Margery of Quether and Other Stories.

A rare example of an early vampire story. The eponymous Margery of Quether is discovered by a bell-ringer, George Rosedhu on Christmas Eve. She explains she was once a living woman, now a dried up old crone who cannot die. George is so moved by her story that he takes her in his arms and carries her home. She drives her one remaining tooth into his flesh and clasps him so tightly with her claws that he is unable to remove her until she lets go of her own accord...

The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould was an English hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist and eclectic scholar. He is remembered particularly as a writer of hymns, the best-known being Onward, Christian Soldiers and Now the Day is Over. He also translated the carol Gabriel's Message from Basque to English. He often wrote standing up and his first book of songs, Songs and Ballads of the West (1889-91), was the first collection published for the mass market. He wrote many novels including A Book of Ghosts and The Lives of the Saints. His folkloric studies resulted in The Book of Were-Wolves (1865), one of the most frequently cited studies of lycanthropy. Reputedly, this last title and Margery of Quether, gave Bram Stoker his inspiration for Dracula, published six years later.

First edition in book form; 8vo; one spot to first three leaves, else fine; publisher's maroon cloth gilt, spine faded and ends bumped, corners rubbed, offsetting to both free endpapers and near contemporary ink ownership to front free one, otherwise very good.