When his son dies on the day of his wedding, Manfred, prince of Otranto, tries to preserve his family’s rule by marrying the young bride himself. Isabella escapes into a castle filled with secret passages, where supernatural events and concealed histories begin to disturb his plans.

First published in 1764, Walpole’s novel helped establish Gothic fiction. This third Oxford World’s Classics edition includes an introduction and explanatory material by Nick Groom.