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THE COLLECTED GHOST STORIES OF OLIVER ONIONS.
London: Ivor Nicholson and Watson Limited, 1935. Octavo, pp. [i-vi] vii [viii] ix-xi [xii] [1-2] 3-689 [690-692: blank] [note: last leaf is a blank], original decorated black cloth, front and spine panels stamped in white. First edition, first printing. An omnibus volume collecting nineteen stories, several appearing here for the first time in book form, by a master of the English ghost story. Onions is best known for his supernatural fiction and "is regarded by many as one of the twentieth century masters of the genre ... [his ghost stories] are notable for their depth of psychological insight, elegant writing and sophisticated plots ... 'The Beckoning Fair One' (1911) is regarded by many as one of the greatest English tales of the supernatural but has overshadowed Onions' other work in the genre which some consider of equal, if not greater, importance. In fact, the majority of the author's supernatural fiction is of an extremely high standard and is notable for its originality, subtlety and careful characterizations which lift it well above the average ... Although Onions' ghost fiction is traditional in form, he concentrates more fully than his contemporaries upon his characters' inner feelings and physical reaction when faced with the seemingly inexplicable. A common theme is the gradual breakdown of an individual's personality following the realization that the supernatural is not confined to the haunted castles of the past but flourishes in the contemporary everyday world. Interestingly, Onions was a great pragmatist and did not believe in ghosts or occult agencies of any sort. It is therefore testament to his writing skills that he so convincingly conveys supernatural atmosphere and events." - Wilson, Shadows in the Attic, p. 398. Ashley, Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction, p. 141. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 3-155. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1264. Clute and Grant (eds), The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997), p. 709. Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, pp. 309-10. Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature I, pp. 294-99. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-187. Bleiler (1978), p. 151. Reginald 11002.
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EVIDENCE.
London: Martin Secker, [1912]. pp. [1-8] 9 [10-12] 13-297 [298: printer's imprint] [299-320: ads dated January 1912], original decorated black cloth, front panel stamped in white and ruled in blind, spine panel stamped in white and gold, rear panel ruled in blind, bottom edge untrimmed, top edge stained black. First edition. Murder mystery. "Not detection, but a minor classic of crime. The background, planning, and execution are told in the first person, which unfolds the sufficient motive." - Barzun and Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime 1667. Hubin, p. 615.
TALES FROM A FAR RIDING.
London: John Murray, 1902. Octavo, pp. [1-8] [1-2] 3-312, title page printed in red and black, original decorated maroon cloth, front panel stamped in beige, spine panel stamped in gold, fore and bottom edges untrimmed. First edition. The author's second book. "Five stories set in Yorkshire, told in Onions' grim and gritty regionalistic manner, sprinkled with dialectical speech. The longest -- a novella really -- is 'Gambier,' about a new doctor who goes to a remote valley town and butts heads with a fanatical priest (Gambier) who directly or indirectly sacrifices the lives of his parishioners in the belief that he is saving their souls. The religious faith of the people, on the other hand, is built directly on top of age-old traditions of superstition and magic, and they sometimes pressure Gambier into performing a Black Mass in the old deserted abbey (Wastley Hall) to ensure some desired goal. The conflict between the two men eventually leads to a pitched battle in town, and to the performance of such a Black Mass -- interrupted violently by the doctor. The level of fantasy here is what one might call meta-supernatural, as its efficacy is not directly and unambiguously endorsed by the author, but the evocation of uncanny atmosphere is masterly and will appeal to those who have relished the more overtly supernatural fiction of Onions." - Robert Eldridge.
WIDDERSHINS.
London: Martin Secker, 1911. Octavo, original decorated orange-red cloth, front panel stamped in gold and blind, spine panel stamped in gold, rear panel stamped in blind, top edge stained orange-red, fore and bottom edges untrimmed. First edition. Collects nine stories. "A landmark book in the history of supernatural fiction." - Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1261. Includes "The Beckoning Fair One," "... one of the finest of all ghost stories ..." and "Onion's work is stylishly suspenseful, and his best works are very effective" Barron (ed), Fantasy and Horror 4-119. Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 1720. Jones and Newman (eds), Horror: 100 Best Books 31. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-190. Wilson, Shadows in the Attic, p. 398.
WIDDERSHINS.
London: Martin Secker, 1911. Octavo, pp. [1-10] 11-315 [316: printer's imprint] [317-320: ads], original decorated orange-red cloth, front panel stamped in gold and blind, spine panel stamped in gold, rear panel stamped in blind, top edge stained orange-red, fore and bottom edges untrimmed. First edition. Collects nine stories. "A landmark book in the history of supernatural fiction." - Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1261. Includes "The Beckoning Fair One," "... one of the finest of all ghost stories ..." and "Onion's work is stylishly suspenseful, and his best works are very effective" Barron (ed), Fantasy and Horror 4-119. Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 1720. Jones and Newman (eds), Horror: 100 Best Books 31. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-190. Wilson, Shadows in the Attic, p. 398.
THE DEBIT ACCOUNT.
London: Martin Secker, [1913]. Octavo, pp. [1-10] 11-311 [312] [313-320: pubisher's ads], original black cloth, front stamped in white and ruled in blind, spine stamped in white and gold, rear ruled in blind, top edge stamped in black, bottom edges untrimmed. First edition. Sequel to IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EVIDENCE, the second volume in "Whom God Hath Sundered" trilogy. Critic Martin Seymour-Smith described Onions' Whom God Hath Sundered trilogy as a neglected classic: " 'In Accordance with the Evidence' is the masterpiece of the three, but the other sequels in no way disgrace it" - Seymour-Smith, "Forgotten Classic." Scotland on Sunday, 22 February 1998 (p.26). Not in Hubin. See Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), p. 413.
THE DEBIT ACCOUNT.
London: Martin Secker, [1913]. Octavo, pp. [1-10] 11-311 [312] [313-320: pubisher's ads], original black cloth, front stamped in white and ruled in blind, spine stamped in white and gold, rear ruled in blind, top edge stamped in black, bottom edges untrimmed. First edition. Sequel to IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EVIDENCE, the second volume in "Whom God Hath Sundered" trilogy. Critic Martin Seymour-Smith described Onions' Whom God Hath Sundered trilogy as a neglected classic: " 'In Accordance with the Evidence' is the masterpiece of the three, but the other sequels in no way disgrace it" - Seymour-Smith, "Forgotten Classic." Scotland on Sunday, 22 February 1998 (p.26). Not in Hubin. See Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), p. 413.
GHOST STORIES.
[North Yorkshire]: Tartarus Press, [2003]. Octavo, boards. Second printing. Collected in one volume the majority of his ghost and supernatural fiction. Introduction by Rosalie Parker.
A CASE IN CAMERA.
New York: The MacMillan Company, 1921. Octavo, pp. [1-10] 11-320, original green cloth, front and spine stamped in gold. First U.S. edition. A murder mystery. Two parachutists crash into a roof where a party is going on, one is dead from a gunshot wound. Hubin (1994), p. 615. Not in Barzun and Taylor.
A CASE IN CAMERA.
New York: The MacMillan Company, 1921. Octavo, pp. [1-10] 11-320, original green cloth, front and spine stamped in gold. First U.S. edition. A murder mystery. Two parachutists crash into a roof where a party is going on, one is dead from a gunshot wound. Hubin (1994), p. 615. Not in Barzun and Taylor.