The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of F. Marion Crawford

Volume five of a collection of supernatural and weird tales by a forgotten master of the gothic and occultAlthough an American author, writer F(rancis) Marion Crawford was born in Northern Tuscany, the son of sculptor Thomas Crawford, he spent much of his life in the United States, living and working in Boston. His inherent sensitivity to Italy influenced much of his historical fiction. Indeed, in his novel ’Corleone,’ Crawford became the first author to prominently feature the now very familiar theme of the Mafia in fiction. He also produced notable works of history concerned with the various ages of Italy. Travels in the East and the study of Sanskrit in India gave him a grounding in the oriental and an interest in the other worldly. Although the themes of supernatural and weird fiction are often believed to be expressed to best effect in the short story most of Crawford’s literary output consisted of novels. Fortunately, several of these include distinctly fantastical themes. His comparatively small oeuvre of short ghost and horror tales is so finely crafted that they have become some of the most highly regarded examples of the form in the English language. M. R James considered some of them to be among the best supernatural stories written, with the chilling and claustrophobic ’The Upper Berth’ being especially singled out for merit. Crawford’s talent for this genre is so widely acknowledged that it has been rightly noted that the greatest shame was that he did not write more-praise indeed! This five volume Leonaur collection of Crawford’s strange novels, novellas and short stories provides a superb and substantial collection by one of Americas finest nineteenth century authors.The final volume of this special collection begins with the gothic masterpiece ’Greifenstein’ and is followed by another of Crawford’s other worldly tales highly regarded by M. R. James, ’The Screaming Skull,’ in which a doctor brutally murders his wife by pouring molten metal into her ear and then dies mysteriously himself; later a man inherits a skull which remains far from silent-as old bones should be! In ’The King’s Messenger’ the holder of this dignified office actually has far more sinister duties. Finally, ’Man Overboard!’ is a fabulous nautical ghost story of two seafaring brothers, one of whom is swept overboard. The survivor wins the bride, but a terrible fate awaits them.Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.