The first volume of the shorter haunting fiction of an acknowledged master Algernon Henry Blackwood was one of the most prolific authors of supernatural and horror fiction in the history of the genre. In fact, his output was so great and rapidly produced that it is possible his entire cannon remains unknown. Born in Shooter's Hill (which now part of south-east London) in 1869, his father was a civil servant and his mother was the widow of the 6th Duke of Manchester. As an adventurous young Englishman, Blackwood travelled to Canada and the USA where he worked at a number of jobs including as a journalist for the New York Times. At the turn of the 20th century Blackwood returned to Britain and embarked upon his career as a writer of supernatural and horror stories. His output was astonishing, resulting in at least ten collections of short stories together with 14 novels and plays. He regularly broadcast his work on radio and later on television. His two best known stories are probably, 'The Willows' and 'The Wendigo'. Blackwood died from a stroke in 1951. The Leonaur collection of Blackwood's strange fiction seeks to gather together the majority of his known shorter supernatural fiction into a comprehensive set. In volume one the reader will discover four novelettes and thirteen short stories including,' A Haunted Island', 'An Empty House', 'The Woman's Ghost Story' and others. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.