Weird & Supernatural
London, Methuen, 1914.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth gilt.
A humorous tale in which magic beans from the East give Alfred Burton an uncompromising devotion to truth and beauty.
Weird & Supernatural
Peake (Mervyn, illustrator); Haynes (Dorothy K.) Thou Shalt not Suffer a Witch
and other stories
London, Methuen, 1949.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 9s.6d.
The first anthology by this influential Scottish author, a collection of tales often, as intimated darkly by the title, with a supernatural aspect. The suitably slightly disturbing illustrations are by the author's friend Mervyn Peake, creator of the Gormenghast trilogy.
Weird & Supernatural
First edition (one of c. 300 copies only).
London. Henry J.Drane, 1906
Contains ten weird and supernatural short stories which includes, The Spider, The Pool, The Will of Luke Carlowe, The Wedding Guest, The Soul of Nina Ventrix, The Bulb, Purple Eyes, A Hundred Year's Dead, A Dead Man's Bargain and The Compact. The Weird O' It is considered to be of legendary rarity in the supernatural genre. Henry J. Drane produced books in very small print run editions and it is likely that there would have only been around 300 copies of this book originally. It has been suggested that there are three variants of the book known. Copies exist in red, pale green and cream cloth although priority is not known. In 2000, Midnight House of Seattle republished a hardcover edition of "The Weird o’ It," limited to 460 copies.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Herbert Jenkins, 1925.
First edition. Inscribed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. Original green cloth. Dust-jackets, priced 2/6.
Cool jacket artwork on this uncommon work in the original jacket, inscribed by the author on the half-title.
Weird & Supernatural
A Romance of the Soul London &c., Cassell, 1912. First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. A solid first edition copy of this occult tale by Australian author Rosa Praed, underlined eventually by the reformative qualities of Christianity.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Constable, 1927.
First edition. 8vo. Original brown cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
Uncommon first edition, with witchcraft in large part serving as a metaphor for womanhood; the main character is not magical, but has been stigmatised and shunned by her community for her illegitimate children and for practising abortion.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Herbert Jenkins, 1928
First edition. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket, likely a second issue as it is priced 3'6 on spine.
A tale about a fifteen year old child - Hazel Wood - who has the gift of second sight - of being able to see things taking place far away from her.
Uncommon in jacket.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Stanley Paul, 1934.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 2/6.
A compilation of amazing facts, objects and places as recorded by the then phenomenally prolific Ripley.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Jonathan Cape, 1929.
First edition. 8vo. Original dark pink cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.
Attractive art-deco style jacket artwork adorns this unusual tale about three people being brought back into British society after a life in the jungles and swamps of Borneo. Scarce.
Weird & Supernatural
And other Dartmoor Legends
London & Exeter, Andrew Melrose; James G. Commin, [1901].
First edition. 8vo. Original pictorial cloth.
An intriguing collection of atmospheric folk tales from Devon; titles include 'The Vengeance of Belus', 'The Bards of the Wood of Wistman', 'The Nymph Tamara' and 'The Pixies of Ockington Wood'.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Methuen, 1918.
First edition. 8vo. Original pale blue cloth, lettered in black.
An early and uncommon Sax Rohmer first edition, set in Egypt with the inscrutable Abu-Tabah taking on the villain role from Fu Manchu. The book is notable for introducing a more explicitly weird & supernatural element.
Weird & Supernatural
London [&c.], Cassell, 1941
First UK edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket.
A good copy of this title from the popular Fu Manchu series of books by Sax Rohmer.
Weird & Supernatural
Rowland (John, editor) Path and Pavement: Twenty New Tales of Britain.
London, Eric Gaunt, 1937
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced at 7s 6d on front flap.
Rare anthology of short stories several of which are fantasy including:
'Ritual' by Arthur Machen in which a bunch of London boys reproduce an African native ritual resulting in the death by suggestion of one of their number.
Ghost stories by Kenneth Hare and Richard Middleton
'Smoking the Dragon' by Frederick Carter, a fantasy about a fire-breathing monster and The Third Gift', a weird horror story of a pool and its legends.
Appears to be very elusive. No copies of any kind online at time of writing.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Guilford Press, [1958].
First UK edition. 8vo. Original blue boards. Dust-jacket, priced 15s.
A collection of weird & supernatural tales by Swiss writer Sandoz, one of several books published for him by the Guilford Press in the 1950s.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Samuel Walker, 1948.
First edition. 8vo. Original yellow cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 10s 6d.
Concerns exploits of spooks hired out for hauntings by the Spectral Agency, written by the author of the beloved Wopsy books.
Weird & Supernatural
London, T. Fisher Unwin, 1927.
First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth blocked in black. Dust-jacket.
A remarkably scarce and obscure weird-mystery thriller by Scottish-Canadian 'Bard of the Yukon'. Unfortunately the jacket would appear to have resided on a bookshelf in the House of Fear for a tad too long due to its traumatised condition, but rare nevertheless!
