This meme hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies is so cool! From the original post:
“Shelf Control picks will be books that I already own — either physical copies from my overflowing shelves, or one of the many unread titles elbowing each other out of the way on my Kindle.”
What will be included in each post is:
- Title metadata (essentially)
- How I got it
- When I got it
- Why I want to read it
You can find last week’s post here.
Without further ado, I present you this week’s pick!
Author: Charles Maturin
Publisher: Serpent’s Tail
Year Published: 1820
Synopsis: When a young Dublin student goes to pay his last respects to his dying uncle, he never imagines that he might chance upon a terrifying family secret. Who is the sinister old man in the portrait and why is his uncle so anxious for him to burn it? Why is the Spanish man who saves him from drowning so frightened when he hears the name Melmoth?
As he digs deeper into the mystery, an intricate and blood-chilling story begins to unfold. For the past two hundred years, the accursed Melmoth has been searching desperately for an escape from the infernal bargain he once made. Melmoth has traversed the globe leaving destruction and misery in his wake, from Inquisition-era Spain to a remote island in the Indian Ocean – and there have been recent sightings of him in County Wicklow, where our narrator is still piecing the story together.
This Victorian classic has captured the imaginations of readers since 1820 and inspired numerous other gothic masterpieces, including Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Sarah Perry’s novel Melmoth.
(Taken from Goodreads)
How I got it: I was looking for gothic novels and short stories for inspiration.
When I got it: Two years ago.
Why I want to read it: I bought this when Sarah Perry’s Melmoth was really popular, and in fact this is published by the same publisher. I’m even more curious to know what inspired Oscar Wilde!
Any books sitting on your shelves you’re itching to read? Tell me about them in the comments!
I’ve set up a ko-fi account to support my book expenses, as finances are a bit uncertain due to Covid. If you like what you see, I would appreciate it if you could pay it a visit. No worries if you can’t donate right now! Take care of yourself 💗
Bookmarked 
I really want to read this one too as it seems to be the reference in gothic literature! I don’t have it on my shelves yet, though.
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It’s a nice chonky boi. I’ll probably start it during the winter and read it on dark stormy nights…
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