The Purple Emperor (Cryptofiction Classics - Weird Tales of Strange Creatures)

Book excerpt: This early work by Robert W. Chambers was originally published in 1897 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Purple Emperor' is a short story about rival butterfly collectors. Robert William Chambers was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA in 1865. His mother was a direct descendant of Roger Williams, the founder of Providence, Rhode Island, and his brother, Walter Boughton Chambers, was one of the world's most famous architects. Chambers was a hugely prolific author, producing more than seventy novels and short story collections between 1894 and 1933. As a result, he had one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.