'The beauty of the scene was strangely uplifting. Yet, ever at the back of his thoughts, lay that other aspect of the wilderness: the indifference to human life, the merciless spirit of desolation which took no note of man.' ? The Wendigo 'Of the quality of Mr. Blackwood's genius there can be no dispute ? he is the one absolute and unquestioned master of weird atmosphere.' ? H.P. Lovecraft Algernon Blackwood (1869 ? 1951) ? 'The Ghost Man' ? was a British broadcaster, journalist, traveller, mystic, and paranormal investigator, and, above all, a prolific author of weird, occult, and supernatural fiction. Often, he wrote about the untamed wilderness, from deserts to vast, primeval forests, vividly depicting a natural environment that is at once awe-inspiring, alien and hostile. Many of Blackwood's most famous tales ? such as The Wendigo and 'The Willows' (both included in this collection) ? are set in the empty places of the world. Like his psychic detective 'John Silence', Blackwood was fascinated by elemental spirits, reincarnation, other dimensions, and higher states of consciousness. Wherever such things broke through, he sought them out, and now so can you in this comprehensive collection of his short fiction. As Blackwood explained himself: 'I believe it possible for our consciousness to change and grow, and that with this change we may become aware of a new universe.'