The series "Mysterious Tales" is a collection of short prose works written in the first half of the 20th century. Stories that introduce readers to a world where the mundane coexists with the supernatural, where the fates of the heroes are shaped by fearsome otherworldly forces, and where the boundary between life and death proves to be tenuous, have long enjoyed popularity. Hued with a grim palette, dramatic plots about hereditary curses, the mysteries of ancient portraits, deals with the devil, restless souls, ghosts, etc., became especially popular during the Romantic era. However, even later, readers' interest in them did not wane: even in the era of philosophical skepticism, the flourishing of science, and the triumph of technology, gothic literature remains in demand, and the mysterious, the inexplicable, and the miraculous continue to attract and captivate. The authors of the stories in this book are British and American writers: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Frank Richard Stockton, E. and H. Heron, Edith Wharton, Montague Rhodes James, and others.