A Mummy Omnibus: 1820s - 1920s (Abridged Edition) - Paperback

by John P. Irish (Editor), John P. Irish (Author)

Here is a taste of what lies inside this impressive collection of Mummy stories (almost half have never been published before outside of their original publication):

"Trooping up out of the foul subterranean darkness of the great square drainage hole at the bottom of the pit, came countless thousands of great white spiders! In an undulating tide of furry evilness they crept up from the lower chamber that had been their prison . . . The professor, too saw the advancing horde of horror, and the two men's eyes met in unutterable terror." Carr, Spider-Bite

"For the sight of some Egyptian monster, some god of the tombs, or even of some demon of fire, I think I was already half prepared; but when, instead, I saw the white visage of Miss Wragge framed in that round opening of sand, followed by her body crawling on all-fours, her eyes bulging and reflecting the yellow glare of the candles, my first instinct was to turn and run like a frantic animal seeking a way of escape." Blackwood, The Nemesis of Fire

"The immense marble scarabaeus on the floor of the gallery vibrated with incipient animation; then it stretched forth its huge feelers and opened its massy wings, like a newly born insect trying the properties of its novel limbs; and next, with the heavy cumbrous motion of a tortoise, it crept across the floor, throwing back the moonbeams from its polished surface, towards the principal entrance of the gallery." Smith, Mr. Grubbe's Night with Memnon

This is the first of an anticipated multi-volume collection of short story anthologies with a focus on the classic monsters. Monsters have always been popular and are more popular today than they ever have been. The goal of the series is to collect all the classic stories, along with minor gems that have never been published before, and place them in one central location. The series begins with the monster - The Mummy!

Three events helped popularize interest in Egypt and the Mummy as a monster. First, Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign into Ottoman Egypt from 1798 - 1801. The expedition led to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and the creation of the field of Egyptology in Europe. This ultimately ended in the establishment of the Egyptian Institute and the publication of the Description de l'Égypte from 1809 - 1821. Second, the building of the Suez Canal, an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, constructed between 1859 and 1869. And third, the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun (ruler of Egypt from 1332 - 1323 B.C.), by Howard Carter in 1922. It sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun's mask, now in the Egyptian Museum, remains one of the most popular symbols. These events helped popularize interest in Egypt in the West and in the Mummy monster.

This is the student "Abridged Edition" of the complete Mummy Omnibus collection - the top 25 stories from that collection are included in this abridgement. This edition contains the following stories:

Gautier: "The Mummy's Foot"
Alcott: "Lost in a Pyramid"
Poe: "Some Words with a Mummy"
Doyle: "Ring of Thoth" and "Lot 249"
Schoolcraft: "Death's Secret"
Spencer: "The Green God"
Lovecraft: "The Outsider"
Smith: "The Abominations of Yondo"
Carr: "Spider-Bite"
Blackwood: "The Nemesis of Fire"
And many others . . .

The Monster Omnibus Editions will be published as a series of collected works of specific writers, anthologies of monster themes, and individual novels. The goal of the series is to add to the canon of classic monster fiction. See the inside cover of this book for a complete listing of editions published thus far.