What do you think?
Rate this book
E. Nesbit's Tales Of Terror
For a specific description of this book, please see each individual seller offering.
126 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
1 person is currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
E. Nesbit
1,042 books1,002 followers
Edith Nesbit
(married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit.
She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.
Edith Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey, the daughter of agricultural chemist and schoolmaster John Collis Nesbit. The death of her father when she was four and the continuing ill health of her sister meant that Nesbit had a transitory childhood, her family moving across Europe in search of healthy climates only to return to England for financial reasons. Nesbit therefore spent her childhood attaining an education from whatever sources were available—local grammars, the occasional boarding school but mainly through reading.
At 17 her family finally settled in London and aged 19, Nesbit met Hubert Bland, a political activist and writer. They became lovers and when Nesbit found she was pregnant they became engaged, marrying in April 1880. After this scandalous (for Victorian society) beginning, the marriage would be an unconventional one. Initially, the couple lived separately—Nesbit with her family and Bland with his mother and her live-in companion Maggie Doran.
Initially, Edith Nesbit books were novels meant for adults, including The Prophet's Mantle (1885) and The Marden Mystery (1896) about the early days of the socialist movement. Written under the pen name of her third child 'Fabian Bland', these books were not successful. Nesbit generated an income for the family by lecturing around the country on socialism and through her journalism (she was editor of the Fabian Society's journal, Today).
In 1899 she had published The Adventures of the Treasure Seekers to great acclaim.
She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.
Edith Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey, the daughter of agricultural chemist and schoolmaster John Collis Nesbit. The death of her father when she was four and the continuing ill health of her sister meant that Nesbit had a transitory childhood, her family moving across Europe in search of healthy climates only to return to England for financial reasons. Nesbit therefore spent her childhood attaining an education from whatever sources were available—local grammars, the occasional boarding school but mainly through reading.
At 17 her family finally settled in London and aged 19, Nesbit met Hubert Bland, a political activist and writer. They became lovers and when Nesbit found she was pregnant they became engaged, marrying in April 1880. After this scandalous (for Victorian society) beginning, the marriage would be an unconventional one. Initially, the couple lived separately—Nesbit with her family and Bland with his mother and her live-in companion Maggie Doran.
Initially, Edith Nesbit books were novels meant for adults, including The Prophet's Mantle (1885) and The Marden Mystery (1896) about the early days of the socialist movement. Written under the pen name of her third child 'Fabian Bland', these books were not successful. Nesbit generated an income for the family by lecturing around the country on socialism and through her journalism (she was editor of the Fabian Society's journal, Today).
In 1899 she had published The Adventures of the Treasure Seekers to great acclaim.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 26, 2025
Though Edith Nesbit is famous as a prolific writer of children's literature, I first came across her years ago with the adult horror story "The Power of Darkness", which I thought was excellent. Turns out, Nesbit was an accomplished teller of terror tales as well as of children's fantasies. Examples of her darker fantasies have since appeared in numerous ghost story collections for the past 125 years. This omnibus of seven of her shorts, published in 1985 and compiled by notorious horror editor Hugh Lamb, gave me a chance to decide how well her work holds up to her more famous contemporaries, like M.R. James and Ambrose Bierce. Here are brief thoughts for each entry in this volume:
In the Dark (1910)--A story about a man wracked with guilt, this one is not very scary until the end. Though it has a grounded explanation, there is a contrived sense that divine providence or fate is involved, and it really stretches the limits of credibility. 3/5
Man-Size in Marble (1887)--Newlyweds buy a countryside cottage that was once part of a large manor that had been burned down by lightning. Then their live-in maid gives notice that she can't work on Halloween. When the fateful night comes around, the husband learns firsthand what scared off the help. If you have ever been camping at night and heard footsteps that were not your own crunching through leaves in the dark, you get an idea of the kind of chills in store here. For fans of pastoral weird fiction along the lines of Algernon Blackwood. 4/5
