In the Dark

Nesbit Edith

ISBN 10: 1553100050 / ISBN 13: 9781553100058

Published by Ash-Tree Press, 2000

About this Item

Abnutzung / Risse - leicht. Edith Nesbit is renowned for her children's literature, particularly her classic 1906 novel, but she also harbored a darker side showcased in her tales of terror and the supernatural. These stories were predominantly written before she gained fame as a children's author and were largely forgotten for nearly a century. In 1988, Hugh Lamb edited an anthology that revived some of her chilling works, and this expanded edition includes additional stories. Notable tales such as 'Man-Size in Marble' and 'John Charrington's Wedding' are featured alongside lesser-known but equally haunting narratives. Nesbit's eerie world features the dead returning, scientists crossing into death, souls bartered for wishes, and madness stemming from casual wagers. In his introduction, Lamb explores Nesbit's vibrant life, highlighting how her unconventional experiences distinguished her from her Victorian and Edwardian peers in the ghost story genre. He also delves into the events that inspired her supernatural fiction, which she described as bringing her "nights and nights of anguish and horror." The collection includes a variety of stories, each weaving themes of the macabre and the supernatural.

Seller Inventory # c5ef90a2-4a47-4f1d-87ae-99c1d0102b46

Bibliographic Details

• Title: In the Dark
• Publisher: Ash-Tree Press
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1553100050
• ISBN 13: 9781553100058
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Gothic Horror

About this title

Synopsis

Edith Nesbit is today best known for her works for children: her 1906 novel THE RAILWAY CHILDREN is a classic of the genre. Yet Nesbit had a much darker side, which revealed itself in her tales of terror and the supernatural. Most of these tales were written before the author established herself as a writer of children's stories, and were soon overshadowed, to be nearly forgotten - with one or two exceptions - for almost one hundred years.

In 1988, Hugh Lamb edited IN THE DARK for the Equation Chillers series, and has now added a further seven stories for this expanded edition. In Nesbit's twilight world, the dead return from the grave, scientists pursue knowledge to the gates of death - and beyond; souls are bartered to the Devil in exchange for one last wish; a casual wager leads to madness; and a seemingly harmless maker of models exacts a terrible price for a wrong done years before.

In his introduction, Hugh Lamb examines the colourful life of Edith Nesbit, painting a portrait of a woman whose unconventional life set her apart from her Victorian and Edwardian contemporaries in the ghost story genre. He also looks at some of the events and experiences which may have inspired Nesbit's supernatural fiction - events which, in the author's words, gave her 'nights and nights of anguish and horror, long years of bitterest fear and dread.'