The Wild Huntsman, and Other Tales

London: Ward, Lock & Co., 1877. Hardcover. Very Good/No dust jacket. Early edition. No date given, 1877 lightly penciled on title page by previous owner, more likely early 1880s. Illustrations throughout. Famous in their day for historical romances, Erckmann-Chatrian's lesser-known supernatural stories were admired by M.R. James. Four leaves of ads, including this title listed as the final no. 20 in the "Erckmann-Chatrian Library." All titles but this final one had appeared under Ward, Lock & Tyler, the publisher having dropped the final name in this year. Ad at rear lists Erckmann-Chatrian titles at a shilling unillustrated in wrappers, or, as here, at 2s. 6d. illustrated, in cloth. In his famous essay "Some Remarks on Ghost Stories, James wrote, "I should feel myself ungrateful if I did not pay a tribute to the supernatural tales of Erckmann-Chatrian. The blend of French with German in them, comparable to the French-Irish blend in Le Fanu, has produced some quite first-class romance of this kind." Among a few others, James specifically mentions this title, in the original French, La Maison Forestière (The Forest House, translated in this edition to "The Wild Huntsman"). This volume also collects "The Gypsies" and "The Murderer's Violin," another supernatural tale.