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The Ancient mysteries reader
Doubleday, 1975. Hardcover with dustjacket. Wonderful anthology of tales about the great mysteries of the world. Introduction by the editor plus these Ms. Found in a Bottle (1833) by Edgar Allan Poe; The Coming Race (excerpt) (1871) by Edward Bulwer-Lytton; The Grisly Folk (1921) (essay) by H. G. Wells; The Mound Builders (1876) (essay) by Lafcadio Hearn; The Shining Pyramid (1895) by Arthur Machen; The Call of Cthulhu [Cthulhu Mythos] (1928) by H. P. Lovecraft; The Moon Pool [Walter Goodwin] (1918) novella by A. Merritt; The Terror of Blue John Gap (1910) by Arthur Conan Doyle; The Valley of the Sorceress (1916) by Sax Rohmer; A New God Was Born (1975) (essay) by B. Traven; The Lost Continent (1960) by Geoffrey Household; An Offering to the Moon (1953) by Clark Ashton Smith; The Secret of Stonehenge (1968) by Harry Harrison; The Bald-Headed Mirage (1960) by Robert Bloch; Creature of the Snows (1960) by William Sambrot; The Convenient Monster [Simon Templar] (1959) by Leslie Charteris; The Cave of History (1947) by Theodore Sturgeon; Men Without Bones (1954) by Gerald Kersh.
321 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1975
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About the author
Peter Haining
331 books99 followersPeter Alexander Haining was an English journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk. Born in Enfield, Middlesex, he began his career as a reporter in Essex and then moved to London where he worked on a trade magazine before joining the publishing house of New English Library.
Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.
In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).
He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.
Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.
In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).
He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 15, 2019
Excellent collection.
December 28, 2012
Excellent collection of stories. My favorite ones were "MS Found in a Bottle", "The Shining Pyramid", the Nessie story, and both alien stories. All have the shadow of Victoriana and imperialism lending a peculiar ominous and adventurous atmosphere. Inspiring. I'd like to read more Machen.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews