This gothic story delves into the peculiar worlds of a butler, a reporter, and a possibly lycanthropic would-be chemist, where reality blurs with the extraordinary. Hiding in the bustling streets of New York are elusive cryptids, hidden societies, and bizarre creatures. This short story explores the city's secrets, where strange creatures and mysterious wonders lurk around every corner. First published in 1906, Algernon Blackwood's fantastically terrifying work has enchanted and intrigued readers for over a century in a masterful example of classic gothic horror.

These early works by various authors were written between the Middle Ages and the early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Wolf in the Moonlight' contains a collection of short stories about the charismatic creature, the wolf, and includes 'The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains' by Frederick Marryat (1839), 'The Wolf' by Guy de Maupassant (1882), 'Olalla' by by Robert Louis Stevenson (1885), and many more. Homo sapiens and canis lupus have a long and chequered history together. Amongst early agricultural societies, the wolf was widely feared for its tendency to devastate supplies of livestock. This fear was passed down through the generations, codified in countless legends and folktales, so that, by the Early Middle Ages, as academic and wolf expert Beryl Rowland puts it, the wolf was established as the “universal baleful symbol.” The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

These early works by various authors were originally published in the late 19th century and early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Cryptofiction - Volume II.' contains a collection of short stories that include 'The Messenger' by Robert W. Chambers, 'The Brazilian Cat' by Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Relic of the Pliocene' by Jack London, and many other classic tales of strange creatures. The genre of cryptofiction has grown up in the shadow of its older brothers, science fiction and fantasy, and specialises in the concept of mysterious creatures such as sea monsters, wolf-men, and lost pre-historic creatures. Cryptofiction takes its name from another, non-literary practice: cryptozoology. This is generally regarded as a pseudoscience by mainstream scientists, relying as it does upon anecdotal, often unverifiable evidence. However, it still boasts many enthusiasts, and continues to exert considerable artistic allure. Cryptofiction is here to stay, and the stories in this collection map the development of a genre which is as strange as it is fascinating. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

This early work by H. G. Wells was originally published in 1894 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'In the Avu Observatory' is a short story of a man working in an observatory in Borneo who gets attacked by a strange bat-like creature. Herbert George Wells was born in Bromley, England in 1866. He apprenticed as a draper before becoming a pupil-teacher at Midhurst Grammar School in West Sussex. Some years later, Wells won a scholarship to the School of Science in London, where he developed a strong interest in biology and evolution, founding and editing the Science Schools Journal. However, he left before graduating to return to teaching, and began to focus increasingly on writing. It was in 1895 that Wells seriously established himself as a writer, with the publication of the now iconic novel, The Time Machine. Wells followed The Time Machine with the equally well-received War of the Worlds (1898), which proved highly popular in the USA. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

This early work by Arthur James Ogilvy was originally published in 1913 and we are now republishing it as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Ape Man' is a short story about a prospector in Amazonia who discovers the last family of some quasi-human apes. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

Prester John is an adventure thriller novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. Nineteen-year-old David Crawfurd travels from Scotland to South Africa to work as a storekeeper. On the voyage he encounters again John Laputa, the celebrated Zulu minister, of whom he has strange memories. In his remote store David finds himself with the key to a massive uprising, led by the minister, who has taken the title of the mythical priest-king, Prester John. David's courage and his understanding of this man take him to the heart of the uprising, a secret cave in the Rooirand. John Buchan wrote Prester John seven years after he himself returned from South Africa. It was his first to reach a wide readership across the world, and it established him as the writer of fast-paced adventures for which he is famous.

This early work by Edward Page Mitchell was originally published in 1878 and we are now republishing it as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Devilish Rat' is a short story about flesh stripping rodents. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

This early work by Charles John Cutcliffe Hyne was originally published in 1904 and we are now republishing it as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Lizard' is a short story in about a cave-hunter who finds more than he bargained for. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.