Monsters and Mushrooms

Publisher Marketing: The BIRTH of HORROR! In the early 19th century hundreds of tales of terror flooded the streets of London with horrific titles such as The Bleeding Nun, Cavern of Horrors, Skeleton Witness and The Bloody Hand and were derided as merely Gothic chapbooks or Literary Mushrooms by critics. To be specific chapbooks were a series of cheap publications inspired by the Gothic novels of Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis and Horace Walpole (1764-1830). The popularity of these short 36-72 page booklets, distinguished by their blue covers, was immense. Often illustrated with garish illustrations these short tales were so popular that they were literally read to pieces by eager readers of all ages and social classes between 1800 and 1830. The Gothic chapbook and their tales of terror and horror are the great grandparents of the modern horror and comic books. While 100s of these tales of terror were originally published, only a few remain today! To preserve these 200 year old tales we have resurrected 15 of the most sensational and horrific tales of Gothic terror of the early 19th century, combined them with 15 original horror comic art by Jordan Q. Hammer. The collection includes the following tales: The Midnight Embrace, The Cavern of Death, The Spectre of the Murdered Nun, The Horrible Revenge, Monster Made By Man, Subterraneous Passage, The Spectres, The Spectre of the Murdered Nun, The Wandering Spirit, The Spectre of the Black Forest Monkcliffe Abbey, Castle of Alvidaro, The Black Castle, Chateau de Montville, and Skeleton Witness