The Dead of Night

Introduction by David Stuart Davies.

Oliver Onions is unique in the realms of ghost story writers in that his tales are so far ranging in their background and substance that they are not easily categorised. His stories are powerfully charged explorations of psychical violence, their effects heightened by detailed character studies graced with a powerful poetic elegance. In simple terms Oliver Onions goes for the cerebral rather than the jugular. However, make no mistake, his ghost stories achieve the desired effect. They draw you in, enmeshing you in their unnerving and disturbing narratives. This collection contains such masterpieces as The Rosewood Door, The Ascending Dream, The Painted Face and The Beckoning Fair One, a story which both Algernon Blackwood and H. P. Lovecraft regarded as one of the most effective and subtle ghost stories in all literature. Long out of print, these classic tales are a treasure trove of nightmarish gems.

Contents

Introduction (The Dead of Night) essay by David Stuart Davies
1. Credo (1935)
2. The Beckoning Fair One (1911)
3. Phantas (1910)
4. Rooum (1910)
5. Benlian (1911)
6. The Ascending Dream (1924)
7. The Honey in the Wall (1924)
8. The Rosewood Door (1929)
9. The Accident (1911)
10. Io (1911)
11. The Painted Face (1929)
12. The Out-Sister (1935)
13. "John Gladwin Says ..." (1928)
14. Hic Jacet (1911)
15. The Rocker (1911)
16. Dear Dryad (2000) (variant of The Dear Dryad 1924)
17. The Real People (1924)
18. The Cigarette Case (1910)
19. The Rope in the Rafters (1935)
20. Resurrection in Bronze (1935)
21. The Woman in the Way (1924)
22. The Smile of Karen (1927)
23. The Ether-Hogs (1926)
24. The Mortal (1926)
25. The Master of the House (1929)
26. Tragic Casements (1952)