For fans of the best-selling Women’s Weird anthology comes the next installment of stories by female writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that embrace the supernatural, horror, and the Gothic. Edited by literary historian Melissa Edmundson,  Women’s Weird 2 features thirteen classic Weird short stories that showcase how these authors moved beyond the traditional ghost story and into areas of Weird fiction and dark fantasy. A detective, a young woman caught in a rainstorm, an author acquiring witchcraft skills—these are examples of how women continued to push and defy the genre expectations of the era. Authors include: Edith Stewart Drewry (“A Twin Identity”) - Katherine Mansfield (“The House”) - Lettice Galbraith (“The Blue Room”) - Sarah Orne Jewett (“The Green Bowl”) - Barbara Baynton (“A Dreamer”) - Mary Wilkins Freeman (“The Hall Bedroom”) - . . . and more! Featuring thirteen remarkably chilling stories,  Women’s Weird 2 is sure to thrill new readers and delight these authors’ fans. "This is another essential purchase for fans and scholars of weird fiction alike." –  The Fantasy Hive "Terrifically enjoyable, surreal." – The Washington Post "An amazing collection." – Backlisted "One of the best anthologies of the year." – Bookmunch "Whether you’re into ghosts, demons, fish-men, or tentacled mystery beings, the stories in  Women’s Weird 2  explore the full range of the Weird, and you’re sure to find new horrors unlike anything you’ve encountered before." – The Gothic Library "Like the first volume,  Women’s Weird 2  contains 13 stories of the weird and supernatural by women writers spanning the formative years of the genre … the tension between society’s expectation of domestic roles for women and women gaining more agency for themselves is made more explicit … In keeping with the high standard of all Handheld Press releases, the volume contains wonderful cover art, another fascinating introductory essay by Melissa Edmundson further illustrating the context of these stories and their place in the weird, and extensive explanatory footnotes from Kate Macdonald. This is another essential purchase for fans and scholars of weird fiction alike." – The Fantasy Hive ‘Women’s Weird 2 is altogether readable and compelling. It provides a better portal into this increasingly popular genre than many of the recently released books that promise to provide maps of the horror genre “for girls.” Editor Melissa Edmundson has produced a valuable collection for scholars and curious readers alike.’ –  New York Journal of Books ‘the book shows how rich and diverse women’s weird fiction was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in supernatural fiction.’ – reviews in  Supernatural Tales  focus on several of these stories, including those by  Stella Gibbons ,  Mary Elizabeth Counselman , and  Helen Simpson . ‘The primary strength of the Women’s Weird collections is the intersection of an expert-curated anthology and making this material accessible to worldwide audiences. In helping the average reader rediscover a critical part of the past of the Weird, collections like this will heavily influence how the genre continues to develop. We will always have our Weird essentials, but with these collections, we are starting to get an idea of the bigger picture, and I, for one, cannot wait to see where this influence and understanding lead us.’ –  What Sleeps Beneath ‘It’s a strong collection – which I had expected (13 tales included, and again I consider this a nice touch), and arguably more entertaining than volume 1 – which I found genuinely unsettling at times. This one is safe to read late at night – although Helen Simpson’s ‘Young Magic’ is the sort of thing that burrows into my imagination and sticks there (like a slug in an apple). Nothing especially bad happens in it, but it’s all very disquieting. As ever with Handheld’s books the introductions, bibliography, notes, and biographical details are a real bonus. As collections to read just for the fun of the thing I absolutely recommend both books, but the scholarly element really makes them something more.’ – Desperate Reader ‘What I love about both of the editions of Women’s Weird is the amount of research that has gone into finding the perfect stories from brilliant women authors. ‘ –  Bookish Chat ‘many small and beautifully constructed worlds … all were superbly crafted and chilling in their own way … a particularly female collection – all the stories (apart from one) have strong women at their heart, either as narrators or protagonists, and the fact that they were all written by women makes the collection coherent and the tales all the more chilling.’ –  Indie Book Network ‘This is a fantastic collection of stories that manages to add to the previous anthology perfectly – if you enjoyed the first, it’ll be a must read. Perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Mary Shelley, or for those interested in t