Francis Marion Crawford (August 2, 1854 - April 9, 1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels, especially those set in Italy, and for his classic weird and fantastic stories. Several of his short stories, such as "The Upper Berth" (1886; written in 1885), "For the Blood Is the Life" (1905, a vampiress tale), "The Dead Smile" (1899), and "The Screaming Skull" (1908), are often-anthologized classics of the horror genre. In this book: The Witch of Prague A Cigarrette-Maker's Romance The Little City of Hope, A Christmas Story The Upper Berth Via Crucis, A Romance of de Second Crusade Saracinesca