If you weren't able to attend R.B Russell's talk on Arthur Machen and The Angels of Mons at The Atkinson in Southport last month, you can now watch a version of the same illustrated talk on YouTube.

Faunus No.53 is out now, and we think it's a particularly good one.

We begin with sad news: the passing of William Charlton (1935–2025), one of our most long-standing and distinguished Friends. A philosopher by trade, Willie co-wrote the very first biography of Machen back in 1963 — a book that did a great deal to rescue him from obscurity. Aidan Reynolds knew him well, and his tribute is well worth reading.

Thomas Kent Miller contributes a lengthy and engrossing piece on The Great Terror — the original serialised version of what became The Terror, published in the Evening News in October 1916 and essentially lost for the following century. Christopher Tompkins of Darkly Bright Press finally brought it back into print in 2024, and Miller's essay digs into how the story came to be written in the first place.

We also reprint a letter from Machen himself, written in 1925 to an American correspondent named Munson Havens, in which he recalls meeting Oscar Wilde on several occasions in the early 1890s. It's a good read — Machen is funny about it.

Francesc Morales writes about translating The Great God Pan and The Inmost Light into Catalan — the first time either work has appeared in that language. His piece covers the practical business of translation as well as Machen's broader reception in Spain and Latin America, which turns out to be more interesting than you might expect.

Finally, Steve Luber makes the case that Machen knew the liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Church rather well, and that traces of it can be found throughout his fiction. It's an unusual angle and he pursues it carefully.

Faunus No.53 is on its way to members now, limited to 400 hand-numbered copies. New and renewing members will receive a physical copy while stocks last, and as always, the digital edition is available to download from the Friends' Area.

Two Machen-centric are attractions taking place in Southport this Summer.

The Legend of the Angel of Mons Exhibit at the The Atkinson, runs from 27 June - 17 October 2026.

"Great War legends tell of soldiers aided by heavenly figures, reflecting hopes and doubts about the conflict. The most famous, the Angel of Mons, spread after 1914 reports claimed St George and ghostly arches protected British troops. In partnership with Mons Memorial Museum."

The event is not yet listed on their website, but appears in their printed what's on guide.

Intentionally dovetailing with The Atkinson's exhibition, writer / performer Robert Lloyd Parry is planning an Arthur Machen event at the Bijou Cinema, Southport on Saturday 25th July 2025, featuring screenings, readings and talks (or potential panel).

Tickets on sale soon.

Our Friends newsletter Machenalia is now available to download from within The Friends Area. A total of twenty-two editions have been uploaded and span from Spring 2015 to present day. Thanks to editor Jon Preece for his efforts in tracking all of these down. We are keen to add some of the earlier editions, but for now enjoy these at your leisure.

We are delighted to announce the release of Faunus No.52 — a richly varied issue that explores the enduring magic, mystery and mischief of Arthur Machen and his circle.

Gregory Selby opens the issue with Ecstasies of No Ordinary Sort, an absorbing study of the lifelong dialogue between Machen and Algernon Blackwood, tracing Pan’s shadow across both writers’ work and culminating in Blackwood’s haunting tale Roman Remains — reprinted here in full.

Steve Parfitt’s The Secret Glory and Overt Folly takes aim at the modern cult of “education”, using Machen’s novel The Secret Glory as a springboard for a wider meditation on creativity, conformity, and the quest for the divine.

Also included is Alfred Douglas’s 1907 review of The Hill of Dreams — an astonishing contemporary appreciation of Machen’s darkly beautiful masterpiece — alongside the sixth instalment of Machen’s 1889 translation of François Béroalde de Verville’s The Way to Attain, and a charming 1943 Manchester Guardian account of Machen’s 80th birthday celebration attended by Sir Max Beerbohm, Augustus John and Algernon Blackwood.

Faunus No.52 is now on its way to members worldwide and is limited to just 450 hand-numbered copies. New and renewing members will receive a physical copy while stocks last, and all members can download the digital edition now from the Friends' Area.

Last month, we announced that Alan Moore had contributed an article for the latest edition of Faunus. This news triggered a surge in memberships and renewals, although regrettably our limited run of 350 copies was not enough to meet the demand. Not wishing to disappoint any of our new joiners, we have ordered a re-print. These Second Editions will be unlimited and issued to everyone who missed out on the hand-numbered version. This is the first time in our journal's 27-year history where we've required a second run and we hope that this way, we don't leave anyone empty-handed whilst staying true to our founding aim; promoting the work of Arthur Machen!

Researcher, writer and former Faunus editor James Machin will be leading a guided walk through London on Sunday 3rd August 2025, in association with The Sohemian Society.

"From the railways and redbrick order of King’s Cross, we’ll pass through Bloomsbury and Holborn—districts with rich connections to Machen’s life and work—before reaching the still bustling Strand and Fleet Street, where Machen himself once became something of a local character. In his years as a jobbing journalist, he haunted its taverns and press offices, propping up bar counters and regaling fellow hacks with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of remarkable anecdotes, in which the mundane subtly yet inevitably transmuted into the mystical."

This is a ticketed walk and limited to twenty places: Tickets can be purchased online, but hurry, they are selling fast!

We are thrilled to announce that fellow Friend Alan Moore has written an article for the latest edition of Faunus (No.51). In The View From Canons Park, Alan candidly reveals the origins of his Long London series, and why an often overlooked Arthur Machen story sits at the heart of it's first book, The Great When - (reviewed by R.B Russell, also in this edition).

In addition to these articles, the latest Faunus also finds Arfan Iqbal discussing themes of good and evil in Machen and Huysmans, Nick Wagstaff examines Machen's detective tales and David Neil Lee takes a fascinating look into Machen's influence on Nigel Kneale's Quatermass.

Faunus No.51 is already making its way to members worldwide and is limited to just 350 numbered editions. New or renewed members will receive a physical copy while stocks last, however all members will be able to download the digital version, available now in the Friends' Area.

A new exhibition by artist and fellow Friend Mark Williams, inspired by the life and work of Arthur Machen, will open next month at the Barnabas Arts House in Newport.

An official opening night takes place on 3rd June, from 6pm - 9pm, with refreshments available and the exhibition runs until 2nd August 2025. All of the artwork featured is for sale.

The gallery address is: Barnabas Arts House, New Ruperra Street, Newport, NP20 2BB.

Our next Annual General Meeting will take place in Stratford-Upon-Avon (birthplace of Shakespeare) from Friday 6th March 2026 to Sunday 8th 2026 at the White Swan Hotel. Hope to see you there!