Walter de la Mare

Gripping and poignant tale of psychic possession by one of the great practitioners of the genre concerns Arthur Lawford, who appears to have been possessed by the spirit of a long-dead 18th-century pirate. New introduction by S. T. Joshi.

The Return

Slowly, silently, now the moon Walks the night in her silver shoon; This way, and that, she peers, and sees Silver fruit upon silver trees; One spring evening, the fairies gather in the woods. Two sleepy children join in the parade to a wonderful, dream-like fairy party. Illustrated by bright new talent, Carolina Rabei, this Walter de la Mare poem is brought to life with shimmery, ethereal illustrations, making it the perfect book for bedtime. One of four seasonal Walter de la Mare picture books that form a set, each with complementing colour palates and illustrations by rising young star Carolina.

Silver

After visiting a graveyard, a man finds his appearance has mysteriously changed. Returning home only to be received with horror and suspicion by his family, he must reckon with the social consequences of his bizarre transformation, while searching for an explanation and solution. Walter de la Mare has a reputation for crafting ghost stories of philosophical depth and haunting ambiguity. The Return, one of only two of his long-form supernatural works, follows this trend, and sees de la Mare exploring ideas of personal identity, spirituality, and the consequences of living in blind adherence to social expectations. Functioning as a fantastical agent of mid-life crisis, Arthur Lawford’s condition uproots the foundations of his existence and casts into doubt all he had taken for granted about himself and his place in the world. There are no cheap scares or easy answers in The Return. It’s a work rich with enigmatic detail, describing a struggle to find meaning in a world where nothing is certain; a theme as relevant and recognizable now as when the novel was first published in 1910.

Offers an introduction which leads to a survey - a panorama - of a wide theme.

Of Reverie, Night, Sleep, Dream, Love-Dreams, Nightmare, Death, the Unconscious, the Imagination, Divination, the Artist, and Kindred Subjects

Behold, This Dreamer!

Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was one of the best-loved English poets of the twentieth century, his verse admired by contemporaries including Thomas Hardy, Robert Frost, W. H. Auden and T. S. Eliot. This volume presents a new selection of de la Mare's finest poems, including perennial favourites such as Napoleon, Fare Well and The Listeners, for a twenty-first-century audience. The poems are accompanied by commentaries by William Wootten, which build up a portrait of de la Mare's life, loves and friendships with the likes of Hardy, Rupert Brooke, Edward Thomas and Katherine Mansfield. They also point out the fascinating references to literature, folklore and the natural world that embroider the verse.

Reading Walter de la Mare

Henry James

Edgar Allan Poe

Rudyard Kipling

Edith Nesbit

Algernon Blackwood

Lord Dunsany

Ralph Adams Cram

William Fryer Harvey

Alma Newton

This collection of strange tales centers on the concept of death, dying, and the afterlife. These stories are not meant to be scary, in the traditional sense, but rather disturbing and even thought provoking. Many of these are written by easily recognizable authors, such as Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James, and Rudyard Kipling, and others are by more obscure writers from the same era. Also included in this volume are ten original pictures from the Cemetery Photography gallery of Osie Turner. They all appear beautifully on both color and grayscale readers. Contents include: The Dead Valley by Ralph Adams Cram August Heat by William Fryer Harvey The Altar of the Dead by Henry James The Highwaymen by Lord Dunsany The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe They by Rudyard Kipling From the Dead by Edith Nesbit The Satyr by Alma Newton The Wood of the Dead by Algernon Blackwood The Return by Walter de la Mare

The Altar of the Dead And Other Morbid Tales

Andrea Dezsö

Nineteen classic fairy tales, retold for younger readers in the early twentieth-century, including "Rapunzel," "Little Red Riding-Hood," "Rumpelstiltskin," and "The Sleeping Beauty."

Old Tales Told Again - Updated Edition

Told Again

Told Again; Old Tales Told Again was compiled by Walter de la Mare, and contains illustrations by A. H. Watson. It is a wonderful collection of traditional fairy tales, including favourites such as ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, ‘Bluebeard’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ and ‘Snow-White.’ Walter de la Mare (1873 – 1956) was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, best remembered for his works for children, and his poem ‘The Listeners.’ He composed many short-story collections, though folkloric tales were a particular fascination. This edition of Old Tales Told Again is accompanied by the drawings of Alice Helena Watson (1896 – 1984); a graceful and unique illustrator. Watson largely focused on children’s and nursery tales, but also provided illustrations for dust-jackets, magazines, and other one-off pieces. Her sinuous black-and white illustrations further refine and enhance the carefully collated stories of De La Mare – making this a book to delight both young and old alike. Pook Press celebrates the great ‘Golden Age of Illustration‘ in children’s literature – a period of unparalleled excellence in book illustration from the 1880s to the 1930s. Our collection showcases classic fairy tales, children’s stories, and the work of some of the most celebrated artists, illustrators and authors.

