Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, CBE (1884 – 1941) was an English novelist. He was the son of an Anglican clergyman, intended for a career in the church but drawn instead to writing. Among those who encouraged him were the authors Henry James and Arnold Bennett. His skill at scene-setting, vivid plots, and high profile as a lecturer brought him a large readership in the United Kingdom and North America. He was a best-selling author in the 1920s and 1930s, but has been largely neglected since his death. Walpole's books cover a wide range. His fiction includes short stories, coming of age novels, (Mr Perrin and Mr Traill, 1911, and the Jeremy trilogy) that delve into the psychology of boyhood; gothic horror novels (Portrait of a Man with Red Hair, 1925, and The Killer and The Slain, 1942); a period family saga (the Herries chronicle) and even detective fiction (Behind the Screen). He wrote literary biographies (Conrad, 1916; James Branch Cabell, 1920; and Trollope, 1928); plays; and screenplays including David Copperfield, 1935.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Walpole
This is the author's third collection of short fiction, sixteen stories, including several of his best supernatural tales. "Walpole's two strongest stories in the genre are "Tarnhelm; or, The Death of My Uncle Robert," a werewolf tale told from the point of view of a sensitive little boy; and "The Silver Mask," the story of a middle-aged woman's fatal obsession with a sinister and beautiful young man. "The Silver Mask" is in fact, a masterpiece, a classic example of how a tale can be truly terrifying, with no ghost and only the wispiest hint of the supernatural.
[4th ed.]
