An introduction to the Decadent writer Stanislaus Eric Stenbock for the general reader, offering morbid stories, suicidal poems, and an autobiographical essay.Described by W. B. Yeats as a “scholar, connoisseur, drunkard, poet, pervert, most charming of men,” Count Stanislaus Eric Stenbock (1860–1895) is surely the greatest exemplar of the Decadent movement of the late nineteenth century.A friend of Aubrey Beardsley, patron of the extraordinary pre-Raphaeli...

This early work by Eric Stanislaus Stenbock was originally published in 1893 and we are now republishing it as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Other Side: A Breton Legend' is a short story in the werewolf genre. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features b...

There is something about the number 3.The Ancient Greeks believed 3 was the perfect number, and in China 3 has always been a lucky number, and they know a thing or two.Most religions also have 3 this and 3 that and, of course, in these more modern times, three’s a crowd may be too many, except when it’s a ménage à trois. It seems good things usually come in threes. Whatever history and culture says WE think 3, a hat-trick of stories, is a great number to explore themes and ...

There is something about the number 3.The Ancient Greeks believed 3 was the perfect number, and in China 3 has always been a lucky number, and they know a thing or two.Most religions also have 3 this and 3 that and, of course, in these more mod

The bookshelves of British literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors. From these Isles their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected, their talents endure. Among them is the wonderfully named decadent author Count Eric Stanislaus Stenbock.

Count Eric Stenislaus Stenbock (1860-1895) was an aristocrat of German-Estonian origin who lived in England. He wrote weird, macabre fantasy fiction and was a favorite of H. P. Lovecraft. He was well known for his eccentric lifestyle, keeping snakes, salamanders, and toads in his bedroom, and owned a bear, a reindeer, and a fox. He had a life-size doll with him at all times which he claimed was his son."The Sad Story of a Vampire" is a peculiar tale about a vampire who arrives, inv...

In the macabre tale The Other Side, Stenbock explores the werewolf theme in the sinister setting of a village on the edge of a stream. On the side where the village is, everything is peaceful and pleasant. But on the other side, where the forest is, there are werewolves, witches and other sinister beings.When the young boy Gabriel is tempted to cross the brook to pick a beautiful and mysterious blue flower, he finds himself in a beautiful but terrible nightmare in which he is in th...

Before his untimely death at the age of 36 of cirrhosis of the liver due to his excessive alcoholism and opium addiction, Stenbock managed to publish three slim volumes of poetry, much of which was fixated on suicide, as well as this volume of short stories, Studies of Death. This short collection of tales of death in all its various forms featuring occultism, vampires, jilted lovers and sea sprites among other things is seen as not only an early curiosity of occult and weird literature bu...

The bookshelves of British literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors. From these Isles their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure. Among them is Walter Besant.

The bookshelves of British literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors. From these Isles their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure. Among them is Walter Besant.

Vampires have fascinated mankind for centuries. These creatures of the night enthrall us, terrify us, and seduce us. The Vampire Super Pack brings together 42 vampires stories spanning almost 200 years. With over 225,000 words of fascinating fiction this is the Vampire anthology you’ve been waiting for. Included herein are: • ‘Lipstick on a Business Card’ by Alledria Hurt • ‘The Vampyre’ by John William Polidori • ‘Saving Grace’ by Lillian Csernica • ‘For the Blood is the Life’ by F. Mario...

Collected here are twenty-two vampire stories by authors such as William Polidori, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert E. Howard, Bram Stoker, and Warren Lapine. With more than 350 pages of vampires this anthology is a must have for any vampire enthusiast. The anthology ranges from classic stories such as "The Vampyre" and "Carmilla" to more modern takes on vampirism with "Mona Lisa" and "Each Man Kills." There's enough blood here for everyone.