David Lindsay Books In Order

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

  1. A Voyage to Arcturus (1920)
  2. The Haunted Woman (1922)
  3. Sphinx (1923)
  4. Adventures of Monsieur de Mailly (1926)
  5. Devil’s Tor (1932)
  6. The Violet Apple & The Witch (1976)

Anthologies In Publication Order

  1. Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy (2003)

Standalone Novels Book Covers

Anthologies Book Covers

David Lindsay Books Overview

A Voyage to Arcturus

A stunning achievement in speculative fiction, A Voyage to Arcturus has inspired, enchanted, and unsettled readers for decades. It is simultaneously an epic quest across one of the most unusual and brilliantly depicted alien worlds ever conceived, a profoundly moving journey of discovery into the metaphysical heart of the universe, and a shockingly intimate excursion into what makes us human and unique. After a strange interstellar journey, Maskull, a man from Earth, awakens alone in a desert on the planet Tormance, seared by the suns of the binary star Arcturus. As he journeys northward, guided by a drumbeat, he encounters a world and its inhabitants like no other, where gender is a victory won at dear cost; where landscape and emotion are drawn into an accursed dance; where heroes are killed, reborn, and renamed; and where the cosmological lures of Shaping, who may be God, torment Maskull in his astonishing pilgrimage. At the end of his arduous and increasingly mystical quest waits a dark secret and an unforgettable revelation. A Voyage to Arcturus was the first novel by writer David Lindsay 1878 1945, and it remains one of the most revered classics of science fiction. This commemorative edition features an introduction by noted scholar and writer of speculative fiction John Clute and a famous essay by Loren Eiseley.

The Haunted Woman

CONTENTS:

Chapter I. MARSHALL RETURNS FROM AMERICA
Chapter II. THE VISIT TO RUNHILL COURT
Chapter III. IN THE UPSTAIRS CORRIDOR
Chapter IV. THE LEGEND OF ULF’S TOWER
Chapter V. ISBEL SEES HERSELF
Chapter VI. JUDGE APPEARS ON THE SCENE
Chapter VII. THE DINNER PARTY
Chapter VIII. THE PICNIC
Chapter IX. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SECOND ROOM
Chapter X. BLANCHE SPEAKS OUT
Chapter XI. ISBEL VISITS
Chapter XII. MRS. RICHBOROUGH’S ERRAND
Chapter XIII. THE LUNCH AT THE METROPOLE
Chapter XIV. IN THE SECOND CHAMBER AGAIN
Chapter XV. THE MUSIC OF SPRING
Chapter XVI. THE MUSICIAN DEPARTS
Chapter XVII. IN THE TWILIGHT
Chapter XVIII. A CATASTROPHE
Chapter XIX. THE FLASH OF DAY
Chapter XX. MARSHALL’S JOURNEY

a selection from Chapter 1. MARSHALL RETURNS FROM AMERICA:

In the latter half of August, Marshall Stokes went to New York, in order to wind up the estate of the lately deceased brother of the lady to whom he was betrothed. As a busy underwriting member of Lloyd’s, he could ill afford the time he was over there for upwards of a fortnight but no alternative had presented itself. Miss Loment had no connections in America, she possessed no other relations, except a widowed aunt, with whom she live, and it was clearly out of the question for either of the two ladies to travel across in person, to examine books, interview lawyers, deal with claims, etc. they had not the necessary business experience. The task, therefore, had devolved on Marshall. He had not been able to conclude the business, but he had put it in a fair way of being concluded, and had appointed a reputable firm to act as Miss Loment’s representatives. The estate was worth forty thousand dollars.

Upon his return to London about the middle of September he found that his friends had departed for Brighton; Mrs. Moor the aunt apparently was feeling rundown. A perfumed little note from Isbel pressed him to join them there. Marshall was unable to leave town immediately, but two days later, on Friday afternoon, he abruptly shut down work for the week end, and motored down by himself in glorious weather. His heart was high, and as he ran through the richly gleaming Sussex country, overspread with a blue, plum like bloom, arising from the September mists, he thought that he had never seen anything quite so lovely. The sun was brilliant, and there was a crisp, invigorating breeze.