Weird & Supernatural
First edition.
London. Grant Richards, 1923
A lost race novel in which a lost heiress takes over an African tribe. Very scarce in wrapper.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Richards Press, 1927.
First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
An attractive first edition of this later novel by the 'original' King of Redonda, here in the decidedly uncommon, and rather appealing dust-jacket. "Matthew P. Shiel (I believe he was Irish) wrote a few novels I thought highly worth reading. At the moment I can call to mind only two titles which I've read: Children of the Wind and How the Old Woman Got Home." (Paul Bowles, author of The Sheltering Sky).
Weird & Supernatural
Third edition.
London, Hutchinson, Not dated but likely to have been published in the
1920's.
Illustrations by Jean de Bosschere. Uncanny Tales was first published in the UK in 1923. An important collection of supernatural
Weird & Supernatural
London, Sampson Low, Marston, [1932].
First edition. Signed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. 32pp. publisher's catalogue listing this title at 7/6. Original black cloth lettered in gilt. Dust-jacket, with price-sticker 3/6 indicating second issue.
An appealing copy of this scarce work to find in the jacket, even with the second issue price-sticker as here; a borderline sci-fi title, with a nautical flavour.
Inscribed on the title-page, 'A.T. Wall. With the Author's kind regards & compliments. E.F. Spanner.'
Weird & Supernatural
London, Rider, [1928].
First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth lettered in gilt. Dust-jacket, priced 10/6.
Lewis's well known work on the secret rites and traditions of Ancient Britain, illustrated with plates.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Chatto & Windus, 1925. A collection of tales published posthumously, first in 1905. Includes The Body Snatcher, centred around the time of Burke & Hare's exploits.
Weird & Supernatural
A tale of love and adventure in Western China
London, The Sheldon Press, [c.1925].
First UK edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 3/d.
A scarce book in the original dust-jacket.
Weird & Supernatural
London, William Rider, 1922.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth-backed boards. Printed dust-jacket.
A pleasingly good, jacketed example of this work on handwriting and what it can tell us about someone's character.
Weird & Supernatural
Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1925
First edition. 8vo. Original light blue cloth lettered in red on spine and upper board. Dust-jacket.
Contains fourteen stories of which five are supernatural and another, the longest story, explores the theme of lesbianism.
Rare in jacket.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Frederick Muller, 1958.
First edition. 8vo. Original black cloth lettered in gilt. Dust-jacket, priced 21/-.
A nice copy of this biography of 'The Great Beast', one of several written on this topic by Symonds, who also edited Crowley's autobiography. Unsurprisingly perhaps, Symonds' appreciation of Crowley diminished the more he found out about the occultist, and he soon turned his attention to more literary fantasies.
Detective Fiction
London, Columbine Publishing Co, 1939. The world-renowned detective Grant Rushton takes on his most sinister foe yet, High Priestess of the terrible cult of the Voodoo, Marie Galante.
Weird & Supernatural
London, A.D. Innes, 1898.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth lettered & ruled in gilt.
One of three books drawing upon the author's experiences in Fiji and the South Sea Islands, where he had been based during his Colonial service. Short stories including some weird content.
Weird & Supernatural
and other Fantasies and Stories
London, Francis Griffiths, 1901.
First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth.
An uncommon collection of short stories by a relatively obscure imprint, many of a magical or mysterious bent; the title tale is one of a dual existence, topical today perhaps given the talk of an avatar driven metaverse...
Weird & Supernatural
Second edition. First published in 1924, a Scottish historical novel involving witchcraft. Uncommon.
London, George Harrap, 1931
Weird & Supernatural
New York, George H. Doran, 1927.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth stamped in gilt. Dust-jacket, priced $2.50.
A scarce edition, collecting stories mostly derived from the author's own dreams. The title tale, 'Lukundoo', is the author's most anthologised story, recounting the plight of an explorer who falls foul of a local witch doctor's ghastly curse.
Weird & Supernatural
London, The Readers Library, n.d. [1939].
First edition thus. Small 8vo. Original cloth, gilt. Dust-jacket.
Film tie-in edition, written by the author of the original stage-play. Disturbing jacket artwork, especially for ailurophobics...
Weird & Supernatural
A Weird Legend
London, W.J. Sinkins, 1893.
First edition. Inscribed by C.H. Ross. 8vo. Floral endpapers. Original green cloth stamped in red.
A very good example of this rare first edition, a weird, Hugoesque tale about a wild child called Terra who is unleashed from the bowels of the earth to wreak havoc on the fortunes of Lord Netherdale and his family with her wicked & wanton ways. Inspired by the story of Mademoiselle Leblanc, the mysterious savage of Soigny, near Chalons, who died in Paris in 1780, it is probable that this work is also leveraging the pervading fin-de-siècle anxiety about the emerging 'new woman'.
This copy is inscribed by one of the authors, C.H. Ross, on the half-title, 'Miss Emily Burgess, with Charles Ross's kind regards, Feb 19th 1905.'