Craig Rice was a popular mystery author of the mid-20th century, penning twenty novels and many short stories. She had a devoted readership, and in 1946 became the first mystery writer to appear on the cover of Time magazine. 'Once Upon a Train' is one of her best-remembered stories. The Many crime and detective stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

M. R. James was a prolific and hugely successful author, now credited with having redefined the ghost story for the 20th century by abandoning many of the formal Gothic clichés of his predecessors and using more realistic contemporary settings. 'Casting the Runes' is one of his most famous tales, and was adapted into a film in 1958. Many of the earliest occult stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

"David Quantick is one of the best kept secrets in the world of writing. He's smart, funny and unique. You should let yourself in on the secret." - Neil Gaiman From Emmy-Award winning author David Quantick, Night Train is a science-fiction horror story like no other. A woman wakes up, frightened and alone. The room shaking and jumping like it's alive. The noise is terrifying. Where is she? Stumbling through a door, she realizes she is on a train carriage. A carriage full of the dead. A personal hell unfolding in an apocalyptic future. This is NIGHT TRAIN. A terrifying ride set on a driverless locomotive, heading for a collision somewhere in the endless night. How did the woman get here? Who is she? And who are the dead? As our heroine makes her way through the train trying to find out what happened to her, she meets a former strongman, a trained killer, and a collection of strange and terrifying creatures. Each step takes her closer to finding out the secret of the Night Train.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of detective Sherlock Holmes, is the father of crime fiction. Originally published in The Cornhill Magazine in 1890, 'The Ring of Thoth' sees an Egyptologist visit the Louvre and witness a strange event. Many of the earliest occult stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

When strange, monstrous carcasses are observed floating in the river following a historic flood in Vermont, instructor of literature Albert N. Wilmarth becomes involved in the controversial argument as to their authenticity. Sceptical, he embarks on an investigation of his own that pushes the boundaries of credulity, leading him to a horrific cult of ancient power and a race of extra-terrestrial beings with malign intentions. “The Whisperer in Darkness” is a 1931 novella by H. P. Lovecraft and part of his famous "Cthulhu Mythos". A chilling example of horror fiction by master of the genre not to be missed by those who have read and enjoyed others in Lovecraft's Cthulhu series. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890–1937) was an American writer of supernatural horror fiction. Though his works remained largely unknown and did not furnish him with a decent living, Lovecraft is today considered to be among the most significant writers of supernatural horror fiction of the twentieth century. Other notable works by this author include: “The Call of Cthulhu”, “The Rats in the Walls”, and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Read & Co. is publishing this classic work now as part of our “Fantasy and Horror Classics” imprint in a new edition with a dedication by George Henry Weiss.

Prepare to be transported to the edge of the world in Bradley Sides' affecting and haunting debut collection of magical realism short stories, Those Fantastic Lives and Other Strange Stories. In Sides' tender, brilliantly-imagined collection, a young boy dreams of being a psychic like his grandmother, a desperate man turns to paper for a miracle, a swarm of fireflies attempts the impossible, scarecrows and ghosts collide, a mother and child navigate a forest plagued by light-craving monsters, a boy's talking dolls aid him in conquering a burning world, and a father and mother deal with the sudden emergence of wings on their son's back. Brimming with our deepest fears and desires, Sides' dazzling stories examine the complexities of masculinity, home, transformation, and loss. Bradley Sides is an exciting new voice in fiction, and Those Fantastic Lives, which glows with the light of hope and possibility amidst dark uncertainties, will ignite imaginations.

Lord Dunsany was one of Ireland's finest writers. At the peak of his career he was a true literary celebrity, spending time with authors such as W. B. Yeats and Rudyard Kipling, and publishing over sixty books. Arthur C. Clarke called him "one of the greatest writers of [the 20th] century," and H. P. Lovecraft described him as being "unexcelled in the sorcery of crystalline singing prose, and supreme in the creation of a gorgeous and languorous world of incandescently exotic vision." Collected here are some of Dunsany's greatest tales, including 'The Magician', 'The Field Where the Satyrs Dance' and more.