Commonly credited as the first vampire story written in English; James Malcolm Rymer's classic Victorian vampire tale, Varney The Vampire, pre-dates Stoker's Dracula. Varney is sometimes credited, as... More > it is here, to the unlikely but still possible author, Thomas Preskett Prest. In keeping with tradition and possibility, Prest is here credited. These stories were originally serialized in the Penny Dreadfuls of the Victorian era. This edition includes all three volumes of Varney's tale. The print is smaller, but it's very readable and a relatively inexpensive way to get the entire story at once.< Less
The tale of the real Sweeney Todd is a dark, macabre story that causes the tales of his later fellow murderer, Jack the Ripper, to pale in comparision. Sweeney killed people in his shop with the aid... More > of a barber's chair that tilted backwards and toss its occupant into a deep basement. Todd would descend to "polish them off" with a razor, if necessary.
Sweeney and his female companion Margery Lovett conspired together to make and sell meat pies made from the gruesome remains of Todd's victims. Todd hid the remains in the old catacombs beneath St. Dunston church, where the smell of decay proved his undoing. Margery committed suicide before trial, and Sweeney Todd found himself at the end of a hangman's noose. To quote a famous crimefighter, "Crime does not pay." Crime did pay for Sweeney for a while, but after a few close shaves, it caught up to him in the end. Penned anonymously by James Malcolm Rymer, this version of Sweeney's story appeared in the Penny Dreadfuls of the 19th century.< Less
In London of the 1830's, a mysterious figure began to appear. With long talons, a devil's face, and an ability to leap high into the air, Spring-Heeled Jack terrorized the populace with his uncanny... More > abilities and strange physical features. This story was published in the Penny Dreadfuls of the time, and is an unlikely history of the mysterious character.< Less
EREWHON by Samuel Butler is a classic in dystopian literature. Written in the mid-19th century, EREWHON lays the groundwork for other dystopian classics to come such as Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD and... More > Orwell's 1984. EREWHON manages a light-hearted tone while retaining biting social commentary as applicable today as in Butler's time. EREWHON is considered a classic, and rightly so.< Less
Commonly credited as the first vampire story written in English; James Malcolm Rymer's classic Victorian vampire tale, Varney The Vampire, pre-dates Stoker's Dracula. Varney is sometimes credited, as... More > it is here, to the unlikely but still possible author, Thomas Preskett Prest. In keeping with tradition and possibility, Prest is here credited. These stories were originally serialized in the Penny Dreadfuls of the Victorian era.
This edition includes all three volumes of Varney's tale. The print is smaller, but it's very readable and a relatively inexpensive way to get the entire story at once.< Less
A man falls asleep in 1887 and remains in an undisturbed and unaging state, Rip Van Winkle-like, for over 100 years. He awakens in the year 2000 to the Utopian ideal his native Boston has... More > become.
Bellamy's classic of Utopian literature paints a picture of a world where money is no longer used and people work because they enjoy what they do. There's progress, rather than stagnation in a forward direction. Despite initially sounding like a Socialistic ideal, Bellamy creates a world that is based on the concept of capitalism reaching its ultimate goal. This novel spawned and inspired political movements in Bellamy's time, and speaks volumes about what is possible for a society to accomplish.< Less
From the haze of the past arrives a strange hero, defending America from an even stranger menace. The Obscure defies the evil will of deadly robots, even while facing the demons of his own mysterious... More > past. Can even The Obscure stop the devestation threatening from these steel juggernauts? Can even he stop the INEVITABLE?
A fast paced, modern pulp story!< Less
The Czech playwright, Karel Capek, wrote his play ROSSUM'S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS in the 1920's. Capek coined the word 'robot' in this play to indicate mechanical men. Now, it's a house-hold word and... More > technical term. R.U.R. is not only a historical moment in the world of science fiction, but also a very engrossing play.< Less
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