The Vampyre: A Tale
Magical Creatures, A Weiser Books Collection
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. The story of the conception of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is a tale well known to horror devotees. Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary Wollstonecraft (Shelley) were reading ghost stories aloud to one another one stormy night at Byron's lake house in Geneva, Switzerland. Byron prompted his partygoers to write a ghostly tale of their own. Out of this came the beginnings of one of the most famous horror novels of all time, Frankenstein, a Modern Prometheus. As it happened, John William Polidori was also there that fated night. Personal physician to Lord Byron and a writer as a past time, Polidori crafted The Vampyre, A Tale from a sketch of a story that Byron composed that same evening. Often wrongly advertised as a story by Byron himself, The Vampyre has remained a relatively obscure tale of terror. The first vampire story published in English, Polidori's work predates the seminal Bram Stoker's Dracula by more than seventy years.
Death Bogle at the Crossroads
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten cryptoclassics. Magical Creatures is a hairraising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Beware the death bogle! A sighting of this fearsome creature will likely lead to sudden illness and untimely death. Folklorist Elliot O'Donnell warns of this relative of The Bogieman and all that lurk at the crossroads in this Edwardianera collection about the notsofair fairies of old.
The Mummy and Miss Nitocris
Magical Creatures, A Weiser Books Collection
by George Chetwynd Griffith
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. What do you get when you mix a nutty professor, Egyptian mythology, time-travel, past life regression, a mysterious sarcophagus, and specters from another dimension? The Mummy and Miss Nitocris, of course! A tale of a misplaced mummy coming back to life in present day, this 1906 story was one of the foundational works of Egyptian themed horror and mysteries during the early part of the 20th century, when the excavation of Ancient Egypt was headline news. The author, George Chetwnyd Griffith, was a highly regarded Science Fiction and fantasy writer of the late Victorian and early Edwardian era whose illustrated short story A Honeymoon in Space was the first to create the archetype of Greys - space aliens with wide bald heads, dark almond eyes, and hyper intelligence. He died in 1906 of cirrhosis of the liver.
The Mermaid's Prophecy and Other Stories
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. From T. Crofton Croker's funereal tale of a graven world under the sea to the traditional chant of the Mermaid's Prophecy, this collection will charm any lover of the ladies (and gentlemen) of the deep blue sea.
The Werewolf of the North
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. The werewolf, one of the most misunderstood of all mythical beings, comes to life in this unique look at the were-creatures of Scandinavian origin. Written in 1865 by Sabine Baring-Gould, the man behind the famous hymnal "Onward, Christian Soldiers" proves his deep understanding of the half-man, half-beast.
Unicornicopia
Magical Creatures, A Weiser Books Collection
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. The most revered of all mythical beings, the Unicorn, dashes across the pages of this collection of fiction and folklore from such notable authors as Odell Shepperd and selections from works such as Unicorns: A Mythological Investigation.
The Bells that Committed Murder
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Don't walk into that churchyard or a schoolhouse without a hardhat! There are more than just the usual hazards of daily life in rural Wales that could bring you harm. There are murderous bells afoot!
Taming the Pooka, Celtic Tales of the Trickster Fairy
Magical Creatures, A Weiser Books Collection
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Perhaps one of the most notorious creatures from the fairy realm is the ever-changing trickster fairy: the Pooka. A shapeshifter, the pooka can take many forms, including invisibility, although it most often appears as a terrible horse with eyes of fire and flaming breath. It can also appear as a goat, goblin, dog, or even a rabbit. Not inherently evil, their main task is taunting: they'll take you on a joyride of terrifying proportions, shake you out of your current frame of mind, knock you out of your stupor with a swift kick. Taming the Pooka includes tales of this monster's mayhem - from such notables as W. B. Yeats and T. Crofton Croker, as well as Douglas Hyde. No one is beyond the cunning of the pooka!
The Werewolf
Magical Creatures, A Weiser Books Collection
Part of the Magical Creatures series
In the dark of the night, in the deep of the woods, there dwells a creature that is neither man nor beast. Considered by some to be supernatural, many would call his plight a curse. The curse of the werewolf. Hunted, feared, and deified this snarling being is the stuff legends are made of. This classic tale of terror from noted children's author Eugene Field will have you howling at the moon!
Changelings: Or, Beware Baby Snatchers of the Fairy Kingdom
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. This collection of terrifying tales of kidnapping and baby switching include excerpts from William Butler Yeats and T. Crofton Croker.
Sponge Cake at Funerals And Other Quaint Old Customs
Magical Creatures, A Weiser Books Collection
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Birth rituals, marriage ceremonies, funeral rites, holiday traditions, and enduring superstitions of Welsh folkore are all documented with detail and a fervent love for the people and the immortal spirits of Wales. Written by William Wirt Sikes in 1880, this magnificent collection of old customs is sure to enchant and enliven anyone's virtual bookshelf.
