William Austin (1778 – 1841) was born to a prominent Massachusetts family at the beginning of the American Revolution. He graduated from Harvard in 1798. In 1799 he was appointed chaplain and schoolmaster in the U.S. Navy; it was here where he met Alexander Hamilton, who helped him get started on a law career. Austin studied law at Lincoln's Inn in London. After eighteen months of training, Austin returned to Massachusetts and began his law career. On September 10, 1824 Austin published the first of his "Peter Rugg" stories in the New England Galaxy. When the story first appeared neither Poe nor Hawthorne was known, and it was only five years after Irving, in his Sketch Book, had made the world acquainted with Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane. The "Peter Rugg" story became very popular during this time. Austin would go on to publish a sequel to the story, "Further Account of Peter Rugg" on September 1, 1826 in the New England Galaxy. Austin published a total of six short stories, including the two "Peter Rugg" stories. All of these have been included in this new edition of his Gothic short stories. Austin's style is reminiscent of Nathaniel Hawthorne; all of his stories have a strong didactic element to them. This will be the first time, in a modern English edition, that all these stories and writings will be collected together. This collection will be useful for classes in early American literature, American Studies, or classes with a Supernatural or Fantasy focus.