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About this book

A haunted room, a strange warning, a quiet moment when the familiar no longer feels safe.

Stories of Mystery gathers eight tales of ghosts, suspense and the unexplained, selected by Rossiter Johnson. Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Amelia B. Edwards and Catherine Crowe are among the writers here. Each brings a different way of stirring fear, letting puzzling events disturb a world that first seems ordinary.

The collection brings together voices from Britain and America, including William D. O’Connor, Allan Cunningham, Robert T. S. Lowell and Francis O’Connor. Haunted rooms, omens and strange warnings invite you to question what seems possible. The pace is unhurried: scenes take shape, unease gathers, and reason does not always offer a comfortable answer.

What you’ll discover

  • Eight distinct voices Discover how different nineteenth-century storytellers shape dread, each within a single short tale.
  • The familiar turns strange Enter everyday settings where a puzzling event unsettles the comfort of ordinary life.
  • Warnings without easy answers Meet ghosts and omens that leave room for doubt about what reason can explain.
  • Suspense that takes time Let carefully set scenes and gathering unease draw you into the mysteries.
  • Questions beneath the chills Explore the fears surrounding death, guilt, fate and the limits of human knowledge.

Is it for you?

This book suits readers who enjoy ghost stories, old-fashioned suspense and the range of nineteenth-century short fiction. It may suit you less if you want fast modern thrillers or graphic horror.

What’s inside

The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary

  1. A gathering of eight different voices
  2. Fear lives in ordinary places
  3. Ghosts, warnings and the unexplained
  4. How the old tellers build suspense
  5. Mystery as a window on the age
  6. How to read the collection today

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8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Large print hardcover
8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.

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Récits mystérieux by Rossiter Johnson (éditeur) ; William D. O'Connor, Amelia B. Edwards, Charles Dickens, Allan Cunningham, Robert T. S. Lowell, Francis O'Connor, Catherine Crowe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, the cover

From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6

A gathering of eight different voices

The book is an anthology, so its strength is variety. Eight writers from Britain and America each contribute one tale. Some names are widely read, such as Dickens and Hawthorne, while others are less often met today.

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The author

William D. O'Connor, Amelia B. Edwards, Charles Dickens, Allan Cunningham, Robert T. S. Lowell, Francis O'Connor, Catherine Crowe, Nathaniel Hawthorne

1832–1889 · American writer

William Douglas O’Connor (1832–1889) was an American writer. He was born in Boston and died in Washington, D.C. He wrote the novel Harrington (1860) and the pamphlet The Good Gray Poet (1866), about Walt Whitman. He also wrote short stories and worked for the United States Lighthouse Board.

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What is Stories of Mystery about?

It is a collection of eight nineteenth-century tales of ghosts, suspense and unexplained events, chosen by the editor Rossiter Johnson from several British and American writers.

Who are the authors in Stories of Mystery?

The writers include Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Amelia B. Edwards, Catherine Crowe, Allan Cunningham, William D. O'Connor, Robert T. S. Lowell and Francis O'Connor.

Who was Rossiter Johnson?

He was an American editor and author who compiled anthologies and reference works. In this book he acts as the editor who selected and gathered the tales.

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