Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews Ladies of Fantasy: Two Centuries of Sinister Stories by the Gentle Sex [Amazon, Abebooks] edited by Seon Manley & Gogo Lewis, with illustration by Edward Gorey, and stories by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Jane Roberts, & al.

The contents of this anthology are not what would usually be marketed as “fantasy” today. They cover a century’s worth of short stories in the gothic fantasy or horror vein–but never so scary that the book didn’t serve as pleasant bedtime reading for me and my Other Reader. At least two were written by women who were also notable occultists (H.P. Blavatsky and Jane Roberts). Editors Manley and Lewis provide biographical introductions to each author, along with more such material in an appendix. The literary quality of the stories is pretty consistent, and the book provides a useful introduction to an assortment of worthy writers who might otherwise be overlooked by readers in this field.