Arthur Lane

A lively, at times hilarious, first-hand account of a lighthouse keeper's life in the last traditional years before the introduction of helicopter reliefs and automation. Arthur Lane entered the Service in 1953 as a fugitive from the Birmingham branch of a large insurance company, who seem to have made no attempt to get him back. His adoption of their premises as the operational headquarters of a Gas Engine Club with potential for world-wide growth...

The Lair of the White Worm (1911) is a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Published only a year before Stoker's death, The Lair of the White Worm helped to establish the Irish master of Gothic horror's reputation as a leading writer of the early-twentieth century. The novel is partly based on the legend of the Lambton Worm, a story from popular English folklore dating back to at least the 14th century. In 1860, an Australian named Adam Salton is...

"The Secret Glory" is a 1922 novel by Welsh author Arthur Machan. Considered by some to be his final masterpiece, it follows the story of a public-school boy who becomes obsessed by incredible stories of the Holy Grail. To this end, he escapes from his repressive school and begins a quest for a deeper meaning to life. Arthur Machen (1863 – 1947) was a Welsh author and renowned mystic during the 1890s and early 20th century who garnered literary...

Published in book form in 1882, these stories first appeared in magazines from 1877 to 1880. The first part consists of "The Suicide Club," and "The Rajah's Diamond;" stories that detail the exotic adventures of Prince Florizel of Bohemia and his associate Colonel Geraldine. Tales from the second part include "A Lodging for the Night," Stevenson's first published story, and "The Pavilion on the Links," praised by Arthur Conan Doyle as the "high-water...

The Jolly Corner is a short story by Henry James published first in the magazine The English Review of December, 1908. One of James' most noted ghost stories, "The Jolly Corner" describes the adventures of Spencer Brydon as he prowls the now-empty New York house where he grew up. He encounters a "sensation more complex than had ever before found itself consistent with sanity."

Arthur Conan Doyle's His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes(1917) is an outstanding collection of some of the later stories and most dramatic exploits of Detective Holmes and Dr. Watson. These stories were composed between 1908 and 1917, with the exception of the infamous tale "The Cardboard Box", which was written in 1893. Six of these adventures were initially published The Strand magazine, and the final titular story was published...

"The Suicide Club" is Robert Louis Stevenson's short story cycle that details the investigations of Prince Florizel of Bohemia and his sidekick Colonel Geraldine into a secret society of people intent on losing their lives, the so-called "suicide club". Comprised of the tales "Story of the Young Man with the Cream Tarts", "Story of the Physician and the Saratoga Trunk", and "The Adventure of the Hansom Cab"; "The Suicide Club" follows the Prince and...

First published in 1872, Carmilla is a classic gothic novella and one of the earliest examples of vampire fiction. Fast-paced and gripping, the story follows the protagonist Laura, who lives in a secluded castle in the woods with her father. One day, a carriage accident brings a young woman named Carmilla into their lives, and she is taken in as a guest. As time goes on, Laura becomes increasingly drawn to Carmilla, despite her strange behavior and...

"The Inmost Light" is a 1894 short novel by Welsh author and mystic Arthur Machan, originally published along with "The Great God Pan" in John Lane's Keynotes Series. The story follows a scientist who incarcerates his wife's soul in a beautiful shining jewel. However, his wife's uninhabited body becomes a clear invitation for something altogether unworldly, and the jewel too tempting for the opportunistic. A classic supernatural tale by a master of...

It has been three years since Sherlock Holmes fell to his death after a showdown with his brilliant enemy Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls. Believing his friend to be dead, Doctor John Watson has moved on with his life. That is, until he discovers Sherlock Holmes alive and in disguise one afternoon in a London shop. A whole new series of adventures awaits Holmes and Watson, and the consulting detective must use the science of deduction to solve new mysteries,...