Between the Dark and the Daylight

"Between the Dark and the Daylight" by Richard Marsh is a novel written in the late 19th century. The narrative unfolds through a series of stories featuring unique characters and engaging situations, exploring themes of social interactions and the unpredictability of human nature. The book introduces various characters, including an aunt on an excursion, her hapless nephew, and an assortment of diverse companions, suggesting a whimsical exploration of their escapades in London. The opening of the novel presents a comical excursion led by the narrator's aunt, who unexpectedly visits him with nine companions from Cornwall. As they plan their day of sightseeing, a series of humorous interactions reveals the eccentricities and quirks of each character, such as a "parish idiot," a converted drunkard, and a curious make-shift tour guide intent on blending education with entertainment. The chaos of managing the mismatched group and the aunt's misguided sense of adventure sets the tone for a light-hearted examination of their adventures in the bustling city, hinting at further misadventures to come. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Richard Marsh was the pseudonym of the English author born Richard Bernard Heldmann. A best-selling and prolific author of the late 19th century and the Edwardian period, Marsh is best known now for his supernatural thriller novel The Beetle, which was published the same year as Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), and was initially even more popular, outselling Dracula six times over. The Beetle remained in print until 1960. Marsh produced nearly 80 volumes of fiction and numerous short stories, in genres including horror, crime, romance and humour. Many of these have been republished recently, beginning with The Beetle in 2004. Marsh's grandson Robert Aickman was a notable writer of short "strange stories".