Carmilla (1872) is a novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Published twenty-six years before Bram Stoker's Dracula, Le Fanu's work of Gothic horror and mystery is considered an important early entry in the genre of vampire fiction. Recorded in the casebook of Dr. Hesselius, a medical professional with a detective's sensibility, is the story of Laura, a teenager bearing a strange secret. Raised in a castle by her father, a widower who recently concluded his career in service to the Austrian Empire, Laura has been haunted since her youth, when she was visited at night by a beautiful, spectral woman. Now eighteen, she awaits the visit of Bertha Rheinfelt, a niece of her father's friend. When Bertha dies mysteriously, however, and when a girl named Carmilla is brought to the castle under strange circumstances, Laura fears that the past has come full circle. But she soon overcomes her mournful state, growing close with Carmilla. But the girl's behavior soon proves unsettling. Carmilla is prone to sleepwalking, sleeps through the day, declines to participate in prayers, and makes romantic overtures to Laura. She begins to be haunted by strange and violent dreams, waking one night to discover Carmilla at the foot of her bed, and bite marks along her neck. Her father intervenes, taking her to a local village. On the way, they meet Bertha's uncle, who shares the chilling details of her fate. It becomes clear that Carmilla, whoever she is, is far from the innocent young girl she claims to be. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Mysterious and Horrific Stories is a collection of Gothic tales by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Although he is more widely known today for his novella Carmilla (1872), which influenced Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) and remains an important work of early vampire fiction, Le Fanu was also an influential figure in mid-nineteenth century Irish literature as a writer and editor for the Dublin University Magazine. Mysterious and Horrific Stories collects fifteen of Le Fanu's finest works of short fiction from across his storied career. In "The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh," a man returns home after years abroad accompanied by a strange, shadowy companion. Under mysterious circumstances, Sir Robert has amassed a tremendous fortune and seems either unwilling or unable to reveal the truth behind his sudden rise to wealth. In "Schalken the Painter," a young Dutch apprentice falls in love with his master's young niece, the beautiful Rose Velderkaust. Fearful of angering the great painter Gerard Douw, whom he worries would reject a marriage proposal from a struggling artist, he keeps silent about his affections. When an older, wealthier man proposes to Rose, Douw consents to their marriage despite the man's unsettling appearance. "The Drunkard's Dream" is a tale of horror in which a man receives a powerful and terrifying vision of Hell. Alongside twelve more tales of ghosts and other supernatural forces, including "An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House" and "The Child That Went With the Fairies," these selections from Le Fanu's body of work continue to entertain and astound nearly two centuries after they first appeared in print. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Mysterious and Horrific Stories is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Nothing remained to assure us that the adventure had not been an illusion of a moment but the young lady, who just at that moment opened her eyes.

The House by the Church-Yard (1863) is a novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. An important source for James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, The House by the Church-Yard is a hybrid of the mystery and historical genres of fiction. With its complex use of side plots and extensive frame narrative, the novel is central to Le Fanu's legacy as an innovator whose literary works inspired Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. During a routine interment at a churchyard in the historic village of Chapelizod, a grave is disturbed revealing a skull buried a century earlier. Upon examination, a gruesome discovery is made-not only does the skull show signs of severe head trauma, it contains a hole from an emergency trepanning procedure. Stirred by the discovery, an old man named Charles de Cresseron pieces together the story of a time the village had nearly forgotten. In the eighteenth century, a coffin was secretly buried in the churchyard, with no defining characteristics except for the initials "R.D." As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this burial is somehow related to a series of mysterious events-a love triangle between a general's daughter, a local official, and a man who has taken residence in a home rumored to be haunted; the suicide of a disgraced prisoner; and a rivalry between a deeply indebted doctor and the agent of a local lord whose home has been infiltrated by a dubious imposter. As these plots swirl and converge, The House by the Church-Yard emerges as a masterpiece of suspense, a thriller that delights its reader just as much as it demands their attention. