Böcker utgivna av Valancourt Books

After receiving a large insurance settlement, young couple Gwen and George fulfill a dream by buying their own little island, a secluded, private paradise surrounded by a lush green landscape of plants.What the real estate man didn't tell them was that a tragedy took place years earlier in the cool, clear pool near the house. And the waters still hold a terrifying, centuries-old secret.Soon George begins to notice strange changes in his wife. Always so reserved and demure, suddenly Gwen has become passionate and insatiable. And then there are the people who have mysteriously started to disappear ...This first-ever reissue of Hugh Zachary's eco-horror novel Gwen, in Green (1974) features the original cover painting by George Ziel and a new introduction by Will Errickson.

Once passionate about the theatre, playwright Martin Cheveril is now disillusioned and contemplating a change of career. His new play, a bitter and cynical piece, is about to premiere when something strange happens. After stumbling upon an old pamphlet about a talented young actress named Jenny Villiers who died in 1846, Cheveril dozes off and finds himself somehow transported back to the theatre of her day. By some mysterious means, he will find himself a spectator of the tragedy of Jenny's life and death-a tragedy whose effects will echo strangely into the present day.One of the prolific J. B. Priestley's favourites among his own books, the unusual ghost story Jenny Villiers (1947) returns to print at last in this new edition. Ten other classic titles by Priestley are also available from Valancourt."J.B. Priestley is one of our literary icons of the 20th century. And it is time that we all became reacquainted with his genius." - Judi Dench"One of the finest and most popular storytellers of the last hundred years." - Margaret Drabble

Told in the form of interviews with those who knew and hated him, this hilarious and irreverent mockumentary recounts the rise and fall of notorious Hollywood producer Shark Trager. As a young man, Shark had dreams of directing artistic movies, but when his film school project is savaged by a snobby French critic, Shark turns instead to producing exploitative trash, the more shocking and outrageous the better. Fueled by a nonstop supply of sex and drugs, Shark's life and work become increasingly bizarre and erratic. Yet we meet a different side of Shark too, as we learn how he saved a group of Sunday school teachers held hostage by terrorists, prevented a horrific attack on Nancy Reagan by a sex-crazed donkey, and single-handedly took out a squad of dangerous neo-Nazis posing as disabled schoolchildren. It all leads up to a wild and explosive finale when, against all odds, one of Shark's films finds itself a contender for the Academy Awards-but the ceremony doesn't go exactly according to plan ...Riotously funny, wickedly politically incorrect, and completely impossible to put down, James Robert Baker's satire of the film industry Boy Wonder (1988), long revered as a cult classic, returns to print at last in this new edition, which includes an afterword by his partner, Ron Robertson."[A]mphetamine-drenched, violence-riddled, sex-steeped . . . an exhilarating read." - John Keilman, Chicago Tribune"Wild invention, bizarre plot twists . . . a raunchy, funny, savvy tale." - Kirkus Reviews

Three supernatural novellas by Robert Westall, hailed as the finest British author of ghost stories since M.R. James, collected together for the first timeBLACKHAM'S WIMPEYWhy should three successive crews flying a Second World War bomber - Blackham's Wimpey - be driven to madness, despair, even death, though the plane returns from each mission without a scratch?'A writer of disturbing brilliance' - Times Educational SupplementTHE WHEATSTONE PONDToo many deaths, too many suicides. It was more than coincidence. The Wheatstone Pond was a killer. When it's drained, antique dealer Jeff Morgan gets interested, hoping there'll be a few valuable wrecks of model boats down there. He isn't prepared for the horror he will find instead...'Gutsy and energetic, grippingly plotted' - GuardianYAXLEY'S CATSepp Yaxley vanished seven years ago, and no one has seen him since. Rose and her children Tim and Jane thought his vacant cottage, alone by the marshes, seemed like the perfect place for a holiday adventure. But that was before they decided to find out what happened to old Yaxley. Before they started to find strange things in the garden. Before the neighbors began to act weird. Before Yaxley's cat came back...'Calls to mind Hitchcock's creepiest films' - Publishers Weekly

"In this dark, haunting tale, Richard Merton recounts the story of his close friend, Tony, a young lawyer recently returned from the war, and the subtle, sinister destruction of his personality by his servant, Barrett. Seeking ease and comfort, Tony hires Barrett to cater to his needs, not realizing that his new servant has a hidden agenda. As Barrett gradually and insidiously leads his employer into physical and moral degradation, the roles of master and servant will become grotesquely reversed."--

