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The Leather Funnel: Round the Fire Stories
The Leather Funnel - ILLUSTRATED EDITION, by Arthur Conan Doyle is the first short story from the collection 'Round the Fire Stories' Mystery and intrigue always available by this world famous author.Edited and recommended by The Gunston Young Adult - Adults.
38 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
3 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
15.8k books24.5k followersSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 8, 2020
Fascinating story about a mysterious old leather funnel. Who did it use or in what context was it used to? The narrator of the story sees the item with a friend of his, a collector, and sees the whole story of the item in a kind of nightmare. Well plotted, eerie, great idea, simply a well crafted uncanny story. Ideal for reading at night (if you're brave enough). Maybe you see (in contrast to the narrator) the full horror! Highly recommended. A classic!
January 5, 2020
Started very good, creepy. wish there was more written about the dream, but maybe that would be too gruesome. Last sentence is nice though!
November 8, 2019
Charles van Buren
Not a story about nice people
November 7, 2019
Review of Kindle edition
Publication date: February 15, 2014
Language: English
ASIN: B00IHJUH3Q
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 1934213
31 pages
One of Conan Doyle's most famous and highly regarded stories of the supernatural, The Leather Funnel was first published in McClure's Magazine, November 1902. It was then published in The Strand Magazine, June 1903. Later, in 1908, it was collected in ROUND THE FIRE STORIES, a volume of Conan Doyle's dark tales. This collection is available from Amazon at the same cost as a single story from the volume.
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The story was adapted for television in 1973 as the second episode of Orson Welles' British TV series, Great Mysteries. The September 8, 1973 episode featured Welles as the host and actors Christopher Lee, Jane Seymour and Simon Ward.
The story reflects Conan Doyle's interest in the possibilities of spiritualism to impact the physical world. Despite the story's fame and popularity, I think that the ending is a little weak and overly drawn out. It may say more about me than about the story but almost immediately I grasped the purpose of the funnel and the origin of the marks around the spout. Ah, the joys of a misspent youth watching Hammer Film Productions movies and reading every horror story and novel I could find.
Not a story about nice people
November 7, 2019
Review of Kindle edition
Publication date: February 15, 2014
Language: English
ASIN: B00IHJUH3Q
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 1934213
31 pages
One of Conan Doyle's most famous and highly regarded stories of the supernatural, The Leather Funnel was first published in McClure's Magazine, November 1902. It was then published in The Strand Magazine, June 1903. Later, in 1908, it was collected in ROUND THE FIRE STORIES, a volume of Conan Doyle's dark tales. This collection is available from Amazon at the same cost as a single story from the volume.
.
The story was adapted for television in 1973 as the second episode of Orson Welles' British TV series, Great Mysteries. The September 8, 1973 episode featured Welles as the host and actors Christopher Lee, Jane Seymour and Simon Ward.
The story reflects Conan Doyle's interest in the possibilities of spiritualism to impact the physical world. Despite the story's fame and popularity, I think that the ending is a little weak and overly drawn out. It may say more about me than about the story but almost immediately I grasped the purpose of the funnel and the origin of the marks around the spout. Ah, the joys of a misspent youth watching Hammer Film Productions movies and reading every horror story and novel I could find.
January 12, 2016
Wait, what? Can it really be?
Dreams, a fascinating world, what if what happened was really true?
Dreams, a fascinating world, what if what happened was really true?
November 30, 2021
This is a thrilling short work of mystery that was inspired by the theory of organic memory. Before acquiring the status of a pseudo-science the latter was a widely-spread concept which suggested that all objects had the capacity to retain memory. This idea is translated, in the tale, by means of a leather funnel that was used as an instrument of torture in 16th century France, and which had transmitted to the narrator of the story some of its horrid secrets.
April 8, 2017
It was OK little confusing and I didn't get the symbolism if there was any just didn't get it
April 29, 2018
We didn't reach where we are today just as a result of some accidental phenomenon. we had to become courageous to be brutal. That's what this story all about.
