Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows' has sold 25 million copies worldwide and never been out of print. It is a beloved story of adventurous English woodland and river creatures - a perfect family tale as Christmas approaches. Everyone, young and ol

In 1853 French writer Théophile Gautier visited Istanbul (then Constantinople) and found himself wooed by Turkish culture. His description of the Cemetery of Scutari is a romantic literary triumph. A most unusual travelogue.

For Halloween 2021 The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs. A classic gothic horror story from 1902. Careful what you wish for.

The Baba Yaga is not, as John Wick would have it, the boogeyman of Russia. She's a horrid witch. One of her stories - there are many - was captured in the late 19th century by English Russo-phile William Ralston Shedden. A perfectly translated terror folk

If you loved The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix you will love the original 1898 story by American Anglophile writer Henry James. A brilliantly written suffocating gothic horror. Perfect for Halloween week 2021.

Boris Karloff, Hollywood superstar of Frankenstein and The Mummy was, off camera, an English gent and a foodie. His recipe for guacamole is an annual internet sensation around Halloween coming from the short news report of an unknown but skilled newspaper

Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy over 700 years ago: an epic poem of a journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Can a 13th century epic poem still be enjoyable today? Can it still be relevant? Absolutely. Great writing endures.

In 1982 'God's Banker' was found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge in London. While an Inquest found suicide (later overturned) many believed it was murder including a British journo Paul Foot. His cheeky column on the subject is great hack writing.

Wilkie Collins was a gout ridden laudanum addict and great friend of Charles Dickens. He had some odd ideas about marriage but he was a gifted writer of mysteries and tales of suspense and his short story about a bed is one of the greats - a classic.

Harry Houdini wrote a book debunking spiritualism and mediums. It is filled with precise, polite yet brutal takedowns. The Handcuff King who left school at 8 wasn't just the world's greatest escapologist - pace David Copperfield - he was a wise man and a