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's The House by the Church-Yard is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Mysterious and Horrific Stories is a collection of Gothic tales by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Although he is more widely known today for his novella Carmilla (1872), which influenced Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) and remains an important work of early vampire fiction, Le Fanu was also an influential figure in mid-nineteenth century Irish literature as a writer and editor for the Dublin University Magazine. Mysterious and Horrific Stories collects fifteen of Le Fanu's finest works of short fiction from across his storied career. In "The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh," a man returns home after years abroad accompanied by a strange, shadowy companion. Under mysterious circumstances, Sir Robert has amassed a tremendous fortune and seems either unwilling or unable to reveal the truth behind his sudden rise to wealth. In "Schalken the Painter," a young Dutch apprentice falls in love with his master's young niece, the beautiful Rose Velderkaust. Fearful of angering the great painter Gerard Douw, whom he worries would reject a marriage proposal from a struggling artist, he keeps silent about his affections. When an older, wealthier man proposes to Rose, Douw consents to their marriage despite the man's unsettling appearance. "The Drunkard's Dream" is a tale of horror in which a man receives a powerful and terrifying vision of Hell. Alongside twelve more tales of ghosts and other supernatural forces, including "An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House" and "The Child That Went With the Fairies," these selections from Le Fanu's body of work continue to entertain and astound nearly two centuries after they first appeared in print. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Mysterious and Horrific Stories is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Checkmate (1871) is a novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Although less well-known than his more popular works of Gothic horror and mystery, including the vampire novella Carmilla (1872) and the novel The House by the Church-Yard (1863), Checkmate remains central to Le Fanu's legacy as an innovator whose literary works inspired Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Walter Longcluse is a mysterious gentleman, a drifter and self-made man whose travels throughout France, Austria, and England resulted in his accumulation of an immense personal fortune. With his calm demeanor and general friendliness, he is quickly accepted into the inner circle of the Arden family, a clan of aristocrats whose once luxuriant star has lately dimmed due to unpaid debts and the murder of one of their number. As Longcluse courts the lovely Alice, her brother Richard enjoys the older man's company, and the two become fast friends. One night, however, a visit to a gambling club brings them face to face with Monsieur Lebas, a brutish figure who seems to recognize Longcluse and, later that evening, is discovered to have been murdered. As the story unfolds, clues planted discreetly throughout the plot lead to Le Fanu's thrilling conclusion, which contains a well-designed plot twist too sinister to imagine. Checkmate is a tale of wealth and betrayal, a novel that raises more questions than answers for the reader held under its spell. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Checkmate is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Uncle Silas (1864) is a novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Expanded from an earlier short story, Uncle Silas is considered an important precursor to the works of Arthur Conan Doyle, and remains the author's most popular novel. It has been adapted several times for film, television, and radio. Following the untimely death of her father, Maud Ruthyn is sent to live at Bartram-Haugh, the estate of her estranged Uncle Silas. Under the terms of her father's will, Maud must live in Silas's care for three and a half years, or until she is old enough to take control of the family fortune. Unsure, but trusting her father's judgment, she consents to the terms and makes her way to Bartram-Haugh, where she will live with a man of whom she knows very little. Rumored to have lived a troubled youth, Silas has supposedly found religion, but the recent suicide of a man to whom Silas owed money casts doubts on his intentions and unsettles young Maud. Nevertheless, she soon grows accustomed to life at his estate, befriending Silas's daughter Millicent. When Dudley, her cousin, begins to court her, Maud first denies his advances before seeking her uncle's advice. The family soon discovers that Dudley has been married all along, and he is banished from Bartram-Haugh, leaving Maud in peace for a time. Soon, however, Millicent is sent away to France to attend school, leaving Maud at the estate on her own. Only slightly comforted by Silas's promise to reunite the two cousins as soon as he can, Maud waits for the day of her journey, altogether unaware of the plot unfolding right before her eyes. Uncle Silas is a masterful novel of mystery and suspense from Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, an important pioneer of Gothic horror. