and magic. Inspired by his knowledge of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which was undergoing a controversial conflict involving Irish poet W. B. Yeats and English mystic Aleister Crowley at the time, Machen crafts a layered tale of suspense and secrecy that continues to entertain and surprise over a century after its release. In London, a secret society of occultists gains strength through mutual disdain of modern life and Victorian social conventions. Three impostors gifted in the art of deceit do their best to disrupt city life while embarking on a quest for an Imperial Roman coin with a salacious history. The Three Impostors is a kaleidoscopic novel concerned with the horrors ever present on the outskirts of daily life, waiting to make themselves known. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Arthur Machen's The Three Impostors is a classic of British horror fiction reimagined for modern readers.

The White People (1904) is a short story by Arthur Machen. Originally published in Horlick's Magazine, the story was later printed in The House of Souls (1906), a short story collection. Condemned as decadent and obscene upon publication, Machen's writing earned praise from Oscar Wilde and H. P. Lovecraft. Throughout the years, Machen's work has been referenced and adapted by such figures as Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Josh Malerman for its masterfully unsettling blend of science, myth, and magic. As the sun sets over the lush countryside, Cotgrave and his friend Ambrose discuss the thin boundary that separates sorcery and the sacred. Unable to agree about the nature of good and evil, on what defines a sinner as opposed to a saint, Ambrose offers his comrade a book to borrow. Surprisingly well-kept for its age, the green book accompanies Cotgrave on his journey home, where he opens it to discover a strange, mysterious tale. Its pages contain the diary of a young girl who, encouraged by her nurse, immerses herself in the world of magic. As she grows adept in the ways of witchcraft, the girl begins referring to strange beings and unknown places, all while doing her best to conceal her secret life from friends and family. When he reaches the diary's end, Cotgrave will wish he had never looked past its binding. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Arthur Machen's The White People is a classic of British horror fiction reimagined for modern readers.

The Great God Pan (1894) is a novella by Arthur Machen. Condemned as decadent and obscene upon publication, The Great God Pan earned praise from Oscar Wilde and H. P. Lovecraft, and is now regarded as one of Victorian literature's finest-and most unsettling-stories of horror and the occult. Throughout the years, it has influenced such figures as Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Josh Malerman with its depiction of the god Pan and unsettling blend of science, myth, and magic. Clarke has always taken an interest in occult matters, so when a friend offers him a chance to witness an experimental procedure intended to access the spirit realm, he cannot refuse. When the young patient Mary awakens, she shows signs of terror and soon succumbs to a catatonic state. Convinced of their success in discovering the world of "the great god Pan," Clarke and Raymond agree to keep their discovery a secret. Years later, a nearby town begins reporting the mysterious disappearances of young children, all of whom have been seen in the forest with a young woman named Helen Vaughn. Before they can solve the case, however, Vaughn disappears, leaving Clarke and the townspeople traumatized. As their secret grows too terrible to bear, Raymond and Clarke must steel themselves in order to solve the connection between Mary and Helen, and to close the portal to the spirit realm for good. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan is a classic of British horror fiction reimagined for modern readers.

The Three Impostors (1895) is a novel by Arthur Machen. Consisting of interwoven stories involving the title characters, The Three Impostors was compared to the prose style of Robert Louis Stevenson on publication. Condemned as decadent and obscene upon publication, Machen's writing earned praise from Oscar Wilde and H. P. Lovecraft. Throughout the years, Machen's work has been referenced and adapted by such figures as Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Josh Malerman for its masterfully unsettling blend of science, myth, and magic. Inspired by his knowledge of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which was undergoing a controversial conflict involving Irish poet W. B. Yeats and English mystic Aleister Crowley at the time, Machen crafts a layered tale of suspense and secrecy that continues to entertain and surprise over a century after its release. In London, a secret society of occultists gains strength through mutual disdain of modern life and Victorian social conventions. Three impostors gifted in the art of deceit do their best to disrupt city life while embarking on a quest for an Imperial Roman coin with a salacious history. The Three Impostors is a kaleidoscopic novel concerned with the horrors ever present on the outskirts of daily life, waiting to make themselves known. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Arthur Machen's The Three Impostors is a classic of British horror fiction reimagined for modern readers.