Book excerpt: This vintage book contains Hugh Walpole's 1924 novel, "The Old Ladies". This book was written whilst Walpole was staying with his parents in Switzerland. It was begun without much prior thought, and served as a welcome break from another book he had been writing by which he had been utterly absorbed. Inspired by a peculiar old lady encountered by Walpole in Switzerland, this sinister and engrossing tale will appeal to fans of eerie literature, and will be of special interest to collectors of Walpole's masterful work. The chapters of this book include: "Mrs. Amorest Pays a Visit", "Evening in the House - Agatha Payne", "Life of May Beringer", "Red Amber", "Christmas Eve - Polchester Winter Piece", "Agatha Secretly", "Death of Hopes", "May Beringer Tries to Escape", etcetera. Many texts such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now, in an affordable, high-quality, modern edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned biography of the author.