The Violet Car (1910)--Very similar story to "In the Dark", about the torment of guilt, only this time a man is plagued by visions of a purple car. This one is not very scary at all, but has some fantastic atmosphere. "But on winter evenings when the wind is waking up to its work, spitting rain in your eyes, beating the poor, naked trees and shaking the dusk across the hills like a grey pall, then it is better to be by a warm fireside, in one of the farms that lie lonely where shelter is, and oppose their windows glowing with candlelight and firelight to the deepening darkness, as faith holds up its love-lamp in the night of sin and sorrow that is life." 3/5
John Charrington's Wedding (1891)--A creepy story that unfortunately telegraphs what's going to happen early on. The writing feels more on the pedestrian side as well. 2.5/5
The Shadow (1905)--A group of young adults are partying at the mansion of a spinster, and in the wee hours, as everyone is settling down to crash on the couches, they decide to scare themselves with ghost stories. In a touching act of kindness, they invite the typically austere and stern housekeeper to mingle with them a tell a story of her own. Unfortunately, despite the classic setting, the housekeeper's story simply leaves you scratching your head in frustration. It is written in a very clumsy and choppy manner, making this very simple story hard to understand, and the attempt at a twist is equally amateurish. 2.5/5
The Five Senses (1909)--This one is not a ghost story, but science fiction, about a scientist who experiments with a shamanic drug that can elevate all of the human senses. It's an interesting concept that has a lot of promise. Once the doctor tries the drug on himself, I thought that the story would linger on its effects on his sanity, but instead, the narrative goes in an unexpected direction along the lines of Edgar Allen Poe. It gets tense and suspenseful, and is overall rewarding. 3.5/5
The Three Drugs (1908)--One of weirdest of the bunch, this is another story about a doctor using drugs. A man is ambushed by street thugs in Paris, and hides in the courtyard of a house. Unfortunately, his shelter is really a trap. There is a moment in the story where my own anticipation of what would happen next was more interesting than what actually happened, and the end really had to contort itself into a "happy" ending. 3/5
My conclusion is that Nesbit's stories tend to be weaker than I would like, though on the occasion that she does manage to tickle your spine, it almost hurts! I certainly wouldn't call any of these "tales of TERROR", but they are chocked full of wonderful set pieces: Creaking floorboards, unseen things in the woods, soft candlelight in cluttered Victorian parlors, a sigh behind your shoulder in the dark, a mad scientist's laboratory, a sinister thing crouching in a cupboard. BRRRR!
You don't need to own this particular book to appreciate Nesbit's horror output for yourself. Her complete repertoire of dark fiction can easily be found in audio and digital format in the public domain. So if you like cozy, old-fashioned tales of hauntings and inexplicable mysteries to read during Halloween or Christmas, Nesbit is a writer that will likely please, even if they fail closer scrutiny.
SCORE: 3 (almost) tales of terror out of 5
In the Dark (1910)--A story about a man wracked with guilt, this one is not very scary until the end. Though it has a grounded explanation, there is a contrived sense that divine providence or fate is involved, and it really stretches the limits of credibility. 3/5
Man-Size in Marble (1887)--Newlyweds buy a countryside cottage that was once part of a large manor that had been burned down by lightning. Then their live-in maid gives notice that she can't work on Halloween. When the fateful night comes around, the husband learns firsthand what scared off the help. If you have ever been camping at night and heard footsteps that were not your own crunching through leaves in the dark, you get an idea of the kind of chills in store here. For fans of pastoral weird fiction along the lines of Algernon Blackwood. 4/5
The Violet Car (1910)--Very similar story to "In the Dark", about the torment of guilt, only this time a man is plagued by visions of a purple car. This one is not very scary at all, but has some fantastic atmosphere. "But on winter evenings when the wind is waking up to its work, spitting rain in your eyes, beating the poor, naked trees and shaking the dusk across the hills like a grey pall, then it is better to be by a warm fireside, in one of the farms that lie lonely where shelter is, and oppose their windows glowing with candlelight and firelight to the deepening darkness, as faith holds up its love-lamp in the night of sin and sorrow that is life." 3/5
