Most Popular Books by Walter DE LA MARE

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Best Stories of Walter de la Mare" by Walter de la Mare. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Walter de la Mare was most famous for his uncanny fiction, and Memoirs of a Midget fits the description perfectly. The protagonist, who we know simply as "M." or "Midgetina," is a young woman just a few inches in height-though at times it seems that her height varies. Sometimes she''s small enough to be accosted by birds and carried on trays, and at other times it seems she''s large enough to ride horseback and even pass as a ten-year-old. She trips over hairbrushes, reads books that are larger than her, and must be especially careful around dogs and cats. The people around her seem to take this bizarre state of affairs in stride, and indeed, it''s the only truly uncanny quirk in an otherwise ornate, almost Jamesian narrative.The narrative follows Midgetina as she struggles to make her way in life after the tragic death of her parents. Even though she''s minuscule in size, she''s extremely sharp intellectually, taking an interest in literature, astronomy, natural science, and more. Her personality is so distinct that her minuscule stature becomes more of a symbol of her isolation, than the actual cause of it.In time she moves in to rooms managed by a Dickensian landlady, whose peripatetic daughter, Fanny, becomes a friend to Midgetina, a possible love interest, and even a sometimes-antagonist. Fanny, a master of manipulation, seems to float through life gleefully and selfishly using those around her. Midgetina, desperate for human connection, clings to Fanny with an interest that at times has an almost erotic edge. Fanny''s subtle manipulations, careless cruelty, and effortless charm make her a character just as memorable as Midgetina, and a powerful antidote to Midgetina''s naive, yearning hopefulness.Though largely forgotten today, Memoirs of a Midget was met with high praise from contemporary critics and went on to win the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction. Modern critic Edward Wagenknecht regards it as "the greatest English novel of its time."

This is the second of a three-volume collection bringing together Walter de la Mare''s short stories. It includes On the Edge (1930), The Wind Blows Over (1936), and A Beginning and Other Stories (1955), as well as four uncollected stories and four unpublished stories. The one-day conference featuring the stories of Walter de la Mare at King''s College, University of London, coinciding with the publication of Volume One in November 1996 revealed the intense interest there is in his fiction. It was attended by some 35 people from around Britain, and the talks and discussion were extremely lively. Among the speakers were Professor John Bayley, Professor Julia Briggs and Russell Hoban.

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Gripping and poignant tale of psychic possession concerns Arthur Lawford, who appears to have been possessed by the spirit of a long-dead 18th-century pirate. One of de la Mare''s finest occult stories, the novel also deals with domestic trauma, unrequited love and philosophical reflection.

If you were looking for the Holy Bible of the horror anthologies, consider yourself lucky, because you just found it! Cosmic horror, supernatural events, ghost stories, weird fiction, mystical fantasies, occult narratives, this book plunges you into dark domains and brings you face to face with surreal monstrosities. This collection of the greatest mysterious dark tales gathers together more than 100 authors and more than 1000 short stories (!), which makes it truly unique in its kind. Be aware that this book includes a big amount of stories that appear for the first time in digital print.

This fantastic tale involves castles, lords, knights, ladies, and plenty of adventure.

A trio of royal monkey brothers - Thimble, Thumble, and Nod - receive a magical amulet from their mother, who instructs them to set out in search of their father.