Psychological Anthology

Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is of the best "macabre" tales ever written. It is presented here in its entirety along with eight other incredible tales.

Mark is the perfect man. He's caring. He's thoughtful. He buys his wife flowers. He's a sensual lover. But when an impromptu outing turns sour, Mark realises he must take action. He wants to protect his wife, but his actions could mean it's his last Christmas as a free man. His hatred has remained hidden, until now.

When you're a fast-failing organic farmer in New Hampshire, with a known termagant for a wife, an event like this - digging up a human hand in your potato patch - can be devastating to your small profits when the news gets out, especially since that ancient hand has peculiar "qualities." This discovery sets off a chain of inexorable events that lead Leonard Johnson to rash action resulting in a terrible kind of justice. A balance must be restored and a lesson learned.

La soledat té arestes punxegudes, cares fosques o lluminoses, però també és l’àmbit des d’on es té la necessitat, potser l’obligació i tot, de donar respostes a tot el que ha estat i és la vida, i també al que hauria pogut estar. Els protagonistes d’aquests deu relats, gràcies a la destresa argumental i narrativa de Mercè Foradada, es miren al mirall amb ànims ben diversos: la dolçor d’una vellesa assumida, l’aspror d’un desengany que no s’accepta, l’amargor del rebuig, l’enveja del prepotent, la rebel·lia de qui vol ser recordat, la creativitat de l’inconformista o l’aïllament d’una sequoia de Califòrnia que ha pujat massa amunt.

El doctor Templeton había viajado mucho en sus tiempos juveniles, y en París se convirtió, en gran medida, a las doctrinas de Mesmer. Por medio de curas magnéticas había logrado aliviar los agudos dolores de su paciente, que, movido por este éxito, sentía cierto grado natural de confianza en las opiniones en las cuales se fundaba el tratamiento.

La felicidad es evanescente. Al momento la sientes como una explosión y, al otro, puede transformarse en desazón o simple tristeza. Bertha lo tiene todo: es joven; ella y Harry, su marido; siguen tan enamorados como el primer día; tienen un bebé hermoso; viven en una casa amplia con jardín; y sus amigos son gente moderna e interesante. Pero la sensible Bertha siente que no encaja y que su felicidad es frágil.

"Markheim" es un relato sobre un motivo constante en la obra de Stevenson: el demoniocomo forma depurada de la presencia del mal en el mundo. Markheim, sin embargo, le mira como a un ser "que no procedía ni de la tierra ni de Dios", pero, de cualquier modo, ligado al mal.El demonio acude al asesinato cometido por Markheim, como buitre a su carroña. El protagonista de la obra rechaza la ayuda "No haré nada que me ligue voluntariamente al mal". El mal de Markheim, su pecado, es el de una naturaleza humana contradicha, el de un hombre, como otros, a quien la vida "lleva a rastras", porque es "el pecador que no quiere serlo".

An amphibious aircraft crashes in Maine, a young girl skinny-dips with her elders, a distraught cruise ship dancer boards a water taxi in Grenada, and travelers to Dubai and Abu Dhabi long for familiar oceans; back in New England, small-town artists try to smudge out their tedium with seaside transgressions. Amphibians celebrates home in a cross-cultural way, and the sensation of feeling not quite right in one's own skin, on land and near water, at home and abroad.

This story is told as a series of journal entries from a woman who is on forced rest as a treatment for hysteria following the birth of her child. As was common in the time, she is forbidden from any work or "strenuous" tasks and is left to sit alone most of her days without mental stimulation, trapped in a room and a marriage that are not fulfilling her. The woman's isolation and mental state cause her to believe that there is a woman stuck in the wallpaper of her room.

An aging fisherman senses a coming storm, but his eyes reveal no such danger. Forced to choose between his eyes and his gut, his decision becomes one that sends him into a downward spiral of madness as the full brutality of the sea is revealed.

Gerald is his Mother's precious one, but his father doesn't share her opinion and neither do his school friends. He is both pampered and bullied until he discovers a unique telepathic skill. Aged seven, he wonders, what if everyone were a house, and what type of house would they be? These two moments eventually come together in adulthood, with frightening consequences....

Short stories from Uruguayan author Jorge Majfud.

A selection of short stories. 456 - Will the hunter become the hunted? A man pays the price for his arrogance Human Nature - An animal victim is given a voice in this tragic tale of animal cruelty Susan - A chilling tale of suffocating "love"; just when does devotion become obsession? Jarls of the Ocean - Will a warrior be judged as a hero? A fighter faces an epic adversary.

A short story moving from the jungles of Hana, through the beach town of Paia, and up to the heights of Haleakala. Sogni moves as easily between dreams of his family and reality as he does these beautiful Hawaiian locations.

A passionate December love affair. The meeting of an unexpected traveler. The consequences of protecting a young new acquaintance. A journey into an unknown past. In the stories of While I'm Still Myself, Jeremy Lane eloquently describes the life-changing impact of the brief encounter, showing that life and love are not shaped by an entire lifetime, but by the fleeting moments with unexpected people in unexpected places.

The world of the professional truck driver can be a lonely one. For Roy Harper, a man for whom loneliness coupled emotional baggage and a series of life failures, it all may be too much to handle. It all comes to a head when he is tormented by a younger driver who is the quintessential "Bully" on the road.

Drei Erzählungen von Nikolai Gogol. Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) war nicht nur ein brillanter Satiriker, er konnte auch in die Zukunft sehen. Beispiel: "Wißt ihr denn auch, daß der Beck [...] eine Warze unter der Nase hat?" ("Aufzeichnungen eines Wahnsinnigen"). Gut, er hat Volker Beck mit Claudia Roth verwechselt, aber angesichts einer zeitlichen Distanz von über 150 Jahren ist das trotzdem eine beachtliche Leistung.

Die Hauptfigur Poprischtschin erweckt den Eindruck eines in allen Belangen durchschnittlichen Bürgers, welcher seiner Arbeit nachgeht und unglücklich verliebt ist. Allmählich bröckelt die scheinbar normale Fassade des Protagonisten und es offenbaren sich psychologische Abgründe aus Wahnvorstellungen. Hunde sprechen miteinander, das kalendarische Datum wird mit einer eigenen Begrifflichkeit versehen, Zeitungsmeldungen werden unmittelbar in einen persönlichen Zusammenhang gesetzt.

In these two short thrillers, best-selling author L.J. Sellers explores how the dark side of human nature takes over in crucial, fearful moments and leads to irreversible, life-changing repercussions.

The Raven Edition of the works of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) presents his complete literary output in five volumes. The second volume contains 22 stories, which illustrate the author's fascination with the macabre, the unexpected, and the terrifying.