The Sullivan Looking-GlassHarriet Beecher Stowe
When General Sullivan dies, his will mysteriously disappears, leaving his fortune to his scheming nephew, Jeff, and adopted orphan Ruth without her inheritance.
Through a clairvoyant vision in an antique mirror, Ruth is shown the missing will.
MarkheimRobert Louis Stevenson
Markheim visits an antique dealer. When the dealer shows him a hand mirror, Markheim becomes disturbed by its reminder of his sins and moral failures. He suddenly murders the dealer, and as he searches the house for money, he encounters a mysterious visitor (who may be the Devil), who argues that Markheim is incapable of changing. Markheim insists that he can still choose between good and evil.
HerselfMary Elizabeth Braddon
Lota Hammond inherits her grandfather’s villa, and insists on living there despite warnings that the house has a history of misfortune. Lota spends hours studying a tarnished Venetian mirror, and begins to deteriorate.
The Room of MirrorsArthur Quiller-Couch
Aware that a high-ranking guest (a Royal Duke) has been cheating at cards, the Earl built a dazzling, disorienting room entirely covered in mirrors. He chooses not to openly accuse the Duke or other culprits, instead trapping them in a room that forces endless, inescapable self-reflection under a glaring, multiplying gaze.
The MirrorBertram Munn
Did he imagine the mirror images of his beloved dead wife, or were they a visitation from the other side of the veil?
The Man in the MirrorLillian B. Hunt
Following a brief encounter with a mysterious young man, the protagonist discovers that a valuable statue has been destroyed, leading to a frantic search for the intruder. His claims about the strange man are met with skepticism since all doors and windows are locked from the inside.
The IncubusAchmed Abdullah
Isolation, psychological deterioration, and paranoia in the African jungle. After his native crew stampedes and abandons him, New England businessman and veteran trader Merriwether is left to canoe alone down the Ogowe River. Cut off and surrounded by the oppressive environment, he suffers from an escalating fever, severe delirium, and intense psychological dread.
The Birthday of the InfantaOscar Wilde
This one day a year the princess is allowed to play with children from outside the court. An ugly, deformed dwarf is brought to dance for her. He happens upon a magnificent mirror, and for the first time in his life, he sees his true hideous reflection.
The Looking-Glass BoyEdith Nesbit
Hildebrand is a boastful schoolboy who constantly tells tall tales and lies to impress his family and classmates. One day, his reflection in the looking-glass comes to life and grants him a dangerous gift: every boast or claim Hildebrand makes will magically come true the next day. Soon, Hildebrand discovers that his fabricated stories turn into genuine, chaotic ordeals.
The Magic MirrorAndrew Lang
A hunter finds an enormous python (Insato, King of Reptiles) and an antelope locked in a struggle. Ignoring the antelope's warning that his reward will be his undoing, the hunter frees the python. Insato invites him down to the underground kingdom of Pita and rewards him with a magical polished-iron wishing mirror that grants whatever the owner desires.
The Mirror of MatsuyamaYei Theodora Ozaki
A man gives a small metal mirror to his wife, explaining that it reflects a person's face. Not knowing what a mirror is, the wife believes another woman is staring back at her. Years later, as she lies dying, the mother hands the mirror to her teenage daughter, telling her that whenever she misses her, she should look into the mirror to see her mother's face.
The Mirror MaidenLafcadio Hearn
During a severe drought, Matsumura’s well remains mysteriously full. A malevolent Poison-Dragon and a spectral woman named Yayoi inhabit the well, using illusions to lure unsuspecting people to their deaths. After the gods banish the dragon, Matsumura discovers an ancient mirror at the bottom of the well, and Yayoi is its spirit.
The GlassLaura E. Richards
An allegory.
A magical glass reveals the different parts of his personality as separate beings: His tastes appear as elegant and refined figures; his virtues as tiny but attractive and charming figures. Finally, a crowd of large, rough, threatening vices appears— a person’s virtues may be small and easily overlooked, while their vices can be much stronger and more dominant than they realize.
The Mirrors of Tuzun ThuneRobert E. Howard
A shard of a Howard sword & sorcery universe.
King Kull of Valusia, plagued by existential despair, seeks answers from Tuzun Thune, a mysterious wizard who shows him an enchanted mirror. Kull becomes obsessed with the world within the glass, neglecting his kingdom. But the mirror may hold more than philosophical truth—it might be part of a deadly conspiracy that threatens reality itself.