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The Best Horror Stories
Contents (view Concise Listing)
7 • Introduction (The Best Horror Stories) • essay by Lynn Picknett
13 • The Black Cat • (1843) • short story by Edgar Allan Poe
21 • The Tell-Tale Heart • (1843) • short story by Edgar Allan Poe
26 • The Premature Burial • (1844) • short story by Edgar Allan Poe
38 • The Torture of Hope • non-genre • (1945) • short story by Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (trans. of La torture par l'espérance 1883)
43 • An Episode of the Terror • (1830) • short story by Honoré de Balzac (variant of Un épisode sous la Terreur)
57 • The Hand • [La main d'écorché • 2] • (1910) • short story by Guy de Maupassant (trans. of La main 1883)
63 • The Withered Arm • (1888) • novelette by Thomas Hardy
86 • The Idiots • (1896) • short story by Joseph Conrad
105 • The Bird • (1916) • short story by Thomas Burke
112 • The Terror • (1916) • novella by Arthur Machen
185 • Lot No. 249 • (1892) • novelette by Arthur Conan Doyle
213 • The Apprentice • short story by Hilaire Belloc
217 • The Sentence • short fiction by J. Kaden-Bandrowski
237 • The Killers • non-genre • (1927) • short story by Ernest Hemingway
246 • Arabesque: The Mouse • (1920) • short story by A. E. Coppard
252 • Treasure Trove • (1933) • short story by F. Tennyson Jesse
258 • Cinici • short fiction by Luigi Pirandello
266 • Suspicion • non-genre • (1933) • short story by Dorothy L. Sayers
280 • The Last Chukka • (1935) • novelette by Alec Waugh
303 • Dead on Her Feet • (1935) • short story by Cornell Woolrich
320 • Taboo • (1939) • novelette by Geoffrey Household
338 • A Little Place Off the Edgware Road • (1939) • short story by Graham Greene
343 • The Words of Guru • (1941) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth
350 • Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper • (1943) • short story by Robert Bloch
367 • The Glass Eye • (1944) • short story by John Keir Cross
380 • The Web • (1976) • short story by D'Arcy Niland
386 • The Little Black Bag • (1950) • novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
410 • The Physiology of Fear • (1954) • short story by C. S. Forester
423 • The Head and the Feet • (1940) • short story by C. S. Forester
433 • The Veldt • (1950) • short story by Ray Bradbury
445 • Skeleton • (1945) • short story by Ray Bradbury
458 • Evening Primrose • (1940) • short story by John Collier
470 • Back from the Grave • (1958) • short story by Robert Silverberg
479 • A Rose for Emily • non-genre • (1930) • short story by William Faulkner
487 • The Island of Bright Birds • (1972) • short story by John Christopher
496 • The Comforts of Home • (1973) • short story by Flannery O'Connor
514 • The Skylight • (1960) • novelette by Penelope Mortimer
530 • Pig • (1959) • short story by Roald Dahl
547 • Robert • non-genre • (1958) • short story by Stanley Ellin
560 • The Question • (1962) • short story by Stanley Ellin (variant of The Question My Son Asked)
568 • In the Steam Room • (1966) • short story by Frank Baker
577 • The Pencil • (1953) • short story by Edmund Crispin
581 • The Dark of the Moon • (1950) • short story by Olaf Ruhen
589 • Falling Object • (1971) • short story by Bill Brittain [as by William Brittain]
599 • The Terrapin • non-genre • (1962) • short story by Patricia Highsmith
611 • The Taste of Your Love • [Liefde's Kronkelwegen • 2] • (1975) • short story by Eddy C. Bertin (trans. of De Smaak van Jouw Liefde 1971)
616 • Aunt Jennie's Tonic • (1971) • short story by Leonard Tushnet
632 • Not After Midnight • (1971) • novelette by Daphne du Maurier
668 • The Game • (1977) • short story by Thomasina Weber
680 • The Fanatic • (1964) • short story by Arthur Porges
687 • The Whimper of Whipped Dogs • (1973) • short story by Harlan Ellison
702 • Judas Story • (1975) • novelette by Brian Stableford [as by Brian M. Stableford]
719 • You're Putting Me On—Aren't You? • (1971) • short story by Joseph N. Gores [as by Joe Gores]
726 • Wake Up Dead • (1975) • short story by Tim Stout
741 • Corabella • (1975) • short story by David Fletcher
7 • Introduction (The Best Horror Stories) • essay by Lynn Picknett
13 • The Black Cat • (1843) • short story by Edgar Allan Poe
21 • The Tell-Tale Heart • (1843) • short story by Edgar Allan Poe
