Andrew Barger's Blog

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles remains one of the most celebrated works in gothic and detective fiction. Its enduring appeal lies not only in the thrilling mystery but also in the rich thematic layers that invite readers and scholars alike to explore the depths of human nature, fear, and rationality. In this post, I will delve into the key themes that define this masterpiece, offering insights that illuminate its complexity and relevance. Exploring the

The Unholy Compact Adjured http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0606321h.html was published by French novelist Charles Pigault-Lebrun (1753-1835) in 1825. This is a very early vampire story and was only the fourth published in the English language. "The Vampyre" by John Polidori in 1819, "The Black Vampyre" by Robert Sands also in 1819 and "Wake Not the Dead" by Ludwig Tieck in 1823 are the prior three and are included in The Best Vampire Stories 1800-1849 Annotated Anthology:...

Vampires have long fascinated the human imagination, weaving their way through folklore, literature, and popular culture. Their origins are deeply rooted in superstition and cultural beliefs that span centuries and continents. As I explore these enduring myths, I find that understanding the historical context of vampire superstitions reveals much about the fears and values of past societies. This exploration also sheds light on how these beliefs evolved into the gothic and ho

Just in time for Halloween, here is a list of the free horror stories up on my website: https://www.andrewbarger.com/free-horror-stories A Game of Chess An Occurrence at Own Creek Bridge Coco Horror: A True Tale In the Vault La Horla Peter Rugg: The Missing Man Sleepyhead The Black Cat The Body Snatcher The Collier’s Family The Damned Thing The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar The Fall of the House of Usher The Field of Terror The Fiend of the Cooperage The Hand The Horror Th

Halloween is upon us! My picks for the Top 10 ghost stories for the first half of the 19th century. You can read them in my annotated anthology: The Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849 https://www.andrewbarger.com/best-ghost-stories-1800-1849 10. The Ghostly Visiter; or, The Mysterious Invalid (1833) This anonymous ghost story was published in a "penny dr eadful" magazine in 1833. It is one of the most chilling ghost stories in relation to an incapacitated person for this fifty year

Edgar Allan Poe was the undisputed king of the early horror story. He was ten when John Polidori published the first vampire story in the English language that was followed a few months later by “The Black Vampyre,” which was published anonymously by Robert Sands, valedictorian of Columbia University. Both caused quite a stir in the literary community and among readers at large due to their depraved horror. Many people thought Lord Byron wrote Polidori’s tale. Lord Byron had

October is upon us! For lovers of a good ghost story, let’s all tip our top hats to Charles Dickens, the author of “A Christmas Carol.” He was so fixated with ghost stories that he wrote nearly twenty of them among his short stories and novels. His “No. 1 Branch Line, The Signal Man” of 1866 rises to the level of the Top Ten stories found in Best Ghost Short Stories 1850-1899: A Phantasmal Ghost Anthology As if his many ghost stories weren’t enough for the genre, Dickens fost

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) wrote scary stories in a number of supernatural genres. He did not invent the horror short story, but he took it to unbelievable heights. He was the first to invent a closed room murder mystery (The Murders in the Rue Morgue of 1841) and a founding father of science fiction short stories. Poe also was the first to take us inside the mind of a killer in his watershed horror story The Tell-Tale Heart of 1843. Yet Edgar Allan Poe failed to cover a few

I asked Kindle readers their favorite classic ghost/horror stories. The list is a good mix of classic and modern horror. In no particular order are the stories recommended by author, with the first being included in my anthology: Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849. Washington Irving: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Neil Gaiman: Don't Ask Jack, October in the Chair Shirley Jackson: The Summer People Mary E Wilkins: The Wind in the Rose-Bush Joyce Carol Oates: Night-Side Robert Bloch:

The story of Peter Rugg is a fascinating piece of American folklore that has intrigued readers and scholars for centuries. It is a tale steeped in mystery, blending elements of gothic fiction and supernatural horror. As I delve into this narrative, I find myself drawn to its enigmatic nature and the layers of meaning hidden beneath its surface. The Origins and Historical Context of Peter Rugg Peter Rugg first appeared in print in the early 19th century, attributed to the myst

Minister Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter has the same first name as Edgar Allan Poe’s protagonist in his only novel: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. #Hawthorne #Poe

The world of horror fiction has long fascinated readers with its ability to evoke fear, suspense, and curiosity. From the eerie tales of Edgar Allan Poe to the forgotten gems of 19th-century gothic literature, horror stories offer a unique window into the darker corners of human imagination. For those who appreciate classic gothic and horror fiction, finding accessible and well-curated collections can be a challenge. Fortunately, the internet provides a vast repository of fre

A week ago I attended Peter Hook @peterhook and the Light’s concert in Dallas. The first set was a complete New Order album and the second set was a mix of Joy Division and New Order hits. Below is my favorite photo that I took of Hook! The crowd was really into the concert. I was fortunate to be on the third row. A lady next to me had her three year old strapped to her back (with headphones on, thankfully). At the end of the concert Hooky took off his sweaty T-shirt and thre

A rumor found its way into romantic and Gothic literature during the 18th and 19th centuries that involved Venice’s world renowned Murano glass. Fiction authors claimed it was so pure that if it came into contact with a poison impurity, the glass would break. One of the most popular Gothic authors to extoll this supposed virtue of Murano glass was Ann Radcliffe in her best-selling novel The Mysteries of Udolpho. The Gothic novel was published in 1794 and in its pages Emily, t

Years before the black raven was engrained into the minds of Americans as a reminder of lost love, another sable animal gained Poe fame. “The Black Cat” ranks as one of Poe’s best tales. Poe actually owned a black cat in 1840 when he published a short article entitled “Instinct vs. Reason.” The writer of this article is the owner of one of the most remarkable black cats in the world – and this is saying much; for it will be remembered that black cats are all of them witches.

Brave New World by Englishman Aldous Huxley is a science fiction concept novel published in 1932. In Huxley's future world, the people of today are portrayed as savages and modern people are controlled by groupthink and a designer drug--soma. In the novel the people of today feel love, believe in God and pray. Base savages! The novel has taken on a life of its own and is often read in high school and college classrooms. Many bands have created songs about it. “Brave New Worl

Last week I revealed the cover for this fall’s hottest academic book. Below is the Table of Contents. The Scarlet Letter is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most beloved novel. Published in March of 1850, it quickly sold out of its first two printruns. It is still widely discussed in classrooms worldwide and taught as a moral allegory that warns against the mental and physical tolls of infidelity. Attorney Andrew Barger has uncovered another allegorical layer of The Scarlet Letter—the

In her debut novel, Ayn Rand has penned a masterpiece of literature simply titled, We the Living. The novel likely did more to weaken the early foundations of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) than any waving of guns or thumping of politicians’ chests, and this is why. Published in 1936, We the Living has it all—intrigue, one of the strongest female characters ever created in literature, and a tight plot that will leave readers guessing until the end. I won’t

"The Lighthouse," a fine tale of madness, was first published in the London magazine with the cumbersome name, The Log Book; or Nautical Miscellany. The year was 1826. The anonymous author was George Soane. He later printed the short story in his three-volume collection titled, The Last Ball, and Other Stories, published in 1841. The story was listed under the new, benign title, “Lucy Ellis.” Despite the varying titles and fifteen years of anonymity, this is the finest lighth