Algernon Henry Blackwood is one of the most respected writers in the fields of fantasy and horror fiction, and Everett F. Bleiler has called him "the foremost British supernaturalist of the twentieth century." Widely admired for his many ghost stories and works of weird fiction, Blackwood presented occult stories filled with suspenseful plots, haunting settings, and haunted characters. His work demonstrates that dark fantasy, though disturbing, can also be elegantly written, and he influenced many writers after him, including Robert Bloch and Ray Bradbury.

The fourth of five children, Blackwood was born on 14 March 1869 in Shooters Hill, Kent, to Sir Stevenson Arthur Blackwood, who later served as financial secretary of the post office, and Harriet Sydney Dobbs. Both parents were from aristocratic backgrounds and of strong evangelical beliefs. His family moved two years later to Crayford in Kent, then in 1881 to Beckenham. He received an excellent although sporadic...