26 • The Premature Burial • (1844) • short story by Edgar Allan Poe
38 • The Torture of Hope • non-genre • (1945) • short story by Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (trans. of La torture par l'espérance 1883)
43 • An Episode of the Terror • (1830) • short story by Honoré de Balzac (variant of Un épisode sous la Terreur)
57 • The Hand • [La main d'écorché • 2] • (1910) • short story by Guy de Maupassant (trans. of La main 1883)
63 • The Withered Arm • (1888) • novelette by Thomas Hardy
86 • The Idiots • (1896) • short story by Joseph Conrad
105 • The Bird • (1916) • short story by Thomas Burke
112 • The Terror • (1916) • novella by Arthur Machen
185 • Lot No. 249 • (1892) • novelette by Arthur Conan Doyle
213 • The Apprentice • short story by Hilaire Belloc
217 • The Sentence • short fiction by J. Kaden-Bandrowski
237 • The Killers • non-genre • (1927) • short story by Ernest Hemingway
246 • Arabesque: The Mouse • (1920) • short story by A. E. Coppard
252 • Treasure Trove • (1933) • short story by F. Tennyson Jesse
258 • Cinici • short fiction by Luigi Pirandello
266 • Suspicion • non-genre • (1933) • short story by Dorothy L. Sayers
280 • The Last Chukka • (1935) • novelette by Alec Waugh
303 • Dead on Her Feet • (1935) • short story by Cornell Woolrich
320 • Taboo • (1939) • novelette by Geoffrey Household
338 • A Little Place Off the Edgware Road • (1939) • short story by Graham Greene
343 • The Words of Guru • (1941) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth
350 • Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper • (1943) • short story by Robert Bloch
367 • The Glass Eye • (1944) • short story by John Keir Cross
380 • The Web • (1976) • short story by D'Arcy Niland
386 • The Little Black Bag • (1950) • novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
410 • The Physiology of Fear • (1954) • short story by C. S. Forester
423 • The Head and the Feet • (1940) • short story by C. S. Forester
433 • The Veldt • (1950) • short story by Ray Bradbury
445 • Skeleton • (1945) • short story by Ray Bradbury
458 • Evening Primrose • (1940) • short story by John Collier
470 • Back from the Grave • (1958) • short story by Robert Silverberg
479 • A Rose for Emily • non-genre • (1930) • short story by William Faulkner
487 • The Island of Bright Birds • (1972) • short story by John Christopher
496 • The Comforts of Home • (1973) • short story by Flannery O'Connor
514 • The Skylight • (1960) • novelette by Penelope Mortimer
530 • Pig • (1959) • short story by Roald Dahl
547 • Robert • non-genre • (1958) • short story by Stanley Ellin
560 • The Question • (1962) • short story by Stanley Ellin (variant of The Question My Son Asked)
568 • In the Steam Room • (1966) • short story by Frank Baker
577 • The Pencil • (1953) • short story by Edmund Crispin
581 • The Dark of the Moon • (1950) • short story by Olaf Ruhen
589 • Falling Object • (1971) • short story by Bill Brittain [as by William Brittain]
599 • The Terrapin • non-genre • (1962) • short story by Patricia Highsmith
611 • The Taste of Your Love • [Liefde's Kronkelwegen • 2] • (1975) • short story by Eddy C. Bertin (trans. of De Smaak van Jouw Liefde 1971)
616 • Aunt Jennie's Tonic • (1971) • short story by Leonard Tushnet
632 • Not After Midnight • (1971) • novelette by Daphne du Maurier
668 • The Game • (1977) • short story by Thomasina Weber
680 • The Fanatic • (1964) • short story by Arthur Porges
687 • The Whimper of Whipped Dogs • (1973) • short story by Harlan Ellison
702 • Judas Story • (1975) • novelette by Brian Stableford [as by Brian M. Stableford]
719 • You're Putting Me On—Aren't You? • (1971) • short story by Joseph N. Gores [as by Joe Gores]
726 • Wake Up Dead • (1975) • short story by Tim Stout
741 • Corabella • (1975) • short story by David Fletcher
751 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
5 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 13, 2020
A compilation of 31 stores of "horror and terror" by various authors........some of whom I know and others I never heard of. They are arranged in chronological order, starting with Poe and ending in the 1980s. In most story collection books there is a preface and a short paragraph preceding the story. Not so here....just the stories with no background and in the smallest print I have ever seen.
