More Deadly Than the Male: Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror

Few consider authors Louisa May Alcott, Edith Nesbit, and Edith Wharton purveyors of the macabre. But this collection of horror tales by women writers includes these voices alongside many others, presenting a different perspective of the genre. The entries were written between the years 1830 and 1908. Alcott, Nesbit, and Wharton offer stories about a mummy's curse, an ominous funeral mass that foretells a tragedy, and a ghastly praying statue that hides a secret. Very few of the selections are overtly frightening—these are subtle tales that necessitate careful reading in order to be truly appreciated. Among the standouts are Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Tom Toothacre's Ghost Story," in which the teller describes how a fresh coat of paint can eliminate a troublesome spirit; Vernon Lee's "The Hidden Door," in which the main character may be haunted by an evil spirit or by his own guilty conscience; and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wall Paper," an account of madness that contains no supernatural elements yet is among the more horrifying pieces here.