The Macmillan Collection of Gothic Tales

Frances Hardinge spent a large part of her childhood in a huge old house that inspired her to write strange stories from an early age. She read English at Oxford University, then got a job at a software company. However, a few years later a persistent friend finally managed to bully Frances into sending a few chapters of Fly By Night, her first children's novel, to a publisher. Macmillan made her an immediate offer. The book went on to publish to huge critical acclaim and win the Branford Boase First Novel Award. She has since written many highly acclaimed children's novels including, Fly By Night's sequel, Twilight Robbery, as well as the Carnegie shortlisted Cuckoo Song and the Costa Book of the Year winner, The Lie Tree.

Macmillan has been publishing books for over 150 years, and is the original publisher of much-loved children's classics Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Jungle Book. Inspired by Macmillan's rich literary heritage, The Macmillan Collection of Gothic Tales contains stories and illustrations first published in collections in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. With stories from authors including Christina Rossetti, Washington Irving, and Charles Dickens; and illustrations from iconic artists such as Arthur Hughes, Laurence Housman and more.