As is usually the case in collections, some were good and some were inferior but a very short story, The Torture of Hope by Villiers, Count de Isle Adam, really stuck with me. Written in the late 1800s, it has all the characteristics of a story that will chill your soul and it is quite a simple plot. But the author had a great talent with words and the ending , although not unexpected, is one that illustrates a true tale of terror.
It is a mediocre collection but probably worth a read for those who like horror tales.
As is usually the case in collections, some were good and some were inferior but a very short story, The Torture of Hope by Villiers, Count de Isle Adam, really stuck with me. Written in the late 1800s, it has all the characteristics of a story that will chill your soul and it is quite a simple plot. But the author had a great talent with words and the ending , although not unexpected, is one that illustrates a true tale of terror.
It is a mediocre collection but probably worth a read for those who like horror tales.
October 24, 2021
2.5 stars
“…Cinema provides you with the pictures, channels you visually. Oddly, people still read the book of the film even after having seen the film. The images must be yours for the horror, to be yours. When you read horror the images are yours, personally. They bypass the censor. The shape they take is you, no getting away from it; words wriggle into your brain and fester. The poison is of your own manufacture.”
I’m not a big fan of short stories. On top of that many of these were quite boring, had me wondering why they were included in this short story collection. And to make it even worse there were 751 pages of tiny lettering. I experienced quite a relief when I reached the last page. Luckily there were some stories that were ok/good.
1. The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe ***.5
2. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe **.5
3. The Premature Burial by Edgar Allan Poe ***
4. The Torture of Hope by Villiers de l’Isle Adam **.5
5. An Episode of the Terror by Honoré de Balzac **
6. The Hand by Guy de Maupassant ***
7. The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy ***
8. The Idiots by Joseph Conrad *
9. The Bird by Thomas Burke ***
10. The Terror by Arthur Machen **
11. Lot No. 249 by Arthur Conan Doyle ***.5
12. The Apprentice by Hilaire Belloc *
13. The Sentence by J. Kaden-Bandrowski *
14. The Killers by Ernest Hemingway *
15. Arabesque: the Mouse by A. E. Coppard *
16. Treasure Trove by F. Tennyson Jesse ***
17. Cinci by Luigi Pirandello *
18. Suspicion by Dorothy L. Sayers ***
19. The Last Chukka by Alec Waugh **
20. Dead on Her Feet by Cornell Woolrich ***
21. Taboo by Geoffrey Household ***
22. A Little Place off the Edgware Road by Graham Greene ***
23. The Words of Guru by CM Kornbluth **.5
24. Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper by Robert Bloch ****
25. The Glass Eye by John Keir Cross ***.5
26. The Web by D’Arcy Niland *.5
27. The Little Black Bag by CM Kornbluth ***.5
28. The Physiology of Fear by CS Forrester **
29. The Head and the Feet by CS Forrester *.5
30. The Veld by Ray Bradbury ***
31. Skeleton by Ray Bradbury ***
32. Evening Primrose by John Collier **
33. Back from the Grave by Robert Silverberg ***.5
34. A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner **
35. The Island of Bright Birds by John Christopher **
36. The Comforts of Home by Flannery O’Connor *
37. The Skylight by Penelope Nortimer *
38. Pig by Roald Dahl ****
39. The Question by Stanley Ellin **.5
40. In the Steam Room by Frank Baker **.5
41. The Pencil by Edmund Crispin ***
42. The Dark of the Moon by Olaf Ruhen **.5
43. Falling Object by William Brittain ***
44. The Terrapin by Patricia Highsmith **
45. The Taste of Your Love by Eddy C. Bertin ***
46. Aunt Jennie’s Tonic by Leonard Tushnet **.5
47. Not After Midnight by Daphne du Maurier ***
48. The Game by Thomasina Weber ***.5
49. The Fanatic by Arthur Porges ***.5
50. The Whimper of Whipped Dogs by Harlan Ellison *.5
51. Judas Story by Brian M. Stableford *
52. You’re Putting Me On - Aren’t You? by Joe Gores**
53. Wake Up Dead by Tim Stout ***.5
54. Corabella by David Fletcher ***
“…Cinema provides you with the pictures, channels you visually. Oddly, people still read the book of the film even after having seen the film. The images must be yours for the horror, to be yours. When you read horror the images are yours, personally. They bypass the censor. The shape they take is you, no getting away from it; words wriggle into your brain and fester. The poison is of your own manufacture.”
