{"title":"Fitz-James O'Brien","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"the-collected-supernatural-and-weird-fiction-of-fitz-james-obrien-thirty-seven-short-stories-of-the-strange-and-unusual-including-from-hand-to-mout-hardcover","title":"The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Fitz-James O'Brien: Thirty-Seven Short Stories of the Strange and Unusual Including 'From Hand to Mout - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWriter, soldier and innovator in the fiction of the weird and other worldly\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis well regarded author of weird and supernatural tales was born in Cork, Ireland in 1826. Originally Michael O'Brien it is known he had journalistic experience and had possibly served in the British Army. Probably to ensure distinction he changed his name to Fitz-James O'Brien and emigrated to the United States of America in 1852. There he contributed writings to a number of periodicals including 'The Lantern', 'The Home Journal', 'The New York Times', 'Harper's Magazine', 'Vanity Fair' and others. The 'Atlantic Monthly' published what is possibly most famous story, 'The Diamond Lens', a tale that was admired for its quality by H. P. Lovecraft. O'Brien's 'From Hand to Mouth', 1858, has been described as 'the most striking example of surrealistic fiction to pre-date 'Alice in Wonderland'. O'Brien also penned early, short science fiction tales of robot rebellion and invisibility. At the outbreak of the American Civil War he joined the federal cause enlisting initially in the 7th New York National Guard before being promoted to the staff of General F. W Lander. He was severely wounded in early 1862, during a skirmish with Confederate forces, and though he lingered for some time he eventually died of tetanus at Cumberland in Maryland. This very substantial collection of O'Brien's fiction contains thirty-seven short stories of the strange and unusual including 'From Hand to Mouth', 'The Legend of Barlagh Cave', 'The Other Night' and Eight Poems Including 'The Ghost', 'Sir Brasil's Falcon' and 'The Lost Steamship'.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67576854151391,"sku":"9781782826620","price":68.15,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/UWfchtRbvz9781782826620.webp?v=1790387492"},{"product_id":"the-diamond-lens-and-other-stories-paperback","title":"The Diamond Lens and Other Stories - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn absorbing and haunting collection of early science fiction tales by an Irish-American author \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e Fitz-James O'Brien capitalized on the success of his predecessors Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley in writing disturbing stories with demented protagonists, and this collection of three tales shows his mastery of the macabre. \"The Diamond Lens\" tells of a lone scientist's discovery of a microcosmic world within a drop of water, and his growing obsession with the beautiful Animula, a fair maiden within this world which he can see but never enter. His uncompromising pursuit of knowledge at any cost foreshadows the mad scientist familiar to readers in a multitude of works. In \"What Was It?\" an invisible man is discovered by residents of a boarding house. The residents' capture and investigation of the creature blends the fantastic with the scientific as they seek rational explanations for this extraordinary phenomenon. \"The Wondersmith\" is a macabre tale of an embittered toymaker who seeks revenge upon the society that has persecuted him by creating demonic mannequins and imbuing them with life in order to slaughter the masses--a fantastic melodrama in which the cunning Wondersmith is offset by the unassuming and unlikely hero Solon the hunchback, in love with the villain's daughter.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67622776963295,"sku":"9781843913580","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/DIVt_3sxXQ9781843913580.webp?v=1790491914"},{"product_id":"an-arabian-night-mare-and-others-1848-1854-paperback","title":"An Arabian Night-mare: and Others (1848-1854) - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"O'Brien's early death undoubtedly deprived us of some masterful tales of strangeness and terror.\"\u003c\/em\u003e - H. P. Lovecraft\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn Arabian Night-mare and Others (1848-1854)\u003c\/em\u003e gathers O'Brien's earliest speculative fiction. The collection opens with the eerie poem \"Forest Thoughts\", a meditation on dark Gothic themes, and concludes with the story \"A Peep Behind the Scenes\", which explores the metaphorical theater of life. Between these bookends, readers will find poems, fragments, and stories that delve into liminal spaces, nightmares, wild fantasies, and the unsettling theme of mental deterioration. This collection showcases O'Brien's early fascination with the blurred boundaries between reality and imagination.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is volume one of a three-volume set of Fitz-James O'Brien's fiction and poetry, the most comprehensive collection of his horror and supernatural writings to date. When taken together, the full set offers valuable introductions for readers of fantastical literature, featuring works never previously collected and some appearing for the first time outside their original publications.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67826650185951,"sku":"9781783807840","price":33.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/IeL0MKZklM9781783807840.webp?v=1790743949"},{"product_id":"the-diamond-lens-and-others-1855-1858-paperback","title":"The Diamond Lens: and Others (1855-1858) - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Fitz-James O'Brien is the most important figure after Poe and before Lovecraft in modern horror literature.\"\u003c\/em\u003e - Jessica Amanda Salmonson\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Diamond Lens and Others (1855-1858)\u003c\/em\u003e collects O'Brien's earliest speculative fiction written in America. This volume marks his initial exploration into what would become his signature genre-tales of the outré and macabre. Within its pages, readers will encounter tales and poems of fantastical spirits, monomania, nightmarish hallucinations, and dark fantasy. The collection culminates with \"The Diamond Lens\", the story that catapulted O'Brien to national recognition. This volume captures the further development of his unique style and thematic preoccupations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is volume two of a three-volume set of Fitz-James O'Brien's fiction and poetry, the most comprehensive collection of his horror and supernatural writings to date. When taken together, the full set offers valuable introductions for readers of fantastical literature, featuring works never previously collected and some appearing for the first time outside their original publications.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67826657067231,"sku":"9781783807857","price":33.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/hD2YEQxeEs9781783807857.webp?v=1790743955"},{"product_id":"what-was-it-and-others-1858-1864-paperback","title":"What Was It?: and Others (1858-1864) - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"[When O'Brien] turned to science fiction and fantasy, he began to display the full force of his truly outstanding talents.\"\u003c\/em\u003e - Sam Moskowitz\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat Was It? and Others (1858-1864)\u003c\/em\u003e showcases O'Brien's finest speculative fiction, reflecting his growth as a writer. This collection includes \"What Was It?\", featuring an encounter with a strange invisible creature, \"The Lost Room\", regarded as one of the greatest weird stories ever written, and \"The Wondersmith\", where animated puppets are used for diabolical revenge. These stories cemented O'Brien's legacy, demonstrating his mastery of the genre and his ability to craft unsettling, imaginative narratives that have endured through time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is volume three of a three-volume set of Fitz-James O'Brien's fiction and poetry, the most comprehensive collection of his horror and supernatural writings to date. When taken together, the full set offers valuable introductions for readers of fantastical literature, featuring works never previously collected and some appearing for the first time outside their original publications.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67826663358687,"sku":"9781783807864","price":33.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/3WeCK3T6qz9781783807864.webp?v=1790743962"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/fitz-james-obrien.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}