The Necromancer; or, The Tale of the Black Forest, Founded on Facts: Translated from the German of Lawrence Flammenberg by Peter Teuthold. By Karl Friedrich Kahlert. London: Minerva Press, 1794.

The Necromancer; or, The Tale of the Black Forest, Founded on Facts: Translated from the German of Lawrence Flammenberg by Peter Teuthold. By Karl Friedrich Kahlert. London: Minerva Press, 1794. First edition. The Sadleir-Black Collection of Gothic Novels. This tale probably does have a Germanic origin, but it is not the translation that it purports to be. Michael Sadleir conjectures it to be an "adaptation of an anthology of Black Forest legends" and goes on to describe the novel as "a conglomerate of violent tales thrown loosely together . . For magniloquent descriptions of 'horrid' episodes, for sheer stylistic fervour in the handling of the supernatural, the work can rank high among its contemporaries."

The Midnight Bell. A German Story, Founded On Incidents in Real Life. By Francis Lathom. London: H. D. Symonds, 1798

The Midnight Bell. A German Story, Founded On Incidents in Real Life. By Francis Lathom. London: H. D. Symonds, 1798. First edition. The Sadleir-Black Collection of Gothic Novels. The first two/thirds of the novel detail the hero's search for his estate and his true identity, a truly Gothic quest, while the last third features the Gothically obligatory ruined castle and demonic Catholic clergy. The bell of the title serves to call to a nightly meeting a group of profligate monks, whose wealth is of course ill-gotten.

The Orphan of the Rhine. A Romance, In Four Volumes By Mrs. [Eleanor] Sleath. London: Minerva Press, 1798

The Orphan of the Rhine. A Romance, In Four Volumes By Mrs. [Eleanor] Sleath. London: Minerva Press, 1798. First edition. The Sadleir-Black Collection of Gothic Novels. One of the three novels in the "Northanger canon" that refers to Germany, the German vogue was criticized in the Critical Review of June 1807: So great is the rage for German tales, and German novels, that a cargo is no sooner imported than the booksellers' shops are filled with a multitude of translators, who seize with avidity and without discrimination, whatever they can lay their hands upon...[these novels are] trash...[and] worthless objects." (qtd in GQ, 146) Incidentally, Mrs. Sleath was one of the few Gothic novelists who was actually a Catholic.

The Horrid Mysteries. A Story From the German Of The Marquis Of Grosse. By P. Will. London: Minerva Press, 1796.

The Horrid Mysteries. A Story From the German Of The Marquis Of Grosse. By P. Will. London: Minerva Press, 1796. First edition. The hero of the tale, the Marquis of Grosse, becomes caught up against his will in a secret society, the Illuminati, that advocates murder, anarchy, and a preliminary form of communism. He implements various plans to foil the society: not only does he flee to other countries to escape, he sets up a rival society of fascists to demolish the Illuminati. In spite of the marquis's best efforts, he is continually drawn back in again. As is so often the case in the Gothic, there is no hope of escape for him.

The Italian. By Ann Ward Radcliffe. London: T. Cadell, Jr., and W. Davies, 1797.

The Italian. By Ann Ward Radcliffe. London: T. Cadell, Jr., and W. Davies, 1797. First edition. The Sadleir-Black Collection of Gothic Novels. This is the last novel Radcliffe published in her lifetime and was immediately popular. The Analytical Review stated that her habit "of accounting in a natural manner for supernatural appearances, now the secret has gotten vent, lessens the effect." In this novel, the "Italian" is the villainous Father Schedoni who persecutes the peerless Ellena by imprisoning her in a convent, where it is discovered that one of the nuns is actually her long-lost mother This is one of many novels in which the Catholic clergy is demonized for the largely Protestant English public.