I’m not a big fan of short stories. On top of that many of these were quite boring, had me wondering why they were included in this short story collection. And to make it even worse there were 751 pages of tiny lettering. I experienced quite a relief when I reached the last page. Luckily there were some stories that were ok/good.
1. The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe ***.5
2. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe **.5
3. The Premature Burial by Edgar Allan Poe ***
4. The Torture of Hope by Villiers de l’Isle Adam **.5
5. An Episode of the Terror by Honoré de Balzac **
6. The Hand by Guy de Maupassant ***
7. The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy ***
8. The Idiots by Joseph Conrad *
9. The Bird by Thomas Burke ***
10. The Terror by Arthur Machen **
11. Lot No. 249 by Arthur Conan Doyle ***.5
12. The Apprentice by Hilaire Belloc *
13. The Sentence by J. Kaden-Bandrowski *
14. The Killers by Ernest Hemingway *
15. Arabesque: the Mouse by A. E. Coppard *
16. Treasure Trove by F. Tennyson Jesse ***
17. Cinci by Luigi Pirandello *
18. Suspicion by Dorothy L. Sayers ***
19. The Last Chukka by Alec Waugh **
20. Dead on Her Feet by Cornell Woolrich ***
21. Taboo by Geoffrey Household ***
22. A Little Place off the Edgware Road by Graham Greene ***
23. The Words of Guru by CM Kornbluth **.5
24. Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper by Robert Bloch ****
25. The Glass Eye by John Keir Cross ***.5
26. The Web by D’Arcy Niland *.5
27. The Little Black Bag by CM Kornbluth ***.5
28. The Physiology of Fear by CS Forrester **
29. The Head and the Feet by CS Forrester *.5
30. The Veld by Ray Bradbury ***
31. Skeleton by Ray Bradbury ***
32. Evening Primrose by John Collier **
33. Back from the Grave by Robert Silverberg ***.5
34. A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner **
35. The Island of Bright Birds by John Christopher **
36. The Comforts of Home by Flannery O’Connor *
37. The Skylight by Penelope Nortimer *
38. Pig by Roald Dahl ****
39. The Question by Stanley Ellin **.5
40. In the Steam Room by Frank Baker **.5
41. The Pencil by Edmund Crispin ***
42. The Dark of the Moon by Olaf Ruhen **.5
43. Falling Object by William Brittain ***
44. The Terrapin by Patricia Highsmith **
45. The Taste of Your Love by Eddy C. Bertin ***
46. Aunt Jennie’s Tonic by Leonard Tushnet **.5
47. Not After Midnight by Daphne du Maurier ***
48. The Game by Thomasina Weber ***.5
49. The Fanatic by Arthur Porges ***.5
50. The Whimper of Whipped Dogs by Harlan Ellison *.5
51. Judas Story by Brian M. Stableford *
52. You’re Putting Me On - Aren’t You? by Joe Gores**
53. Wake Up Dead by Tim Stout ***.5
54. Corabella by David Fletcher ***
November 4, 2013
The book the best horror stories have many different books in it. They have the story The tell-tale heart in it. The story The tell-tale heart is about a man whose name they don't say and a woman whose name they don't say either. The story takes place in there little hut somewhere in the woods. The conflict is that the woman wants to take the mans glass eye. The climax is when the man dies because, she kills him while taking out his glass eye. The falling action is when the old woman married to the old man, hides him in the floor/wall. The resolution is when the cops come and the old woman hears voices, and the cops are talking and having a good time, and the old woman flips out on them, and shows them the and then gets arrested.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2014
I admit a lot of the stories in this big huge book I have read already but I did manage to find about 20 that I had not yet. This is a great book to curl up and read a few stories with out feeling overwhelmed by how big it is. Great stories from Poe and many others.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews