The Wandering Soul
The Wandering Soul: Glimpses of a Life - A Compendium of Rare and Unpublished Works by William Hope Hodgson.
Edited, compiled and introduced by Jane Frank.
Along with The Lost Poetry, The Wandering Soul is one of the books admirers of William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918) have been waiting for.
Tragically killed in action at the end of World War One, Hodgson has acquired a formidable reputation for his classic weird writings, which include the monumental novel The Night Land, and atmospheric tales of maritime terror fuelled by his early adventures as an apprentice in the Merchant Navy.
In The Wandering Soul, Jane Frank has compiled much previously unpublished and uncollected material, gleaned from editor and science-fiction historian Sam Moskowitz's 'Hodgson Archive'. Presented here are 'Coasts of Adventure', a collection of stories never before published in book form; Hodgson's 'Ship's Log' from one of his early sea voyages; photographs of Hodgson and his family; newly-discovered poetry; Hodgson's wonderful and historically important sea-going photographs; factual articles from contemporary newspapers and journals; and an unpublished slide lecture, all augmented by Jane Frank's carefully researched Introduction and a critical appreciation of the fiction and poetry.
The wide-ranging elements of the book are melded together by William Hope Hodgson's uniquely potent imagination and vigorous approach to life, and their publication can only enhance our understanding and appreciation of his life and work.
The Wandering Soul is published by Tartarus Press and PS Publishing in the form of a limited trade hardback edition of 500 copies, 384 + ix pages.
William Hope Hodgson
William Hope Hodgson (1877–1918) was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction and science fiction. Hodgson used his experiences at sea to lend authentic detail to his short horror stories, many of which are set on the ocean, including his series of linked tales forming the "Sargasso Sea Mythos". His novels such as The Night Land and The House on the Borderland feature more cosmic themes, but several of his novels also focus on horrors associated with the sea. Early in his writing career he dedicated effort to poetry, although few of his poems were published during his lifetime. He also attracted some notice as a photographer and achieved some renown as a bodybuilder. He died in World War I at the age of 40.