When we say Ambrose Bierce was a western writer, we aren’t referring to western civilization. Rather, Bierce lived and wrote in the western United States, based in San Francisco for much of his career. A journalist by trade, Bierce left his indelible stamp on the short story with the twist at the end, and found […]
M.R. James’ ghost stories written for Christmas strike an ominous chord year round
M.R. James’ ghost stories have been making people wary of the dark for well over a century now. James helped usher in a new era of horror, taking literature beyond the gothic ghost stories which came before, and in a real sense, brought contemporary situations to horror. Even if his protagonists led lives not shared by most […]
A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James
M.R. James is one of the best loved writers of ghost stories in the English language. An academic by nature and profession, as well as a devout Christian, James was cagey when discussing his own belief in the supernatural. His tales usually involved antiquarians who delved a bit too deeply into the mysteries they studied, […]
Glassic Gothic Ghost Stories: Beyond the Wall of Sleep by H.P. Lovecraft
Building 93, KIng’s Park Psychiatric Hospital, Long Island, New York Growing up in the seventies, we were more likely to equate the title of this short story to Black Sabbath than to H.P. Lovecraft. A song by that same title appeared on their debut album, Black Sabbath in 1970. Much has been written about a […]
Laudanum from the Witch’s Garden: The opiate that drove the romantic poets to enlightenment and insanity
Laudanum, from the opium poppy was a drug of choice for the romantic poets. Many thought it brought them closer to enlightenment, but all too often it left them ravaged by addiction. White price are you willing to pay to know the mind of the gods?
Exploring the imagination of Washington Irving and early American folklore along the Rip Van Winkle Trail in the Catskills … a photo essay
WHOEVER has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Kaatskill mountains. They are a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west of the river, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country. Every change of season, every change of weather, indeed, […]
