(In the original French.) "Gaspard de la Nuit," Louis Bertrand's classic work of poetic and fantastic literature, combines the haunting gothic imagery of Hoffman with the colorful romantic verve of Victor Hugo. In it, you will meet Scarbo the vampire dwarf; Ondine, the faerie princess of the waters; and an unforgettable assortment of lepers, alchemists, beggars, swordsmen, and ghosts. The book inspired Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Mallarme, and composer Maurice Ravel, who wrote a suite of virtuoso piano pieces patterned after it. It also marked the appearance of the modern prose poem and was a...