Books published by Valancourt Books

Originally published by New American Library in 1988.

In 1798, a prospectus appeared for The Lady's Monthly Museum, a bold new project which - in contrast to the predominance of men's magazines at the time - would be edited by a "Society of Ladies" and would include wholesome entertainment exclusively intended for young women. But with the inclusion of the Gothic tale "Schabraco" in its second issue, the magazine attracted immediate controversy and letters questioning the publication's morality and suitability for young ladies. Despite - or perhaps because of - the outcry surrounding "Schabraco," the magazine went on to be an extremely popular and significant outlet of Gothic fiction for the next thirty years.Though the Gothic novels of Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis, and their contemporaries have attracted considerable interest among readers and scholars in recent years, the vast output of Gothic fiction that appeared in popular magazines like The Lady's Monthly Museum has been almost entirely ignored, probably because of lack of access to these rare texts. Now for the first time, editor Dr. Jennie MacDonald has collected the best Gothic texts from this important periodical, including novelettes, stories, fragments, poems and drama, enabling readers to discover at last a wealth of lost Gothic material. Also included are a scholarly introduction and annotations, as well as reproductions of engravings that accompanied the original publication of these tales.

Maggie Caine and her family leave New York to visit the Caine family home, an old farmhouse in Ohio, which her husband has just inherited from a distant aunt. The house, ten miles away from the nearest neighbor, was once owned by a Civil War general reputed to have been a Satanist. But when strange and terrible things begin to happen it soon becomes clear that Satanic worship is still alive and well in the community, and so might be the General, who Maggie suspects is taking possession of her teenage son . . .A rediscovered modern horror classic by Thomas Cullinan, author of the twice-filmed Civil War horror novel The Beguiled, The Bedeviled (1978) is an occult chiller whose suspenseful plot and surprising twists will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the shocking finale."Suspenseful . . . Cullinan does not take the easy way out, and never tries to explain things away by natural causes. The ending is bitter and scary." - The New York Times"Horror that should keep exorcism fans up all night." - Publishers Weekly"A good old-fashioned supernatural thriller. A bit of incest, brutal murders and other eerie occurrences all make a heady brew. It's plain and simple scary." - Memphis Press Scimitar

It has many names: Bigfoot . . . Yeti . . . Sasquatch.But whatever it is, it's out there in the woods and leaving a trail of blood and severed heads behind it.For John Moon, a half-mad Indian, it is a spirit that holds the key to his inner self. He worships its power and he'll kill to protect it. Desperate, exhausted, half-starved, Moon will follow it wherever it goes.For Raymond Jason, killing it has become an obsession. He was the only survivor of a hunting trip to the Rockies where the hunters became the monster's prey. Now he is determined to track the creature down and destroy it.But when the two men finally corner their quarry they set loose a flood of terror and destruction that may leave no survivors ...This long-awaited reissue of Thomas Page's Bigfoot classic The Spirit (1977) features a new introduction by Grady Hendrix and cover art by paperback horror legend Tom Hallman.

In this dark, haunting tale, Richard Merton recounts the story of his close friend, Tony, a young lawyer recently returned from the war, and the subtle, sinister destruction of his personality by his servant, Barrett. Seeking ease and comfort, Tony hires Barrett to cater to his needs, not realizing that his new servant has a hidden agenda. As Barrett gradually and insidiously leads his employer into physical and moral degradation, the roles of master and servant will become grotesquely reversed.Robin Maugham's modern classic The Servant (1948) was hailed by The New York Times as 'a masterpiece of writing' and was adapted for a celebrated 1963 film version directed by Joseph Losey and scripted by Harold Pinter. This new edition includes a preface by Maugham from the 1973 edition explaining the origins of the novel and a new introduction by William Lawrence.'A highly skilled portrait . . . succeeds as a horror story of considerable brightness and sharpness.' - Kirkus Reviews'It's shocking, brilliantly written, completely absorbing.' - Chicago Daily News'The story has a quiet and absolutely terrifying inevitability . . . reminiscent of Henry James himself.' - News Chronicle'An exquisite work of art . . . a masterpiece of observation and craftsmanship.' - Sheffield Telegram'One of those little story gems you seldom come across these days ... a plausible picture of human collapse told with insight and considerable skill.' - New York World Telegram

