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Sheridan Le Fanu

Best Ghost Stories of J. S. LeFanu Paperback – June 1, 1964

by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (Author)

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Joseph Sheridan LeFanu (1814–1873) is regarded by many critics as the greatest master of the English ghost story. A product of the decaying Anglo-Irish culture of the early and middle nineteenth century, he sums up in his work better than any of his contemporaries the fears and dreads that may haunt the sensitive individual.
The reasons for his preeminence are many. He was a remarkable craftsman, whose work has been admired by critics as varied as V. S. Pritchett and H. P. Lovecraft, Henry James and M. R. James. More imaginative and more perceptive than his contemporaries who worked in the same form, he achieved depths and dimensions of terror that still remain otherwise unexplored. And although he was Victorian in his dates, he was in many respects un-Victorian in his writing: his ideas looked both backward to the great supernatural tradition of Romantic fiction and forward to the modern age.

LeFanu's work, unfortunately, has not been as well known generally as it should be. A few of his better stories have appeared often enough in anthologies, but much of his very best work has lain hidden, because of its inaccessibility. His contemporaries were more interested in his detective novels (including the unmatchable "Uncle Silas") and his realistic novels than in his supernatural work, with the result that many of his stories were neither reprinted in England nor ever printed at all in America.
The present collection contains such favorites as "Carmilla," "The Familiar," "Green Tea," and "Schalken the Painter," as well as much otherwise unobtainable work. There is, for example, the magnificent nouvelle "The Haunted Baronet," (reprinted for the first time from the fabulously rare "Chronicles of Golden Friars," which survives in perhaps less than a dozen sets), material from "The Purcell Papers," the practically unknown essay-story "An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House," and nine other first-rate stories.

Print length

512 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Dover Publications
Publication date

June 1, 1964
Dimensions

5.49 x 1.1 x 8.57 inches
ISBN-10

0486204154
ISBN-13

978-0486204154
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Le Fanu is a Victorian writer who, along with Edgar A. Poe before him, invented the unity of mood and economy of means that characterizes the modern horror short story. Jack Sullivan, in Horror Literature, maintains that "Le Fanu was more revolutionary than Poe, for he began the process of dismantling the Gothic props and placing the supernatural tale in everyday settings." These quietly elegant tales include a female vampire who predates Dracula, a vicar troubled by a spectral monkey, a cruel hanging judge who gets his due and many other fine portents and hauntings.

From the Back Cover

Joseph Sheridan LeFanu (1814-1873) is regarded by many critics as the greatest master of the English ghost story. A product of the decaying Anglo-Irish culture of the early and middle nineteenth century, he sums up in his work better than any of his contemporaries the fears and dreads that may haunt the sensitive individual.
The reasons for his preeminence are many. He was a remarkable craftsman, whose work has been admired by critics as varied as V. S. Pritchett and H. P. Lovecraft, Henry James and M. R. James. More imaginative and more perceptive than his contemporaries who worked in the same form, he achieved depths and dimensions of terror that still remain otherwise unexplored. And although he was Victorian in his dates, he was in many respects un-Victorian in his writing: his ideas looked both backward to the great supernatural tradition of Romantic fiction and forward to the modern age.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications (June 1, 1964)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0486204154
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486204154
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.16 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.49 x 1.1 x 8.57 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #784,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #232 in British & Irish Horror
- #3,216 in Ghost Fiction
- #3,978 in Ghost Mysteries

Customer Reviews:
53 ratings

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Also_was_There

This is THE book to get on Le Fanu.

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2017

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This is THE book to get on Le Fanu, especially if you're new to him. It was published in 1964 but no big deal since the author died in 1873.
Weight, size, heft, and binding make it a good book for reading whether in the chair or in bed (best place for ghost stories!). Also, a very good
introductory essay. These days most new readers are drawn to dip into Le Fanu to read, "Carmilla" and that's here too. Don't waste your cash
on a Carmilla-only book since those cost almost as much as this one and you get lots more content including all his other classics as well as some rarities. Wish it were hardcover but I don't think most Dover books are. So great content, good quality make and feel make this a keeper!

9 people found this helpful

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NMTrekker

Great book, excellent writer!

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2020

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You can’t go wrong when you already know the stories are great. Joseph Sheridan LeFanu was one of the finest writers of Supernatural/Gothic literature during the nineteenth century. If you love “ghost” stories, these are a must read. Start with Shalken the Painter. Genuine horror story, so well written! And this book, I believe - I’ll have to double check - has his whole collection of stories. You can find LeFanu in other compilations here and there. Here, you get his whole collection. Authors and stories like this are going to be more difficult to find because they are underrated and considered obscure. My book came with a tear in the cover, but the binding is solid and the text well intact. I bought it cheap and used intentionally and the seller was clear and honest about the state of the book. I will buy from them again and am happy to have acquired another great author for my collection!

One person found this helpful

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Alexander Scott

Not your standard ghostly fare

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2003

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Probably the most distinguishing characteristic of LeFanu's writing to me is that he doesn't explain why something is happening in his stories. Ghosts search through drawers, skeletons are dug up, heroes disappear, and barons die of unseen causes, and we are never told what happened. LeFanu doesn't necessarily explain the motives and occurrences of his stories and loose ends are not all tied up. At first, I was unsure about what to think; what kind of ghost story doesn't explain all the events at the end? How am I supposed to be terrified if I don't know the ultimate cause of Baron X's demise? The method of storytelling began to grow on me, though, and I now feel that a lack of resolution on every issue creates a better story. Why should the supernatural be fully explained in 20 pages? When the reader is demoted from an omniscient viewpoint to that of only an eyewitness, the tale is more compelling.
My favorite stories are probably "Sir Dominick's Bargain" and "An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House," the former for its mood and atmosphere, and the latter for its minimalist telling. "The Haunted Baronet" is another excellent story, with strong attention to detail and background that help in the story-telling; it was a very satisfactory read. "The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh" is the same story told sans background and detail, and is clearly inferior. The other stories I enjoyed based on the setting, which is 19th century Ireland, which evokes a mood much like James'. Overall, it is the sort of book that makes you wish for a warm fireplace and a stormy night.
Enjoy!

