Spirit Island (Cryptofiction Classics - Weird Tales of Strange Creatures) PDF Download

Author: Henry Toke Munn
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473399726
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
This early work by Henry Toke Munn was originally published in 1922 and we are now republishing it as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Spirit Island' is a short story of of Arctic explorers on the hunt for gold that get abandoned by their Eskimo guides when they travel too close to a mysterious spirit island. 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 bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

Author: H. G. Wells
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473399629
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 26

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Book Description
This early work by H. G. Wells was originally published in 1894 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. '¿pyornis Island' is a short story about a curious eggs from an unknown species. Herbert George Wells was born in Bromley, England in 1866. He apprenticed as a draper before becoming a pupil-teacher at Midhurst Grammar School in West Sussex. Some years later, Wells won a scholarship to the School of Science in London, where he developed a strong interest in biology and evolution, founding and editing the Science Schools Journal. However, he left before graduating to return to teaching, and began to focus increasingly on writing. It was in 1895 that Wells seriously established himself as a writer, with the publication of the now iconic novel, The Time Machine. Wells followed The Time Machine with the equally well-received War of the Worlds (1898), which proved highly popular in the USA. 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 bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

Author: Algernon Blackwood
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473399297
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 113

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Book Description
This early work by Algernon Blackwood was originally published in 1908 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Camp of the Dog' is a short story of a group's visit to the outback that is disturbed by the presence of a werewolf. Algernon Henry Blackwood was born in Shooter's Hill, South East England, in 1869. In his youth he trained as a doctor at Wellington College in Berkshire, and went on to pursue a number of careers, in areas as varied as milk farming, modelling, journalism and violin teaching. In his thirties, Blackwood returned to England from New York, where he had spent a number of years, and began to write stories of the supernatural. Blackwood was extremely prolific, producing over the course of his life some ten original collections of short stories, fourteen novels, several children's books, and a number of plays. 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 bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, were-wolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

Author: George W. M. Reynolds
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473399580
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 788

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Book Description
This early work by George W. M. Reynolds was originally published in 1848 and we are now republishing it as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Wagner the Wehr-Wolf' is a short story about a man who makes a deal to remain young but at the cost of becoming lycanthropic. 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 bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473399335
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
This early work by Arthur Conan Doyle was originally published in 1897 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Fiend of the Cooperage' is a short story about a man who travels to a tropical island but finds that life there is not quite as monotonous as he expected. Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1859. It was between 1876 and 1881, while studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh, that he began writing short stories, and his first piece was published in 'Chambers's Edinburgh Journal' before he was 20. In 1887, Conan Doyle's first significant work, iA Study in Scarlet', appeared in 'Beeton's Christmas Annual'. It featured the first appearance of detective Sherlock Holmes, the protagonist who was to eventually make Conan Doyle's reputation. 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 bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

Author: Various
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473370000
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 711

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Book Description
These early works by various authors were originally published in the late 19th century and early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Cryptofiction - Volume II.' contains a collection of short stories that include 'The Messenger' by Robert W. Chambers, 'The Brazilian Cat' by Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Relic of the Pliocene' by Jack London, and many other classic tales of strange creatures. The genre of cryptofiction has grown up in the shadow of its older brothers, science fiction and fantasy, and specialises in the concept of mysterious creatures such as sea monsters, wolf-men, and lost pre-historic creatures. Cryptofiction takes its name from another, non-literary practice: cryptozoology. This is generally regarded as a pseudoscience by mainstream scientists, relying as it does upon anecdotal, often unverifiable evidence. However, it still boasts many enthusiasts, and continues to exert considerable artistic allure. Cryptofiction is here to stay, and the stories in this collection map the development of a genre which is as strange as it is fascinating. 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 bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

Author: Various
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473399998
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 723

