Weird Tales

This volume contains E. T. W. Hoffmann's "Weird Tales," translated by J. T. Bealby, comprising two volumes of stories. The OCR of the contents page is largely illegible, but the visible narrative text presents "The Cremona Violin," which opens the collection. The story, narrated in the first person, introduces Councillor Krespel, an eccentric lawyer and diplomat living in H——. The tale depicts Krespel's unconventional house construction—he builds without architectural plans, directing workers to place windows and doors spontaneously—and his obsessive violin-making. Krespel collects masterwork violins by old makers, plays each once with extraordinary skill, then dismantles them to study their construction. The narrator learns of Antonia, a mysterious figure connected to Krespel whose mention causes him visible emotional distress. The story blends psychological portraiture with Germanic Romantic sensibility, exploring obsession and artistic temperament.