The Headless Dwarfs: And Other Dark Fairy Tales from the Haunted Hills
About this audiobook
Some roads should never be traveled after dark.
Beyond lonely mountains and forgotten forests lie places where ancient legends refuse to die. Hidden kingdoms stretch beneath the hills. Headless dwarfs wander abandoned mines. Phantom hounds guard long-forgotten treasures. Travelers vanish into enchanted woods where witches, ghosts, and mysterious creatures still linger.
The Headless Dwarfs and Other Dark Fairy Tales from the Haunted Hills gathers some of the most atmospheric and haunting tales ever collected by Andrew Lang and Joseph Jacobs, preserving the eerie folklore of Europe and Japan in stories filled with mystery, enchantment, and the supernatural.
The collection concludes with Bram Stoker’s Dracula’s Guest, a suspenseful Gothic tale of an ill-fated traveler who ignores every warning and ventures into a desolate landscape haunted by ancient evil. Long regarded as one of Stoker’s finest supernatural short stories, it provides a chilling finale that bridges classic folklore with Gothic horror.
Perfect for Halloween—or any evening when the wind rattles the windows—this family-friendly collection emphasizes suspense, atmosphere, and timeless storytelling rather than graphic horror. Richly narrated by Bert Nichols Stauff, these unforgettable classics invite listeners into a world where forgotten legends still breathe beneath the hills and every shadow may conceal something waiting in the darkness.
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About the author
Andrew Lang (1844–1912) was a Scottish writer, poet, historian, folklorist, and literary scholar best known for collecting and preserving traditional fairy tales from around the world. Educated at the University of St Andrews and Balliol College, Oxford, Lang wrote on history, mythology, anthropology, and literature, but he is most famous for his celebrated Fairy Books series, including The Blue Fairy Book, The Red Fairy Book, and The Lilac Fairy Book. By gathering stories from many cultures and presenting them in engaging English, Lang introduced generations of readers to classic folklore. His collections remain among the most influential fairy tale anthologies ever published.
Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916) was an Australian-born folklorist, historian, literary critic, and educator who became one of the foremost collectors of English and Celtic folk tales. Passionate about preserving the storytelling traditions of the British Isles, Jacobs published enduring collections including English Fairy Tales, More English Fairy Tales, Celtic Fairy Tales, and More Celtic Fairy Tales. Rather than heavily rewriting traditional stories, Jacobs sought to preserve their original spirit and oral storytelling style. His collections continue to delight readers and listeners around the world.
Bram Stoker (1847-1912) was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, and theater manager whose name became synonymous with Gothic fiction through his classic novel Dracula (1897). Educated at Trinity College Dublin, Stoker served for many years as business manager for the famed actor Sir Henry Irving at London’s Lyceum Theatre while pursuing his literary career. His fiction masterfully blended folklore, supernatural suspense, and psychological tension. Dracula’s Guest, first published posthumously in 1914, is widely regarded as one of his finest supernatural short stories and remains a favorite among readers of classic Gothic literature.
Bert Nichols Stauff specializes in narrating classic public-domain literature, forgotten fairy tales, Christian works, and historical treasures. Through expressive storytelling and careful preservation of original texts, she introduces today’s listeners to timeless stories that deserve to be heard by a new generation.
