Tales of Wonder


Book Description




Gothic Chapbooks, Bluebooks and Shilling Shockers, 17971830


Book Description

This study breaks new ground surveying the origins of the Gothic chapbook, its publishers and authors, in order to establish conclusively the impact these pamphlets had on the development of the Gothic genre. Considered the illegitimate offspring of the Gothic novel, the lowly chapbook flooded the market in the late eighteenth century, creating a separate and distinct secondary market for tales of terror. The trade was driven by a handful of individuals who were booksellers and dealers, circulating library proprietors, stationers, and small publishers – what they produced were more than four hundred chapbooks, bluebooks and shilling shockers containing Gothic tales from magazines, redactions of popular novels, extractions of entire inset tales, and original tales of terror. This book responds to the urgent and pressing need to contextualise the Gothic chapbook in ascertaining a more concise and comprehensive view of the entire Gothic genre.




The History of Gothic Publishing, 1800-1835


Book Description

To better understand and contextualise the twilight of the Gothic genre during the 1920s and 1830s, The History of Gothic Publishing, 1800-1835: Exhuming the Trade examines the disreputable aspects of the Gothic trade from its horrid bluebooks to the desperate hack writers who created the short tales of terror. From the Gothic publishers to the circulating libraries, this study explores the conflict between the canon and the twilight, and between the disreputable and the moral.




How The Wind Sits: The History of Henry and Ann Lemoine, Chapbook Writers and Publishers of the Late Eighteenth Century


Book Description

During the 18th century, not all books were found in bookstores or libraries. In London, itenerate book salesmen wandered the streets hawking their wares. The books they sold were cheap and often poorly printed, but they represented the beginnings of popular reading among the growing lower classes. Henry and Ann Lemoine were among the most prolific writers and publishers of street literature in the late eighteenth-century and theirs is a story of poverty, greed, prison, and female empowerment.




The Secret Tradition in Arthurian Legend


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Originally published: Wellingborough: Aquarian Press, 1983.




The Magical Imagination


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This innovative history of popular magical mentalities in nineteenth-century England explores the dynamic ways in which the magical imagination helped people to adjust to urban life. Previous studies of modern popular magical practices and supernatural beliefs have largely neglected the urban experience. Karl Bell, however, shows that the magical imagination was a key cultural resource which granted an empowering sense of plebeian agency in the nineteenth-century urban environment. Rather than portraying magical beliefs and practices as a mere enclave of anachronistic 'tradition' and the fantastical as simply an escapist refuge from the real, he reveals magic's adaptive and transformative qualities and the ways in which it helped ordinary people navigate, adapt to and resist aspects of modern urbanization. Drawing on perspectives from cultural anthropology, sociology, folklore and urban studies, this is a major contribution to our understanding of modern popular magic and the lived experience of modernization and urbanization.




The Mystery of M. Felix


Book Description

"The Mystery of M. Felix" by B. L. Farjeon Originally published in 1890, this Victorian thriller takes melodrama to a new level with true Dickensian flair. A suspicious death in the midst of a record snowstorm. A disappearing body. A strange ghost. This gripping novel holds as many twists and turns as the mysterious mountaintop meeting standing at the center of this long-forgotten yet haunting tale. By the author of Great Porter Square: A Mystery.




Ariosto in the Machine Age


Book Description

Ariosto in the Machine Age reveals how the most influential poet of the Renaissance was conjured or appropriated to shape Magical Realism, avant-garde painting, Fascist cultural propaganda, and cinema in modern Italy between the birth of Futurism and the end of the Second World War. Based on substantial archival findings, bold iconographic hypotheses, and novel interpretations of literary texts, the book proposes a new account of Italy’s twentieth-century culture through a unique take on Ludovico Ariosto’s early modern poetics and legacy. Starting from the unexpected passéism of Futurists visiting Ferrara on the eve of the First World War, it rereads the development of Giorgio de Chirico’s Metaphysical art and Massimo Bontempelli’s Realismo Magico. The book reconstructs the multimedia archive of the Fascist initiatives for the 1933 centennial anniversary of Ariosto’s death, and then focuses on the passage between Fascist cinema and the birth of neorealism, unearthing unfinished adaptations of the Orlando Furioso by Luchino Visconti and Alessandro Blasetti. Questioning the very concept of reception, this radically interdisciplinary book warns twenty-first-century readers about the risks of monumentalizing the "great authors" of the past.




The Emerald Crown


Book Description

In the enchanting realm of Aveloria, a captivating tale unfolds—a story of legends, betrayals, and the pursuit of power. "The Emerald Crown: A Throne for the Taking" invites you to immerse yourself in a world where kingdoms rise and fall, and destiny hangs in the balance. In a kingdom gripped by turmoil, the legendary Emerald Crown has resurfaced, sparking a quest that will change the fate of Aveloria forever. As the kingdom's rightful heir, you must navigate treacherous trials, decipher hidden prophecies, and unravel long-lost secrets to claim the throne that is rightfully yours. But this journey is not for the faint of heart. Along the way, you will face bloodlines and betrayals, confronting the battles that arise from the complex web of inheritance. As the enigmatic heir, you must navigate through a labyrinth of illusions, unraveling the crown's secrets and facing the shadows of your own past. Trials await, testing your strength and cunning, as you seek allies and unite forces with guardians of the crown. The path will lead you through forbidden forests, treacherous seas, and mysterious isles, where ancient riddles lie waiting to be unraveled. Beware the storms of deception, as you find yourself trapped in a web of lies. Manipulations and mind games threaten to derail your journey, but the flames of rebellion ignite, rallying the discontented and fueling your determination to claim the throne. As you confront the final trial, the Last Guardian of the crown stands in your way, challenging your wits and demanding your all. The fate of Aveloria hangs in the balance as you uncover the truth behind the broken alliances and forge a path towards redemption or revenge. With each step, the echoes of destiny guide your actions, weaving the tapestry of the future. Seek the wisdom of oracles, decipher forgotten scrolls, and confront your darkest fears. Through the Labyrinth of Mirrors, you will find reflections of truth and illusion, testing your resolve and shaping your choices. As you gather allies and face enemies, you navigate court politics and power struggles, determined to bring unity to a kingdom divided. Your journey leads you to the ultimate showdown—a battle where your strategic prowess and indomitable spirit will be put to the ultimate test. "The Emerald Crown: A Throne for the Taking" is an epic fantasy adventure that will transport you to a world of magic, mystery, and high-stakes intrigue. Experience the exhilaration of claiming the throne, wearing the Emerald Crown, and shaping the destiny of Aveloria. Are you ready to embark on this extraordinary quest? The crown awaits its rightful ruler.