Victorian Ghost Stories & Gothic
19 books
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A curated gateway to Victorian ghost stories and Gothic novels (1837–1901)—with a few early-Edwardian heirs (to 1914) that carried the chill forward. Haunted houses, fog-bound streets, moral doubles, and slow-burn dread from the authors who defined the genre.
Explore free, public-domain classics in one place: start with a quick shocker, try a compact novella, or settle in with a landmark novel. Use the quick navigation above to jump to Featured, Short reads, More novels, or Anthologies and find your perfect entry point.
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Featured Victorian Gothic & Ghost Stories
Start here — essential works (free to download)
1897: Dracula
Bram Stoker
355 pages · ~13 hours 28 minutes
The definitive vampire novel—letters, diaries, and pure atmosphere.
1890: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde
160 pages · ~4 hours 49 minutes
Beauty, corruption, and a hidden portrait—decadence as dread.
1847: Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë
311 pages · ~9 hours 47 minutes
Haunted moors and toxic obsession—raw, stormy, unforgettable.
1859: The Woman in White
Wilkie Collins
673 pages · ~20 hours 47 minutes
Sensation fiction with Gothic shadows—secrets, doubles, conspiracies.
1886: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson
72 pages · ~2 hours 10 minutes
Dual nature, sealed doors, and moral fog—short, tense, iconic.
Short reads (novellas & stories)
Perfect first steps — compact chills with pages and estimated reading time
1898: The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
126 pages · ~3 hours 35 minutes
Ambiguous hauntings and unreliable sight—debated since publication.
1843: A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
81 pages · ~2 hours 26 minutes
Ghosts as moral clarity—swift, humane, and evergreen.
1902: The Monkey’s Paw
W. W. Jacobs
20 pages · ~20 minutes
Be-careful-what-you-wish-for terror—tight, timeless, and chilling.
1872: Carmilla
Sheridan Le Fanu
92 pages · ~2 hours 21 minutes
Intimate vampire novella—desire, dread, and a doomed friendship.
More Gothic & ghostly novels
Available now on AliceAndBooks (public domain)
1879: The Haunted Hotel
Wilkie Collins
125 pages · ~3 hours 33 minutes
Venice, guilt, and a room that remembers—Gothic mystery at pace.
1910: The Phantom of the Opera
Gaston Leroux
240 pages · ~7 hours 13 minutes
Opera-house Gothic—romance, masks, and subterranean menace.
1908: The House on the Borderland
William Hope Hodgson
162 pages · ~4 hours 17 minutes
Cosmic dread meets haunted-house frame—strange, visionary.
1909: The Ghost Pirates
William Hope Hodgson
168 pages · ~3 hours 58 minutes
Sea-horror logbook—night watches, whispers, and vanishing hands.
1863: The House by the Churchyard
Sheridan Le Fanu
752 pages · ~18 hours 27 minutes
Village secrets, graveside shadows—a rich Irish Gothic tapestry.
1851: The House of the Seven Gables
Nathaniel Hawthorne
281 pages · ~8 hours 47 minutes
American Gothic classic—curses, inheritance, and a brooding house.
Anthologies & story collections
Curated volumes of tales — ideal samplers of the era’s chills.
1904: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
M. R. James
120 pages · ~3 hours 50 minutes
Quiet, scholarly terrors—subtle setups that bloom into unforgettable dread.
1895: The King in Yellow
Robert W. Chambers
208 pages · ~5 hours 57 minutes
Decadent, uncanny stories linked by a “cursed” book—an early bridge to weird fiction.
1913: Carnacki, the Ghost Finder
William Hope Hodgson
152 pages · ~4 hours 30 minutes
Occult detective tales mixing apparatus and arcana—scientific method meets the uncanny.
1906: The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories
Algernon Blackwood
199 pages · ~5 hours 36 minutes
Atmospheric hauntings where place itself seems alive—quiet, creeping unease.
1872: In a Glass Darkly
Sheridan Le Fanu
Public domain (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — coming soon (priority).
Occult casebook tales (incl. “Carmilla”) framed by Dr. Hesselius—pillars of the ghost story.
1911: More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
M. R. James
Public domain (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — coming soon (priority).
Further masterclass tales in suggestion and aftermath from the genre’s quiet innovator.
1850s: Gothic Tales
Elizabeth Gaskell
Public domain (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — coming soon (priority).
Sophisticated domestic gothic (incl. “The Old Nurse’s Story”)—emotion sharpened by atmosphere.
c. 1908: Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Edgar Allan Poe (selected tales)
Public domain (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — coming soon (priority).
Definitive selection of Poe’s gothic and macabre—cornerstone influence on later horror.
Future unlocks (next 5 years)
Expected U.S. public-domain dates. Titles will be added on AliceAndBooks as soon as they unlock.
1930: On the Edge: Short Stories
Walter de la Mare
Unlocks Jan 1, 2026 (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — planned after unlock.
Eight uncanny tales; quiet psychological chills from a master stylist.
1931: Someone in the Room
A. M. Burrage
Unlocks Jan 1, 2027 (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — planned after unlock.
Rare collection of refined English ghost stories—subtle, eerie, enduring.
1932: The Intercessor and Other Stories
May Sinclair
Unlocks Jan 1, 2028 (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — planned after unlock.
Five superb supernatural pieces, including the deeply affecting title story.
1932: Ghost Stories
H. R. Wakefield
Unlocks Jan 1, 2028 (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — planned after unlock.
Florin Books selection—sleek, modern hauntings with razor-edged atmospherics.
1933: All Souls’ Night
Hugh Walpole
Unlocks Jan 1, 2029 (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — planned after unlock.
Sixteen tales (incl. “Tarnhelm,” “The Silver Mask”)—polished, sinister, and humane.
1933: The Green Round
Arthur Machen
Unlocks Jan 1, 2029 (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — planned after unlock.
Late-career weird novel—“little people,” paranoia, and creeping unreality.
1934: More Spook Stories
E. F. Benson
Unlocks Jan 1, 2030 (U.S.). Not yet available on AliceAndBooks — planned after unlock.
Thirteen elegant chillers from a master of the English ghost story.
