Though he rallied for republications of his works, Machen’s literary career ultimately diminished, and he lived much of his life in poor finances. During World War I, Machen became a full-time journalist. His literary career revived once more with the publication of his works The House of Souls and The Hill of Dreams.

Machen continued to publish supernatural novels but spent time as actor in a traveling player company after his wife’s death. Decried upon initial publication for its depictions of sex and violence, the tale has since become a horror classic and has been hailed as “maybe the best in the English language” by Stephen King. Four years later, he released his breakthrough work, The Great God Pan. In 1890, Machen began publishing short stories in literary magazines. He grew up with intentions of becoming a doctor, but followed a boyhood passion of the supernatural and occult and started to write. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.Īrthur Machen (1863–1947) was a Welsh author and actor best known for his fantasy and horror fiction. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. Other notable fans of his gruesome tales include William Butler Yeats and Arthur Conan Doyle, and his work has been compared to that of Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde.

His seminal novella “The Great God Pan” (1890) has become a classic of horror fiction, with Stephen King describing it as one of the best horror stories written in the English language. Arthur Machen (1863 – 1947) was a Welsh author and renowned mystic during the 1890s and early 20th century who garnered literary acclaim for his contributions to the supernatural, horror, and fantasy fiction genres.

A classic supernatural tale by a master of the genre, “The Inmost Light” is not to be missed by lovers of horror fiction and those who have read and enjoyed other works by this author. However, his wife's uninhabited body becomes a clear invitation for something altogether unworldly, and the jewel too tempting for the opportunistic. The story follows a scientist who incarcerates his wife's soul in a beautiful shining jewel. “The Inmost Light” is a 1894 short novel by Welsh author and mystic Arthur Machan, originally published along with “The Great God Pan” in John Lane's Keynotes Series.

Inmost story