Virago has published Daphne du Maurier's After Midnight: Thirteen Chilling Tales for the Dark Hours in paperback, according to the official Daphne du Maurier website. The site says the paperback appeared "just a few weeks ago" and credits Grace as instrumental in bringing the collection to publication.
The paperback follows a hardback edition. The same website described the hardback as a "stunning new hardback collection" and noted the excitement surrounding its publication.
A du Maurier short-story collection for the dark hours
The collection gathers thirteen of the author's short stories under a title that signals its intent: tales for the small hours. The US publisher's listing on Simon & Schuster describes it as bringing together her thirteen most mesmerising tales, and quotes The Guardian's description of du Maurier as "a writer of fearless originality".
The sources reviewed for this article do not say which stories are included, so we will not guess at the contents. Readers who want the running order should check the publisher's listing before buying.
Why a paperback edition matters for du Maurier readers
Du Maurier's reputation rests largely on her novels, but her shorter fiction has a long screen afterlife. As Bookshop.org notes, many of her works were adapted for the screen, including the novels Rebecca, Jamaica Inn and My Cousin Rachel, and the short stories "Don't Look Now" and "The Birds".
A paperback is typically the more affordable and portable format, which makes a themed short-story collection easier to pick up for readers who know her mainly through the adaptations. That is a point about format rather than a claim about demand, which the sources do not address.
After Midnight: Thirteen Chilling Tales for the Dark Hours collects thirteen of du Maurier's short stories in one volume. We have not yet reviewed it at LuvemBooks, so we offer no verdict here.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who published the paperback of After Midnight: Thirteen Chilling Tales for the Dark Hours?
The official Daphne du Maurier website says Virago published the paperback edition.
How many stories are in After Midnight: Thirteen Chilling Tales for the Dark Hours?
The collection contains thirteen short stories by Daphne du Maurier, as the title indicates.
Is After Midnight: Thirteen Chilling Tales for the Dark Hours worth buying?
We have not reviewed it, so we cannot give a verdict. It is a thirteen-story collection by an author whose work has been widely adapted for the screen.
Was After Midnight: Thirteen Chilling Tales for the Dark Hours published in hardback first?
The du Maurier website previously described a new hardback collection of the same title, and now reports that Virago has published the paperback.
Who should read After Midnight: Thirteen Chilling Tales for the Dark Hours?
It will suit readers who enjoy du Maurier's fiction or who know her through adaptations such as Rebecca and want to explore her short stories.
