Nuggets of Horror

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (1843) | Horror Story Narration

"You must be mad to enjoy this, am I?"   Nugget about the author: What else can be said about Edgar Allan Poe? (Other than the fact that finding him smiling in a picture would be creepy as hell!) So instead of the usual short bio, here are a few strange things about the Godfather of Gothic. * He intentionally got himself court- martialed to get out of West Point Military Academy. * In his overlooked sci-fi writings, he proposed the Big Bang Theory about 80 years before it was called the Big Bang Theory. * It is said that he invented the word "tintinnabulation". A word describing the sound emitted by the ringing of bells. * He is credited to be the first writer to use the term "short story", and to popularize the detective genre. Poe is also known as America's first-ever successful writer, that is, the first to make a living from just writing prose and poetry. (for those days, it still means he struggled financially and personally) * He got a license to marry his 13 year old cousin, Virginia Clemm. Apparently this was something they did back in the day, that is, get a license to marry... and marry underaged cousins. She died about 11 years later of tuberculosis. Her death, it is said, affected much of his darker work. As did his alcoholism. * The night before his death, he was found to be wearing another person's clothes and shouting the name "Reynolds! Reynolds! Reynolds!" No one knows to whom he was referring to. * No one knows for sure how (or if) he died that night. All medical records have disappeared. * Poe's Death Certificate too had been lost. To be found, never more. Look for more Edgar Allan Poe wherever great books are found.

Chickamauga by Ambrose Bierce (1889) | Horror Story Narration

Narrator's Note: War is forever. For it is ever glorified. Therein lies the horror.   A nugget about Ambrose Bierce: We don't know exactly when he died. He disappeared in 1913 when he went to cover the Mexican Revolution. Thus, more importantly, let us instead know a little about how he lived.   He was a veteran of the American Civil War where he saw first-hand the horrors of war. His first taste of fame came as a result of his bravery at the Battle of Rich Mountain where he rescued a wounded soldier whilst under heavy fire. Eventually, he would sustain his own physical wounds, suffering an inter-cranial injury at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. This would affect him for the rest of his life, as did his asthma.   Yet, he would go on to be one the most renowned journalists and satirists of his day. It was only later when he would be known for his unromantic writings about war, the harsh realities which many others tend to willfully ignore. Bierce's brutal realism captured an audience unaccustomed to such raw vulgarity in books of the time. For this, he is often regarded as one of the trailblazers of the psychological horror genre.   Some say his experiences in battle influenced his stories, as did the tragedies of his family -- one son lost to suicide, the other to drink-related pneumonia. After he discovered that his wife had an admirer via compromising letters, she left him and died a year later. Bierce was an explorer of the dark side of the human heart. As such, he has been placed in the literary company of Voltaire, Hemingway, Poe, Lovecraft and King. But if there is one thing that makes him stand apart from such esteemed company, it is that his war stories have been called the greatest American anti-war documents.   Journalist. Social critic. War hero. Anti-War. Ambrose Bierce.   Look for more Ambrose Bierce wherever great books are found.

The Phantom Coach by Amelia Edwards (1864) | Horror Story Narration

Narrator's Note: What is more frightening? That ghosts are real? Or being laughed at for believing that ghosts are real?   A nugget about Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards: Novelist. Journalist. Illustrator. Poet. Traveller. Egyptologist. This section might be too small for the life that was Amelia Edwards. She wrote about her travels across Europe and the Nile, often accompanied by a female companion. It is said that she was more emotionally attached to women more than men, though there are no documents that firmly affirms the intimate nature of those relationships. She authored and illustrated works which spanned fiction and non-fiction, and was even honored with the title of "Godmother of Egyptology" for her contributions to the field. But as her gothic horror stories (which are rich in human insight) are almost always included in compilations, it'd be safe to call her one of the many Godmothers of Gothic Horror. Let's not forget the life and works of one of the most remarkable women writers in history. Look for the works, fiction and non-fiction, of Amelia B. Edwards wherever great books are available.

The Creaking Board by Bithia Mary Croker (1912) | Horror Story Narration

Narrator's Note: We make our own horrors. Don't we?   A nugget about the author: "Gadzooks! BM Croker is a Woman?! Impossible!" was probably what people said in them olden days where women authors had to hide the fact that they were women. Which is a horror story unto itself, and one that the present world is still perpetuating in one form of another. But, Bithia Mary Croker was one of the most eclectic and prolific writers of the late 1800's and well into the turn of the century with a career spanning 37 years, writing around 42 novels and 7 volumes of short stories-- and it wasn't all horror. A keen observer of human nature and social interactions, Bithia's writings included topics which challenged the conventions of her time while being open-minded and understanding enough to the male perspective. Let us not forget the works of one of the most prolific and pioneering female writers in history, who lived in a time dominated by male authors. Look for B.M. Croker's works wherever great books are available.

The Vampyre by John William Polidori (1819) | A Horror Story Narration

Narrator's Note: What chance does young, overly romantic idealism have when its infatuation is the very embodiment of evil?   A nugget about John William Polidori. Stoker wasn't the first to drop a remix on vampires. 78 years before Dracula, John William Polidori published The Vampyre in 1819 -- born out of a challenge to write ghost stories by his social circle, namely, Lord Byron, and Percy & Mary Shelley. The Vampyre was wrongly credited to Lord Byron at the time of publication, much to the dismay of Byron and Polidori. Byron later finished and published his own vampire story ("Fragment of a Novel") to rectify the false accreditation. Though it should be mentioned that Polidori took inspiration from the vampire story that Byron discarded earlier.   Another nugget: Polidori was also Byron's personal physician.   ---   Let us not forget the stories and poems of writing innovator's like John William Polidori. Look for his works wherever great works are available.