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Uncle Silas is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Uncle Silas (1864) is a novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Expanded from an earlier short story, Uncle Silas is considered an important precursor to the works of Arthur Conan Doyle, and remains the author’s most popular novel. It has been adapted several times for film, television, and radio. Following the untimely death of her father, Maud Ruthyn is sent to live at Bartram-Haugh, the estate of her estranged Uncle Silas. Under the terms of her father’s will, Maud must live in Silas’s care for three and a half years, or until she is old enough to take control of the family fortune. Unsure, but trusting her father’s judgment, she consents to the terms and makes her way to Bartram-Haugh, where she will live with a man of whom she knows very little. Rumored to have lived a troubled youth, Silas has supposedly found religion, but the recent suicide of a man to whom Silas owed money casts doubts on his intentions and unsettles young Maud. Nevertheless, she soon grows accustomed to life at his estate, befriending Silas’s daughter Millicent. When Dudley, her cousin, begins to court her, Maud first denies his advances before seeking her uncle’s advice. The family soon discovers that Dudley has been married all along, and he is banished from Bartram-Haugh, leaving Maud in peace for a time. Soon, however, Millicent is sent away to France to attend school, leaving Maud at the estate on her own. Only slightly comforted by Silas’s promise to reunite the two cousins as soon as he can, Maud waits for the day of her journey, altogether unaware of the plot unfolding right before her eyes. Uncle Silas is a masterful novel of mystery and suspense from Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, an important pioneer of Gothic horror. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Uncle Silas is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

The House by the Church-Yard (1863) is a novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. An important source for James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, The House by the Church-Yard is a hybrid of the mystery and historical genres of fiction. With its complex use of side plots and extensive frame narrative, the novel is central to Le Fanu’s legacy as an innovator whose literary works inspired Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. During a routine interment at a churchyard in the historic village of Chapelizod, a grave is disturbed revealing a skull buried a century earlier. Upon examination, a gruesome discovery is made—not only does the skull show signs of severe head trauma, it contains a hole from an emergency trepanning procedure. Stirred by the discovery, an old man named Charles de Cresseron pieces together the story of a time the village had nearly forgotten. In the eighteenth century, a coffin was secretly buried in the churchyard, with no defining characteristics except for the initials “R.D.” As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this burial is somehow related to a series of mysterious events—a love triangle between a general’s daughter, a local official, and a man who has taken residence in a home rumored to be haunted; the suicide of a disgraced prisoner; and a rivalry between a deeply indebted doctor and the agent of a local lord whose home has been infiltrated by a dubious imposter. As these plots swirl and converge, The House by the Church-Yard emerges as a masterpiece of suspense, a thriller that delights its reader just as much as it demands their attention. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s The House by the Church-Yard is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

Checkmate (1871) is a novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Although less well-known than his more popular works of Gothic horror and mystery, including the vampire novella Carmilla (1872) and the novel The House by the Church-Yard (1863), Checkmate remains central to Le Fanu’s legacy as an innovator whose literary works inspired Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Walter Longcluse is a mysterious gentleman, a drifter and self-made man whose travels throughout France, Austria, and England resulted in his accumulation of an immense personal fortune. With his calm demeanor and general friendliness, he is quickly accepted into the inner circle of the Arden family, a clan of aristocrats whose once luxuriant star has lately dimmed due to unpaid debts and the murder of one of their number. As Longcluse courts the lovely Alice, her brother Richard enjoys the older man’s company, and the two become fast friends. One night, however, a visit to a gambling club brings them face to face with Monsieur Lebas, a brutish figure who seems to recognize Longcluse and, later that evening, is discovered to have been murdered. As the story unfolds, clues planted discreetly throughout the plot lead to Le Fanu’s thrilling conclusion, which contains a well-designed plot twist too sinister to imagine. Checkmate is a tale of wealth and betrayal, a novel that raises more questions than answers for the reader held under its spell. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Checkmate is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.