Weird Tales

About this issue

This 1923 collection presents English translations of supernatural and fantastical fiction by E. T. W. Hoffmann, rendered by J. T. Bealby. The two-volume work contains ten stories including "The Cremona Violin," "The Fermata," "Signor Formica," "The Sand-Man," "The Entail," "Arthur's Hall," "The Doge and Dogaressa," "Master Martin the Cooper," "Mademoiselle De Scuderi," and "Gambler's Luck." "The Cremona Violin" concerns Councillor Krespel, an eccentric German lawyer and diplomat known for unconventional behavior. After receiving a prince's patronage, he builds a peculiar house without plans—directing construction spontaneously, creating asymmetrical windows and doors. At a subsequent dinner, mention of his daughter Antonia triggers visible distress. The Professor reveals Krespel's obsessive violin-making: he constructs instruments himself and disassembles masterworks by celebrated makers like the Amatis, searching for secrets of their construction. He plays each violin once, then hangs it untouched or destroys it during investigation.