He dined the same evening with Isbel and her aunt, in the public room at the Hotel Gondy, where they were staying. Neither of the ladies attracted as much attention as Marshall himself. His large, loose, powerful figure went admirably with evening dress, while his full blooded face, still covered with ocean tan, was peculiarly noticeable for its heavy, good humored immobility; his very hands, huge and crimson, yet not vulgar, marked him out from other men. Isbel kept alternately glancing at him and smiling down at her plate with pleasure, apropos of nothing. Most of the talking came from him. Reserving business until afterwards, he entertained his friends during the meal with his personal experiences in the United States, the relation of which was rendered more piquant by a free adoption of the very latest slang. Aunt and niece were both perfectly acquainted with America, but they had the tact to keep this to themselves.

Adventures of Monsieur de Mailly

‘This was the fourth published novel from the author of ‘A Voyage to Arcturus’. ‘Adventures of Monsieur de Mailly‘ was first published in 1926 and published under the somewhat inappropriate title of ‘Blade for Sale’ in the United States in the same year. It has not been reprinted since and has never before been issued in paperback. ‘Adventures of Monsieur de Mailly‘ is a humourous adventure set in the France of Louis XIV. Possibly the lightest and least fantastical of David Lindsay’s novels, this romp through the realm of the Sun King nevertheless contains moments of high tragedy and tantalising glimpses of Lindsay’s fascinating philosophy. An exciting adventure in its own right, this is a book no David Lindsay devotee will want to be without.’

Devil’s Tor

This work is an intriguingly written work of fiction which will captivate the reader. While visiting his distant relative Ingrid Fletcher, Hugh Drapier, a Highland Scot, asks her to take him to the unusual rock formation called Devil’s Tor. The formation resembles the head of a gargoyle. As they are looking at the rock, lightning strikes it, exposing an underground tomb. Hugh investigates the tomb and sees a beautiful woman appear on a stone table in the middle of the tomb. The vision fades away. Further into the tomb, Hugh finds a stone similar to one Ingrid has. By gazing at the stones, another world is revealed.

The Violet Apple & The Witch

From the back cover ‘The Violet Apple is a love story infused with Christian themes. The story centers around the cultivation of an apple tree from a a seed which, according to legend, belonged to the original tree in the garden of Eden. The tree grows, fives forth two violet apples, and dies. The lovers eat the violet apples, and what happens next will be hauntingly familiar to all fans of A Voyage to Arcturus.’ ‘The Witch is David Lindsay’s final novel, and one he considered to be his major work. The manuscript had been missing for over twenty years, and only just rediscovered. It describes the haunting of a man’s consciousness by the ‘music’ of a ‘witch’ and culminates in a description of the soul’s experiences after death.’

Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy

A superb collection, a splendid and much needed book. Anderson has cleared away the dross and shown us the golden roots of fantasy before it became a genre. Michael Moorcock, author of The Eternal ChampionMany of today’s top names in fantasy acknowledge J.R.R. Tolkien as the author whose work inspired them to create their own epics. But which writers influenced Tolkien himself? In a collection destined to become a classic in its own right, internationally recognized Tolkien expert Douglas A. Anderson, editor of The Annotated Hobbit, has gathered the fiction of the many gifted authors who sparked Tolkien s imagination. Included are Andrew Lang s romantic swashbuckler The Story of Sigurd, which features magic rings and a ferocious dragon; an excerpt from E. A. Wyke Smith s The Marvelous Land of Snergs, about creatures who were precursors to Tolkien s hobbits; and a never before published gem by David Lindsay, author of A Voyage to Arcturus, a novel that Tolkien praised highly both as a thriller and as a work of philosophy, religion, and morality. In stories packed with magical journeys, conflicted heroes, and terrible beasts, this extraordinary volume is one that no fan of fantasy or Tolkien should be without. These tales just might inspire a new generation of creative writers.

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