Washington Irving

Robert Louis Stevenson

M R James

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.

In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author? 

The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.

Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.

The word ‘Gothic’ may be teamed with romance but here it brings an immediate feeling of unease. This unease, this disquiet, is sumptuously captured by ten masters of their art.

01 - The Top 10 - Gothic - An Introduction

02 - The Signalman by Charles Dickens

03 - The Fall of the House of Usher - Part 1 by Edgar Allan Poe

04 - The Fall of the House of Usher - Part 2 by Edgar Allan Poe

05 - The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson

06 - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

07 - The Phantom Rickshaw by Rudyard Kipling

08 - The Phantom Coach by Amelia Edwards

09 - The Yellow Wall Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

10 - Lost Hearts by M R James

04 - Thurnley Abbey by Perceval Landon

12 - The Vampyre. A Tale - Part 1 by John William Polidori

13 - The Vampyre. A Tale - Part 2 by John William Polidori