Great Tales of the Unknown - Short Stories from Masters of the Gothic and Macabre (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

<p><strong>Step into the shadows of the 19th and early 20th centuries where every mystery hides a horror.</strong></p><p>This collection is a grand tour of uncanny speculative and terrifying fiction gathering short stories from the founding fathers of the macabre and lesser-known masters of the Gothic. <em>Great Tales of the Unknown</em> showcases how the unknown--whether scientific historical or supernatural--became the ultimate source of dread.</p><p>Prepare for a journey across continents and centuries encountering bizarre science vengeful history and existential terror:</p><p>Gothic and Psychological Dread:</p><ul><li><p><strong><em>Morning on the Wissahiccon</em> by Edgar Allan Poe:</strong> A classic piece by the architect of American Gothic offering a richly atmospheric and contemplative study of a haunted landscape and the unsettling boundary between nature and the civilized world.</p></li><li><p><strong><em>The Spider's Eye</em> by Fitz James O'Brien:</strong> An early master of bizarre and inventive fiction O'Brien delivers a claustrophobic tale of psychological torment and a horrifying predatory obsession.</p></li></ul><p>Mad Science and Global Adventure:</p><ul><li><p><strong><em>Dr. Immortelle</em> by Kathleen Ludwick:</strong> A fascinating contribution that tells the disturbing consequences of medical hubris posing the question: What price is paid for the secret of eternal life?</p></li><li><p><strong><em>The Passing of Van Mitten</em> by Claude Farrere:</strong> A tale of exotic adventure and colonial dread where a journey into a mysterious foreign land leads to a chilling irrevocable fate.</p></li><li><p><strong><em>The River of Death</em> by Fred M. White:</strong> A gripping pulp-era thriller that pits human ingenuity against a terrifying possibly unnatural hazard in the heart of a perilous jungle environment.</p></li><li><p><strong><em>A Shot at the Sun</em> by M. P. Shiel:</strong> A highly imaginative and speculative piece from a writer known for his grandiose style exploring a vast quasi-scientific cosmic crisis.</p></li></ul><p>Sword and Sorcery Meets the Ancient World:</p><ul><li><p><strong><em>Delenda Est</em> by Robert E. Howard:</strong> The legendary creator of Conan the Barbarian offers a tale steeped in ancient history and ferocious action where the final dark fate of a forgotten empire meets savage elemental force.</p></li></ul><p>Complete with <strong>short Biographies</strong> of each author this collection is a testament to the boundless creativity of the genre's earliest practitioners and their endless fascination with the hidden horrors of the world.</p>