E. F. Benson 
Caterpillars (Cryptofiction Classics – Weird Tales of Strange Creatures) 

This early work by E. F. Benson was originally published in 1912 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. ‘Caterpillars’ is a short story about a man haunted by dreams of enormous caterpillars. Edward Frederic Benson was born at Wellington College (where his father was headmaster) in Berkshire, England in 1867. Nowadays, Benson is principally known for his ‘Mapp and Lucia’ series about Emmeline "Lucia" Lucas and Elizabeth Mapp. The series consists of six novels and two short stories, and remains popular to this day, being serialized for Radio 4 as recently as 2008. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.