December 27, 2023
I love A C Doyle's works, some of these short stories would have been perfect for something like "The Twilight Zone", this tale is one of those. There is one great paragraph in this book, quote : "The charlatan is always the pioneer. From the astrologer came the astronomer, from the alchemist the chemist, from the mesmerist the experimental psychologist. The quack of yesterday is the professor of tomorrow. Even such subtle and elusive things as dreams will in time be reduced to system and order. When that time comes the researches of our friends on the bookshelf yonder will no longer be the amusement of the mystic, but the foundations of a science." This is used (in an altered form) in the movie "Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes", if you haven't seen it then please do watch this trailer https://www.google.com/search?q=excer...
May 7, 2022
3 estrellas
Mi relación con Arthur Conan Doyle siempre fue muy positiva gracias a Sherlock Holmes, pero creo que en los relatos cortos flojea un poco.
El embudo de cuero, por citar uno, es breve y muy previsible prácticamente desde el inicio. Además, la narrativa ágil e intrigante tan característica del autor cambia por otra más recargada y rimbombante, casi siguiendo los tintes del horror Lovecraftianos.
También es sabido que tanto Conan Doyle como su segunda esposa tenían una especial, por decirlo de alguna manera, relación con el mundo del espiritismo y las "nuevas ciencias". Esto también se ve reflejado en los relatos, pero no llega a profundizar y se quedan un poco cortos en cuanto a explicación y contenido.
Mi relación con Arthur Conan Doyle siempre fue muy positiva gracias a Sherlock Holmes, pero creo que en los relatos cortos flojea un poco.
El embudo de cuero, por citar uno, es breve y muy previsible prácticamente desde el inicio. Además, la narrativa ágil e intrigante tan característica del autor cambia por otra más recargada y rimbombante, casi siguiendo los tintes del horror Lovecraftianos.
También es sabido que tanto Conan Doyle como su segunda esposa tenían una especial, por decirlo de alguna manera, relación con el mundo del espiritismo y las "nuevas ciencias". Esto también se ve reflejado en los relatos, pero no llega a profundizar y se quedan un poco cortos en cuanto a explicación y contenido.
March 23, 2020
Uncanny little story. Not my favorite Doyle tale so far but The Leather Funnel is still rather intriguing and informative. I had never heard of the historical murderess, Madame de Brinvilliers, or the method of torture known as the extraordinary question. Thanks, Mr. Doyle, that was a dark gruesome rabbit hole.
March 4, 2015
A sinister little story from one of the masters of short fiction.
July 8, 2022
The Leather Funnel is a short story by A. Conan Doyle. It is a tale of terror.
The work itself taught me a method of torture which I possibly did not need to know. It is the Water Cure, or the forced consumption of large quantities of water over a short period of time. Doyle sets his story in France, where the method was either 1 gallon or 2 gallons, each designated as a "question" with either ordinary or extraordinary being added to determine the amount of water used. Doyle's victim is a famous murderess who really existed, too.
The story, in some sense, has numerous thematic tensions. There is, of course, the tension between Dacre and the narrator. The narrator, although loving of the abnormal, is not as curious or sick-minded as Dacre. This is told to us, and this is reflected in the narrative. For example, our narrator cannot go through with watching even a drop of water forced into the victim's mouth, but Dacre watched to the final bucket (where he presumably quit). This tension connects, in my mind, with another tension: the tension of epochs of time. When our narrator wakes up, he describes a great joy in being back in the 19th century, where such evils, although real, did not occur. Nevertheless, Dacre's strange mind and the setting of the work (in the housing of Dacre, where it is said that much evil as gone on--even to the point of rituals from black masses) suggests to the reader, almost imperceptibly, that the relief felt is not a true relief.
The work itself taught me a method of torture which I possibly did not need to know. It is the Water Cure, or the forced consumption of large quantities of water over a short period of time. Doyle sets his story in France, where the method was either 1 gallon or 2 gallons, each designated as a "question" with either ordinary or extraordinary being added to determine the amount of water used. Doyle's victim is a famous murderess who really existed, too.
The story, in some sense, has numerous thematic tensions. There is, of course, the tension between Dacre and the narrator. The narrator, although loving of the abnormal, is not as curious or sick-minded as Dacre. This is told to us, and this is reflected in the narrative. For example, our narrator cannot go through with watching even a drop of water forced into the victim's mouth, but Dacre watched to the final bucket (where he presumably quit). This tension connects, in my mind, with another tension: the tension of epochs of time. When our narrator wakes up, he describes a great joy in being back in the 19th century, where such evils, although real, did not occur. Nevertheless, Dacre's strange mind and the setting of the work (in the housing of Dacre, where it is said that much evil as gone on--even to the point of rituals from black masses) suggests to the reader, almost imperceptibly, that the relief felt is not a true relief.
November 19, 2025
This is a classic example of Victorian horror fiction, exploring themes of hypnotism, subconscious manipulation, and psychological dread through the unsettling account of a terrifying dream. Arthur Conan Doyle's narrative style is precise and economical, focusing on a protagonist who attempts to recount the nightmarish vision he experienced while under the influence of an old, leather funnel, a relic of torture. The story's strength lies in its psychological intensity and its commitment to making the narrated dream feel horrifyingly real, though some modern readers might find the reliance on hypnotism as a plot device slightly dated. The characters are largely vessels for the narrative's central experiment in fear, but the story is successful in delivering a concise, chilling glimpse into the darker possibilities of the human mind. This is a solid, quick read for fans of early psychological horror and Doyle's lesser-known works outside of detective fiction.
December 30, 2024
En liten trevlig skräckberättelse av klassiskt snitt från tidigt 1900-tal på temat drömmar och tortyrredskap självklart från Hastur förlag (som har den trevliga vanan att skicka ut en liten bonusbok till sina prenumeranter, nu senast denna).
Finns inte så mycket mer att säga kanske men bjuder på en formulering som fick mig att dra på smilbanden:
"[D]et fanns mycket mental kraft i hans enorma, kupolliknande skalle, som välvde sig uppåt ur hans glesnande lockar, liksom en snöklädd bergstopp över en frans av granar."
Ska jag ha ett litterärt nyårslöfte får det nog bli att beta av fler Hastur-titlar, har allt för många som blivit olästa senaste åren utan att det för den skull handlar om att de är ointressanta.
En given läsning blir "Sorglösa dagar på Yann och andra fantastiska berättelser" av Lord Dunsany om den som planerat kommer ut 2025.
Finns inte så mycket mer att säga kanske men bjuder på en formulering som fick mig att dra på smilbanden:
"[D]et fanns mycket mental kraft i hans enorma, kupolliknande skalle, som välvde sig uppåt ur hans glesnande lockar, liksom en snöklädd bergstopp över en frans av granar."
Ska jag ha ett litterärt nyårslöfte får det nog bli att beta av fler Hastur-titlar, har allt för många som blivit olästa senaste åren utan att det för den skull handlar om att de är ointressanta.
En given läsning blir "Sorglösa dagar på Yann och andra fantastiska berättelser" av Lord Dunsany om den som planerat kommer ut 2025.
April 10, 2021
El celebre escritor Arthur Connan Doyle, no solo ha escrito Las aventuras del célebre detective Sherlok Holmes, también escribió poesías, teatro, relatos e incluso ensayos.
El libro consta de cuatro historias diferentes a saber: " El embudo de cuero, La catacumba nueva, El espanto de la cueva de Juan Azul y la caja barnizada de negro."
Son unos relatos que personalmente me han encantado, porque cada personaje es único, el ambiente bien descrito nos transporta a esos parajes, los temas se abordan de manera que enganchan.
Recomiendo esta obra para todos aquellos que desean incursionar en el mundo de la lectura y en el género del misterio y del terror, por ser relatos cortos y una obra breve.
El libro consta de cuatro historias diferentes a saber: " El embudo de cuero, La catacumba nueva, El espanto de la cueva de Juan Azul y la caja barnizada de negro."
Son unos relatos que personalmente me han encantado, porque cada personaje es único, el ambiente bien descrito nos transporta a esos parajes, los temas se abordan de manera que enganchan.
Recomiendo esta obra para todos aquellos que desean incursionar en el mundo de la lectura y en el género del misterio y del terror, por ser relatos cortos y una obra breve.
December 18, 2017
Un buen compañero de viajes en bus/tren. Relatos interesantes, que cumplen su objetivo, entretener mientras se leen. Además, Conan Doyle los ha escrito de una forma parecida a como me gustaría escribir a mi, así que supongo que también me han gustado por esto. Eso sí, no puedo decir que me hayan provocado demasiadas emociones mas allá del propio interés que genera cada relato (que de hecho se sacia pronto dado que los susodichos son cortitos). Aun así, una buena opción para entretenerte en momentos puntuales.
