Selected and introduced by Stephen Carver






‘The beauty of the scene was strangely uplifting. Yet, ever at the back of his thoughts, lay that other aspect of the wilderness: the indifference to human life, the merciless spirit of desolation which took no note of man.’ – The Wendigo


 


‘Of the quality of Mr. Blackwood’s genius there can be no dispute … he is the one absolute and unquestioned master of weird atmosphere.’ – H.P. Lovecraft


 


Algernon Blackwood (1869 – 1951) – ‘The Ghost Man’ – was a British broadcaster, journalist, traveller, mystic, and paranormal investigator, and, above all, a prolific author of weird, occult, and supernatural fiction. Often, he wrote about the untamed wilderness, from deserts to vast, primeval forests, vividly depicting a natural environment that is at once awe-inspiring, alien and hostile. Many of Blackwood’s most famous tales – such as The Wendigo and ‘The Willows’ (both included in this collection) – are set in the empty places of the world.


 


Like his psychic detective ‘John Silence’, Blackwood was fascinated by elemental spirits, reincarnation, other dimensions, and higher states of consciousness. Wherever such things broke through, he sought them out, and now so can you in this comprehensive collection of his short fiction. As Blackwood explained himself: ‘I believe it possible for our consciousness to change and grow, and that with this change we may become aware of a new universe.’







Contents:







Introduction


Note on the Text


Bibliography


Works by Algernon Blackwood


Further Reading


A Haunted Island


A Case of Eavesdropping


The Empty House


Keeping His Promise


Smith: An Episode in a Lodging House


The Listener


Max Hensig – Bacteriologist and Murderer: A Story of New York


The Willows


The Insanity of Jones


The Woman’s Ghost Story


A Psychical Invasion


The Nemesis of Fire


Secret Worship


Entrance and Exit


The Sea Fit


The Wendigo


The Deferred Appointment


The Damned


A Descent into Egypt


Transition


The Decoy


The Wolves of God


Confession


The Man Who Was Milligan


The Doll


Appendix: Explorers’ Ghost Stories

Introduction by: Stephen Carver
Selected by: Stephen Carver
Series edited by: Stephen Carver