Collected Stories for Children was first published in 1947 and is a collection of the best seventeen short stories written by Walter de la Mare. The stories cover a range of subjects, but are all dreamy and poetic, captivating both adults and children. The book was awarded the Carnegie Medal in 1947, the first time a collection of stories had won this award. It was unexpected, as none of the stories were new, spanning the previous two decades, but the award acknowledged him in this way: "the achievement of the most gifted writer of the century who had dedicated his finest powers to delighting...

For many people Walter de la Mare is as great a writer of fiction as of poetry. But the majority of his short stories, of which there are a hundred, have been unavailable. This text, one of three, brings them all together. This volume covers the children's stories.

As the day draws to a close, a family prepares for Christmas - decorating the tree, hanging stockings by the fire, putting out a plate of mince pies. Outside, the world turns to white.

'Peacock Pie' contains the finest of Walter de la Mare's poems for children, accompanied by exquisite original illustrations from Edward Ardizzone.

The sandy cat by the Farmer's chair Mews at his knee for dainty fare; Old Rover in his moss-greened house Mumbles a bone, and barks at a mouse. Carolina Rabei's stunning illustrations beautifully illuminate Walter de la Mare's glorious celebration of a balmy summer's evening.

The Return by Walter de la Mare is an occult tale of possession. It is an interesting gothic psychological thriller, nebulous and dark, in the tradition of Edgar Allan Poe. Gripping and poignant tale of psychic possession concerns Arthur Lawford, who appears to have been possessed by the spirit of a long-dead French 18th-century pirate. One of de la Mare's finest occult stories, the novel also deals with domestic trauma, unrequited love and philosophical reflection. Insidiously horrific, unrelentingly disturbing...