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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 1d

GHOSTS by R. B. Russell

“Russell’s stories are captivating for their depth of mystery and haunting melancholy.” Thomas Ligotti

“Possibilities beyond the rational.” Rue Morgue

“A book of dark mysteries and subtle psychology.” Highlander’s Book Reviews

swanriverpress.ie/srp-title/gh...

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 1d

And what I liked about this boom when I first came across it was it's immediacy. These were ghost stories that happened *near me*. At the time I don't think I made the distinction between the literary and "true ghost story" genres. I do now though. Also a key influence on The Bleeding Horse.

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 1d

A key book from own childhood, well researched and excellently told. One of the earliest such books I recall reading. I have my old battered copy here in Dublin with me. Might try to find it when I get home. Much prefer the cover on it, but then I probably would!

John Reppion @johnreppion.bsky.social · 1d

#DailyGhost
7) CURTAIN FACE
Young Mary Tubey died in Sept 1878. A shimmering ghostly facsimile of her face appeared on the curtains of her stepbrother's house nearby. Crowds decended on the house, people eager to see the wonderous spectacle. Some were disappointed, while others were amazed.

Haunted Wisconsin by Michael Norman and Beth Scott (1980 / 2001)

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 1d

I like the Weidenfeld and Nicholson edition. Subterranean did a six volume edition in 2014. But it might be nice to see mass market paperbacks the same as was done for the Blackwater books. Omnibus editions are sometimes overstuffed.

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 1d

I feel the odd man out for rather disliking this one. Some good images, but otherwise a bit boring? I feel like it's revered more than it deserves. Blame Gatiss?

Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

STRANGE EPIPHANIES by Peter Bell

“Bell is not a purveyor of pure horror, but of something much more interesting.” Wormwood

“Bell has a talent for finding isolated and less known corners.” Ghosts & Scholars

“Poetic in style and emotionally intimate.” Hellnotes

swanriverpress.ie/srp-title/st...

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

This afternoon's listening pleasure before Patti Smith later tonight. sunn.bandcamp.com/album/life-m...

Life Metal, by SUNN O)))

4 track album

sunn.bandcamp.com

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

Ladies and Gentlemen . . . John Coulthart!

John Coulthart @johncoulthart.com · 2d

Today from across the storm-toss'd waters of the Irish Sea, my latest cover design for @swanriverpress.bsky.social Thanks!

A hardback book: A Mind Turned in Upon Itself -- Writings on J.S. Le Fanu by Jim Rockhill. Blue cover wrap with a Victorian border in blue and gold framing a sepia-tinted photograph of Le Fanu standing holding a top hat and cane.

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

I don't disagree with you! MRJ's audience would have had a better understanding of the ghost stories for sure, like the untranslated Latin! But lack of knowledge of some of that stuff doesn't detract from the effectiveness of the stories for a wider audience!

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks for taking a chance on it! She's definitely an interesting writer--and of course not all the stories are ghost stories, but a thrilling array of modes and approaches to the fantastical.

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Reposted by Swan River Press

Customer Care Skeleton @ccskeleton.bsky.social · 2d

I bought this one, and loved it.
Good ghost stories, includes an interview with the author, and a short biography - and really enjoyed reading both.
It helped me understand the author's headspace when coming up with the settings for the stories featured.

Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

It's easy to forget that some of the most popular writers of the era were women. But Graves's use of a male persona was a deliberate identity choice, as opposed to an attempt to mask gender. I'm surprised more people aren't curious about Graves. She's fascinating. swanriverpress.ie/srp-title/a-...

A Vanished Hand | Swan River Press

“Only the dead are faithful to Love—because they are dead.” Clotilde Graves was known for challenging convention. In her early years, she was known as the dramatist “Clo Graves”, but became better kno...

swanriverpress.ie

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

All orders for THE GREEN BOOK 26 are now in the post.

In the meantime, here's the editor's note in which we talk about a possible "lost" story by Le Fanu that we've reprinted in this issue.

swanriverpress.ie/2025/09/the-...

The Green Book 26 | Swan River Press

Editor’s Note #26 We find ourselves with a second issue this year focusing on Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. I had a handful of items that I couldn’t fit into the previous issue, so I hope you’ll allow me t...

swanriverpress.ie

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

I like to get a dig in on Pfaff at least once per week.

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

There will always be someone out there saying "Not enough people are taking about Stoker's Personal Reminiscences of Sir Henry Irving", when it actuality, perhaps the right number of people are. It might not be sizeable, but it's probably plenty.

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

I'm not even saying that's wrong. I'm not sure a wider audience needs to be able to appreciate his work on stained glass windows, biblical apocrypha, or manuscript cataloguing outside of a handful of professionals. Water finds its level. All else can join the Richard James Pfaff Society.

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

It's easy to forget that some of the most popular writers of the era were women. But Graves's use of a male persona was a deliberate identity choice, as opposed to an attempt to mask gender. I'm surprised more people aren't curious about Graves. She's fascinating. swanriverpress.ie/srp-title/a-...

A Vanished Hand | Swan River Press

“Only the dead are faithful to Love—because they are dead.” Clotilde Graves was known for challenging convention. In her early years, she was known as the dramatist “Clo Graves”, but became better kno...

swanriverpress.ie

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

One assumption might be repression by the patriarchy, and while that certainly might have been the overarching social context, it would be erroneous to dismiss Riddell's agency. A great example is Clotilde Graves, who published as "Richard Dehan". swanriverpress.wordpress.com/2019/02/13/c...

Clotilde Graves (1863-1932)

“Only the dead are faithful to Love—because they are dead,” she said. “The living live on—and forget!” – “A Vanished Hand” (1914)

swanriverpress.wordpress.com

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

Similarly, I wonder how she might react to being published now as "Charlotte Riddell", as opposed to "Mrs. J. H. Riddell", a name she used long after her husband's death. swanriverpress.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/c...

Charlotte Riddell (1832-1906)

“The terror of it instead of unchaining my voice laid an icy hand upon my mouth and kept me still and silent.” – “The De Grabrooke Monument” (1879)

swanriverpress.wordpress.com

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

This issue of an author's preferred identity versus contemporary popular perception is something Jim Rockhill and I considered when writing the text for the Le Fanu plaque at Mount Jerome. While now best known for his ghost stories, he probably would have preferred simply "novelist".

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 2d

It's interesting that Riddell's supernatural tales comprised only a small fraction of her total literary output, but this plaque specifically commemorates her ghost stories. I wonder what she would have thought of this?

Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 3d

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Charlotte Riddell: Queen of Ghost Stories honoured with blue plaque in Carrickfergus

Her more than 50 stories explored moral ambiguity and an obsession with the supernatural in the Victorian age.

www.bbc.com

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 3d

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Charlotte Riddell: Queen of Ghost Stories honoured with blue plaque in Carrickfergus

Her more than 50 stories explored moral ambiguity and an obsession with the supernatural in the Victorian age.

www.bbc.com

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 4d

Release the Epstein files!

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 5d

We have a deal on for those who would like to order multiple issues of our journal THE GREEN BOOK: Writing on Irish Gothic, Supernatural, and Fantastic Literature.

In over a decade of editing, I've learned so much about the curious byways of Irish genre fiction.

swanriverpress.ie/green-book-i...

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 6d

Write to the publisher?

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Swan River Press @swanriverpress.bsky.social · 6d

I've always really enjoyed the remake of Assault on Precinct 13 (2005). It's got a great cast, vibe, and is faithful to the tone of the original. Good fun and I recommend it if you're looking for something for the weekend. (Original is tops too!)

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