At Chrighton Abbey and Other Horror Stories (paperback)

MARY ELIZABETH BRADDON (1835-1915) was one of the most prolific and popular authors of her day. She was responsible for no less than 80 novels, 9 plays, and dozens (perhaps hundreds) of short stories and articles, many of which were published pseudonymously in cheap and sensational magazine. Today Mary Elizabeth Braddon is remembered among fans of weird fiction for her classic horror and ghost stories, the most famous of which are collected herein. "At Chrighton Abbey" is a Christmas ghost story; "The Cold Embrace: is the story of a proud art student pursued by the ghost of a lover he scorned; "The Shadow in the Corner: uses rationalism to try to explain away a ghostly presence, with no success; "Good Lady Ducayne" is Braddon's updated reworking of the vampire myth, using Victorian-era medical knowledge instead of the supernatural (and it is all the more chilling because of its pluasibility); and "Eveline's Visitant" is the tale of two cousins who fight to the death over a woman-and the loser vows to haunt the one who killed him in his moment of greatest happiness. This volume is an excellent introduction to the fantastic works of Mary Elizabeth Braddon and a welcome addition to the Wildside Fantasy Classics line.