The Sandman

<b>3 uncanny tales from “the godfather of modern horror and fantasy” (<i>New York Review of Books</i>) full of doppelgangers, unfulfillable desire, irony, and menace.<br> <br>A deluxe collectible gift paperback featuring stunning sprayed edges and a beautiful art deco design!</b><br><br>Still celebrated as the foundational texts of modern fantasy and horror, these 3 unsettling tales of nightmares, madness, and otherworldly power represent renowned German author E.T.A. Hoffmann at his very best.<br><br>In “The Sandman”, young Nathanael grows up terrified of a legendary figure who will steal his eyes if he's caught out of bed at night - but it's only when Nathanael has grown to adulthood, seemingly settled and happy, that the full, terrifying truth unfolds. A living doll, a series of doppelgangers, and the seeds of madness combine in this classic story of self-destruction.<br><br>This obsession returns in “The Cremona Violin,” where suppressed passion and possessive control prove a fatal mix as an overbearing father grapples with his musically talented daughter who could die of heart failure if she unleashes the full power of her extraordinary voice.<br><br>The collection concludes with Hoffman’s arguable masterpiece, “The Golden Pot,” a novella-length tale, disturbing, exciting, and dream-like that introduces the bumbling Anselmus, whose romantic tribulations are complicated by a witch's curse and the fact that he's in love with a girl who also happens to be a snake.<br><br>Inspiring countless unearthly classics, from <i>The Nutcracker</i> to the works of Poe and Kafka, Hoffmann's doppelgangers, unattainable love objects, and sinister puppet masters have lived on, becoming key figures in the modern imagination.