The Purcell Papers

First published in 1880, "The Purcell Papers" is a collection of thirteen Gothic, supernatural, historical and humorous short stories by Irish writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu originally written for the Dublin University Magazine.In considering Le Fanu as a writer in the mystery and detective tradition, one might be tempted to call his novels mysteries without a detective.He is better known today as a short-story writer than as a novelist and he is considered to be the father of the Victorian ghost story. His many tales first appeared in periodicals, later to be combined into collections. In addition to having genuine intrinsic merit, the stories are important to an understanding of Le Fanu the novelist, for in them he perfected the techniques of mood, characterisation, and plot construction that make his later novels so obviously superior to his early efforts.

About the Author

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (28 August 1814 – 7 February 1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was a leading ghost story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era. M. R. James described Le Fanu as "absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories". Three of his best-known works are Uncle Silas, Carmilla, and The House by the Churchyard.

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