Beasts of England — The Bestiary Bundle | Dead Ink Books
An anthology event · Out now

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 reserved for the first printing only.
01Sprayed red edgesCover-red, sprayed onto the fore-edge of every first-printing copy.
02Signed 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. 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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The Bestiary Bundle — Beasts of England
The complete set · 7 items

The Bestiary Bundle

The signed first-edition hardback, plus everything you need to go monster-hunting across merry Albion.

  • 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
£29.99
£42.50 if bought separately
Save 29%

Dispatched from Liverpool within 2 working days

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 out now. We aim to dispatch all orders within 2 working days and will email you tracking as soon as your parcel leaves us.
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.
What if I just want the book on its own?
The standalone hardback is available from our shop and from all good bookshops. The signed copy and the extras are only available in the Bestiary Bundle.
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. The Bestiary Bundle has everything you need to go hunting.

Dispatched from Liverpool within 2 working days