Told Again - Old Tales Told Again - Illustrated by A. H. Watson

How would your wife react if you came home with the face of someone else? How would you continue to look at your own life? What would you do? Considered one of Walter de la Mare's finest occult stories, this darkly thrilling tale tells the story of Lawford, a dull suburban man who accidentally falls asleep on a grave and wakes up possessed by the spirit - and face - of somebody else. Denounced by his family and friends as an impostor, Lawford's struggle to free himself of this possession leaves him a thoroughly changed man. Gripping and poignant, THE RETURN encompasses domestic trauma, unrequited love and philosophical reflection.

The sandy cat by the Farmer's chair Mews at his knee for dainty fare; Old Rover in his moss-greened house Mumbles a bone, and barks at a mouse. Carolina Rabei's stunning illustrations beautifully illuminate Walter de la Mare's glorious celebration of a balmy summer's evening. One of four exceptional Walter de la Mare picture books that form a seasonal set, each with complementing colour palates and illustrations by rising young star Carolina Rabei.

Summer Evening

Sunlight, moonlight, / Twilight, starlight. Walter de la Mare's evocative poem conjures up dream-inducing images of dewy forests, wrathful lions, and fairy-tale wonders in this wistfully illustrated picture book.

Dream Song

Up on their brooms the Witches stream, Crooked and black in the crescent's gleam It's Halloween and a family is preparing to go trick-or-treating. Little do they know that up above them a coven of witches flies unseen through the starry sky... Carolina's stunning illustrations beautifully illuminate Walter de la Mare's thrilling, magical poem, published as a picture book for the first time.

The Ride-by-Nights

'This is a book about childhood, but it is not a mere literary essay, it is a work of the widest learning, exploring the whole field of the subject ... a book rich in ideas, rich in information, rich in wisdom ...indeed, a kind of Anatomy of Childhood.' The Listener 'An enchanting book, and one that is certain of deepening affection in every house into which it finds its way.' Observer 'Only Walter de la Mare could have devised these ceremonies and been the master of them. In this conjuration of childhood he has amassed its evidence as displayed in many autobiographies, and has set against this the letters, diaries, stories and verses of these children ... His company ranges from mill hands and chimney sweeps to two queens of England; it embraces the whole gamut of the English poets; mathematicians and philosophers, though not so plentiful, are discovered to have been children once.' New Statesman

Chapters on Children and on Childhood as It Is Revealed in Particular in Early Memories and in Early Writings

Early One Morning in the Spring

The Burning-Glass

Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was one of the best-loved English poets of the twentieth century, his verse admired by contemporaries including Thomas Hardy, Robert Frost, W. H. Auden and T. S. Eliot. This volume presents a new selection of de la Mare's finest poems, including perennial favourites such as 'Napoleon', 'Fare Well' and 'The Listeners', for a twenty-first-century audience. The poems are accompanied by commentaries by William Wootten, which build up a portrait of de la Mare's life, loves and friendships with the likes of Hardy, Rupert Brooke, Edward Thomas and Katherine Mansfield. They also point out the fascinating references to literature, folklore and the natural world that embroider the verse.

Charles Dickens

F. Marion Crawford

E. F. Benson

Guy de Maupassant

Edward Bulwer-Lytton

W. W. Jacobs

Oliver Onions

E. G. Swain

Osie Turner

Montague Rhodes James 

This collection consists of thirteen stories by some of the best authors of speculative fiction. While they all feature ghosts, these are not traditional ghost stories. These tales are all unique and will stay with you long after you read them. The anthology contains a biography of Oliver Onions, the author of “The Beckoning Fair One.” There are also some annotations within the book with additional information pertinent to the stories. Table of Contents: The Attic by Algernon Blackwood Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad by M.R. James A Ghost by Guy de Maupassant The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford Bone to His Bone by E.G Swain The Beckoning Fair One by Oliver Onions The Signal-Man by Charles Dickens Christmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk by Frank Cowper The Ghosts by Lord Dunsany The Haunted and the Haunters, or the House and the Brain by Edward Bulwer-Lytton In The Tube by E.F. Benson The Toll-House by W.W. Jacobs The Listeners by Walter de la Mare Appendix: The Life of Oliver Onions by Osie Turner

13 Ghost Stories: A Collection of the Best Tales of the Masters of Weird Fiction

The perfect gift for children aged 8+, this stunning classic collection of poetry will delight a new generation of readers of the Faber Children's Classics list. Peacock Pie contains the finest of Walter de la Mare's poems for children, accompanied by exquisite original illustrations from Edward Ardizzone. This beautiful new edition of a classic anthology is an essential part of any child's bookshelf.

A Book of Rhymes

Peacock Pie

'No breath of wind, No gleam of sun Still the white snow Whirls softly down' As the day draws to a close, a family prepares for Christmas - decorating the tree, hanging stockings by the fire, putting out a plate of mince pies... Outside, the world turns to white.

Walter de la Mare

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