Clarimonde
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. In dark Baudelairean tradition, Théophile Gautier weaves his characteristic Romantic prose into this disturbing 1836 tale of a devout priest lured victim by the wiles of beautiful and enigmatic Clarimonde.
The Christmas Troll and Other Yuletide Stories
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Beware the Scandinavian Christmas Troll! They love to dance and drink through the night on Christmas Eve. If you are in Bavaria, take heed of the Berchte--a wretched bogey who cuts the stomachs open of naughty children. In this wonderful collection of folkloric traditions from early 20th century author Clement A. Miles you will find werewolves, devils, goblins, curses, hexes, and rituals of the dead, all as they relate to Yuletide celebrations around the world.
The Poison Apple: And Other Tales of Magic Mirrors and Wicked Queen
And Other Tales Of Magic Mirrors And Wicked Queen
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. For fairy tale lovers and fans of TV shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time and movies like Mirror, Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman, here is a collection of stories thick with dark woods, poison apples, wicked queens, curses, blessings, huntsmen, true love, crystal coffins, and helpless beauties, largely from Andrew Lang's bestselling Victorian series of color fairy books.
The Dragon Tamers and Other Tales
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. The mythical beast of extraordinary proportions, the dragon has snarled and slithered its way across the centuries where it remains both feared and loved. Join Clint Marsh and Varla Ventura as they explore a few of the stories that should thrill and chill dragon lovers and dragon slayers alike.
Malevolent Banshe
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic.Not all banshees are created equal. Most commonly thought of as mournful beauties, the malevolent banshees give demons a run for their money. An encounter with one of these beings will leave you weak-kneed and wretched for life. Noted Irish ghost expert Elliot O'Donnell brings the hideous creature to life in The Malevolent Banshee.
The Ogre of Rashomon
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. The warrior's sword and the village heroes are no match for the ogres and goblins that gnash their teeth and wreck havoc in early 20th century Japan.
Goblins of Electricity
Magical Creatures, A Weiser Books Collection
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Historian and U. S. Ambassador to Wales during the Victorian era William Wirt Sikes brings us another startling collection of lore from the fairy kingdom. Enchanted monoliths,wells full of milk, caves of treasure protected by crows (if you're lucky) or dragons (if you're not) and the lightening magic of the goblins of electricity are but a few of the unique stories in this collection.
It Moans on Land and Sea and Other Welsh Tales from the Spirit World
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Séances, haunted houses, an evil tailor, Dogs from Hell, demons, goblins, wraiths…all are creeping about within these pages, as they once freely lurked through the hills of Wales. 19th century author Wirt Sikes documented the stories and encounters with these beings from the Other Realm while serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Wales and the result is a delightful collection of the unseen from impish hauntings and invisible trickery to full-scale possession and child-stealing. Arm yourself with these stories that you might better be prepared when you encounter those things that go bump in the night!
Natural Causes of Lycanthropy
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic.We are all werewolves. Or at least, according to supernatural expert Sabine Baring-Gould, we are all capable of becoming werewolves. Written in 1868, this selection from Baring-Gould's massive tome on werewolves will have you locking the doors and looking over your shoulder. Into the mirror.
The Goblin Pony and Other Tales
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Excerpted from the English folklorist Andrew Lang's greater collection, these delightful tales of goblin ponies and little gray men are introduced by self-declared fairy hunter and goblinproofer Reginald Bakeley.
Mermaid
by Heather DiLorenzo Williams
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Many legends and stories feature magical creatures. Wouldn't it be exciting if they were real? In this book, you'll learn all about mermaids: How old are the myths about them? Do they have any magical abilities? And if you meet one, should you be afraid...?
Griffin
by Heather DiLorenzo Williams
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Many legends and stories feature magical creatures. Wouldn't it be exciting if they were real? In this book, you'll learn all about the majestic griffin: Where did the legends of the griffin come from? What are their powers said to be? And are they protectors, or could they be dangerous... ?
The Alleged Counterparts of the Banshee
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Perhaps the most feared creature in Irish fairy lore, the Banshee is the ghostly, female apparition whose shriek portents the demise of a loved one. Elliot O'Donnell explores the terrifying Banshee-equivalents of cultures around the world-- from the Highland Castles of Scotland to the seaside villages of Italy-- and his tales of these creatures make the Irish Banshee look like nothing more than a cherubic Christmas-caroler.
The Unruly Sprite
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Join Reginald Bakeley on a sprite-and-fairy hunt in this torrid little tale from 1912 author and humorist Henry Van Dyke. Here you'll learn that it's okay to take your creative frustrations out on a misbehaving sprite via whips and switches.
The Mummy's Foot
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Theophile Gautier's gothic tale of a man's magical adventures when he serendipitously walks into a Parisian curiosity shoppe to purchase a bauble, and becomes owner of a 3,000 year-old ancient Egyptian princess' mummified foot.
The Occult Powers of Goats and Other Welsh Tales of Goblins, Fairies, Gnomes, and Elves
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Goblins, fairies, pooka, changelings, gnomes, and elves...all are lurking within this book. Their stories and legends stand the test of time, and by reading them you will soon find that you have released these creatures into your life! Are your shoes missing again? Garden thriving in spite of your neglect? Did you hear something calling out to you from the shores of the river or the sea? Be warned! You have invoked the power of the fairie. It is best to study their culture and learn to live with them. 19th century author Wirt Sikes learned to live in harmony with them while serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Wales. Perhaps this collection he has bestowed upon us will help you to celebrate the magic (and the mayhem) of the fairy realm.
The House of the Vampire
by George Sylvester Viereck
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. The House of the Vampire was the first vampire novel to address the terrors of psychic vampires (non-bloodsuckers). The author, George Sylvester Viereck, was friends with Nikola Tesla (whose studies in the world of energy may have inspired the idea of psychic vampirism) and published a regular periodical, The Fatherland, to which Aliester Crowley was one of the many contributors.
The Mermaid of Druid Lake
Magical Creatures, A Weiser Books Collection
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Mermaids are not always found in the sparkling waters of the deep blue sea. Sometimes you find them inland: in lakes, streams, and even in swimming pools. The Mermaid of Druid Lake is about such an inland dwelling water nymph who coaxes two gentlemen into taking her for a joyride around the park. Sweet, humorous, and delightfully Edwardian this 1906 classic tale will delight lovers of the merfolk and folklore alike.
Vampire
by Heather DiLorenzo Williams
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Many legends and stories feature magical creatures. Wouldn't it be exciting if they were real? In this book, you'll learn all about vampires: Where do they live? What makes them so dangerous? And how can you keep them away... ?
Leprechaun
by Heather DiLorenzo Williams
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Many legends and stories feature magical creatures. Wouldn't it be exciting if they were real? In this book, you'll learn all about leprechauns: Why are they said to wear green? Do they have special powers? And what should you do if you catch one?
Phoenix
by Heather DiLorenzo Williams
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Many legends and stories feature magical creatures. Wouldn't it be exciting if they were real? In this book, you'll learn all about the mysterious phoenix: What magical abilities does it have? Exactly how rare are these magical creatures? And where do they live?
Fairy
by Heather DiLorenzo Williams
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Many legends and stories feature magical creatures. Wouldn't it be exciting if they were real? In this book, you'll learn all about the mischievous fairy: Where do these creatures live? What can they do? And are they harmless, or could they be dangerous...?
A Kidnapped Santa Claus
Part of the Magical Creatures series
First published in 1904, "A Kidnapped Santa Claus" by L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz, describes the action of some uncommon events in the land of Santa. Not far from the Laughing Valley where Santa and all his magical helpers live, and beyond the Forest of Burzee, there stands a huge mountain that contains the Cave of Demons. Each demon has a specialty: Selfishness, Envy, Hatred, Malice, and Repentance. Because the promise of Santa puts all girls and boys on their best behavior, the demons have hardly any visitors to their caves. In order to remedy their dismal foot traffic, they conspire to kidnap Santa! But oh! Even when it looks as if the demons might win, one can never underestimate the power of devoted (and magical!) friends.
House That Stood On Chicken Feet
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Baba Yaga, The Girl Without Hands, and some of the more widely known and perpetually-reimagined terrifying Russian fairy tales of Eastern European folkloric tradition.
Burial of Rats
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Varla Ventura, fan favorite on Huffington Post's Weird News, frequent guest on Coast to Coast, and bestselling author of The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, introduces a new Weiser Books Collection of forgotten crypto-classics. Magical Creatures is a hair-raising herd of affordable digital editions, curated with Varla's affectionate and unerring eye for the fantastic. Bram Stoker, the master of horror and dark mind behind the most famous vampire novel in history-Dracula-brings us to the edge of our chairs again with a tale of a different variety. Here the horrors are not vampires, nor are they werewolves. Here the horrors are poverty and vicious, snarling rats. A young man finds himself (foolishly) wandering beyond the city walls of 1850s Paris, making his way into the dust piles and garbage gatherings of the paupers. Living among the rags and the war-torn are giant, beady eyed rats. Hideous beasts that clean a dead (or dying) human body down to its skeleton before the flesh is even cold. Add to that a swampy quagmire and some curious psychic insights, and you have a masterful tale of the macabre that is not for the feint of heart.
Dragon
by Heather DiLorenzo Williams
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Many legends and stories feature magical creatures. Wouldn't it be exciting if they were real? In this book, you'll learn all about the elusive dragon: What makes them so dangerous? Where do they live? And what magical abilities do they have?
Unicorn
by Heather DiLorenzo Williams
Part of the Magical Creatures series
Many legends and stories feature magical creatures. Wouldn't it be exciting if they were real? In this book, you'll learn all about unicorns: Where do they live? When were they first sighted? And why are people so fascinated by them?