"Frederick Frank brings together Walpole's controversial play The Mysterious Mother and his seminal Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto in this authoritative edition. Frank's masterly introduction transports the modern reader back to a fresh appreciation of Walpolian 'gloomth.' The edition is an indispensable addition to every Gothicist's book-shelf as well as an invaluable text for students, scholars, and general readers alike." -- Marie Mulvey-Roberts, University of the West of England, Bristol

"A valuable tool for any scholar of the Gothic, and especially of Walpole, this book includes a chronology of Walpole's life and work, a collection of his correspondence, responses and reactions to the texts, and a guide to the aesthetic and intellectual backgrounds influencing both texts." -- Eighteenth-Century Fiction