A bizarre work whose labyrinthine plot defies summary, "Horrid Mysteries" (1796) recounts the experiences of Don Carlos and his friend, the Marquis of G******, who become entangled in the web of a secret society bent on world domination. As the heroes flee from place to place across Europe, the agents of this dark confederacy, seemingly possessed of supernatural powers, are always at their heels-and death lies around every corner! Unavailable for nearly 50 years, this unabashedly lurid Gothic novel written by an enigmatic German who styled himself the "Marquis of Grosse" and "Marquis of Pharnusia" returns to print at last as the seventh and final reissue in Valancourt's series of the rare Gothic novels mentioned in Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey." This edition includes a new introduction by Prof. Allen W. Grove. "A strange, wild work, dealing unashamedly in the supernatural, written with a lurid power ... the most defiantly fantastic of any novel of the period ... I am aware of no Gothic novel of the period that can rival it." - Michael Sadleir, "The Northanger Novels: A Footnote to Jane Austen" "Remarkable for its sombre and fearful power, a vehemence which grips the reader and holds him fast." - Montague Summers, "The Gothic Quest" "Certainly no novel to survive from the Gothic period is stranger, darker, or more precipitately irrational." - Prof. Frederick S. Frank, "The First Gothics"

Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that usually combines fiction with horror, romance, and death. The genre's origin is attributed to the novel, “The Castle of Otranto”, which was written by English author Horace Walpole and first published in 1764. “The Horrid Mysteries” is the English translation by Peter Will of the German Gothic novel “Der Genius by Carl Grosse”. It was notably one of the seven "horrid novels" referred to by Jane Austen in her novel “Northanger Abbey” and revolves around the Marquis of Grosse, who finds himself in the middle of a secret revolution arising from a society which employs mayhem and murder in their pursuit of an early form of communism. This volume is highly recommended for fans of Gothic literature and is not to be missed by collectors. Many vintage books such as this are becoming 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 the original text and artwork.

From the author of You Must Not Miss comes a haunting contemporary horror novel that explores themes of mental illness, rage, and grief, twisted with spine-chilling elements of Stephen King and Agatha Christie. Following her father's death, Jane North-Robinson and her mom move from sunny California to the dreary, dilapidated old house in Maine where her mother grew up. All they want is a fresh start, but behind North Manor's doors lurks a history that leaves them feeling more alone . . . and more tormented. As the cold New England autumn arrives, and Jane settles in to her new home, she finds solace in old books and memories of her dad. She steadily begins making new friends, but also faces bullying from the resident "bad seed," struggling to tamp down her own worst nature in response. Jane's mom also seems to be spiraling with the return of her childhood home, but she won't reveal why. Then Jane discovers that the "storage room" her mom has kept locked isn't for storage at all -- it's a little girl's bedroom, left untouched for years and not quite as empty of inhabitants as it appears . . . Is it grief? Mental illness? Or something more . . . horrid?

It is among the seven "horrid novels" recommended by the character Isabella Thorpe in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey and an important early work in the genre. It contains the standard gothic tropes of the blameless damsel in distress, the centrality of a huge, gloomy, ancient building to the plot, the discovery of scandalous family secrets, and a final confrontation between forces of good and evil. Its resolutely anti-Catholic, pro-English Protestant sentiment is also a feature of the genre. "Matilda Weimar flees her lecherous and incestuous uncle and seeks refuge in the ancient Castle of Wolfenbach. Among the castle's abandoned chambers, Matilda will discover the horrifying mystery of the missing Countess of Wolfenbach. But when her uncle tracks her down, can she escape his despicable intentions?" --www.valancourtbooks.com.

The good old Count Renaud is dead, and his will makes the degenerate Rhodophil his heir, disinheriting his other son Ferdinand, who has married against his father's wishes. Rhodophil promises to share his new riches with his younger brother and his wife Claudina, but Ferdinand hears a mysterious voice from beyond the grave, warning him to flee his brother and his wife to save himself from sin and death! Ferdinand obeys the supernatural warning and sets out to find fortune and adventure. In the course of his quest he will encounter a recluse in a ruined castle with a horrible secret, find himself captured and imprisoned by the Turkish army, and encounter one of Gothic literature's most depraved female characters, the monstrous Fatima. And if he survives all these dangers, Ferdinand must return to Renaud Castle to solve the mystery of the ghostly voice and uncover the terrible truth about his wife and his brother! This edition includes the unabridged text of the four volume 1796 edition, with a new introduction and notes by Karen Morton, and reproductions of illustrations from the 1796 and 1824 editions.

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. A reading competition? No way is Henry taking part in a reading contest. That is, until he hears the prize is a family trip to a theme park. Henry is determined to win ... but how on earth is he going to read all those books?