John Charrington's Wedding (1891)--A creepy story that unfortunately telegraphs what's going to happen early on. The writing feels more on the pedestrian side as well. 2.5/5
The Shadow (1905)--A group of young adults are partying at the mansion of a spinster, and in the wee hours, as everyone is settling down to crash on the couches, they decide to scare themselves with ghost stories. In a touching act of kindness, they invite the typically austere and stern housekeeper to mingle with them a tell a story of her own. Unfortunately, despite the classic setting, the housekeeper's story simply leaves you scratching your head in frustration. It is written in a very clumsy and choppy manner, making this very simple story hard to understand, and the attempt at a twist is equally amateurish. 2.5/5
The Five Senses (1909)--This one is not a ghost story, but science fiction, about a scientist who experiments with a shamanic drug that can elevate all of the human senses. It's an interesting concept that has a lot of promise. Once the doctor tries the drug on himself, I thought that the story would linger on its effects on his sanity, but instead, the narrative goes in an unexpected direction along the lines of Edgar Allen Poe. It gets tense and suspenseful, and is overall rewarding. 3.5/5
The Three Drugs (1908)--One of weirdest of the bunch, this is another story about a doctor using drugs. A man is ambushed by street thugs in Paris, and hides in the courtyard of a house. Unfortunately, his shelter is really a trap. There is a moment in the story where my own anticipation of what would happen next was more interesting than what actually happened, and the end really had to contort itself into a "happy" ending. 3/5
My conclusion is that Nesbit's stories tend to be weaker than I would like, though on the occasion that she does manage to tickle your spine, it almost hurts! I certainly wouldn't call any of these "tales of TERROR", but they are chocked full of wonderful set pieces: Creaking floorboards, unseen things in the woods, soft candlelight in cluttered Victorian parlors, a sigh behind your shoulder in the dark, a mad scientist's laboratory, a sinister thing crouching in a cupboard. BRRRR!
You don't need to own this particular book to appreciate Nesbit's horror output for yourself. Her complete repertoire of dark fiction can easily be found in audio and digital format in the public domain. So if you like cozy, old-fashioned tales of hauntings and inexplicable mysteries to read during Halloween or Christmas, Nesbit is a writer that will likely please, even if they fail closer scrutiny.
SCORE: 3 (almost) tales of terror out of 5
October 26, 2022
Average about 3 ⭐️s for this short story collection of horrorish tales. Overall I did enjoy it, the writing was rather transportive, intriguing and a bit scary. I definitely preferred some stories over others but Yhh - it was alright.
In the dark - 2 ⭐️
We follow a first person account from Winston telling the tale of his friendship with Haldane from school to Oxford. They bonded over a hatred of fellow classmate Visger. After a spate of what I believe to be depression, Winston goes to India for a year and when he returns he finds Haldane looking very ghastly and withholding a secret. But what is it?? There was some scary ghostly aspects to the story with intrigue and mystery but overall I did find the characters unlikable, shallow and the general plot just not it.
Man-size in marble - 3 ⭐️
This story follows Jack and Laura, a couple who move to a cottage in the countryside (quaint, picturesque and nice descriptions of the setting). They hire a servant-esque woman Mrs Dorman who was great for three months but before halloween she says she has to leave to take care of her niece. Surprised, Jack questions the urgency and Mrs Dorman recited the tale of two soldiers made ‘man-size in marble’ that at 11pm every halloween night rise up from the church and towards their old house (their cottage is on its site now) and Yhh… Do they really come alive? Or it’s a just an old wives tale? I did quite like the suspense-ish element of this story and the setting was nice, characters ehh but I did like the love shown between the couple just Yhh it was okay.
The violet car - 4 ⭐️
This was a very intriguing and enjoyable read. The story follows an unnamed protagonist, a nurse, who goes to Charlestown farm to look after Mrs Eldridge (or is it Mr Eldridge that needs help?? Or both??) and she gets on well. Every day at dusk the couple go to the end of the lane to look over the downs towards the sea where the husband ‘thinks’ he sees a violet car but she doesn’t. The nurse comes to know the importance of this car in their lives and why only he can see it. The writing is very good with nice descriptions of the surroundings and a very pleasant reading experience, the characters were rather likeable and the plot very gripping (and a bit emotional) so overall I did enjoy this short story.
