Best Selling Books by Mervyn Peake

Classics of epic fantasy, Peakes series of Gormenghast novels represents one of the most brilliantly sustained flights of Gothic imagination. For the first time in years, the first book in this timeless series is available in an individual paperback volume, complete with new packaging.

"A startling and unusual creation by an author who had imagination to burn and burn again . . . A feat of storytelling unmatched in wit or imagination." — SFF180 The basis for the 2000 BBC series Now in development by Showtime As the novel opens, Titus, lord of Castle Gormenghast, has abdicated his throne. Born and brought to the edge of manhood in the huge, rotting castle, Titus rebels against the age-old ritual of which he is both lord and prisoner and rushes headlong into the world. From that moment forward, he is thrust into a stormy land of a dark imagination, where figures and landscapes loom up with the force and vividness of a dream—or a nightmare. This final installment in the Gormenghast Trilogy is a fantastic triumph—a conquest awash in imagination, terror, and charm. Praise the Gormenghast Trilogy "There is nothing in literature like Mervyn Peake''s remarkable Gormenghast novels . . . They were crafted by a master, who was also an artist, and they take us to an ancient castle as big as a city, with heroes and villains and people larger than life that are impossible to forget." —Neil Gaiman "[Peake''s books] are actual additions to life; they give, like certain rare dreams, sensations we never had before, and enlarge our conception of the range of possible experience." —C. S. Lewis "Mervyn Peake is a finer poet than Edgar Allan Poe, and he is therefore able to maintain his world of fantasy brilliantly through three novels. It is a very, very great work." —Robertson Davies, New York Times-bestselling author

An inimitable writer, artist and poet, Mervyn Peake is best known for his Gormenghast series of books, originally conceived as a lengthy cycle, which was prevented by his death. Set within the pseudo-medieval setting of the sprawling and decaying Castle Gormenghast, these tales present a gallery of eccentric and strange characters, expanded by the author’s own visceral illustrations. Having developed a unique style of surreal and unnerving fiction, Peake is now considered by many to be one of the Big Three of Fantasy, along with J. R. R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard. For the first time in publishing history, this eBook presents Peake’s complete works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Peake’s life and works * Concise introductions to the major texts * All the novels, with individual contents tables * Features Peake’s original illustrations * Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * The complete children’s books, fully illustrated * Rare short stories digitised here for the first time * All of the poetry collections * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the poetry * Easily locate the poems you want to read * Includes Peake’s rare drawing books, with hundreds of his original illustrations — available in no other collection * Peake’s rare dramas — available here for the first time in digital print * Ordering of texts into chronological order and genres Please note: some posthumous poems and nonsense verses cannot appear in this edition, due to copyright restrictions. When new works enter the public domain, they will be added to the collection as a free update. CONTENTS: The Gormenghast Series Titus Groan (1946) Gormenghast (1950) Boy in Darkness (1956) Titus Alone (1959) A Novel Mr Pye (1953) The Short Stories The Short Stories of Mervyn Peake The Children’s Books Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor (1939) Rhymes without Reason (1944) Letters from a Lost Uncle (1948) The Plays The Wit to Woo (1957) For Mr Pye — An Island (1957) Noah’s Ark (1960) The Poetry Collections Shapes and Sounds (1941) The Glassblowers (1950) The Rhyme of the Flying Bomb (1962) A Reverie of Bone (1967) A Book of Nonsense (1972) Miscellaneous Poems The Poems List of Poems in Chronological Order List of Poems in Alphabetical Order The Drawing Books The Craft of the Lead Pencil (1946) Drawings by Mervyn Peake (1949) Figures of Speech (1954)

A young earl''s future in a sprawling castle could be changed by a feral girl and a cunning servant in this acclaimed gothic fantasy trilogy''s second entry. Titus Groan is seven years old, lord and heir to the crumbling castle Gormenghast. A gothic labyrinth of roofs and turrets, cloisters and corridors, stairwells and dungeons, it is also the cobwebbed kingdom of Byzantine government and age-old rituals, a world primed to implode beneath the weight of centuries of intrigue, treachery, and death. Steerpike, who began his climb across the roofs when Titus was born, is now ascending the spiral staircase to the heart of the castle, and in his wake lie imprisonment, manipulation, and murder . . . Gormenghast is the second volume in Mervyn Peake''s widely acclaimed trilogy, but it is much more than a sequel to Titus Groan—it is an enrichment and deepening of that book. The Gormenghast Trilogy ranks as one of the twentieth century''s most remarkable feats of imaginative writing. Praise for Gormenghast " Gormenghast is must-read fiction, that''s all. You''ll finish it with a small spike of regret stabbing at your heart, and a desire to start again at page one the moment the back cover is closed. It''s a tale to be cherished for life. This is as good as it gets." —Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Reviews

Published to mark the 40th anniversary of his death, this comprehensive edition of the poetry of Mervyn Peake includes pieces that touch on some of the most significant historical moments of the 20th century. His celebrated works range from the unemployment epidemic in pre-war Britain to the horrors of the blitz and the concentration camp at Bergen–Belsen, with each serving to anchor the fantasy world of his celebrated Gormenghast books. Black and white illustrations, drafted by the author, accompany the verse, along with previously unpublished illustrations and photographs.

A young heir matures within a bleak, sprawling castle filled with intrigue in this epic gothic trilogy, featuring over 100 illustrations by the author. Titus is expected to rule this extraordinary kingdom and his eccentric and wayward subjects. But with the arrival of an ambitious kitchen boy, Steerpike, the established order is thrown into disarray. Over the course of these three novels— Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone—Titus must contend with a kingdom about to implode beneath the weight of centuries of intrigue, treachery, manipulation, and murder. Intoxicating, rich, and unique, The Gormenghast Trilogy is a tour de force that ranks as one of the twentieth century''s most remarkable feats of imaginative writing. This special edition, published for the centenary of Mervyn Peake''s birth, is accompanied by over one hundred of Peake''s dazzling drawings. Praise for Mervyn Peake and the Gormenghast Trilogy "[Peake''s books] are actual additions to life; they give, like certain rare dreams, sensations we never had before and enlarge our conception of the range of possible experience." —C. S. Lewis "Mervyn Peake is a finer poet than Edgar Allan Poe, and he is therefore able to maintain his world of fantasy brilliantly through three novels. It is a very, very great work . . . A classic of our age." —Robertson Davies "[A] magnificent ediface spun from thin air by a tortured genius." —Liz Jensen, author of The Rapture "This extravagant epic about a labyrinthine castle populated with conniving Dickensian grotesques is the true fantasy classic of our time." — Washington Post Book World

Illustrations created by Mervyn Peake to accompany tales he told his family. Moorcock has invented stories and songs to accompany the drawings. Work begins with biographical essay about Peake.--

Published to coincide with the celebration of this beloved poet''s centenary, this volume contains all the poems and illustrations previously published in Mervyn Peake''s much-loved Book of Nonsense in addition to 40 unpublished works discovered in manuscripts and various uncollected sources. Accompanied by newfound drawings by Peake as well as the nonsense verses from his novels, this record will delight his fans and win over new ones.

Six stories written across a range of genres and settings, including a macabre ghost story, and wry character studies drawn from the author''s life in London and on the island of Sark in the Channel Islands.

A collection of illustrated nonsensical poems from the celebrated author and illustrator of the "Gormenghast Trilogy."