Humphrey Neyland is a middle-aged Canadian engineer recruited by British Intelligence to go undercover in the industrial city of Gretley, where aircraft essential to the war effort are being produced and where it is feared Nazi agents and saboteurs are lurking. Almost everyone he meets in Gretley seems to have a double life and a secret agenda, and it doesn't take long before Neyland is caught up in a web of murder and deceit in this sleepy town, where death lurks around every corner.Originally published during the height of World War II, J. B. Priestley's classic spy thriller Blackout in Gretley (1942) is both a highly entertaining page-turner and a fascinating window into British life during the war. This new edition joins ten other Priestley novels published by Valancourt and reveals yet another side of one of the most popular English authors of the 20th century."J.B. Priestley is one of our literary icons of the 20th century. And it is time that we all became reacquainted with his genius." - Judi Dench"A master craftsman at spinning a yarn ... But Blackout in Gretley is more than a spy-hunting story. It is Priestley's ardent declaration of the things that England is fighting for." - The New York Times

The poetry of the Graveyard School - gloomy meditations on mortality, often composed in churchyards - was immensely popular in 18th-century England and was an important forerunner of the Romantic period and a major influence on the development of the Gothic novel. Yet, despite the unquestioned significance of the Graveyard Poets, critical attention has been scant, and until now there has been no critical anthology of their works.The Graveyard School: An Anthology features works by thirty-three authors and provides a broad and comprehensive examination of the phenomenon of Graveyard poetry. Included are seminal works, such as Robert Blair's "The Grave", Thomas Parnell's "A Night Piece on Death", and excerpts from Edward Young's Night Thoughts, as well as once-popular but now little-remembered poems by authors like Mark Akenside, James Beattie, and James Hervey. Of particular interest in this collection is its inclusion and discussion of authors not normally associated with the Graveyard School, such as Alexander Pope and Washington Irving, as well as a number of female poets, among them Susanna Blamire and Charlotte Smith.Edited by Prof. Jack G. Voller, who provides an introduction and extensive annotations throughout, this volume of melancholy and macabre verse is certain to be welcomed by scholars and students of 18th-century and Gothic literature, as well as those readers interested in the darker side of literature.

When Lieutenant Alastair Lynch shoots young Drummer Malcolm Harley in the back for desertion in the face of an enemy attack, his action seems to be clearly justified by military precedent. But after a court martial is convened to examine the facts of the case, a different story emerges. A tale of passionate love, possessiveness, and jealousy between the two men, a brazen and scandalous relationship that ended in Harley's violent death. The tension builds as the truth about the two men's liaison and Lynch's decision to pull the trigger gradually emerges, leading to a shocking finale.Simon Raven's classic first novel The Feathers of Death (1959) is a gripping thriller told in the clever, witty, and compulsively readable style for which Raven is known. This edition features a new introduction by Gregory Woods."One of the finest novelists of the post-war years ... the most entertaining of writers ... a novelist of supreme merit." - Charles Spencer, The Telegraph"Extraordinary ... entertaining, gripping and in fact memorable." - Sunday Times"An exceptional gift for storytelling ... told with a narrative verve so rare ... those with the stomach for a tough and ugly tale will find it enthralling." - The Times (London)

When archaeologist Thomas Ashley is invited to remote Devonshire by Lucian Mallory to examine and decipher millennia-old papyrus scrolls, he is unable to resist the offer, despite knowing of Mallory's sinister and unsavory reputation. The scrolls, retrieved from an ancient necropolis, purportedly contain Egyptian secrets of resurrection and immortality. From the moment of Ashley's arrival, it is clear something is terribly wrong: a gruesome murder has been committed, and everyone is fearful a madman is on the loose. But the truth is far more shocking. As the murders continue, Ashley works to uncover the secrets contained in the scrolls and begins to glimpse the horrific reality of Mallory's inscrutable plan ...Originally published as a limited edition Arkham House hardcover and long out of print, The Third Grave (1981) is a chilling tale by David Case (1937-2018), an undeservedly neglected master of literary horror. Two volumes of Case's best short fiction are also available from Valancourt."Case should be considered among the half-dozen finest living practitioners of the horror story." - Michael Dirda, The Washington Post"Let us hear more of David Case . . . The field needs more from the author of 'The Hunter', a modern classic worthy to stand beside 'The Most Dangerous Game'." - Ramsey Campbell

Angelina is a killer. You'd never know it to look at her-until you look into her eyes.Angelina doesn't kill out of hatred or fear-she kills out of love, bringing solace to her victims, guided by the seductive Voice that speaks only to her.Angelina offers you eternal peace-at the cost of your soul!This new edition of Elizabeth Engstrom's rare and highly sought-after 1980s horror classic features an introduction by Grady Hendrix (Paperbacks from Hell) and the original cover art by Bob Eggleton."Behind Engstrom's soft-voice style is power, is surprise, is-well, ferocity!"-Theodore Sturgeon

Originally published by New American Library in 1988.