S. T. Joshi 
Cold Embrace 

This original anthology presents 19 short stories that cover nearly a century of speculative fiction by women authors. Selections range from Mary Shelley’s "Transformation" (1830), a pendant to Frankenstein in its themes and motifs, to "Where Their Fire Is Not Quenched" (1922) by May Sinclair, a tale of time travel that follows its heroine to Hell and back. Gripping narratives include Virginia Woolf’s "A Haunted House, " in which a ghostly couple revisit their former home; "A Wedding Chest" by Vernon Lee, a story of romance and revenge that unfolds in Renaissance Italy; and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s "The Yellow Wallpaper, " recounting a woman’s psychic possession by the previous occupant of her attic bedroom. Additional tales include E. Nesbit’s "From the Dead, " "The Eyes" by Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Gaskell’s "Curious If True, " and many others. Editor S. T. Joshi offers an extensive Introduction as well as notes on each of the authors.