Tales to Tremble By: A Collection of Famous Stories of Haunting and Suspense

by Stephen P. Sutton, Shannon Stirnweis

"A collection of famous stories of haunting and suspense."

"The Hand" by Guy de Maupassant
"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot" by Ambrose Bierce
"No. 1 Branch Line, The Signalman" by Charles Dickens
"Adventure of the German Student" by Washington Irving
"The Suitor of Selkirk" by Anonymous
"The Upper Berth" by F. Marion Crawford
"The Judge's House" by Bram Stoker

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Middle Grade, Paranormal, Anthologies

214 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably the first anthology of horror stories that I owned and was certainly my introduction to the works of classic authors Bram Stoker, Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, Ambrose Bierce, F. Marion Crawford, and Guy de Maupassant. The book was published in the Whitman Classics line, the titles of which could usually be found in Woolworth's or Kresge's or Murphy's adjacent to the toy section with the Crayolas and coloring books. Some of the 19th-century prose was a little dense for me, but I developed a life-long love of the ghostly and supernatural thanks to the editorial efforts of Stephen P. Sutton and the wonderful Shannon Stirnweis illustrations.

[Bobby Bermea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might have been my very first collection of ghost stories. Inside are classics all. A great introduction into the world of short horror fiction.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection as a kid.

[Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

✭✭✭✭

“La main” (“The Hand”), Guy de Maupassant (1883/trans. 1903). ✭✭✭✭
“The Middle Toe of the Right Foot”, Ambrose Bierce (1890). ✭✭✭✭
“No. 1 Branch Line: The Signalman” (variant title: “The Signalman”), Charles Dickens (1866). ✭✭✭✭
“The Adventure of the German Student”, Washington Irving (1824). ✭✭✭✭½
“The Sutor of Selkirk”, Anonymous (1937). ✭✭½
“The Upper Berth”, F. Marion Crawford (1885). ✭✭✭✭✭
“The Judge’s House”, Bram Stoker (1891). ✭✭✭✭✭

[Denise Spicer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice little collection of 7 classic stories of the supernatural. De Maupassant, Bierce, Dickens, Irving, Stoker. This 1966 Whitman Edition has illustrations by Shannon Stirn Weis and are in that groovy 60’s turquoise blue.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a weakness for old spooky story collections, and Tales to Tremble By did not disappoint. I would gladly re-read all but one of the stories here("The Sutor of Selkirk" didn't have the same originality or atmosphere as the rest, and the heavy dialect was kind of a chore to read). They are generally deftly written and creepy enough to satisfy without being too much for light reading. The illustrations are a plus too. This anthology is a good one to keep an eye out for if you like the Alfred Hitchcock mystery collection books too!

[Banana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book make a huge impression on me as a child. "The Upper Berth" absolutely DID ME IN. Terrifying. I read it so many times.

I still have my copy, and it's a testament to my early-onset bookworm disease that the book is still in quite good shape. The cover design, endpapers, and two-color process interior illustrations are really great, but sadly, this edition isn't aging gracefully. The paper's getting yellow and brittle at this point... but it smells heavenly.

[Denise Spicer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little collection of 7 classic stories of the supernatural. De Maupassant, Bierce, Dickens, Irving, Stoker. This 1966 Whitman Edition has illustrations by Shannon Stirn Weis and are in that groovy 60’s turquois blue.

[Fred Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

two of the seven stories in this collection are really good. the Judge's House and the Upper Berth are exceptional, the others are of the "supernatural but not scary" genre.

[Bob Pony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's another collection of spooky short stories, this time by famous classic authors. You'll find stories by Bram Stoker, Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, Ambrose Beirce, and more. All of them creepy and well told. Although it comes in at 214 pages, the type is large, so maybe carve a third or so off of that - it goes by quickly. I enjoyed all of the stories, but especially liked 'The Upper Berth', 'The Judge's House', and 'The Middle Toe of the Right Foot'. Well worth your time with Halloween not far off. And there's a sequel, 'More Tales to Tremble By'...I need to hunt that one down. Make sure to find the mid-60's prints of these, the covers are fabulous! 🙂

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was no trembling happening and I doubt there was even when this book was written. Average at best and I'm being generous with my 3 stars.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

These made my childhood. Absolute chills.

[LuAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought and reread this book after writing about my love of ghost stories as a kid for a memoir class. I don’t imagine that I understood all these by classic authors then as the writing is more sophisticated than standard 1960s & 70s fare. I did remember the few that impressed young me: “The Hand”, “Adventure of the German Student” and “The Sutor of Selkirk”. To some extent I agree with my son that ghost stories are more impressive if “real”, but these have plots and are still creepy, especially “The Upper Berth” and “The Judge’s House”, as well as the three I remembered.