Dr Syn though he had escpaed from his piratical past, surviving shipwreck and death, he had been reinstated as Vicar of Dymchurch. But, he was discovered by Mipps, an old pirate.

This is the final Chapter in the Dr Syn series. It tells the tale of the good people of England's Romney Marsh, battling to deceive the local revenue men of duty for contraband goods from France. The men of Romney Marsh are led by the villan the Scarecrow who is non other than the good Dr Syn Parson of Dymchurch-under-the wall, so named as the sea is 9 feet above the sea wall. At night the frail Parson Dr Syn becomes the vicious Scarecrow, stopping at nothing to get the cotraband through, crossing the moorland and dikes, riding his huge black horse Gehenna painted with luminous paint, to add to the 'folklore' of the mystery of the Scarecrow. Only Mipps his faithful assistant knows the true identity of the Scarecrow. The Excise men finally get a man to match the Scarecrow and Mr Faulks arrives in Dymchurch with an old sailor that Syn multilated in his days on the sea as Captain Clegg (told in Dr Syn on the high seas). Recognition of the old Sailor sends Syn into morbid moods, Mipps knows his master is worried about the visitor from the past.

“Doctor Syn on the High Seas” is a 1936 novel by British writer Arthur Thorndike. The second in the Doctor Syn series, it tells the story of how a young clergyman called Christopher Syn loses his wife to a seducer and his consequent quest for vengeance. Arthur Russell Thorndike (1885 – 1972) was a British actor and novelist, most famous for his ‘Doctor Syn of Romney Marsh’ series of novels. Other notable works by this author include: ‘Children of the Garter’ (1937), “The Slype” (1927), and “The Master of the Macabre” (1946). Contents include: “Doctor Syn Meets Minister Mipps”, “Doctor Syn Becomes a Squire of Dames”, “Doctor Syn Escapes”, “The Challenge”, “The Abduction”, “The Duel”, “The Friend of the Family”, “The Elopement”, “The Dead Man”, “The Odyssey Begins”, “Pirates”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

"Dr. Syn's creator cannot but write interestingly. . . . Some of the strange stories are horrible and not for the squeamish." - Sydney Morning Herald "These tales of terror and violence are quite nightmarish in their exciting conception." - Glasgow Evening News "Master of the Macabre is certainly macabre and provides just what you want, if you enjoy reading of 'ghosts and ghoulies, long leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night.'" The Star (Sheffield) "It is all very good reading for a windy night, alone in front of an open fireplace." - Winnipeg Tribune "This book is strange, thrilling and certainly macabre." - Yorkshire Evening Press Tayler Kent flees London in a blinding snowstorm, hoping to escape the ghosts that haunt his home. Instead, he finds things may have gone from bad to worse when he crashes his car, breaks his ankle, and is forced to take refuge at a medieval monastery now inhabited by the eccentric Charles Hogarth, known as "The Master of the Macabre." As Kent's ankle heals, Hogarth entertains him with fine food, brandy, and a series of gruesome stories connected with an odd assortment of old relics on display in a curio cabinet. But the terrors are not confined to Hogarth's tales: the monastery is haunted by the evil spirit of an apostate monk and besieged by more corporeal foes, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on one of the Master's treasures. . . . Best known for his series of novels featuring the smuggler Dr. Syn, Russell Thorndike (1885-1972) in The Master of the Macabre (1947) delivers an irresistible mix of horror, adventure, and black humour that is sure to please fans of classic ghost stories and supernatural fiction. This first-ever republication of the novel includes the original jacket art and a new introduction by Mark Valentine.

CONTENTS 1. Alternaria alternata (Fries.) Keissler (Syn. A. tenuis Nces) 2. Alternaria brassicicola (Schw,) Wiltshire 3. Alternaria longissima, Deighton Mae Garive 4. Alternaria tenuissima (Kunze.Fr.) Wiltshire 5. Aspergillus candidus Link 6. Aspergillus fiavus link ex. Fr. 7. Aspergillus fumigatus, Fresenius 8. Aspergillus nidulans, (Eidam.) Winter 9. Aspergillus niger, Van Tiegh 10. Aspergillus oryzae Ahlburg. Cohn 11. Aspergillus ruber 12. Aspergillus sydowii (Bainier and Sartory), Thom and Church 13. Aspergillus tamarri, Kita 14. Aspergillus terreus, Thom 15. Botryodiplodia theobromae, Patouillard 16. Botrytis cinerea, Persoon 17. Cephalosporium humicola, Oudemans 18. Chaetomium brasiliense, Bat and Pontuel 19. Chaetomium globosum, Kunze 20. Cladosporium cladosporioides (Fr.) de Vries 21. Colletotrichum dematium (Fr.) Grove 22. Corynespora cassiicola (Berk. and Curt.) Wei 23. Cunninghamella elegans Lendner 24. Curvularia lunata (Walker) Boediju 25. Drechslera rostrata 26. Drechslera tetramera (Mc.Kinney) Subram and Jain Syn. Helminthosporium tetramera Mc. Kinney Bipolaris tetramera (Mc. Kinney) Shoem 27. Epicoccum purpurascens, Ehrenberg 28. Fusarium bulbigenum, Cooke and Massee 29. Fusarium equiseti (Corda) Saccardo 30. Fusariurn moniliforme, Sheldon 31. Fusarium oxysporurn, Schlechtendahl 32. Fusarium semitectum Berkeley and Ravene 33. Fusarium solani (Martius) 34. Fusarium udum (Berkeley.) 35. Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi.) Goid 36. Memnoniella echinata (Rivolta.) Galloway 37. Mucor echinulatus 38. Mucor hiemalis, Wehmer. 39. Mucor varians, Povah. 40. Myrothecium roridum, Tode. 41. Nigrospora oryzae, Hudson 42. Penicillium corylophilum, Dierck Syn. P. umbonatum Shopp. 43. Penicillium chrysogenum, Thom. 44. Penicillium citrinum, 45. Penicillium expansum (Link.) Thom. 46. Penicillium oxalicum, Thom. 47. Penicillium rubrum, Stoll 48.Phoma humicola, Gilman and Abbott 49. Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taub.) Butl. 50. Rhizoctonia solani, Kuhn 51. Rhizopus arrhizus, Fischer 52. Rhizopus nigricans, Ehrenberg 53. Sclerotium rolfsii Saccardo. 54. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. 55. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. 56. Sterile mycelium 57. Verticillium albo-atrum Reinke and Berthold

By any reasonable expectation, George Arliss should not have succeeded as a star, either on stage or in film. Yet he achieved a career enjoyed by very few in the performing arts. An actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker, George Arliss won acclaim for his work first on the stage and then later, most improbably, as a Hollywood movie star. His films achieved the rare distinction of being both artistic and financial successes. Though he was neither young nor handsome, Arliss found popular acclaim for his many historical characterizations such as Voltaire, Nathan Rothschild, Cardinal Richelieu, and Benjamin Disraeli. Robert Fells traces Arliss's life and times through his film work, providing a thoroughly researched and entertaining view of one of the most important, yet neglected figures in film history. The book also reviews the actor's uneasy relationship with screenwriters, his clashes with British film producer Michael Balcon, his championing of young unknowns such as Bette Davis and James Cagney, and his prosecution by the British Government during World War II. It also includes a complete filmography and a selected stageography of Arliss's work. Includes 20 photos.