Part of Series
For many, Walter de la Mare is as great a writer of fiction as of poetry. Sadly, the majority of his short stories have been unavailable for some time. Now this welcome volume, the first of three, brings together more than 40 stories written between 1895 and 1926, including "The Riddle and Other Stories, Ding Dong Bell, The Connoisseur and Other Stories, Kismet, " and 14 other previously uncollected pieces. <>Contents of Short Stories 1895-1926 : (1) The Riddle and Other Stories (1923): The Almond Tree; The Count's Courtship; The Looking-Glass; Miss Duveen; Selina's Parable; Seaton's Aunt; The Bird of Travel; The Bowl; The Three Friends; Lispet, Lispett and Vaine; The Tree; Out of the Deep; The Creatures; The Riddle; The Vats. (2) Ding Dong Bell (1924): Lichen; Benighted; Strangers and Pilgrims; Winter. (3) The Connoisseur and Other Stories (1926): Mr Kempe; Missing; The Connoisseur; Disillusioned; The Nap; Pretty Poll; All Hallows; The Wharf; The Lost Track. (4) Uncollected stories: Kismet; The Hangman Luck; A Mote; The Village of Old Age; The Moon's Miracle; The Giant; De Mortuis; The Rejection of the Rector; The Match-Maker; The Budget; The Pear-Tree; Leap Year; Promise at Dusk; Two Days in Town.
Author
Walter John de la Mare was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, probably best remembered for his works for children and The Listeners. He was descended from a family of French Huguenots, and was educated at St Paul's School. His first book, Songs of Childhood, was published under the name Walter Ramal. He worked in the statistics department of the London office of Standard Oil for eighteen years while struggling to bring up a family, but nevertheless found enough time to write, and, in 1908, through the efforts of Sir Henry Newbolt he received a Civil List pension which enabled him to concentrate on writing; One of de la Mare's special interests was the imagination, and this contributed both to the popularity of his children's writing and to his other work occasionally being taken less seriously than it deserved. De la Mare also wrote some subtle psychological horror stories; "Seaton's Aunt" and "Out of the Deep" are noteworthy examples. His 1921 novel, Memoirs of a Midget, won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.
