The Sheikh A. Abdullah (Achmed Abdullah)

Mysteries of Asia

London, Phillip Allan & Co. Ltd , 1935. First edition. Cloth. A very scarce collection of short chilling stories set across Asia, written as part of a popular series by various authors. A first edition, very scarce copy.In the publisher's original cloth blinding. Mysteries of Asia is a collection of fifteen horror stories based in exotic settings, each with its own selection of unique characters and gripping storylines. The author, Achmed Abdullah, is most notable for his works in the crime and mystery genres. Later on in his career, he wrote screenplays for a handful of successful Hollywood silent films. In the original cloth binding. Externally generally smart with bumping and rubbing to extremities. Small closed tear to head of spine. Internally, firmly bound. Pages generally bright and clean. Scattered spotting, heaviest to the front few pages. Good . Ill.: None. Good .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 901Y15

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Mysteries of Asia First Edition Short Stories Thriller First Edition None

Robert Aickman

Dark Entries

London, Collins, 1964. First edition. Cloth. An uncommon first edition, first impression of Robert Aickman's collection of short stories, in the original dust wrapper. The first edition, first impression of this work in the publisher's original cloth binding, with the original price-clipped dust wrapper. This intriguing short story collection contains six curious and macabre stories of love, death and the supernatural, including the classic story 'Ringing the Changes&apos. Other stories include: 'The School Friend', 'A Choice of Weapons', 'The Waiting Room', 'The View', and 'Bind Your Hair&apos. Robert Aickman (1914-1981) was an English writer best known for his supernatural fiction. While critically acclaimed, Aickman was never very commercially successful, which means that the first edition of this work is uncommon to find. In the publisher's original cloth binding, with the original price-clipped dust wrapper. Externally, cloth is in excellent condition. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean, with the odd spot to the fore edge, affecting the occasional page. Dust wrapper remains mostly bright, with spotting to the rear and reverse of the wrap, and a little chipping to the head of the spine. Small closed tear to the front of the wrap. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: Not Stated. Very Good Indeed/Very Good.

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 900M2

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Robert Aickman Short stories Ghost stories Short stories Not Stated

Joan Aiken

Died on a Rainy Sunday

London , Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1972 . First edition. Cloth. The first edition of this thrilling novel by award winning author Joan Aiken, in the original dust wrapper. The first edition. In the publisher's original cloth with the original unclipped dust wrapper. This ghost story was written by Joan Aiken, an English supernatural fiction writer and winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Edgar Allen Poe Award. This gripping thriller is full of suspense, mystery and murder, with the story following a couple, their friends and their kids during a long wet summer. In the publisher's original cloth with the original unclipped dust wrapper. Externally very smart with a slight lean, discolouration to the the boards and bumping to the head and tail of the spine. Light spotting to the endpapers with remnants of a label to the front free endpaper. The wrap is smart with a tidemark, a chip and slight creasing. Internally firmly bound with bright and generally clean pages with the odd spot. Spotting to the fore edge. Near Fine . Ill.: None. Near Fine/Very Good Indeed.

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 890Z21

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: First edition Thriller Ghost stories Joan Aiken Thriller modern None

Kingsley Amis

The Green Man

London, Jonathan Cape, 1969. First edition. Cloth. The first edition of Kingsley Amis' first and only foray into supernatural writing. A lovely copy of this work. A Times Literary Supplement reviewer described The Green Man as 'three genres of novel in one' -  ghost story, moral fable, and comic novel. The novel reflects Amis's willingness to experiment with genre novels, while displaying many of the characteristics of his conventional novels, both in superficial aspects such as fogeyishness and problems with alcohol, and in more substantive aspects such as a self-reflective observation of human cruelty and selfishness in everyday relations. First edition.With the original unclipped dustwraper. A very smart copy of this work. In the publisher's original cloth binding. With unclipped dustwrapper. Externally, fine. In an excellent dustwrapper. Internally, there are a few spots to the bottom of the front wrap. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very bright and clean. Fine . Ill.: None. Fine/Near Fine.

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 734L17

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Supernatural Novel Kingsley Amis Modern Fiction Novel None

Auguste de Villiers de L'Isle Adam

Nouveaux Contes Cruels

Paris, A La Librairie Illustree, 1888. First edition. Paperback. A first edition of this collection of horror tales by French symbolist author Auguste de Villiers. An important collection of horror stories, which pioneered the short story genre conte cruel. This genre of writing was adopted by Charles Birkin, Maurice Level and Roald Dahl. Scarce in the original wraps.  This first edition is undated as called for. In the original French. Villiers' typically wrote in a Romantic style, with fantastic plots filled with mystery and horror. In the publisher's original wraps. Externally, smart. Chips to the extremities and loss to the head and tail of spine. Fading to the wraps. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright. Several gatherings remain unopened at the top edge. Occasional light spots to pages. Very Good . Ill.: None. Very Good .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 779L5

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Conte cruel 1st Edition Scarce 1st Edition None

P. CHR. Asbjornsen; H.L Braekstad

Round the Yule Log Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales

London , Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington , 1881. Leather. A scarce leather-bound translated edition of Norwegian folk and fairy tales. A scarce copy of these Norwegian folk and fairy tales. Originally written by Asbjornsen, a Norweigan writer, scholar and collector of Norwegian folk law, this edition is translated by H.L Braekstad with an introduction by Edmund W. Goose.  With twenty-nine beautifully illustrated plates. Collated, complete. Full calf leather binding. Externally, smart. There is fading to the spine and joints and some to the extremities. The rear board is slightly faded. Internally, firmly bound. The pages are bright and clean with some scattered spots. Very Good . Ill.: Not Stated. Very Good .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 816B13

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Asbjornsen round the yule log folk tales Norwegian tales round the yule log Not Stated

Thomas Ingoldsby [Richard Harris Barham]

The Ingoldsby Legends, or Mirth and Marvels

London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1949. Leather. Illustrated in colour by Arthur Rackham, and in a signed full calf Bayntun-Riviere binding, this is a beautiful example of this anthology of myths and legends. A beautiful edition of this anthology of myths and legends, in a full calf signed Bayntun-Riviere binding, and featuring the colour illustrations of renowned artist Arthur Rackham.Illustrated with numerous vignette illustrations, a colour frontispiece and eleven further full colour plates, all the work of leading figure of Golden Age of British book illustration,  Arthur Rackham. Collated, complete.This is a collection of whimsical legends, myths, and ghost stories written supposedly by Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor, actually the pen-name of clergyman Richard Harris Barham. The legends were first printed in 1837 as a regular series in magazine 'Bentley's Miscellany', and due to their popularity were compiled and published in book form. Although based on real legends and mythology, they are deliberately humorous parodies of medieval folklore and poetry. From the library of Audrey Pleydell-Bouverie, an extravagant socialite and renowned beauty of the Edwardian period. Impeccably connected, Pleydell-Bouverie was also the illegitimate granddaughter of King Edward VII, and rumoured to be a lover of King Edward VIII. A sparkling figure of fashionable society, her friends included Nancy Mitford, Coco Chanel, Winston Churchill, and Fred Astaire. This work is from the sale of Pleydell-Bouverie"s library at Julians Park, Hertfordshire. She purchased the home in 1940, redesigning the interior and amassing an impressive library, featuring many examples of her own bookbinding. In a full calf signed binding, with gilt detailing. Externally, lovely. Rubbing to front joint, with board holding firm. Binder's stamp to verso of front free endpaper. Internally, firmly bound. Pages clean and bright. Near Fine . Ill.: Arthur Rackham. Near Fine .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 793F18

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Riviere Bayntun The Jackdaw of Rheims Audrey Pleydell-Bouverie Bayntun Arthur Rackham

Richard Harris Barnham

The Nonpareil Victoria Ingoldsby

London, Richard Bentley and Son, 1869. Leather. A pocket edition of the Ingoldsby Legends by R. H. Barham. Second edition. WIth one engraved plate. Including tipped-in newspaper clipping about Tappington Hall to front pastedown. In a half-morocco binding with marbled boards. Externally, generally smart, though a little rubbed. Internally, generally firmly bound, though slightly strained in places. Pages are age-toned, with some patches of foxing in places. Very Good . Ill.: None. Very Good .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: LTH17-D-1

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Poetry Ingoldsby Legends Tappington Hall Short Stories Ingoldsby Legends None

James S. de Benneville

The Yotsuya Kwaidan of Otwa Inari

Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott Company, 1917. Cloth. A famous Japanese ghost story, still an influence on Japanese horror today. Yotsuya Kaidan tells the story of Oiwa and Tamiya Iemon. The original was penned as a kabuki play in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku IV, and the plot sees murder and ghostly revenge.Illustrated with a hand painted colour frontispiece.This edition is retold in English by James S. de Benneville.An uncommon edition of this well-known work. In a full cloth binding. Externally generally smart, with the spine a touch faded and bumped to the head and tail. Ownership inscription to the front endpaper. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean. Very Good . Ill.: Not Stated. Very Good .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 770R18

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Japanese Horror Yotsuya Kaidan Japanese Ghost Stories Ghost Stories Yotsuya Kaidan Not Stated

William Peter Blatty

Legion

London, Collins, 1983. First edition. Cloth. The first UK edition of the sequel to the popular horror novel 'The Exorcist' by William Peter Blatty. The first edition. In the publisher's original cloth with the original unclipped dust wrapper. This horror novel is the sequel to the immensely popular horror novel and movie 'The Exorcist', and was written by American writer and director William Peter Blatty. This novel was also adapted into the film 'The Exorcist III' and follows detective Kinderman who investigates a series of murders that have all the hallmarks of a series killer and soon he finds links to the events in the previous novel. In the publisher's original cloth with the original unclipped dust wrapper. Externally lovely with only minimal bumping to the tail of the spine. The wrap is also lovely with only slight marks and the slightest edge wear. Internally firmly bound with clean and age toned pages, as usual with this work. Fine . Ill.: None. Fine/Near Fine.

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 900Z21

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: First edition The Exorcist Horror Demons The Exorcist None

Guy Boothby

Doctor Nikola

London, Ward, Lock & Co. Limited. c1896. Cloth. The first book in Guy Boothby's thrilling Dr Nikola series. A scarce early edition of the first book from the Dr Nikola series. Undated. Dated by copies held at the British Library. In the publisher's original cloth. Variant binding, without motif to front board. Frontispiece, 16 plates and numerous vignettes by Stanley L. Wood. Collated complete. This work of gripping fiction is written by prolific Australian author Guy Boothby. Boothby was mentored by Rudyard Kipling and his books were affectionately remembered by George Orwell. This work is the first book in the Dr Nikola series and is one of Boothby's best known works. The series follows Dr Nikola, an occultist criminal mastermind seeking immortality and world domination. This unusual character was further brought to life in a play called 'The Adventures of Dr Nikola' which ran briefly in London in 1902. In the publisher's original cloth. Externally very smart with some light shelf wear and minimal rubbing to the front boards with the odd mark to the rear. Bumping to the head and tail of the spine with rubbing to the spine resulting in slight loss to the gilt. Offsetting to the front and rear end papers. Ink inscription dated 1901 to the front free end paper. Internally firmly bound. Clean and bright pages with the odd spot, heavier towards the rear. Very Good . Ill.: Stanley L. Wood. Very Good .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 872Z12

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Guy Boothby Fiction Illustrated Dr Nikola Fiction Crime Stanley L. Wood

Ernest Bramah

Kai Lung Beneath the Mulberry-Tree

London , The Richards Press, 1940 . First edition. Cloth. A charming first edition collection of Ernest Bramah's fantasy stories from the ancient story teller Kai Lung. Kai Lung Beneath The Mulberry-Tree is a collection of fantasy stories by Ernest Bramah who was an English writer. The stories feature Kai Lung a story-teller of Ancient China and Bramah wrote a series of books featuring him. The title comes from how Kai Lung would tell his stories, sat underneath a mulberry tree. There are sixteen pages of publisher's adverts to the rear. Rebound in a full cloth binding. Externally, smart. The spine is a little worn and bumped and there are a few marks to the boards. There is a mark to the front pastedown. There is a library stamp to the title page and library ink to the front free endpaper. Internally, firmly bound with generally bright clean pages and scattered spots throughout. Very Good . Ill.: none. Very Good .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 819B30

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Ernest Bramah Kai Lung Beneath the Mulberry Tree fantasy stories short stories Kai Lung Beneath the Mulberry Tree none

Ernest Bramah

The Moon of Much Gladness

London , Cassell and Company, 1932. First edition. Cloth. An intriguing fantasy novel written by Ernest Bramah and featuring his mysterious narrator Kai Lung. The Moon of Much Gladness is a fantasy novel by English writer Ernest Bramah. The narrator of the story is the fictional character Kai Lung who is a Chinese storyteller. This novel differs from other Kai Lung stories as it is a full novel rather than a series of short stories. This is the first British edition as it is subtitle with "A Kai Lung Story." In the publisher's original cloth binding. Externally, worn. The spine is faded and bumped and a little torn. There are some marks to the boards. Internally, generally firmly bound with bright clean pages. Good . Ill.: none. Good .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 820B5

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Ernest Bramah the moon of much gladness kai lung fantasy the moon of much gladness none

John Collier

Pictures in the Fire

London, Rupert Hart-Davis, 1958. Paperback. The scarce proof copy of the first edition of this collection of supernatural short stories by John Collier, several of which inspired the television anthology 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents&apos. The very scarce proof of the first edition, published by Rupert Hart-Davis in September 1958. Not published in the US, although many of the included stories were previously published in the 1951 short story collection 'Fancies and Goodnights' published by Doubleday in the US, with many of those stories initially published in 'The New Yorker&apos. Written by British author, John Collier, best known for his short story writing, notably those adapted in the subversive television shows 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' and 'The Twilight Zone&apos. This collection of his supernatural tales, includes several which were the inspiration for 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', such as Back for Christmas and Wet Saturday. A scarce proof of this collection of supernatural stories. In the publisher's original paper wraps. Externally sound with creasing to the spine. Back strip lifting slightly to head and tail. The odd mark to the wrap. Front free endpaper has been excised. Internally firmly bound. Pages bright and clean. Very Good . Ill.: None. Very Good .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 904K7

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Proof Copy John Collier Pictures in the Fire Alfred Hitchcock John Collier None

F. Marion Crawford

Uncanny Tales

London, Ernest Benn LTD, 1930. Cloth. A collection of the horror and supernatural short stories of F. Marion Crawford, a collection including seven of his most popular stories. A 1930 reprint for Benn's Essex Library, the series was edited by Edward G. Hawke.Weird and eerie short stories by F. Marion Crawford, including seven stories.This collection includes 'The Dead Smile', 'The Screaming Skull', 'Man Overboard!', 'For the Blood is the Life', 'The Upper Berth', 'By the Waters of Paradise', and 'The Doll's Ghost&apos. Perhaps the most famous tale in this collection is 'The Upper Berth', a tale of a stateroom haunted by suicide. 'For the Blood is Life' is a brilliant vampiress tale.Francis Marion Crawford was an American author best known for his weird and fantastical stories. This collection was first published in 1911, two years after Crawford's death. In the original publisher's cloth binding. Externally, smart, with only a few light marks to the boards and spine, with light rubbing to the rear board. Gilt to the spine is faded. Minor bumping to the head and tail of the spine. Lacking the front endpaper. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean. Pencil gift inscription to the half-title. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: None. Very Good Indeed .

Rooke BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 871P34

Catalogue: Ghost Stories

Keywords: Uncanny Tales f. marion crawford wandering ghosts short stories f. marion crawford None