22 people found this helpful

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Magickal Merlin

Best Gothic Tales of Yestreday that Still Thrills Today's Ghost-Story Readers

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2007

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For anyone who is looking for some excellent gothic ghost-stories,this is the book to start with.Le fanu is largely forgotten by today's reading public and the television absorbed culture.They don't know what their missing out on.Poe is the American grand-daddy of the mysterious horror story,yet the French-Irishman ,Sheridan LeFanu, is on the same level too.I can only recommend this gothic horror collection for all who what to be intellectually thrilled and pleasantly chilled .All before the witching hour surrenders,at the stroke of midnight,on the Eve of All-Hallows.For another year.Delicious reading for the Autumn season,til Samhain parts for another spell.-Beware of sleep,and Beware of Cats!

8 people found this helpful

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John Danford

Enjoyable collection of short stories

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2021

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Enjoyable collection of short stories

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J. Franco

Le Fanu is brilliant. If you like "ghost" stories a bit on ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2015

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Le Fanu is brilliant. If you like "ghost" stories a bit on the intellectual side you'll love this collection and his work. If you like Poe you'll love LeFanu.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

TERRIFIC STORIES

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2006

Verified Purchase

These are great stories for bedtime reading. Compared to today's scary stories, these are elegant and inspired. If you have a taste for the fiction of bygone eras -- don't draw the line with today's best sellers -- you'll find a lot of magnificent writing. I'm still reading this book, and I plan to pass it around to all my pals. PBS and British Telly buffs will adore this book.

10 people found this helpful

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J. Dillard

Great collection of ghost stories!

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2013

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I like reading scary stories during October, and I'm so glad that I found this book! A perfect collection of ghost stories for autumn nights.

The book came in great condition, too!

2 people found this helpful

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Miss N. J. Grundy

Book 21

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2013

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I think this is the first collection of JSLF stories I've seen. But it isn't complete. They missed out "Wicked Captain Walshawe", which was one of his most amusing ghost tales. The Golden Friars stories are presented with their prologues, which are shaved off in separate anthologies.

One person found this helpful

Mrs. J. Georgiou

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2017

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value for mone

hexedd

One of the Early Inspirations for Ghost/Horror Stories Today

Reviewed in Canada on October 29, 2015

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Wow, what a great collection of stories.

For those who don't know, LeFanu was a direct inspiration for Bram Stoker (Dracula) and has in many ways shaped the Gothic ghost story and horror genre to this day.

This is a collection of some of his best known and most popular stories, and is quite a deal. It is over 400 pages, and includes many stories of varying lengths (from just over ten pages to one hundred pages). I won't review each story individually here, you can Google for that, but let's just say there is something for any ghost story and supernatural fan. The tales' themes have quite a range and revolve around some of the quintessential Victorian subjects: betrayal, family wills and estates, guilt over wrongdoings, and the connection between the spirit world and modern science. This was the time of both religious devotion and the rise of modern science, and LeFanu perfectly captures Victorian Britain's divided mind on the connections between religion and science, and each subject's competing theories on the nature of society, life, and death.

The language of these stories can be difficult at first if you aren't a nineteenth century fiction buff, but I can assure you it's worth taking the time to tough out the first few pages. You'll get the hang of it within a few pages and the characters will really come to life. Many of these stories still have the power to spook their reader even one hundred and fifty years on. LeFanu was a master of creating a vivid scene, and his descriptions of the supernatural can be terrifying. Perhaps what is great about his stories is that they are written with an eye to both the "reality" of ghosts, and for skeptics, the power of the mind to project images that aren't there. Essentially, many of his stories can be read one of two ways: the ghosts are actually there, or they are an individual's psychological projection resulting from emotions of guilt, fear, etc. This means his stories can be read by either skeptics or believers and both groups will equally enjoy them.

LeFanu was a master storyteller, and these are the perfect stories for a fall day. So do yourself a favour: Order this book, light a candle or low-light lamp, and curl up on a fall night and enjoy LeFanu's ability to take you back in time to scenes of Victorian splendour, wonder, and horror.

Die Strafe

viel lesespass, leider nicht bei jeder geschichte

Reviewed in Germany on November 27, 2003

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Neben Bram Stokers Dracula und John Polidoris The Vampyre, ist Carmilla ein weiterer der bekannten klassischen Vampirgeschichten. Schon aus diesem Grund lohnt sich der Kauf dieses Buches. Darüber hinaus gibt es 13 weitere Geschichten, diese variieren von gut erzählt und spannend bis hin zu Geschichten, durch die man sich mühseliger durchliest.
Insgesamt bekommt man mit dieser Ausgabe einige Stunden unterhaltsames Lesevergnügen in leicht angestaubter Erzählweise.

2 people found this helpful

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Susmit Sarkar

Very good. As per expectation.A gem.

Reviewed in India on September 21, 2019

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Very good. As per expectation.A gem.