Things Near and Far

The first volume of Machen's memoirs, recalling his childhood in Gwent, the Roman ruins of Caerleon and his lonely, hungry first years as a writer in London.

Arthur Machen

A conversation with a London hermit about what separates literature from mere good writing. Machen's answer is ecstasy, and he tests it on Homer, Dickens, Rabelais and Poe.

Arthur Machen

The third book of memoirs, an essay in wandering through the forgotten streets of north London and the strange corners Machen found there. Part memoir, part city walk.

Arthur Machen

Machen's first prose book, a mock-learned treatise on the art of smoking written in the style of seventeenth-century scholarship. A playful curiosity for readers who want to see where he started.

Arthur Machen