Best Selling Books by E.T.A. Hoffmann

"Strange man, how can you have eyes for sale? Eyes? Eyes?" '' The disturbing tale of a young man''s obsession with the Sandman, stealer of eyes, which has inspired writers from Sigmund Freud to Neil Gaiman. One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics'' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (German: Nussknacker und Mausekönig) is a story written in 1816 by E. T. A. Hoffmann in which young Marie Stahlbaum''s favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. E.T.A. Hoffmann, original name Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1776 — 1822), German writer, composer, and painter known for his stories in which supernatural and sinister characters move in and out of men''s lives, ironically revealing tragic or grotesque sides of human nature.

The Sand-man and Other Stories brings together some of E.T.A. Hoffmann''s most influential tales, where the fantastic and the uncanny intersect with psychological depth. The central story, The Sandman, follows Nathanael, a young man haunted since childhood by a terrifying figure associated with the legend of the Sandman. As an adult, he becomes obsessed with the mysterious Coppola, a lens-seller whom he believes to be the same menacing figure. His fascination with the automaton Olympia, whom he mistakes for a living woman, ultimately drives him into madness. The story is a powerful exploration of fear, obsession, and the fragile boundary between illusion and reality. Other stories in the collection expand Hoffmann''s fascination with the uncanny. In Councillor Krespel, a violin-maker''s eccentric behavior masks a tragic secret tied to music and love. The Mines of Falun recounts the story of a miner lured by supernatural forces beneath the earth, torn between worldly love and mystical destiny. Each tale blends detailed realism with fantastic elements, creating a constant tension between the rational and the irrational. The collection is unified by themes of obsession, distorted perception, and the power of imagination. Hoffmann''s characters often lose themselves in dreams, desires, or delusions, suggesting that the human mind is as mysterious and unpredictable as the supernatural itself. His narrative style—both ironic and lyrical—invites readers into a world where reality is never stable and where everyday objects or events conceal hidden dangers and meanings. E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776–1822) was a German writer, composer, and jurist, recognized as one of the founders of modern fantastic literature. His works influenced later authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and Franz Kafka. In The Sandman and Other Stories, Hoffmann demonstrates his mastery in blending psychological insight with Gothic and Romantic elements, leaving a legacy of tales that continue to intrigue readers with their complexity and unsettling power.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is a Christmas Classic written in 1816, by E. T. A. Hoffmann on which the famous ballet The Nutcracker is based. In the story young Marie Stahlbaum''s favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. The story begins on Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum house. Marie, seven, and her brother, Fritz, eight, sit outside the parlor speculating about what kind of present their godfather, Drosselmeyer, who is a clockmaker and inventor, has made for them. They are at last allowed in, where they receive many splendid gifts…

‘Weird Tales Volume 2’ (1885) was written by famous German Romantic author E.T.A. Hoffmann. Included in this second and final volume of short stories are: ‘The Doge and Dogess’, ‘Master Martin the Cooper,’ ‘Mademoiselle de Scudéri,’ ‘Gambler''s Luck,’ ‘Master Johannes Wacht,’ and a bibliographic essay from the translator entitled, ‘Biographical Notes.’ These classic short stories are perfect for fans of horror and fantasy fiction and the authors H. P. Lovecraft and Neil Gaiman. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1776-1822), better known as E. T. A. Hoffmann, was a German Romantic author of fantasy and gothic horror. He was also a composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. Hoffmann''s stories inspired several famous operatic composers, including Richard Wagner, Jacques Offenbach and Léo Delibes. He is also the author of the novella ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’, on which Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, ‘The Nutcracker’ is based. The story also inspired the film ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ (2018), starring Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren.

E.T.A. Hoffmann''s ''The Devil''s Elixir'' is a gothic, horror-fantasy novel inspired by Matthew Gregory Lewis''s novel ''The Monk''. Medardus is the son of a sinner and is raised in a monastery to atone for his father''s past. When Medardus succumbs to temptation, he is dragged into a deadly mystery that sees him travel to Rome, pursued by his murderous lookalike. At the Vatican in Rome, the monk''s only hope for salvation is the beautiful Aurelie but in order to finally discover the truth of the curse that haunts his family, Medardus must evade the sinister powers of the living and the dead. A must-read for fans of the TV adaptations of Umberto Eco''s ''The Name of the Rose'' or Rumer Godden''s ''Black Narcissus''. E.T.A Hoffmann was a German author of romance, fantasy, and gothic horror, and was highly influential on the Romantic Movement. He is perhaps best known for writing the novella ''The Nutcracker and the Mouse King'' which was the inspiration for Tchaikovsky''s ballet ''The Nutcracker''.

‘The Serapion Brethren’ is the name of a literary and social circle created in Berlin in 1818 by the German romantic writer E. T. A. Hoffmann and his friends. ‘The Serapion Brethren’ is also the name of a four-volume collection of Hoffmann''s novellas and fairy tales that appeared in 1819, 1820, and 1821. Volume 2 includes the stories: ‘The Life of a Well-known Character’, ‘Albertine''s wooers’, ‘The Uncanny Guest’, ‘Mademoiselle Scuderi’, ‘Gamblers'', ‘Fortune’, ‘Signor Formica’, ‘Phenomena’, ‘The Mutual Interdependence of Things’, ‘The King''s Betrothed’. E. T. A. Hoffmann was a German romantic author, most famous for his novella ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ (1816) which inspired Tchaikovsky’s ballet ‘The Nutcracker’. These classic short stories are perfect for fans of horror and fantasy fiction and the authors H. P. Lovecraft and Neil Gaiman. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1776-1822), better known as E. T. A. Hoffmann, was a German romantic author of fantasy and gothic horror. He was also a composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. Hoffmann''s stories inspired several famous operatic composers, including Richard Wagner, Jacques Offenbach and Léo Delibes. He is also the author of the novella ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’, on which Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, ‘The Nutcracker’ is based. The story also inspired the film ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ (2018), starring Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren.