Spotlight on Algernon Blackwood

English author, Algernon Blackwood was one of the most prolific authors of ghost stories in the golden age of Victorian literature. He lived from 1869 to 1951. Born in England, he lived there for the majority of his life but spent some time in Canada as a (not very successful) dairy farmer and hotelier. He was known to be an avid outdoorsman and this is reflected in his stories such as The Willows, The Wendigo and A Haunted Island. Blackwood had a variety of jobs in his life and finally found a place to belong as an author. 

  

He was a member of The Ghost Club, Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were also members. The club, founded in London in 1862, investigated and researched the paranormal. He was also a member of the 

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn . He investigated Buddhism and other religions, it has been speculated he did this because of his strict Calvinist upbringing, but he was also a product of his times and during this era, pictures made of human hair, seances and spiritualism were all the rage. Blackwood is known for writing ghost stories that are not gory but have an uneasy psychological effect. His talent is the emotion he weaves with his words. Some might find his writings wordy, but it was the style of the time, his stories don't reach out and knock you on the head but they make you wonder about every little sound or shadow you think you are seeing or hearing in the dead of night!

The Willows

Blackwood is the creator of the character, John Silence, one of the first occult or paranormal detectives. His writing talent was also praised by Lovecaft. One of his most famous stories would be The Willows, (novella length). An early collection of his work (1914) is entitled "Incredible Adventures", it includes these stories "The Regeneration of Lord Ernie","The Sacrifice", "The Damned", "A Descent into Egypt", and "Wayfarers". Other highly recommended works include- The Wendigo, John Silence stories, A Haunted Island, The Empty House, The Kit-Bag, and The Strange Adventures of a Private Secretary in New York.

His works are in the public domain so free versions of his story collections can be found and downloaded for kindle or other electronic devices, and are also available free online at sites such as

Project Gutenberg here: Algernon Blackwood at Gutenberg.org, here: Algernonblackwood.org, and here:Algernon Blackwood at American Literature. Check them out.