The owl gazed at Reggie, who by now was totally captivated by the presence of the creature. The owl rocked its head from side to side, as it peered down between the swaying branches at him. Suddenly it took to its wing and flew a short way along the foot-path, leading Reggie further away from the canal tow-path. Settling on the branch of another tree a little farther on, it stared back at Reggie, now obsessed with the creature it, seeming to want him to follow it. He became curious of the owls appearance and presence. Though it had moved away from the light, its eyes still shone brightly. The owl continued to move further along the path-way, with Reggies insatiable curiosity requiring him to follow it he, continually being led away from the tow-path by the creature.

The little boy gazed up at Abigail as they walked on. Im sorry, he whispered. Hanzas statement almost brought tears to Abigails eyes. He seemed to apologize for his existence. For a six-year-old, the history and experiences in Hanzas short life seemed to have created a benign acceptance and realization in him that had sent him beyond his years.

Suddenly, by the piano stool, she made out a faint shadow beginning to appear. She stared at it curiously as the familiar features of a little dog gradually began to form. The seconds ticked on, until the spirit of her little dog Tiggle materialized and turned to gaze across at her. In that moment, all the grief Tiffany had felt over his loss vanished.

After welcoming the congregation, the priest continued to announce the opening hymn, making no mention of why he had replaced Father Carmichael for the service. It raised the curiosity in Connie, especially as the rest of the congregation seemed relaxed and familiar with the priest addressing them. As the service continued, Connie found herself looking around the church to see if Father Carmichael had arrived. Peering through two pillars adjacent to their pew, her gaze fell upon a commemorative plaque set in the wall beyond. In bold script cut into the stone, Connie focused on the name of the churchs founder. She stared, stunned at the words In memory of Father Carmichael, followed by the dates of his life span several centuries earlier.

A delightful and hilarious companion for anyone taking a trip and an indispensable work for any fan of Jan Morris. With her travel chronicles unparalleled in twentieth-century literature, Jan Morris’s legendary books on Venice, Manhattan, and Trieste have made her one of our most beloved writers. Now reflecting back on over half a century, Morris has decided to write not about the destinations but about the people she has encountered. Whether writing as James or later as Jan, Morris introduces us to a panoply of memorable characters—the Sherpa guide who first scaled Mt. Everest, the lascivious Manhattan cabbie, and the proverbial spy in the raincoat. She provides insightful portraits of the famous, such as Harry Truman and Jordan’s King Hussein, and glimpses of the infamous, including Adolf Eichmann. Recalling human encounters on six continents, she paints a vibrant, funny, and moving picture of humanity. Ultimately, no figure comes into clearer focus than Morris herself, an astonishing chronicler of the human spectacle. Contact! is one book you’ll want to carry with you wherever you go.

Introduced and edited by broadcaster Stephen Johnson, a curated selection of chilling ghost stories from world literature. Why do people love ghost stories, even if they don’t believe (or say they don’t believe) in ghosts? Is it simply the adrenaline rush that comes from being mesmerized and terrified by a great storyteller, or do these tales yield deeper meanings—telling us things about our own inner shadows? Stephen Johnson brings together some of the most memorable encounters with ghosts in world literature, from Europe, Russia, the United States, and China. Recurring themes and imagery are noted, interpretations suggested—but only suggested, since ambiguity and resistance to rational interpretation are key elements in the best ghost stories. As the writer Robert Aickman observed, often the decisive moment comes when someone, somehow, makes a “wrong turning”—literally, perhaps, but at the same time psychologically, even morally—and some mysterious nemesis takes over. Old favorites by M. R. James, Ambrose Bierce, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman are interlaced with extracts from longer works by Emily Brontë, Henry James, and Alexander Pushkin,, along with slightly left-field apparitions from Tove Jansson and Flann O’Brien. With such expert guides, who knows what we will be led to encounter in the haunted chambers of our minds?

In July 1861 London newspapers excitedly reported two violent crimes, both the stuff of sensational fiction. One involved a retired army major, his beautiful mistress and her illegitimate child, blackmail and murder. In the other, a French nobleman was accused of trying to kill his son in order to claim the young man's inheritance. The press covered both cases with thoroughness and enthusiasm, narrating events in a style worthy of a popular novelist, and including lengthy passages of testimony. Not only did they report rumor as well as what seemed to be fact, they speculated about the credibility of witnesses, assessed character, and decided guilt. The public was enthralled. Richard D. Altick demonstrates that these two cases, as they were presented in the British press, set the tone for the Victorian "age of sensation." The fascination with crime, passion, and suspense has a long history, but it was in the 1860s that this fascination became the vogue in England. Altick shows that these crimes provided literary prototypes and authenticated extraordinary passion and incident in fiction with the "shock of actuality." While most sensational melodramas and novels were by lesser writers, authors of the stature of Dickens, Thackeray, George Eliot, Trollope, Hardy, and Wilkie Collins were also influenced by the spirit of the age and incorporated sensational elements in their work.