Beasts of England — Pre-order Bundle | Dead Ink Books
An anthology event · Pre-order open

Beasts of
England

Eleven folk-horror tales of the monsters that lurk in merry Albion’s fields and byways.

Published September 2026
Edited by Nathan Connolly
Illustrated by Michael Lacey
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“Every village has a story it doesn't tell its children. Beasts of England is a field guide to those stories.”

Beasts of England is an event anthology — eleven new short stories from some of the most distinctive voices in British weird, folk and horror fiction. Each writer was given one rule: pick a place you know and search the shadows.

The result is a national bestiary. A book that maps the country by its monsters, from a Cumbrian wood-thing with a hundred mouths to spring-heeled Jack outside a Surrey post office to whatever moves under the still water of Gormire Lake. Together they form a portrait of merry Albion that your tourist board would rather you didn't read.

Plates I & II of XI
Illustrated by Michael Lacey

Field Sketches

Eleven full-page plates accompany the stories — one for every beast. Two are ready to share; the rest will surface as publication approaches.

Plate I of XINorth Yorkshire
The Barghest — plate by Michael Lacey for “The Night Men”
M. Lacey070.035
No. 04“The Night Men”Naomi Booth
Plate II of XISurrey
Spring-heeled Jack — plate by Michael Lacey for “All the Devils are Here”
M. Lacey065.080
No. 05“All the Devils are Here”Dan Coxon
11
Plates in the
finished book
Beasts of England — hardback with red sprayed edges with the knotwork design reserved for the first-printing only.
01Sprayed red edgesCover-red, sprayed onto the fore-edge of every first-printing copy.
02Foil-stamped knotworkSpine panel pressed in foil-blocked against Wibalin on first-printing.
03Signed first editionTipped-in plate signed by editor & illustrator. Bundle copies only.
The Bestiary Itself

A most accursed
hardback.

This first edition of the Beasts of England Bestiary is a coveted tome to be locked away in your personal library where it can gather dust and an impending sense of dread. Cover-red sprayed edges reserved solely for the first-printing. Foil-stamped knotwork on the spine exclusive to first-printing. Eleven full-page plates by Michael Lacey, threaded through the stories.

Format
Illustrated hardback
Edges
Sprayed red — 1st printing only
Extent
TBC
Published
September 2026 · Dead Ink
A field guide to merry Albion

The Bestiary

Eleven monsters, eleven counties, eleven authors. Choose a pin to explore our spotter's guide..

No. 01

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Beasts of England pre-order bundle
Pre-order exclusive · 7 items

The Pre-order Bundle

Once the deadline passes the bundle will only be a tale told around campfires. The book will still be available, but the rest of it won't.

  • 01Illustrated hardback — signed by editor & illustrator
  • 02eBook edition
  • 03A4 bestiary map poster
  • 04Tote bag
  • 05Bookmark
  • 06Monster sticker pack
  • 07Bonus pamphlet — an extra story by Gary Budden
£28.99
£42.50 if bought separately
Save 32%

Worldwide shipping · Pre-orders charged today, dispatched on publication

The Lineup

Eleven Authors

Names you'll know and names worth knowing.

Ramsey Campbell

Wallasey, Wirral

Britain's most decorated horror writer; the dean of weird fiction.

Adam Nevill

Devon

Author of The Ritual and No One Gets Out Alive.

Naomi Booth

North Yorkshire

Author of Sealed and Exit Management.

Matt Hill

Glossop, High Peak

Author of the mechanic Weird novels Lamb and Wrecks.

Lucy Rose

Cumbria

Folk-horror voice from the lake country. Author of The Lamb.

Tobi Coventry

Romney Marsh, Kent

Rural English gothic from the author of He’s The Devil.

Dan Coxon

Ewell, Surrey

Author of Come Sing for the Harrowing, and editor of Unquiet Guests.

Jessie Elland

North York Moors

Actress and author of the ‘sapphic femgore’ novel The Ladie Upstairs.

Matt Wesolowski

Northumberland

Author of the Six Stories series and Faber Academy tutor.

Leigh Radford

East Anglia

One Yellow Eye author, broadcaster, and Screen Producer.

Dionne McCulloch

Somerset

Writer and Editor shortlisted for the 4thWrite Prize from 4th Estate Books and The Guardian.

Practicalities

Frequently Asked

When does the book ship?
Beasts of England is published in September 2026. Pre-order bundles will be dispatched the week of publication. We'll email you tracking as soon as it leaves the warehouse.
Where do you ship to?
Worldwide. International shipping is calculated at checkout based on destination. Customers outside the UK may be liable for local import duties. Unfortunately, due to Brexit, we are currently unable to ship to the EU.
When am I charged?
Pre-orders are charged at the point of purchase, not when the book ships. This is how we fund the print run.
What if I just want the book on its own?
The standalone hardback will be £18.99 from publication. The bundle is exclusive to pre-orders and closes 16 September 2026 — once it's gone, the merch isn't coming back.
Can I get the book signed by all the authors?
The bundle includes a copy signed by the editor, Nathan Connolly, and the illustrator, Michael Lacey. We’ll be running signed-by-author copies at events through the autumn — sign up to our mailing list to be first to hear.
I have a question that isn't here.
Email us at sales@deadinkbooks.com and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Choose your monster.

Eleven stories of merry England. After 16 September the bundle will no longer be available.

Closes 16 September 2026