The Upper Berth

Francis Marion Crawford (1854 – 1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels, especially those set in Italy, and for his classic weird and fantastic stories. In 1894, he published the popular novel "The Upper Berth."

"Mr Crawford's weird story of the Upper Berth is no doubt one of the best ghost stories we have had .... It is a novelty in the literature of supernatural. Crawford treats his subject a vigor and a realism that will make the flesh of ordinary reader creep and will stir the nerves even the most hardened and skeptical."

Every now and again, the smell sea water permeates the air, as if the cabin had been flooded and never properly repaired. The porthole opens repeatedly in the night with no conceivable reason. And the last few passengers who have slept in the upper berth have run through the ship like men possessed to throw themselves into the ocean. Mr. Brisbane, resident of the lower berth, and the ship's captain wait up all night to get to the bottom of the mystery... and neither will ever sail on that boat again.

Among the most significant works Francis Marion Crawford: Man Overboard!, The Doll's Ghost, The Upper Berth, For the Blood Is the Life, The Screaming Skull, Ave Roma Immortalis, Khaled, A Tale of Arabia, Corleone: A Tale of Sicily, Fair Margaret: A Portrait, Mr. Isaacs, A Tale of Modern India, In the Palace of the King: A Love Story of Old Madrid, Marietta: A Maid of Venice, Casa Braccio, Ave Roma Immortalis, The Little City of Hope: A Christmas Story, Cecilia: A Story of Modern Rome, Paul Patoff, The Diva's Ruby, Arethusa and many more.