Book excerpt: Guy De Maupassant was one of the greatest French authors of the 19th century. Originally published in 1887, 'The Horla' is one of his best tales, and was a strong influence on H. P. Lovecraft. Many of the earliest ghost stories and tales of hauntings, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.