John Charrington’s wedding - 2 ⭐️
This was kinda crap, I didn’t like any of the characters, the plot was like huh? And yh I dunno… We follow the story from Geoffrey’s POV (he’s a villager in the village where it takes place) where he recounts the tale of John Charrington repeatedly asking May Foster to marry him, she finally says yes and the wedding is on, the other men of the village are like ‘oh no I wanted to marry her! Why do you always get your way John? Ughh’ but Yhh not they just have to suck it I guess. Two days before the wedding John leaves to visit his dying uncle or something but doesn’t return. Geoffrey is meant to be his best man and received a telegram to meet him at 3pm at the station but he’s there and waiting and waiting but no John… okurrr but when he gets to the church the ceremony is happening. But how? Was it really John? He did say he’ll be getting married dead or alive so yhhhh. Overall I didn’t like it soz
The shadow - 4 ⭐️
We start the story with three young women telling ghost stories after a Christmas party, then Margaret (the mc’s aunt’s housekeeper I think) arrives and the youngest women invites her in. She then tells a ghost story of her own reminiscing back when she visited her best friends who got married and how the husband - and the n Margaret herself - felt a presence in the house but didn’t see/hear anything. Until they do… I did really like this story, the characters were rather likeable with an intriguing and slightly unnerving plot. I wanted to know more and see how it developed. Enjoyable read.
The five senses - 4.25 ⭐️
This story is told from the perspective of someone piecing together the life of the esteemed scientist Professor Boyd Thompson and his experiments. There is controversy over why he stopped doing experiments and our narrator knows this reason. We start with Thompson as a child having an interest in science and how things work, going to university specialising in biology and medics and therefore he goes into this field. He has a love interest, his second cousin once removed (kinda awks) who makes him choose between her or continuing to take part in vivisection and he chooses… vivisection (eww hate that!) but Yhh and then he comes upon an accidental discovery that enhances the five senses. This works on the animals he brutalises (I’m anti animal testing btw so yhhh) and thinks ‘what about humans?’ So… he tries it on himself. I found this story very intriguing and quite scary especially as this sense of being buried alive is explored and this honestly frightens me to my soul like I get so stressed and just hope not for me thank you very much. So Yhh I did like the story and honestly game me goosebumps.
The three drugs - 2.5 ⭐️
This one was ehh bordering on okay. It follows Roger Wroxham who is in Paris and I believe planning on killing himself. He’s followed into an alleyway and attacked so runs off into a seemingly deserted courtyard. Then a Dr approaches and promises to help Roger, but was he better off in the streets?? It turns out this is a rather mad doctor who’s been doing some rather strange experiments looking for the meaning of life. It was interesting and kinda enjoyable but also a bit confusing and I dunno I wasn’t too keen on the characters and plot lines really.
In the dark - 2 ⭐️
We follow a first person account from Winston telling the tale of his friendship with Haldane from school to Oxford. They bonded over a hatred of fellow classmate Visger. After a spate of what I believe to be depression, Winston goes to India for a year and when he returns he finds Haldane looking very ghastly and withholding a secret. But what is it?? There was some scary ghostly aspects to the story with intrigue and mystery but overall I did find the characters unlikable, shallow and the general plot just not it.
Man-size in marble - 3 ⭐️
This story follows Jack and Laura, a couple who move to a cottage in the countryside (quaint, picturesque and nice descriptions of the setting). They hire a servant-esque woman Mrs Dorman who was great for three months but before halloween she says she has to leave to take care of her niece. Surprised, Jack questions the urgency and Mrs Dorman recited the tale of two soldiers made ‘man-size in marble’ that at 11pm every halloween night rise up from the church and towards their old house (their cottage is on its site now) and Yhh… Do they really come alive? Or it’s a just an old wives tale? I did quite like the suspense-ish element of this story and the setting was nice, characters ehh but I did like the love shown between the couple just Yhh it was okay.
The violet car - 4 ⭐️
This was a very intriguing and enjoyable read. The story follows an unnamed protagonist, a nurse, who goes to Charlestown farm to look after Mrs Eldridge (or is it Mr Eldridge that needs help?? Or both??) and she gets on well. Every day at dusk the couple go to the end of the lane to look over the downs towards the sea where the husband ‘thinks’ he sees a violet car but she doesn’t. The nurse comes to know the importance of this car in their lives and why only he can see it. The writing is very good with nice descriptions of the surroundings and a very pleasant reading experience, the characters were rather likeable and the plot very gripping (and a bit emotional) so overall I did enjoy this short story.