August 24, 2018
El relato que más me ha gustado ha sido El embudo de cuero, se parecía más a lo que he leído de Conan Doyle, la manera en que el personaje va deduciendo me recuerda a los libros de Sherlock Holmes. La catacumba nueva me gustó también bastante, el final me sorprendió y lo disfruté mucho.
Los otros dos relatos no me han gustado tanto. El espanto de la cueva de Juan Azul me ha parecido muy corriente, he leído ya otros relatos similares; y La caja barnizada de negro me mantuvo con expectación hasta el final, sin embargo éste me decepcionó.
Los otros dos relatos no me han gustado tanto. El espanto de la cueva de Juan Azul me ha parecido muy corriente, he leído ya otros relatos similares; y La caja barnizada de negro me mantuvo con expectación hasta el final, sin embargo éste me decepcionó.
October 21, 2020
Waterboarding medieval style. This is such an interesting story from the unusual nature of dreams to the dark place this story goes to. A man is a houseguest visiting his friend who has quite an extensive collection of books and unusual objects. This friend researches the provenance of these objects in quite an unusual way.
Somehow I saw the waterboarding coming, but the justification for the torture came as a real surprise. This engrossing story is enjoyable yet disturbing. First published in 1902.
Somehow I saw the waterboarding coming, but the justification for the torture came as a real surprise. This engrossing story is enjoyable yet disturbing. First published in 1902.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2023
A short but good read. Given the author, I knew to expect something worth of my time, something very singular *giggles to self*
I like how Doyle uses the atmosphere to accompany and drive his horror, noticeably stopping short of the gore and having his protagonist wake at the last second. But what's absent is, in this case, just as powerful as what could've been given the reader's imagination. I can do without the forced ingestion of liquid, the vomiting, the swelling of organs and make do with the mystery and anticipation.
I like how Doyle uses the atmosphere to accompany and drive his horror, noticeably stopping short of the gore and having his protagonist wake at the last second. But what's absent is, in this case, just as powerful as what could've been given the reader's imagination. I can do without the forced ingestion of liquid, the vomiting, the swelling of organs and make do with the mystery and anticipation.
July 14, 2024
Det här var en för mig tidigare okänd novell av Arthur Conan Doyle. Den bjuder på underhållande fantasifulla beskrivningar och kuslig mystik, där ett antikt föremål står i fokus och avslöjar en mörk händelse ur det förflutna. Recension bokblogg: https://bloggbokhyllan.blogspot.com/2...
September 6, 2019
An odd little story about an artifact that causes an odd dream for the narrator.
The story felt to me unfinished, like it was meant to be a prelude to bigger and better things. I did though learn about "The Extraordinary Question" which seems to be the ancestor of waterboarding.
The story felt to me unfinished, like it was meant to be a prelude to bigger and better things. I did though learn about "The Extraordinary Question" which seems to be the ancestor of waterboarding.
October 13, 2021
Classic mystery horror! I love stories that don’t have to give you all the gory detail but lead you to a place where your imagination can fill in the rest. It makes the experience that much more powerful.
Great stuff!
Great stuff!
January 7, 2022
A leather funnel retains a certain latent memory, one of the waterboarding of a Madame de Brinvilliers, an infamous Medieval poisoner, which is re-experienced by the protagonist during his stay at his wealthy friend's home (Lionel Dacre).
September 8, 2023
4.25⭐
September 26, 2017
Interesting bunch of stories
October 20, 2017
I don't care for the use of dreams as a way to reveal crucial information. And frankly, the revelation itself was a letdown after a lot of build-up.
December 22, 2018
Fascinating - this was great as a short story but could also have been fleshed out more and been equally interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2021
Adorei.
November 29, 2021
Fantasy listening 🎧
Another will written British fantasy thriller by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. What is it? I highly recommend you read this short story to find out. Enjoy 2021
Another will written British fantasy thriller by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. What is it? I highly recommend you read this short story to find out. Enjoy 2021
November 23, 2023
Another darker tale by ACD, this time concerning the torture of a woman criminal, and the spiritual imprint left upon an object from the traumatising ordeal.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews