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Horror Stories: Shocking Tales of Unspeakable Terror
Feast your eyes on this luxurious hardback anthology of classic tales of horror, presented with gilded page edges, patterned endpapers and a striking, gold-embossed cover design.
The 18 terrifying tales in this collection are created by some of literature''s finest writers of horror, including Edgar Allan Poe, William Hope Hodgson, and Bram Stoker. In stories filled with death, obsession, and paranoia, you will encounter hideous demons, abandoned castles, and gruesome discoveries. So settle down and prepare to be petrified.
Tales
• The Invisible Giant by Bram Stoker
• The Tapestried Chamber by Sir Walter Scott
• A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James
• The Invisible Girl by Mary Shelley
• A Dead Secret by Lafcadio Hearn
• The Room in the Tower by E. F. Benson
• The Whistling Room by William Hope Hodgson
• The Horror at Red Hook by H. P. Lovecraft
• The Ghost and the Bone-setter by Sheridan Le Fanu
This beautiful compendium is presented with gold gilded page-edges, patterned endpapers, ivory paper and a gold-embossed cover design, making it a wonderful gift or collectible for any horror lover.
ABOUT THE Arcturus Gilded Classics presents luxury gift editions of classic works, printed on opulent ivory paper, featuring hardcover Wibalin binding, foil-embossed cover designs, beautifully designed end-papers and gilded page edges. These make perfectible collectibles for bibliophiles and lovers of classic literature.
The 18 terrifying tales in this collection are created by some of literature''s finest writers of horror, including Edgar Allan Poe, William Hope Hodgson, and Bram Stoker. In stories filled with death, obsession, and paranoia, you will encounter hideous demons, abandoned castles, and gruesome discoveries. So settle down and prepare to be petrified.
Tales
• The Invisible Giant by Bram Stoker
• The Tapestried Chamber by Sir Walter Scott
• A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James
• The Invisible Girl by Mary Shelley
• A Dead Secret by Lafcadio Hearn
• The Room in the Tower by E. F. Benson
• The Whistling Room by William Hope Hodgson
• The Horror at Red Hook by H. P. Lovecraft
• The Ghost and the Bone-setter by Sheridan Le Fanu
This beautiful compendium is presented with gold gilded page-edges, patterned endpapers, ivory paper and a gold-embossed cover design, making it a wonderful gift or collectible for any horror lover.
ABOUT THE Arcturus Gilded Classics presents luxury gift editions of classic works, printed on opulent ivory paper, featuring hardcover Wibalin binding, foil-embossed cover designs, beautifully designed end-papers and gilded page edges. These make perfectible collectibles for bibliophiles and lovers of classic literature.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2024
About the author
Ambrose Bierce
2,416 books1,362 followersdied perhaps 1914
Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.
People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.
The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."
People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.
Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.
Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.
Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"
Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.
People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.
The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."
People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.
Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.
Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.
Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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May 31, 2026A lot of fun, but these stories are now feeling very dated. All the greats are here, but horror has left them behind. Many follow the Wuthering Heights model of a story told within a story, many involving ancient architecture (castles, country estates, a monastery), and several in Ireland. A few I had read before, one of them surprisingly recently, but many new to me (albeit assembled from the old familiar ingredients).
My favourite stories are those that flex the boundaries of the genre. Bram Stoker brings an allegorical tone; Mary Shelley adds some feminism; Lafcadio Hearn steps outside the Anglosphere with an Oriental tale; Francis Marion Crawford (along with Stoker) includes the innocence of childhood as a protection against adult corruption. Thomas Graham Jackson included a strong female villain, temptingly. Edgar Allen Poe, Walter Scott, Washington Irving and HP Lovecraft show depth but don’t really excite as some others do. Sheridan LeFanu’s contribution disappointed, and was written in dense Irish vernacular (even including ‘spalpeen’, ‘Blarney’ and ‘pottieen’ (his spelling), to add to the feeling of condescension, but it was his first published ghost story, so maybe I can forgive). Ambrose Bierce and E F Benson conjure horrors in the open air, in daytime, which I liked (Benson is the only writer with two pieces here).
I have been reminiscing recently about the Pan Book of Horror Stories (and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th Pan Book of Horror Stories), and how I miss that series. This collection is a reminder that some great minds have found a niche in this market. Weirdly, as I was writing this, a noise outside my window startled me. It is twilight, late May, and a black cat jumped up on the fence behind my head. Maybe there is more to this book than we mere mortals can understand.
My favourite stories are those that flex the boundaries of the genre. Bram Stoker brings an allegorical tone; Mary Shelley adds some feminism; Lafcadio Hearn steps outside the Anglosphere with an Oriental tale; Francis Marion Crawford (along with Stoker) includes the innocence of childhood as a protection against adult corruption. Thomas Graham Jackson included a strong female villain, temptingly. Edgar Allen Poe, Walter Scott, Washington Irving and HP Lovecraft show depth but don’t really excite as some others do. Sheridan LeFanu’s contribution disappointed, and was written in dense Irish vernacular (even including ‘spalpeen’, ‘Blarney’ and ‘pottieen’ (his spelling), to add to the feeling of condescension, but it was his first published ghost story, so maybe I can forgive). Ambrose Bierce and E F Benson conjure horrors in the open air, in daytime, which I liked (Benson is the only writer with two pieces here).
I have been reminiscing recently about the Pan Book of Horror Stories (and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th Pan Book of Horror Stories), and how I miss that series. This collection is a reminder that some great minds have found a niche in this market. Weirdly, as I was writing this, a noise outside my window startled me. It is twilight, late May, and a black cat jumped up on the fence behind my head. Maybe there is more to this book than we mere mortals can understand.
October 18, 2025
Like many anthologies, this is a mixed bag. By including classic authors, like Edgar Allan Poe, O. Henry, Ambrose Bierce, et cetera, this really is an assembly of some of the classic voices of the genre from their respective eras. The trade-off is that the antiquated literary style wears on the casual reader at times.
Bram Stoker's "The Invisible Giant" struck me and is one of my new favorite short stories. Francis Marion Crawford's "The Doll's Ghost" is charming, if facile. Washington Irving's "The Spectre Bridegroom" is well told, if predictable.
Sir Walter Scott's "The Tapestried Chamber", though, while an interesting story, became a long slog through too much prose, as was E.F. Benson's "The Room in the Tower". It was great to see an H.P. Lovecraft story, but I don't understand why so many anthologies choose to use "The Horror at Red Hook".
There are definitely some gems in here, but the collection would have benefitted from adding a few more recent writers. If you truly appreciate classic Gothic horror, this is for you. But the consistently antiquated writing isn't going to be for everyone.
Bram Stoker's "The Invisible Giant" struck me and is one of my new favorite short stories. Francis Marion Crawford's "The Doll's Ghost" is charming, if facile. Washington Irving's "The Spectre Bridegroom" is well told, if predictable.
Sir Walter Scott's "The Tapestried Chamber", though, while an interesting story, became a long slog through too much prose, as was E.F. Benson's "The Room in the Tower". It was great to see an H.P. Lovecraft story, but I don't understand why so many anthologies choose to use "The Horror at Red Hook".
There are definitely some gems in here, but the collection would have benefitted from adding a few more recent writers. If you truly appreciate classic Gothic horror, this is for you. But the consistently antiquated writing isn't going to be for everyone.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews