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Azemia (1798)
William Beckford
Edited by Robert J. Gemmett

Azemia is a satirical attack on what William Beckford perceived as characteristically feminine novel-writing. First published in 1797, under the pseudonym Jacquetta Agneta Mariana Jenks, it joined its companion volume Modern Novel Writing, or, The Elegant Enthusiast (1796) in ridiculing the sentimental and sensational novels of the day, and especially the productions of William Lane's Minerva Press.  This is the first-ever scholarly edition of the novel and includes a new introduction by Robert J. Gemmett, as well as thorough annotations, a bibliography, and contemporary illustrations.


A Spoiler of Men (1905)
Richard Marsh
Edited by Johan Höglund

First published in 1905, A Spoiler of Men is, as Johan Höglund writes in his introduction, a roller coaster ride that blends horror, crime, and humour, and will keep readers guessing until its surprising conclusion. It is also, Höglund argues, quite possibly the first occurrence of zombies in English fiction. This new edition, the first since the 1920s, features the unabridged text of the first edition, a new introduction and notes, and a reproduction of the cover of the Victorian "shilling shocker" edition.

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Purchase at Amazon.com
The Old English Baron (1778)
with Edmond, Orphan of the Castle (1799)
Clara Reeve and John Broster
Edited by Kit Kincade

The second major Gothic novel, following Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764), and the first written by a woman, The Old English Baron was extremely popular upon its initial publication and has rarely been out of print. This new edition includes the unabridged text of the original 1778 edition, along with reproductions of its title page and frontispiece, and features a new introduction and notes by Kit Kincade. Also included in this edition is the complete text of John Broster's scarce 1799 dramatic adaptation of the novel, Edmond, Orphan of the Castle, never before republished.
Furze the Cruel (1907)
John Trevena
Edited by Gerald Monsman

Furze the Cruel is the first of Trevena's trilogy of novels focusing on life in Dartmoor, a land peopled by strange and often grotesque characters and haunted by pixies and witchcraft. Taking as its theme the cruelty of God, Nature, and Man, the novel tells the intertwined stories of the inhabitants of a Devonshire village. By turns tragic and comic, and richly evocative in its prose and characterizations, Furze the Cruel is a moving and powerful novel that readers will not soon forget.

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Eugene Aram (1832)
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Edited by Ann-Barbara Graff

Eugene Aram, a brilliant but reclusive scholar, lives in obscurity, devoting his life to arcane research. But he is gradually coaxed from his solitary lifestyle by his kindly old neighbour, Rowland Lester, and as Aram's visits to Lester become more frequent, he becomes more and more enamoured of beautiful Madeline Lester. And yet, despite the young lovers' apparent happiness, Aram seems to be hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, Madeline's cousin Walter sets out to learn the fate of his long-lost father. His quest will lead to the discovery of a long-hidden and horrible crime and the trial of Eugene Aram for murder!

When Eugene Aram appeared in 1832, it drew mixed reactions: critics condemned it vehemently for romanticizing the life of a well-known convicted murderer, while the reading public eagerly snatched up copies of the novel. Controversial both for the artistic liberties Bulwer took with the facts of the case and for his ambivalent portrayal of his eponymous anti-hero, Eugene Aram remained nonetheless one of the most popular novels of the Victorian period.

This new scholarly edition includes the unabridged text of the original three-volume edition of 1832, together with an introduction and annotations by Ann-Barbara Graff. Also featured are appendices containing contemporary reviews of the novel, a parody by Thackeray, Bulwer's fragment of a tragedy about Aram, and other contextual documents.

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