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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9781605203409
ISBN number: 1605203408
Label: Cosimo Classics
Manufacturer: Cosimo Classics
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 284
Printing Date: November 01, 2008
Publishing house: Cosimo Classics
Sale Popularity Level: 547742
Studio: Cosimo Classics
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The foremost teller of scary stories in his day and a profound influence on both the novelists and filmmakers of the 20th century, Anglo-Irish author JOSEPH THOMAS SHERIDAN LE FANU (1814–1873) has, sadly, fallen out of scholarly and popular favor, and unfairly so. To this day, contemporary readers who happen across his works praise his talent for weaving a tense literary atmosphere tinged by the supernatural and bolstered by hints of ambiguous magic. First published in 1872, In a Glass Darkly is a collection of Le Fanu’s short fiction, and includes: • “Green Tea” • “The Familiar” • “Mr. Justice Harbottle” • “The Room in the Dragon Volant” • “Carmilla” With a series of new editions of Le Fanu’s works, Cosimo is proud to reintroduce modern book lovers to the writings of the early master of suspense fiction who pioneered the concept of “psychological horror.”
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Rated by buyers 
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"Horrific." "Superb." "Dark." "Masterful." "Gothic." "Brilliant." All these words and more spring to mind when attempting to describe In a Glass Darkly. This volume contains five tales ranging in length from thirty to seventy pages which purport to record a few of the many cases of the learned psychic investigator Doctor Martin Hesselius.
The very first tale, "Green Tea," is perhaps the best ever written by LeFanu. It is narrated by the Doctor himself and records the case of a young man who believes he has awakened a demonic creature bent on his destruction. Hesselius urbanely dismisses this and claims to effect a cure with nothing more than a change in diet. It is obvious that he has gravely underestimated the force assaulting his client, as the shocking conclusion shows only too well. The story is brilliantly carried out and is one of the most frightening stories I have ever read. It is widely anthologized and many readers may be familiar with it but ignorant of the majority of the tales in this book. This is a great pity as they were meant to be read together, and although each of the stories can be read on its own with great pleasure, the cumulative effect should not be missed.
After "Green Tea" there appear two traditional ghost stories, "The Familiar" and "Mister Justice Harbottle." They lack the originality of "Green Tea," but both are quite chilling in their own right. Both stories handle the theme of the vengeful ghost with marvelous skill.
The fourth tale to appear is "The Room in the Dragon Volant." I do not wish to prejudice readers against it and so will refrain from discussing this narrative. It need merely be stated that here LeFanu gives in to his weakness of adding humour to his stories. Unfortunately for us, his comedic skill was rather meager.
The last story in the book is "Carmilla," the mother of all vampire stories. The horror of this novella can hardly be overemphasized. The description of Carmilla's nocturnal visits to her victim rank among the most grisly in all literature. There is only one trifling flaw in the entire narrative. This is the bizarre stupidity of the narrator, the young woman preyed upon. But this is more than made up for by the fascinating complexity of Carmilla herself. In this story, unlike most vampire tales of the period, Carmilla becomes a character instead of a mere monster.
In conclusion, it seems fit to remark upon the interesting form in which LeFanu chose to convey his tales. They are novellas, which seem to work particularly well for the kind of story that he told. More detail is given than in regular short stories, but the book is free from the constraints of the novel. The result is a work of genius.
Rated by buyers -
"Horrific." "Superb." "Dark." "Masterful." "Gothic." "Brilliant." All these words and more spring to mind when attempting to describe In a Glass Darkly. This volume contains five tales ranging in length from thirty to seventy pages which purport to record a few of the many cases of the learned psychic investigator Doctor Martin Hesselius.
The very first tale, "Green Tea," is perhaps the best ever written by LeFanu. It is narrated by the Doctor himself and records the case of a young man who believes he has awakened a demonic creature bent on his destruction. Hesselius urbanely dismisses this and claims to effect a cure with nothing more than a change in diet. It is obvious that he has gravely underestimated the force assaulting his client, as the shocking conclusion shows only too well. The story is brilliantly carried out and is one of the most frightening stories I have ever read. It is widely anthologized and many readers may be familiar with it but ignorant of the majority of the tales in this book. This is a great pity as they were meant to be read together, and although each of the stories can be read on its own with great pleasure, the cumulative effect should not be missed.
After "Green Tea" there appear two traditional ghost stories, "The Familiar" and "Mister Justice Harbottle." They lack the originality of "Green Tea," but both are quite chilling in their own right. Both stories handle the theme of the vengeful ghost with marvelous skill.
The fourth tale to appear is "The Room in the Dragon Volant." I do not wish to prejudice readers against it and so will refrain from discussing this narrative. It need merely be stated that here LeFanu gives in to his weakness of adding humour to his stories. Unfortunately for us, his comedic skill was rather meager.
The last story in the book is "Carmilla," the mother of all vampire stories. The horror of this novella can hardly be overemphasized. The description of Carmilla's nocturnal visits to her victim rank among the most grisly in all literature. There is only one trifling flaw in the entire narrative. This is the bizarre stupidity of the narrator, the young woman preyed upon. But this is more than made up for by the fascinating complexity of Carmilla herself. In this story, unlike most vampire tales of the period, Carmilla becomes a character instead of a mere monster.
In conclusion, it seems fit to remark upon the interesting form in which LeFanu chose to convey his tales. They are novellas, which seem to work particularly well for the kind of story that he told. More detail is given than in regular short stories, but the book is free from the constraints of the novel. The result is a work of genius.
Rated by buyers -
Perhaps the origin of the 'psychic detective' or ghostbuster genre,
with the use of Doctor Heselius as a framing character for these
stories as being part of his history of cases. Carmilla is a fine, fine
tale, with a disturbing female monster. Le Fanu is well worth
investigating for horror fans that have not done so in the past.
Rated by buyers 
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WARNING! My Oxford World's Classics paperback copy had pages of Thoreau's "Walden" inserted after p.158 of the story "The Room in the Dragon Volant." Missing are approx. 50 pages of the LeFanu story, so it's not like it's a bonus. I'm letting Amazon know about it, but check your copy on receipt!! Very disappointing to not know what happens, kind of like watching a thriller on TV and then the power goes out, but the broadcast stays on so you miss the middle.
I do rate LeFanu's stories 4-5 stars though. Really well-written page turners!
Rated by buyers 
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During a recent (first) visit to Dublin, my wonderful guide showed me Sheridan LeFanu's lovely Georgian home and turned me on to the creepy classics which the late author wrote and helped to create an entire genre of cliched horror staples we still enjoy today.
This book, however, is a collection of tedious stories...overwritten to satisfy perhaps Le Fanu's contemporary readers, but not those of today. It is unfortunate that we fans of haunted houses and chill-inducing ghost stories have become jaded with the over saturation in the medium. If you can get past comparing it with other examples and want to take your time with this slow (sadly unsuspenseful) read, you may find a few gossebumps along the way.
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