I'm reminded, by way of a post from my friend Mark Valentine (https://wormwoodiana.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-centenary-of-connoisseur-and-other.html), that Walter de la Mare's collection of stories, The Connoisseur and Other Stories, was published a century ago this year. It contains some truly singular ghost stories that are masterpieces of the form: the title story, Mr. Kempe and All Hallows to name but three of them.

I'm also reminded when getting it from the shelf that my copy contains on its front pastedown a lovely bookplate of one Dorothy Nash, about whom I've not been able to find out very much. The age of the plate would seem to be contemporaneous with this 1926 volume. Its motto - “adscriptus glæbe” - means something like tied, or attached, to the soil or the earth. The depiction of an oak sapling sprouting from the acorn might even be a playful nod to the æ ligature also known as an “ash”.

One other book listing online has the same plate which it describes as “Interesting Bookplate of Dorothy Nash (actress.)” IMDB tells me that Ms. Nash is “known for Johnny Ring and the Captain's Sword (1921) and The Stain in the Blood (1916)” but since both of these appear to be US-made films, I think it's unlikely to be our Dorothy…

And finally, right at the bottom of that front pastedown is also a tiny bookseller's label, with gold type on a black background, which reads:

S.W. SIMMS & CO., Booksellers
12 George Street & 8 Bridge Street
BATH.

I love that books contains these secrets and avenues for investigation, even before you get to the "true" contents.

#WalterDeLaMare #TheConnoisseurAndOtherStories #ShortStories #GhostStories #StrangeStories #Bookstodon #Bookplates #ExLibris #DorothyNash @bookstodon

51. #StrangeStories(#WitchHousePress)

A scenario playtest for a game coming out later this year. It's suspenseful and threatening and the rug is pulled from under our feet at least twice in the short scenario. I like it.

#ttrpg
#2026Games

Gần 10 năm làm nghề bốc mộ, ông Năm kể về 3 ca "không thể quên" khiến ông至今 vẫn ám ảnh. Một là ngôi mộ hơn 60 năm, khi mở ra thi thể vẫn nguyên vẹn như đang ngủ. Hai là xác người phụ nữ trẻ, mặt mỉm cười dù đã qua đời gần 20 năm. Ba là hài cốt em bé được chôn trong áo đỏ, đặt trong lòng người mẹ. Ông chia sẻ: “Nghề này trước là làm phúc, sau mới nhận công, nhưng không phải ai cũng dám làm”.

#BốcMộ #ChuyệnLạ #ĐờiSống #TâmLinh #StrangeStories #Vietnam #LifeAfterDeath
#ChuyệnLạViệtNam #NghềLạ

I spent some time today trimming and updating my store of downloaded podcasts in #Audiobookshelf, a favourite bit of self-hosted software.

One podcast I’ll never get rid of is Knifepoint Horror, by Soren Narnia. The series has been around for 15 years this month and Soren’s tales have gone from the intensely creepy to even more intensely strange and chilling. His writing and his narration are so good, and I’ve listened to some of these stories dozens of times. They are like old friends.

If you enjoy unusual, well-crafted and often shiver-inducing supernatural tales, I highly recommend his work. If I could only keep one podcast, it would be Knifepoint Horror.

#KnifepointHorror #Podcasts #SorenNarnia #HorrorStories #StrangeStories #SpeculativeFiction #SelfHosting

I’m currently enjoying the fiction of Rebecca Gransden, which is quite hard to describe. Her biography contains only these lines:

“This author has always lived by the sea.

She tends to write about the edges, so if you inhabit the fringes you may find something to like.”

Trying not to read all of her books in one gluttonous gulp…

https://rebeccagransden.wordpress.com/

#Books #Bookstodon #RebeccaGransden #StrangeStories