‘…blood-curdling enough—and ugly enough—to chill the blood of a grenadier’.

So said Stevenson himself of The Body Snatcher, one of his best-known short stories. Richly atmospheric and brilliantly ghoulish, it tells the story of a man who is reminded of his part in a grisly crime. The Bottle Imp is set in Hawaii. A realistic fairy tale, it asks what would you give to get what you want, and how much would you sacrifice to save what you love? The writing is beautifully straightforward, the story enthralling and touching. The Poor Thing takes place in very different, wild, seas. It’s a perfectly measured, wry fable in which a man, as poor as he is ugly but of a good heart, is given other-worldly advice on finding a wife.