The Open Door and Other Stories of the Seen and Unseen

Gilded Nightmares – Timeless British Library Books

by Mrs. Oliphant

Despite being a household name during the latter half of the 19th century, few today are aware of the thrilling tales of Margaret Oliphant, and yet they are ripe for rediscovery. From suspenseful hauntings to strange tales of afterlife and the emotional echoes of ghosts beyond simple frights, Oliphant’s stories possess a unique style and nuanced voice to deliver stories thoroughly unnerving and unforgettable.

This newly-edited collection features many of her ‘Seen and Unseen’ series – her most popular in her day – and rare tales newly revived from the Library collections.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Ghosts, Classics, Gothic, Anthologies

239 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2021

About the author

Margaret Oliphant Wilson Oliphant (née Margaret Oliphant Wilson) was a Scottish novelist and historical writer, who usually wrote as Mrs. Oliphant. Her fictional works encompass "domestic realism, the historical novel and tales of the supernatural".

Margaret Oliphant was born at Wallyford, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, and spent her childhood at Lasswade (near Dalkeith), Glasgow and Liverpool. As a girl, she constantly experimented with writing. In 1849 she had her first novel published: Passages in the Life of Mrs. Margaret Maitland which dealt with the Scottish Free Church movement. It was followed by Caleb Field in 1851, the year in which she met the publisher William Blackwood in Edinburgh and was invited to contribute to the famous Blackwood's Magazine. The connection was to last for her whole lifetime, during which she contributed well over 100 articles, including, a critique of the character of Arthur Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

Reviews

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a mix, but some great stories. Earthbound and The Library Window were particular highlights.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit, before seeing this book on Goodreads, I had not heard of Margaret Oliphant. But as a lover of ghost stories, I was willing to give her a go. My lovely friend then spotted it on my Amazon wish list, and bought it for me for my birthday recently.

The book features 6 tales. The volume is not overly long, so without distractions, you could potentially read this in one or two sittings. The pages are quite thick, meaning that even though the volume isn't too big, there is some weight to it (I have no idea why I have described the physical attributes to you - perhaps may like to know that they would be getting a weighty hardback, if they parted from their money on this edition).

Any-hoo .... the tales in this collection are quite tame ghost stories. Because of when the book was written, you are not going to get graphic, gory scares here. If this is what works for you best, it may be worth your while to put this to one side, I'm not sure that it would be your cup of tea. And I think, for me, this is what stopped me from giving more than 2 stars; although I don't need graphic gore to make something scary, I do need something slightly more than this. They are good tales, they're just not super scary, or even unsettling really.

Although I may not rush back to read these again, in some ways I wish that I had waited until Christmas to read these. Reading one of these tales on Christmas Eve, in front of a roaring fire (if I had one) does sound quite appealing.

[Andrew Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Open Door is a classic ghost story. It’s well written and a little spooky. 5/5

Dies Irea was somewhere between a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and Dante‘s Inferno. Very cool story 5/5

Secret Chamber was another classic style ghost story 4/5

Earthbound had an almost modern field to it. It was creepy, but touching too. 4/5

[Elz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Open Door is a great ghost story.