The Haunted Woman

The Haunted Woman (1922) is a fantasy novel by David Lindsay. Following the commercial failure of his critically acclaimed novel A Voyage to Arcturus (1920), Lindsay hoped to achieve financial stability with a more conventional tale of suspense and the occult. Although he once more failed to reach a popular audience, Lindsay produced a powerful story of alternate worlds, the burden of convention, and the nature of human desire. Never self-conscious, never embarrassed, always quiet and rather ennuye, she fascinated by the very strength of her silence, which, it was abundantly clear, had nothing in common with stupidity. She had already declined three offers of marriage, before Marshall had appeared on her horizon. Isbel Loment has always cherished her independence, never consenting to tie her fate to that of a man, especially not for love. Now engaged to successful underwriter Marshall Stokes, she finds herself nearing the end of the rootless lifestyle she has led since the age of sixteen, when the death of her father left her a ward of an eccentric aunt. While on vacation at an ancient estate in the hills of Sussex, Isbel discovers a mysterious staircase leading to three identical doors. Choosing one, she is transported to a mirror world where, though the details are lost upon leaving, she seems to be encountering her host Henry Judge. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of David Lindsay’s The Haunted Woman is a classic of British literature reimagined for modern readers.