The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom

Tobias Smollett's 1753 novel is one of the darkest and most influential works of the early Gothic tradition. It follows the life of Ferdinand Count Fathom, a charming and utterly amoral villain who cuts a swath of deception, seduction, and betrayal across Europe. Smollett's portrait of a remorseless confidence man is unflinching, and the novel's famous scene in the robber's forest cottage—where the hero spends a night of mounting terror among murderers—directly inspired the Gothic novelists who followed. A pioneering study of villainy that influenced generations of horror and crime fiction. A Raven's Gate Classics edition with atmospheric new cover art.