Writing at the dawn of the 19th century, E.T.A. Hoffmann was, in many ways, the father of modern horror. This collection of some of his best work offers tales of vampirism, ghosts, sorcery, extrasensory perception, and a deadly family dispute over inheritance money. Settings include a cemetery, a haunted castle, and a seemingly abandoned old house. Hoffmann's work often even foresaw the age of weird fiction. In this collection, lost primordial worlds dangerously reveal themselves in the forest, a mysterious garden, and an antiquated mine; at one point a lifelike automaton is mistaken for a human being. These stories combine supernatural themes with psychological insight and impressive aesthetic inspiration.