Dene Hollow — Mrs. Henry Wood / Ellen Wood

Ellen Wood's supernatural 1871 best-seller follows three generations of the Clanwaring family, their sprawling estate, Beechhurst Dene, and the cursed road it resides on, the haunted Dene Hollow. Her tale is a rich tapestry of Victorian characters from wealthy estate owners in their pampered parlors, to the servants whispering secrets below the stairs. Inn keepers and thieves, landowners and liars, Generals and drunks, cross class lovers and a ghost-seeing servant--all who travel through the dark glen of Dene Hollow will find their lives forever changed. Before there was J.K. Rowling, before there was Anne Rice, there was Mrs. Henry Wood, the queen of Victorian best-sellers. Between 1860 and 1887, Ellen Wood wrote over forty full-length novels which made her one of the most successful and talked about writers of the Victorian era. Her novels of mystery, suspense and the supernatural kept thousands of Victorians reading far into the night and thankfully, her novels are once again available for insomniacs, book addicts and academics alike. Curt Herr, Ph.D., teaches Victorian Sensation fiction at Kutztown University. He specializes in overlooked, best-selling Victorian novelists and has written critical editions of the works of Mrs. Henry Wood, Marie Corelli, and Elizabeth Bonhote.