"The mysterious and singular appearance of Valfroni, joined with the immense deformity of his person, rendered him an object at once dreaded and avoided. His stature was singularly formed-misshapen, embodied with an enormous hump, and altogether so distorted and hideous, that he had sustained the general denomination of the Demon Dwarf. A large sable cloak invariably shrouded his figure; a hat, suspending a heavy plume of black feathers, partly concealed a ghastly and repulsive countenance . . . ." On the Eve of St. Rosalia, Count Reo Cardoni is ambushed by assassins, who inflict on him a mortal wound. On his deathbed, his daughter, the beautiful young Rosalviva, swears a sacred vow to discover and punish his murderer. Immediately forgetting her oath, Rosalviva falls madly in love with her father's killer, the handsome Paoli Golfieri, whom she wishes to marry to gratify her own lust and ambition. But when Golfieri spurns her advances, she determines to seek revenge against him. And in the apparently supernatural knowledge and power of Valfroni, the mysterious and hideous Demon Dwarf, she just may have found the means to execute her murderous plans Originally published in three volumes in 1824, Rosalviva, or, The Demon Dwarf has never before been reprinted, and survives in only a few copies worldwide. This new edition is newly typeset from the original edition and contains the unabridged three-volume text, along with an introductory note and a reproduction of the title page of the first edition.

Domestic tranquillity reigns at the castle of Lord Alwynd, where the noble lord lives in happiness with his two adopted children, William and Agatha, his cousin Celwold, and Celwold's ward, Edward. But their peace is threatened when Alwynd is summoned to battle against the treacherous De Stacey.

On his way to war, Alwynd meets the wizard Martyn of Fenrose, but even the magical sword he gives to Alwynd is not enough to save the hero from death Now William, Agatha, and Edward find themselves wholly in the power of the scheming Celwold and his cruel concubine, Lady Mercia. The three youths, with the help of Martyn of Fenrose, must solve the mystery of their origins and escape Celwold's tyranny. But who is Martyn, and why does he seem to be all-powerful and immortal?

First published in 1801, "Martyn of Fenrose; or, The Wizard and the Sword" shocked contemporary critics, who condemned it as blasphemous. Summersett's novel is strikingly original and is written in an unusual, almost Shakespearean style. This edition, the first since its original publication, reprints the complete text of the three volume first edition (which survives in only about five copies worldwide), and also includes the complete text of two contemporary reviews.

The year is 1587. Conflicts with Scottish borderers and rampaging banditti threaten England's peace and security, and Queen Elizabeth orders Lord William de Mowbray to fortify his castle against the invaders. Meanwhile, within the castle, Lord William's daughter Rosalind has fallen in love with the orphan Edward and will do anything to avoid a forced marriage with the sinister Lord Rufus de Madginecourt.

Incensed at learning of Rosalind's love for Edward, Lord William sends him to Flanders, where he arranges to have him unjustly imprisoned. With her Edward unable to protect her, can Rosalind withstand the combined persecutions of her father and Lord Rufus? Who is Allanrod, the mysterious Scottish freebooter who seems determined to possess her? And what is the bloodstained spectre clad in black armour the servants have seen haunting the castle grounds?

An incredible success when it first appeared in 1806, The Mysterious Freebooter was Francis Lathom's most popular novel and one of the bestselling novels of the first half of the nineteenth century. This new edition makes "The Mysterious Freebooter" - which is as entertaining and suspenseful today as when it was first published - available to new generations of readers.

"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.

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.

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.

"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.