Horace Walpole's novella "The Castle of Otranto," which was first published anonymously as a supposed translation of a late medieval Italian manuscript, has shaped the history of the novel for two and a half centuries and is so timeless that it continues to captivate each new generation of readers. Praised by literary giants such as Walter Scott and Lord Byron, this prototype of the Gothic novel has been published in more than 130 different English-language editions since its first appearance in 1764. Otranto was first translated into German in 1810, but to this day, the canonical novel has not received the attention it deserves in our country. With this completely new translation by Hans Wolf, recipient of the Heinrich-Maria-Ledig-Rowohlt Translator Award, Walpole's Otranto finally receives its well-deserved place of honor among the other classics of the Textura series.