Born in 1854, Morrow was the son of Baptist minister, hotelier and farmer in Mobile, Alabama. Moving to California in 1879, he began selling stories to 'The Argonaut' periodical where the famous author Ambrose Bierce had been working for the previous two years. Bierce recognised Morrow's talent as a writer of short stories and it is believed that it was due to Bierce's patronage that several of Morrows best known and highly regarded stories appeared in William Randolph Hearst's 'San Francisco Examiner' newspaper. Although Morrow's fame has not endured in to the same degree as some of his contemporaries, it is considered in modern academic circles that his was an enormous talent and that he deserves a place in the pantheon of significant 19th century American authors. Of course, to the aficionado of the supernatural and bizarre what matters most is whether he tells a genuinely chilling tale. Bierce certainly believed that he could and as he was no mean exponent of ghostly and horrific fiction himself he was well placed to deliver a considered judgment. However, perhaps Morrow's highest accolade came in one of Bierce's own satirical pieces in which a character exclaims, 'I have one of Will Morrow's tales in my pocket, but I don't dare to go where there is light enough to read it!' High praise indeed!
In this collection readers will discover the story that is arguably Morrow's most famous, the horrible tale of dismemberment that is 'The Unconquerable Enemy' together with 'The Inmate of the Dungeon, ' 'Treacherous Velasco, ' 'The Faithful Amulet, ' 'The Haunted Burglar, ' 'The Gloomy Shadow, ' 'The Haunted Automaton, ' 'The Woman of the Inner Room' and nine more short stories of the disturbing and unusual.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.