Copyright © Valancourt Books 2006-2009
The Blood of the Vampire (1897)
Florence Marryat
Introduction by Brenda Hammack
A Defence of Uranian Love (1928-30)
Edward Perry Warren
Edited by Michael Matthew Kaylor
Edward Perry Warren's impossibly rare three volume apologia for pederastic love is available to the public for the first time ever. This edition features an important and thorough scholarly introduction by Michael Matthew Kaylor, as well as a foreword by William Armstrong Percy III, and translations and bonus audio material by Mark Robert Miner.
Carmilla (1871-72)
By J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Edited by Jamieson Ridenhour
A thrilling Victorian tale of horror and mystery and a major influence on Stoker’s Dracula, Carmilla remains one of Sheridan Le Fanu’s most enduring works. This Valancourt Books edition, the first-ever scholarly edition of Le Fanu’s novella, follows the rare original text as it appeared serially in The Dark Blue in 1871-72 (including the original illustrations) and includes a new introduction and footnotes by Jamieson Ridenhour. Also featured in this edition is a wealth of contextual material, including texts by Yeats, Coleridge, Stoker, Padraig Pearse, and others, and the complete texts of Le Fanu’s “The Child that Went with the Fairies” and F. G. Loring’s “The Tomb of Sarah.”
Ziska (1897)
Marie Corelli
Introduction by Curt Herr
A supernatural tale of reincarnation, seduction, and revenge, Ziska was a bestseller upon its publication in 1897. In the new introduction to this edition, Curt Herr examines the novel in relation to the other two great Gothic bestsellers of 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Richard Marsh’s The Beetle, and calls for a reconsideration of Corelli as a major figure in Victorian popular culture.
Miss Harriet Brandt, daughter of a mad scientist and a voodoo priestess, comes of age and leaves her home in Jamaica for the first time, travelling to Europe. Beautiful and talented, Harriet will gain the affections of many of the men and women she meets and a bright future seems assured for her. But there is something strange about Harriet. Everyone she gets close to seems to sicken or die. Doctor Phillips has a theory: the blood of the vampire flows through Harriet’s veins, and she is draining the life out of those she loves. Are the misfortunes that seem to follow Harriet merely coincidence? Or is she really afflicted with the curse of the vampire?
One of the strangest novels by the prolific Florence Marryat (1837-1899), The Blood of the Vampire was the “other vampire novel” of 1897, appearing the same year as Dracula. Marryat’s novel is fascinating not only for its sensational plot and bizarre characters, but also because of its engagement with many of the issues that haunted the late Victorian imagination, such as race, heredity, women’s roles, Spiritualism, and the occult. This edition includes the unabridged text of the exceedingly rare 1897 Hutchinson edition and a new introduction by Brenda Hammack.
Both Sides of the Veil (1901)
Richard Marsh
Reprint of the 1901 edition
The twelve stories in this volume showcase Marsh's diverse talents and include tales of ghosts, crime, and the occult. As always, the tales are told with Marsh's characteristic blend of horror, mystery, and humour. This edition includes the unabridged text of Marsh's story collection, taken from the exceedingly rare first edition published by Methuen in 1901. Also featured is a reproduction of the original cover.
