Dear Friends,
As many of you know, 2023 has been the ten-year anniversary of Oldstyle Tales Press, a project I started planning in grad school and launched as a source of side income while I was an adjunct English professor at a community college in Madison, Indiana.
It was originally going to consist of just four annotated and illustrated books of classic horror (The Victorian Ghost Story, Tales of Poe, Frankenstein, and a collection of Lovecraft), but now we are nearly 40 titles strong (and Lovecraft is finally in production, and due to be released around Easter).
After a decade of incremental growth, you've helped make this my full-time employment: in September, 2021 my family was unexpectedly able to afford to have me securely resign my day job (one which I loved, and to which I am still deeply and humbly grateful, I should add), to work from home and watch my daughter, Charlotte.
Two years later, I still can't believe that what began as a hobby has given us the ability to have the sort of flexible family life that we always wanted. But let me be very clear: it is because of your support that we can do this, and for that, my family and I are joyfully indebted to you.
(Thanks to Jaycelin Green Photography)
Most of my day still revolves around caring for Charlotte, cooking, running errands, and keeping the La Maison Kellermeyer shipshape and in Bristol fashion, but as my daughter gets older, I anticipate being able to return to my previous level of productivity (some of you may remember the halcyon days when I would release 3 or 4 titles each year – thanks to having nothing better to do during my college’s summer and Christmas holidays).
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As the official finale to our decennial celebrations, I’m happy to announce a new release (our first since M. R. James) to tide us over until Lovecraft is ready.
My very first book was an anthology of Victorian ghost stories, and as one might expect from a first release, it had lots of issues with design, style, editing, scope, and writing, but I’m happy to announce that we have just released an updated and greatly expanded, 10th Anniversary Third Edition of 2013's The Victorian Ghost Story, which is newly re-christened: The Essential Victorian Ghost Stories. Updates include:
The design is much cleaner, and consistent with our current branding
The introduction has almost doubled in size with new literary and historical commentary
Each story’s introduction and literary analysis has been freshly edited and expanded
An annotated bibliography has been added to the appendix, including:
4 excellent history books on the Victorian era
4 of the best Victorian ghost story anthologies
5 book-length literary commentaries on Victorian literature, Gothic fiction, and ghost stories
22 recommended single-author anthologies for the best authors of Victorian supernatural fiction
Most notably, though, it includes ten new ghost stories:
J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Squire Toby’s Will
Edith Nesbit’s John Charrington’s Wedding
H. G. Wells’ The Inexperienced Ghost
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Captain of the ‘Pole-Star’
W. W. Jacobs’ Jerry Bundler
Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Body Snatcher
Bram Stoker’s The Judge’s House
the anonymous The Story of Clifford House
Henry James’ Owen Wingrave
F. Marion Crawford’s The Upper Berth
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Finally, please accept my deepest, warmest thanks. If you are reading this post, then – even if you’ve never purchased one of my books – you are an active participant in my mission to keep this genre alive in the collective consciousness and are helping me and my family live our dreams.
Ten years ago, I only expected to be making a little side cash (just enough to keep our gas tanks full, maybe enough to buy our groceries, and if we were really successful, enough to cover the mortgage payments). However, because of folks like you, I can afford to devote my energies towards expanding the literary conversations on classic horror, ghost stories, and weird fiction from the Long Nineteenth Century.
For that and for so much more, my family and I truly thank you.
(Thanks to Jaycelin Green Photography)
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all.
Your Most Obliged & Obedient Servant, &c.