Queens of the Abyss: Lost Stories from the Women of the Weird [Paperback]

It is too often accepted that during the 19th and early 20th centuries it was the male writers who developed and pushed the boundaries of the weird tale, with women writers following in their wake—but this is far from the truth. This new anthology follows the instrumental contributions made by women writers to the weird tale, and revives the lost authors of the early pulp magazines along with the often overlooked work of more familiar authors. See the darker side ofThe Secret Gardenauthor Frances Hodgson Burnett and the sensitively-drawn nightmares of Marie Corelli and Violet Quirk. Hear the captivating voices ofWeird Talesmagazine contributors Sophie Wenzel Ellis, Greye La Spina, and Margaret St Clair, and bow down to the sensational, surreal, and challenging writers who broke down the barriers of the day. Featuring material never before republished, from the abyssal depths of the British Library vaults.

Mike Ashleyis an expert on popular fiction of the 19th and 20th centuries who has published more than 100 books on the subject. His Tales of the Weird anthologies includeGlimpses of the Unknown: Lost Ghost StoriesandFrom the Depths and Other Strange Tales of the Sea.

CONTENTS
Introduction 7

A Revelation 11
Mary E. Braddon

The Sculptor’s Angel 39
Marie Corelli

From the Dead 61
Edith Nesbit

The Christmas in the Fog 81
Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Haunted Flat 105
Marie Belloc Lowndes

A Modern Circe 125
Alicia Ramsey

The Nature of the Evidence 141
May Sinclair

The Bishop of Hell 159
Marjorie Bowen

The Antimacassar 183
Greye La Spina

White Lady 203
Sophie Wenzel Ellis

The Laughing Thing 221
G. G. Pendarves

Candlelight 247
Lady Eleanor Smith

The Wonderful Tune 271
Jessie Douglas Kerruish