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Book Description
These early works by various authors were written between the Middle Ages and the early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Wolf in the Moonlight' contains a collection of short stories about the charismatic creature, the wolf, and includes 'The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains' by Frederick Marryat (1839), 'The Wolf' by Guy de Maupassant (1882), 'Olalla' by by Robert Louis Stevenson (1885), and many more. Homo sapiens and canis lupus have a long and chequered history together. Amongst early agricultural societies, the wolf was widely feared for its tendency to devastate supplies of livestock. This fear was passed down through the generations, codified in countless legends and folktales, so that, by the Early Middle Ages, as academic and wolf expert Beryl Rowland puts it, the wolf was established as the “universal baleful symbol.” 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 bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

Author: Various
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473370027
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 569

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Book Description
These early works by various authors were originally published in the early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Cryptofiction - Volume IV.' contains a collection of short stories that include 'The Cats of Ulthar' by H. P. Lovecraft, 'Running Wolf' by Algernon Blackwood, 'The Horror-Horn' by E. F. Benson, and many other classic tales of strange creatures. The genre of cryptofiction has grown up in the shadow of its older brothers, science fiction and fantasy, and specialises in the concept of mysterious creatures such as sea monsters, wolf-men, and lost pre-historic creatures. Cryptofiction takes its name from another, non-literary practice: cryptozoology. This is generally regarded as a pseudoscience by mainstream scientists, relying as it does upon anecdotal, often unverifiable evidence. However, it still boasts many enthusiasts, and continues to exert considerable artistic allure. Cryptofiction is here to stay, and the stories in this collection map the development of a genre which is as strange as it is fascinating.

Author: Various
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473370019
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 616

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Book Description
These early works by various authors were originally published in the early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Cryptofiction - Volume III.' contains a collection of short stories that include 'The She-Wolf' by H. H. Munro, 'The Horror of the Heights' by Arthur Conan Doyle, 'After Dark in the Playing Fields' by M. R. James, and many other classic tales of strange creatures. The genre of cryptofiction has grown up in the shadow of its older brothers, science fiction and fantasy, and specialises in the concept of mysterious creatures such as sea monsters, wolf-men, and lost pre-historic creatures. Cryptofiction takes its name from another, non-literary practice: cryptozoology. This is generally regarded as a pseudoscience by mainstream scientists, relying as it does upon anecdotal, often unverifiable evidence. However, it still boasts many enthusiasts, and continues to exert considerable artistic allure. Cryptofiction is here to stay, and the stories in this collection map the development of a genre which is as strange as it is fascinating. 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 bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

Author: John Hodgman
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101653612
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
In the great tradition of the American almanac, The Areas of My Expertise is a brilliant and hilarious compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom on all topics large and small. Although bestsellers such as Poor Richard’s Almanack and The Book of Lists were certainly valuable, they also were largely true. Here is a different kind of handy desk reference, one in which all of the historical oddities and amazing true facts are sifted through the singular, illuminating imagination of John Hodgman—which is the nice way of saying: He made it all up. John Hodgman brings his considerable expertise to bear in answering all of the questions book buyers have been asking: -What are the mottoes of the 51 United States? THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED -Who were the U.S. presidents who had hooks for hands? THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED -What role does the Yale secret society “Skull and Bones” play in the secret world government? THERE IS NO SECRET WORLD GOVERNMENT -What was the menu at the first Thanksgiving, and did it include eels? Technically, that is two questions, but do not apologize, for John Hodgman shall answer them both . . . LATER. -Aside from a compendium of fake trivia, what is the best kind of book to write? A SIMPLE TABLE OF THE 55 MOST DRAMATIC LITERARY SITUATIONS PROVIDES THE ANSWER, and John Hodgman is the author of that table. Imagine if The Book of Lists had been rewritten by Peter Cook and Jorge Luis Borges under the pseudonym of “John Hodgman” and then renamed The Areas of My Expertise, and you will only begin to have a sense of the dizzying, uproarious, sublimely weird, and strangely wise journey that is contained within this book (along with all the pages and words). Perfect for anyone who thirsts for knowledge, and especially for collectors of books of fake trivia, The Areas of My Expertise offers through absurdity a better understanding of the world we share—and recognizes that while the truth may be stranger than fiction, it is never as strange as lies . . . or as true. Look out for John Hodgman's latest book, Vacationland, available from Viking in Fall 2017.