Vernon Lee was the pseudonym of Violet Paget, she was born to British parents in France in 1856. Today she is remembered for her numerous works on art, music and travel, but most especially for her superb supernatural fiction. Although British and writing primarily for an English speaking market, she spent most of her life living and working on the continent. Lee is an inspirational female and feminist figure, who dressed as a man and formed passionate long term lesbian relationships. Her subtle supernatural fiction focussed on the exploration of the enduring themes of haunting and possession and sometimes contains elements of palpable terror. A contemporary, Montague Summers, the eccentric British writer and clergyman, noted for his own literary forays into the uncanny, wrote that in his opinion 'she was the greatest of the modern exponents of the supernatural in fiction.' This gives some indication of the respect in which Lee was held by her peers. She was a personal friend of the writer Henry James, author of that iconic story of malevolent haunting 'The Turn of the Screw, ' and it is logical to assume that this relationship would certainly have had an influence on her fiction. Lees collection Hauntings appeared in 1890, and her famous story 'Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady' appeared in the Yellow Book in 1895. This notorious and hugely influential publication featured the often erotic art of Aubrey Beardsley and the work of notable writers including Max Beerbohm, Arnold Bennett, Henry James, H. G Wells, William Butler Yeats and many others. Although Lee's fame may not have endured as abidingly as some of her contemporaries of the fin de siecle period, she rightly deserves a place in the pantheon of authors of the supernatural and this comprehensive, Leonaur collection is the perfect way for readers to reap the many rewards of her work. <br /> This special two volume edition contains twenty four fantastic examples of Lee's tales of the haunted and possessed. Volume one includes the novelettes 'Winthrop's Adventure, ' 'A Phantom Lover, ' 'A Seeker of Pagan Perfection' and the 'The Gods and Ritter Tanhuser' together with 'The Hidden Door' and six more short stories. <br /> Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail ban
Volume one of a special two volume collection <br />The success of stories of mystery, crime and detection rely inevitably and heavily on the persona of the central character. The eccentric detective or the sleuth with his ever faithful, not always especially bright assistant are familiar and often welcome stereotypes. Familiar too is the self effacing small man, the man who would not and does not wish to stand out in a crowd, the plain, humble, apparently harmless man with an unpleasant surprise up his sleeve for criminals. This kind of man is not a man of physical action but one with an observant incisive intellect finely tuned to his purpose-bringing villains to book! Edgar Wallace's J. G Reeder was such a man and the hero of these stories by Groner, Detective Joseph Muller is another. With promotion denied as a result of a tainted past and a spell in prison, Muller is, nevertheless, the man to be brought in when the task seems most daunting. Detective Muller's stage is an unusual one, for he is a member of that secret and shadowy organisation, the Imperial Austrian Police. Set in the period that led up to the Great War, the twilight years of the decadent and declining Hapsburg Empire, these fascinating tales of crime and detection from a lost era have become true classics. <br /> Volume one of this special Leonaur two volume collection contains The Man With the Black Cord, The Pocket Diary Found in the Snow, The Case of the Pool of Blood in the Pastor's Study & The Case of the Registered Letter. Available in softback and hardback with dust jacket for collectors."
Warfare from the perspective of one of Napoleon's marshals <br /> Napoleon Bonaparte, for all his many personality flaws, is generally regarded as a genius of military craft. His innovative grand tactics frequently overwhelmed the generalship of commanders whose understanding of war was founded on ideas from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. None of his generals or marshals were of his calibre in this respect, yet all, by degrees, practiced the art of war in the manner of their master. Those interested, rightly look to the writings of Antoine Jomini-a soldier of Napoleon and considered by many to one of the founding fathers of modern strategy-as a primary source on methods of warfare in the early 19th century. In his book 'The Art of War' Jomini discusses his subject using examples drawn from both the battles and campaigns of Napoleon and from his own experiences in the emperor's service. As with Jomini, the principal interest and value of Marmont's book, to the modern reader, is that the author writes from the perspective of a soldier of the First Empire of the French and draws upon knowledge, experience and examples (often first-hand) from the campaigns of the Napoleonic era, to expand and explain his topic. This makes 'Marmont on Warfare' an invaluable resource for all those interested in the period. The author briefly touches upon military theory before turning to the organisation of armies of the Napoleonic model. There follows a comprehensive examination of the operational aspects of war including battle conduct, retreats, night attacks, ambuscades and siege craft (among others) and finally an examination of command philosophy. This unique Leonaur edition is enhanced by the inclusion of a short biographical piece, concerning the military career of Marmont, that provides context for the author's own writings. <br /> Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.