John Charrington’s wedding - 2 ⭐️
This was kinda crap, I didn’t like any of the characters, the plot was like huh? And yh I dunno… We follow the story from Geoffrey’s POV (he’s a villager in the village where it takes place) where he recounts the tale of John Charrington repeatedly asking May Foster to marry him, she finally says yes and the wedding is on, the other men of the village are like ‘oh no I wanted to marry her! Why do you always get your way John? Ughh’ but Yhh not they just have to suck it I guess. Two days before the wedding John leaves to visit his dying uncle or something but doesn’t return. Geoffrey is meant to be his best man and received a telegram to meet him at 3pm at the station but he’s there and waiting and waiting but no John… okurrr but when he gets to the church the ceremony is happening. But how? Was it really John? He did say he’ll be getting married dead or alive so yhhhh. Overall I didn’t like it soz
The shadow - 4 ⭐️
We start the story with three young women telling ghost stories after a Christmas party, then Margaret (the mc’s aunt’s housekeeper I think) arrives and the youngest women invites her in. She then tells a ghost story of her own reminiscing back when she visited her best friends who got married and how the husband - and the n Margaret herself - felt a presence in the house but didn’t see/hear anything. Until they do… I did really like this story, the characters were rather likeable with an intriguing and slightly unnerving plot. I wanted to know more and see how it developed. Enjoyable read.
The five senses - 4.25 ⭐️
This story is told from the perspective of someone piecing together the life of the esteemed scientist Professor Boyd Thompson and his experiments. There is controversy over why he stopped doing experiments and our narrator knows this reason. We start with Thompson as a child having an interest in science and how things work, going to university specialising in biology and medics and therefore he goes into this field. He has a love interest, his second cousin once removed (kinda awks) who makes him choose between her or continuing to take part in vivisection and he chooses… vivisection (eww hate that!) but Yhh and then he comes upon an accidental discovery that enhances the five senses. This works on the animals he brutalises (I’m anti animal testing btw so yhhh) and thinks ‘what about humans?’ So… he tries it on himself. I found this story very intriguing and quite scary especially as this sense of being buried alive is explored and this honestly frightens me to my soul like I get so stressed and just hope not for me thank you very much. So Yhh I did like the story and honestly game me goosebumps.
The three drugs - 2.5 ⭐️
This one was ehh bordering on okay. It follows Roger Wroxham who is in Paris and I believe planning on killing himself. He’s followed into an alleyway and attacked so runs off into a seemingly deserted courtyard. Then a Dr approaches and promises to help Roger, but was he better off in the streets?? It turns out this is a rather mad doctor who’s been doing some rather strange experiments looking for the meaning of life. It was interesting and kinda enjoyable but also a bit confusing and I dunno I wasn’t too keen on the characters and plot lines really.
December 26, 2019
Great small collection here. I've only ever read Nesbit's short stories in mixed horror anthologies, so it was nice to delve into these half-dozen or so pieces and appreciate them side-by-side. My favourites were 'In the Dark' and 'The Shadow', which I just got to last night (Christmas night). In fact, 'The Shadow' gave me some genuine chills. Highly recommended if you're fond of an oldie-worldie yarn.
October 14, 2022
Maybe fans of Nesbitt's writing can get into this collection - I found it disappointing, of antiquarian interest only. I didn't think the stories were interesting or worth resurrecting. Of course I am not sure that the edition I read is the same as the one on goodreads. It is difficult with these authors out of copywrite who have so many reissues of their work.
I'd seriously search out something else to read.
I'd seriously search out something else to read.
February 29, 2024
"The five senses" and "The three drugs" were my favourites in this small collection of short stories.
December 21, 2021
'Tales of Terror' is a bit of an exaggeration. For the most part, featherwight, suspenseless Victorian/Edwardian ghostery with the odd arch foray into the macabre. Pity she didn't let rip a bit more: 'The Three Drugs' is borderline demented and 'The Shadow' did actually raise a chill. But they're the exceptions.
September 14, 2008
Edith Nesbit is a well-known children's book author who also wrote this collection of ghost stories. They're not particularly scary but they are well-written.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews