As the author of more than two dozen novels and hundreds of short stories, as well as essays, reviews, and columns, Ramsey Campbell is one of the most prolific writers in the field of horror literature. The consistently high level of quality in his work has resulted in every major award that weird fiction has to offer, including the Grand Master Award of the World Horror Convention, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers Association, and the Living Legend Award of the International Horror Guild. Strangely, though, relatively little criticism has been written about Campbell. In Ramsey Campbell: Critical Essays on the Modern Master of Horror, Gary William Crawford has assembled a collection of articles that examine the work of one of weird fiction's most revered writers. These essays looks at a number of elements that characterize Campbell's stories and novels, including comparisons to H.P. Lovecraft, who was an early inspiration; Campbell's modern variations of Gothic fiction; his concept of evil; religious subtext in his fiction; and how adversities Campbell has faced have shaped his life and his work. In all, these essays pay homage to Campbell's painstaking craftsmanship and show that there is much to be mined in his fiction. Because Campbell is so important in the genre of horror literature, this book serves as a much needed affirmation of his work. It will be of interest to scholars of supernatural fiction in general, but also to devoted fans of this major figure in weird fiction.

Irish writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) is one of the leading weird writers of the nineteenth century, the author of "Green Tea," "Carmilla," Uncle Silas, and other classic works. In this volume, the first collection of essays about Le Fanu, three distinguished scholars have amassed a wealth of material on every aspect of the author's life, work, and influence. A biographical section features memoirs of Le Fanu along with reproductions of many portraits of the author. Early reviews of his many books are reprinted, as is important early criticism by M. R. James, E. F. Benson, V. S. Pritchett, and others. Recent essays by Jack Sullivan, John Langan, Victor Sage, and many others discuss a wide array of topics relating to Le Fanu's writing. Nine of these essays are printed here for the first time. All in all, this book provides a definitive guide to the weird fiction of Le Fanu. Gary William Crawford is a widely published poet, scholar, and fiction writer, and compiler of a bibliography of Le Fanu. Jim Rockhill is the editor of the complete supernatural fiction of Le Fanu. Brian J. Showers is a fiction writer and literary historian, and the co-compiler (with Gary William Crawford) of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: A Concise Bibliography. Together, they edit the online scholarly journal Le Fanu Studies.

The eight case studies in this book -- each a synthesis of available knowledge about the origins of agriculture in a specific region of the globe -- enable scholars in diverse disciplines to examine humanity's transition to agricultural societies. Contributors include: Gary W. Crawford, Robin W. Dennell, and Jack R. Harlan.