"No ghosts need apply."[i]
In the occupation of "occult detective," which I have touched on before via Simon Iff (link), the only prerequisite IS the involvement of a supernatural element or force.[ii] Therefore, a return to that uniquely Victorian / Edwardian occupation of occult detective is here presented in The Casebook of Carnacki the Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson.
"I was helped to my knees by the Captain and the butler. On the floor lay an enormous horse-head out of which protruded a man's trunk and legs. On the wrists were fixed great hoofs. It was the monster. The Captain cut something with the sword that he held in his hand and stooped and lifted off the mask, for that is what it was. I saw the face then of the man who had worn it. It was Parsket. He had a bad wound across the forehead where the Captain's sword had bit through the mask. I looked bewilderedly from him to Beaumont, who was sitting up, leaning against the wall of the corridor. Then I stared at Parsket again.
"'By Jove!' I said at last, and then I was quiet for I was so ashamed for the man. You can understand, can't you? And he was opening his eyes. And you know, I had grown so to like him.
"And then, you know, just as Parsket was getting back his wits and looking from one to the other of us and beginning to remember, there happened a strange and incredible thing. For from the end of the corridor there sounded suddenly, the clumping of a great hoof. I looked that way and then instantly at Parsket and saw a horrible fear in his face and eyes. He wrenched himself 'round, weakly, and stared in mad terror up the corridor to where the sound had been, and the rest of us stared, in a frozen group. I remember vaguely half sobs and whispers from Miss Hisgins's bedroom, all the while that I stared frightenedly up the corridor.
"The silence lasted several seconds and then, abruptly there came again the clumping of the great hoof, away at the end of the corridor. And immediately afterward the clungk, clunk—clungk, clunk of mighty hoofs coming down the passage toward us.
"Even then, you know, most of us thought it was some mechanism of Parsket's still at work and we were in the queerest mixture of fright and doubt. I think everyone looked at Parsket. And suddenly the Captain shouted out:
"'Stop this damned fooling at once. Haven't you done enough?'
"For my part, I was now frightened for I had a sense that there was something horrible and wrong. And then Parsket managed to gasp out:
"'It's not me! My God! It's not me! My God! It's not me.'
An excerpt from "The Horse of the Invisible"
The Casebook of Carnacki the Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson brings together the nine Carnacki tales, the entirety of the original Carnacki mythos, into a single volume. This edition, published in 2006 by Wordsworth Editions, is part of the Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural series.[iii] The General Editor of this series is David Stuart Davies, a noted expert on Sherlock Holmes. Mr. Davies is the author of the very instructional Introduction to this volume.
§
William Hope Hodgson was born in 1877. At the age of 13, he ran away from home to the sea. In 1891, he began his seaman apprenticeship. He was harshly picked on by a junior officer, subsequently he took up judo and body-building. Hodgson returned to land in 1900 and by 1901 had established what today might be called a gym. It would close in 1903.
His first tale was published in 1904. A few years later, 1908, Hodgson would publish his classic The House on the Borderlands. 1910 saw the serial release of the first of the initial six Carnacki stories.
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Hodgson signed up for military service in July 1915. Interestingly enough, he joined the artillery corps rather than the navy. In 1916, he was so severely injured that he was discharged. Surprisingly, following his recovery, he re-enlisted. William Hope Hodgson was killed during a German artillery barrage at Ypres in April 1918.
What further tales might Hodgson have had Carnacki relay over scotch and cigars? No one will ever know.
§
Much digital ink has been spilled discussing the publication history of Hodgson's nine Carnacki tales. This is my contribution.
As a side note, there is no record documenting when each story was written. Therefore, the publication date shall have to stand instead.
Originally, the first five Carnacki stories were published in the magazine The Idler, January through June 1910; with no story in May 1910. A sixth tale appeared in The New Magazine in the January 1912 issue.
- "The Gateway of the Monster"–first publication in January 1910 issue of The Idler.
- "The House among the Laurels"– first publication in February 1910 issue of The Idler.
- "The Whistling Room"– first publication in March 1910 issue of The Idler.
- "The Horse of the Invisible"– first publication in April 1910 issue of The Idler.
- "The Searcher of the End House"– first publication in June 1910 issue of The Idler. Though there is some difference of opinion whether it was May or June. my research confirmed it was June 1910.[iv]
- "The Thing Invisible"– first publication in January 1912 issue of The New Magazine.
In an essay detailing the publishing history of these tales, Marcus Rowland wrote:
The sequence in which the original six stories were published suggests that Hodgson contracted to write six stories for The Idler, but either missed the deadline for the May 1910 issue (which had no Carnacki story), or had The Thing Invisible rejected then subsequently sold it to The New Magazine.[v]
Other sources state that this was a five-part series that was later followed by another story. Whether any of these suggestions are correct or it is some other explanation, is unknown.