When the Belzec concentration camp was liberated in 1945, no one could explain how a group of Jewish captives had not only survived but thrived, appearing better fed than their Nazi captors. Thirty-five years later in New York, the youths responsible for the murder of a rabbi's son are found hideously slain, covered in a strange gray powder. What is the connection between these events? That is the mystery that Rachel Levy and Det. Roger Hawkins must unravel, a mystery that will hold readers spellbound as terrible truths emerge from the nightmare of the past.This new edition of Bari Wood's classic The Tribe (1981) features a new introduction by Grady Hendrix and the original paperback edition's cover painting by Don Brautigam."Marvelous . . . had me nervous about going upstairs!" - Stephen King"This terrifying tale will hold you shiveringly spellbound!" - Los Angeles Herald Examiner"A compelling chiller . . . plenty of mystery and horror guaranteed to keep you reading far into the night!" - Washington Star

In 'Adolf', a young boy becomes convinced his elderly neighbour is actually Adolf Hitler in hiding. The British soldiers in 'The German Ghost' have an otherworldly encounter with a mysterious and sinister figure in black. 'East Doddingham Dinah' is a stray cat who takes up residence on an RAF base and seems to possess the unsettling ability to know which planes will be shot down. A late-night aerial mission at 24,000 feet becomes a terrifying supernatural experience for the crew in 'After the Funeral'. Master storyteller Robert Westall (1929-1993) loved writing about three subjects above all: World War II, cats, and ghosts, and all three of these interests are on display in this collection featuring eleven of Westall's finest wartime stories, several of them supernatural. Originally published between 1982 and 1997, these stories are gathered together here for the first time and will delight readers of all ages.Praise for Robert Westall'Fiendishly clever, spine-tingling short fiction' - Publishers Weekly (on Antique Dust)'Marvelous M. R. Jamesian-style ghost stories' - Michael Dirda, Washington Post on (Antique Dust)'So vivid and deft that it had me sweating with vertigo as well as superstitious terror' - Daily Telegraph (on The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral)

Garnet Montrose returns home from Vietnam to small-town Virginia with injuries so terrible that people become ill at the sight of him. Seeking assistance and companionship in his isolation, Garnet hires two young male caretakers, Quintus and Daventry. His interest and curiosity are awakened by the books Quintus reads to him, but in the handsome Daventry he finds a powerful, transformative love unlike anything he has experienced before. In this story of the strange, moving relationship of these three men, by turns Gothic, mystical and grotesque, James Purdy has crafted one of his most memorable novels.Widely acclaimed by critics during his lifetime and championed by writers as diverse as Gore Vidal, Tennessee Williams, and Jonathan Franzen, James Purdy (1914-2009) is now being rediscovered as a major figure in modern American literature. This long-awaited reissue of one of his finest works, In a Shallow Grave (1975), features a new introduction by Andrew Schenker, who argues that Purdy "provides a reading experience that is deeper, weirder, and ultimately more satisfying than the offerings of just about any other American novelist.""One of the very best writers we have." - New York Times Book Review"A marvelous tour-de-force . . . a very impressive book." - Publishers Weekly"A writer of the highest rank in originality, insight and power." - Dorothy Parker

One of the most thrilling of Victorian penny dreadfuls and possibly the first novel to feature a female detective, Ruth the Betrayer returns to print for the first time in over 150 yearsRuth Trail leads a double life, working as a spy or informant for the London police while secretly executing her own black deeds of theft and murder. Over the course of the unflagging, action-packed 1100-page plot, we follow Ruth's criminal career as she uses her wits and beauty to gain wealth and power. Along the way, as we pass through the horrors of prisons, convents, and the criminal underworld, we meet a cast of memorable characters, including the murderous ruffian Death's Head, escaped convict Jack Rafferty, the sinister schemer Eneas Earthworm and his victim Alice Trevellyan, wrongly accused as a murderess, the bumbling but charming Captain Charley Crockford, and the unlucky Cadbury Kid.Originally published in weekly installments in 1862-63, Ruth the Betrayer; or, The Female Spy returns to print at last in this new edition, which includes an introduction and annotations by Dagni¿A. Bredesen, all 51 illustrations from the original edition, and an appendix featuring additional contextual material.