I found this fair-condition softcover at a local Savers thrift shop, and as I love Wharton's work I had to pick it up. This edition has atmospheric illustrations by Laszlo Kubinyi, and a lengthy and charming inscription from a previous owner to the recipient as a birthday gift in 1990.

Some of the stories here I'd read before, including the often-anthologized (and deservedly so) "Afterwards", in which a young couple gleefully moves into a supposedly-haunted house only to find out just what really does haunt them. Then there's "Triumph of Night," a literally-chilling tale of mundane circumstances turned sinister.

New-to-me tales included "Mr. Jones," in which a stern household servant was responsible for the effective imprisonment of his master's hapless wife - and is still haunting the house. And "All Souls" is an atmospheric trapped-in-dark-house tale, not horrifying but profoundly unsettling.

I left this book in the handsome Little Free Library that's styled to match the Victorian funeral home that hosts it. Hope the finder enjoys the book!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2018 Spook-Tacular October release challenge. ***