§
These initial six Carnacki tales were published together in an anthology, in 1913 by the Everleigh Nash publishing house of London, titled Carnacki The Ghost-Finder.[vi]
Following the release of this 1913 work, three other Carnacki tales were published:
- "The Haunted Jarvee"–first appeared in The Premier Magazine (or The Empire Magazine – here too, there is some . . . difference of opinion[vii]), March 1929.
- "The Hog"–first appeared in Weird Tales, January 1947.
- "The Find"–first appeared in 1947 – see below.
In 1947 (or 1948 according to some sources), Mycroft & Moran (a subsidiary of Arkham House press) released the first complete collection of all nine of Hodgson's Carnacki stories. Below is a listing of the tales as they appear in 1947's Arkham House release – Carnacki The Ghost-Finder. Interestingly enough, this edition altered the order of the tales from the 1913 Carnacki The Ghost-Finder for an unknown reason.
- "The Thing Invisible"
- "The Gateway of the Monster"
- "The House among the Laurels"
- "The Whistling Room"
- "The Searcher of the End House"
- "The Horse of the Invisible"
- "The Haunted Jarvee"
- "The Find"
- "The Hog"
Based on Arkham House's 1947 publication, this 2006 Wordsworth Edition from the Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural series preserved the order of the tales. However, Wordsworth did change the title of the collection to The Casebook of Carnacki the Ghost Finder.
§
On a side note, one aspect of the Carnacki tales that really appealed to me is that other authors have taken up Hodgson's mantle and continued to tell the tales of Carnacki's adventures. And I have come to really enjoy those I have explored. Two authors I would like to note especially.
Josh Reynolds, a favorite of mine and a noted author of popular fantasy and science fiction, placed Carnacki in a long line of "Royal Occultists." He took up the story of Carnacki's successor, St. Cyprian and his adventures following World War I.
Another favorite and who, in my opinion, was able to capture the flavor of Hodgson's work as well as the feel of other Victorian / Edwardian era writers, is William Meikle, author of:
and soon enough.
Meikle's works have the sense of really good fan-fiction.
§
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Carnacki's adventures. Yes, the stories are formulaic. However, that only made any deviation, no matter how slight, all the more noteworthy. As well, all of the tales are set in a nebulous chronology. Time is little more than faded background, utilized almost exclusively to provide context, establishing the tales in relation to the narrative.
Carnacki was not my first exploration of occult detective fiction (link), and I am quite certain that it will not be the last.
References
Print Resources
Hodgson, William Hope. The Casebook of Carnacki the Ghost Finder. Wordsworth Editions: Hertfordshire, 2006.
Schweitzer, Darrel (ed.). Discovery Classic Horror Fiction I. Gillete: Wildside Press, 1992.
Online Resources
Barnett, Thomas. "Thomas Carnacki, king of the supernatural detectives." The Guardian. 30 June 2010. Accessed 28 July 2017.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/jun/30/thomas-carnacki-supernatural-detective
Evans, Dewi. "Carnacki, the Ghost Finder (1913) by W .H. Hodgson." Mystery and Imagination. 20 September 2013. Accessed 25 August 2017.
https://gothictexts.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/carnacki-the-ghost-finder-1913-by-w-h-hodgson/
Gafford, Sam. "Carnacki Order." William Hope Hodgson. 16 November 2012. Accessed 27 August 2017.
https://williamhopehodgson.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/carnacki-order/
McVicker, Terence. Terence McVicker Rare Books - Bats over Books. 2017. Accessed 27 August 2017.
http://www.batsoverbooks.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=919
Rowland, Marcus L. "Publishing History." Carnacki The Ghost-Finder. 1996, revised 1998. Acccessed 24 August 2017.
http://www.forgottenfutures.com/game/ff4/carnacki.htm
Sweeney, Seamus. "The Casebook of Carnacki The Ghost Hunter." SF Site. 2014. Accessed 24 July 2017. https://www.sfsite.com/00a/cc406.htm
Wikipedia. "Carnacki." Wikipedia.
Accessed 24 July 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnacki
Wikipedia. "Occult detective fiction." Wikipedia.
Accessed 18 August 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occult_detective_fiction
[i] As said by the world's foremost consulting detective in "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire."
[ii] Occult detective stories combine elements of detective fiction with that of supernatural horror fiction.
[iii] A fine series of reprints and collections which, as I have stated in previous posts, I wholeheartedly endorse.
[iv] Gafford, Sam. "Carnacki Order." William Hope Hodgson. 16 November 2012. Accessed 27 August 2017.
[v] Rowland, Marcus L. "Carnacki The Ghost-Finder: Publishing History." 1996, revised 1998.
[vi] Warren, Alan, "Full Fathom Five: The Supernatural Fiction of William Hope Hodgson," in Discovery Classic Horror Fiction I.
[vii] Gafford, Sam. "Carnacki Order." William Hope Hodgson. 16 November 2012. Accessed 27 August 2017.
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