Bird of Ill Omen

Catherine Crowe, Heholt, Ruth (Ed)

ISBN 10: 0712355995 / ISBN 13: 9780712355995

Published by British Library Publishing, GB, 2026

About this Item

When morning broke, the ravages of this strange visitant were but too visible graves had been opened, and the remains of the dead, frightfully torn and mutilated, lay scattered upon the earth.A village is driven to a murderous frenzy by the wolf walking among them. In the dead of night, a sleepwalking monk reenacts a scene of violence glimpsed as a child. A lycanthropist draws closer to a monstrous truth while investigating a spate of grisly grave-robbings.In the nineteenth century, Catherine Crowe's name was synonymous with haunting accounts of 'real' ghost stories, glimpses of the 'night side of nature' and well-wrought Gothic tales, earning her a reputation comparable to Dickens' to the Victorian readership. This new collection edited by Crowe expert Ruth Heholt features Crowe's unique, journalistic short tales of real ghost sightings alongside her Gothic stories written for popular periodicals, showcasing her singular gifts as one of the great storytellers of the Victorian era.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780712355995

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Bird of Ill Omen
• Publisher: British Library Publishing, GB
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0712355995
• ISBN 13: 9780712355995
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

When morning broke, the ravages of this strange visitant were but too visible—graves had been opened, and the remains of the dead, frightfully torn and mutilated, lay scattered upon the earth.' A village is driven to a murderous frenzy by the wolf walking among them. In the moonlit chill of a monastery, a knife-wielding sleepwalker re-enacts a past tragedy. In Paris, officers edge towards a monstrous truth while investigating a spate of grisly grave-robbings. During the Victorian era, Catherine Crowe became a household name on par with Dickens for her innovative retellings of “true” ghost stories, in which she treated readers to glimpses of the “night side of nature”—until her reputation was tarnished following a public breakdown. Seeking to restore Crowe’s place in the canon of strange and ghostly fiction, Ruth Heholt presents some of her best tales of “real” phenomena, alongside her darker Gothic stories. Together, they demonstrate Crowe’s singular gifts as a master storyteller.

About the Author

Catherine Crowe (17901872) was a celebrated British ghost hunter and author, penning 'real' ghost stories from her own experiences and from public correspondence, as well as popular Gothic tales. Hers was a household name on par with Dickens and Thackeray during the Victorian era, though after a possible nervous breakdown during which she was found wandering the streets of Edinburgh naked, her reputation slipped, falling foul of contemporary sensibilities.