This collection offers a profound journey into the heart of Czech literary heritage, capturing the spirit of a nation defined by its resilience, wit, and deep-seated folklore. Spanning the transformative eras of the 19th and early 20th centuries, these stories navigate the complex transition from traditional rural life to the cynical, modern realities of Bohemia and beyond.At the forefront is the legendary Jan Neruda, whose contributions—"The Vampire," "At the Sign of the Three Lil...

Jan Nepomuk Neruda (Czech: [ˈjan ˈnɛpomuk ˈnɛruda]; 9 July 1834 – 22 August 1891) was a Czech journalist, writer and poet, one of the most prominent representatives of Czech Realism and a member of "the May school".

Early vampire short story with an interesting twist to the tradition.

The bookshelves of European literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centu-ries of very talented authors. From this continent their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure. Among them is the Czech writer Jan Neruda.

Creatures of the Night (Boxed Set Edition) surveys the nocturnal imagination across centuries, gathering Gothic terror, supernatural romance, adventure fantasy, folklore, and fin-de-siècle sensation. Its range extends from medieval lays and early vampire lore to Victorian penny dreadfuls, colonial uncanny tales, and twentieth-century weird fiction. Vampires, spectres, shape-shifters, and morally ambiguous outsiders emerge not merely as monsters but as figures through whom writers test desi...

Jan Nepomuk Neruda (1834-1891) was born in Prague, Bohemia, the son of a small grocer. After studying philosophy and philology, he worked as a teacher until 1860, when he became a freelance journalist and writer.'The Vampire' is a strange tale of a group of tourists visiting an idyllic spot outside Constantinople in the company of a charming but oddly sinister Greek artist who seems to be at pains to ensure nobody can look over his shoulder and see what he is sketching.

Throughout the long centuries of human history is the want, and the need, to share information, to exchange ideas and for that knowledge and experience, for curiosity and learning, to be the basis of a civil society.In literature the ambition is much narrower. In order to be known, to be popular, you had to be published. And for that people had to know you existed and your ideas worth reading. Obviously for most of humanity’s time people couldn’t read and texts couldn’t be publishe...

A collection of classic vampire tales to entertain.

An author’s talents may seem obvious and indisputable as they move words and ideas into gathered phrases and stories.But where do these ideas and stories come from? A lonely thought that suddenly gathers form? An inspiration from a Muse? A suggestion from an everyday event?Perhaps in the case of their darker, more malevolent stories, other forces are at work. They help to nourish single words into sentences and paragraphs that ease themselves from the shadows and are sudden...

'Tales of Vampires & Werewolves' is a meticulously curated anthology that emerges as a crucial intersection for the exploration of gothic horror and supernatural fiction. Spanning across centuries and continents, the collection showcases a rich tableau of stylistic diversity from macabre historical narratives to eerie folkloristic tales. These pieces collectively trace the evolution of vampiric and lycanthropic lore within the literary panorama, gracefully weaving the palpable tension and ...

An author’s talents may seem obvious and indisputable as they move words and ideas into gathered phrases and stories.But where do these ideas and stories come from? A lonely thought that suddenly gathers form? An inspiration from a Muse? A suggestion from an everyday event?Perhaps in the case of their darker, more malevolent stories, other forces are at work. They help to nourish single words into sentences and paragraphs that ease themselves from the shadows and are sudden...

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?The theme ...