This early work by Ambrose Bierce was originally published in 1891 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Eyes of the Panther' is a short story about a homesteading family in the United States and a young woman who believes herself to have gone insane. Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born in Meigs County, Ohio, United States in 1842. He was the tenth of thirteen children, and left home aged fifteen to become a 'printer's devil' (a printing apprentice) at a small Ohio newspaper. Many of his short stories – such as 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge', 'The Boarded Window', 'Killed at Resaca' and 'Chickamauga', all of which are penned in 'Pure English' – are held among the best of the 19th century. Bierce's writings are also generally regarded as some of the best war writings of all time. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

This early work by Bertram Mitford was originally published in 1896 and we are now republishing it as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Sign of the Spider' is a novel about a man who leaves his wife to go and earn his fortune in South Africa but runs into trouble with a native tribe. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

This early work by Phil Robinson was originally published in 1881 and we are now republishing it as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Hunting of the Soko' is a short story about an expedition from Zanzibar that encounters a curious forgotten race. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

These early works by various authors were originally published in the late 19th century and early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Weird Tales of Weird Tails' contains a collection of short stories about supernatural felines, and includes 'The King of the Cats' by Thomas Lyttelton (1807), 'The Gray Cat' by Barry Pain (1901), 'Ancient Sorceries' by Algernon Blackwood (1908), and many more. Therianthropy – the metamorphosis of humans into animals – is one of literature's oldest themes, and the werecat appears in some form in the folklore of virtually every global culture. African legends are replete with tales of people morphing into lions or leopards; Asian folklore features the often malevolent figure of the weretiger; and in Europe, werecats are found in the writings of Ancient Greece, and were explicitly condemned as heretical creatures during the witch trials of the early Modern period. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

These early works by various authors were originally published between the late 16th century and early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Cryptofiction - Volume I.' contains a collection of short stories that include 'The Mark of the Beast' by Rudyard Kipling, 'The Eyes of the Panther' by Ambrose Bierce, 'In the Avu Observatory' by H. G. Wells, and many other classic tales of strange creatures. The genre of cryptofiction has grown up in the shadow of its older brothers, science fiction and fantasy, and specialises in the concept of mysterious creatures such as sea monsters, wolf-men, and lost pre-historic creatures. Cryptofiction takes its name from another, non-literary practice: cryptozoology. This is generally regarded as a pseudoscience by mainstream scientists, relying as it does upon anecdotal, often unverifiable evidence. However, it still boasts many enthusiasts, and continues to exert considerable artistic allure. Cryptofiction is here to stay, and the stories in this collection map the development of a genre which is as strange as it is fascinating. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.

These early works by various authors were originally published in the late 19th century and early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Cryptofiction - Volume II.' contains a collection of short stories that include 'The Messenger' by Robert W. Chambers, 'The Brazilian Cat' by Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Relic of the Pliocene' by Jack London, and many other classic tales of strange creatures. The genre of cryptofiction has grown up in the shadow of its older brothers, science fiction and fantasy, and specialises in the concept of mysterious creatures such as sea monsters, wolf-men, and lost pre-historic creatures. Cryptofiction takes its name from another, non-literary practice: cryptozoology. This is generally regarded as a pseudoscience by mainstream scientists, relying as it does upon anecdotal, often unverifiable evidence. However, it still boasts many enthusiasts, and continues to exert considerable artistic allure. Cryptofiction is here to stay, and the stories in this collection map the development of a genre which is as strange as it is fascinating. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.