In a glass darkly

In a Glass Darkly is Sheridan Le Fanu's most famous collection of ghost and mystery stories. There are five, all recounted by Martin Hesselius: Green Tea, The Familiar, Mr Justice Harbottle, The Room in the Dragon Volant and Carmilla. What makes the Faber Finds edition unique is the illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. The original title-page says, 'with numerous illustrations by Edward Ardizzone.' That is true, there is an abundance of them from the full-page to the vignettes. This illustrated edition was first published in November 1929. Eighty years to the month is it being reissued by Faber Finds. It is an anniversary worth celebrating. Edward Ardizzone was one of the best and most distinctive illustrators of the twentieth-century and this was the very first book to benefit from his work. It was an auspicious start.