First published in 1887 and regarded by the author as his finest work, Red Spider draws on Sabine Baring-Gould's fascination with rural life, folklore and mythology. According to popular superstition, the red spider has the power to spin money in the pocket of the person who secures its services. When Hillary Nanspian squashes such a spider, the consequences for his relationship with his brother-in-law, Taverner Langford, and for the very life of the rural part of Devonshire to which they both belong are immense. A masterly study of human relationships, with vividly painted characters and an intricate plot, Baring-Gould draws the reader into a fantastical world of country lore which has long since passed from view.