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Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: 12 Stories They Wouldn't Let Me Do on TV
Some books are meant for childish eyes. Others are tailored for readers with delicate sensibilities and fragile nerves. Still others can be safely scanned befor going to sleep at night. This book, however, is not one of them. For when Alfred Hitchcock is the man in charge, you can be sure of a feast designed to please the strongest appetite for pure horror and unadulterated evil!
Contents
Preface / by Alfred Hitchcock (ghost written)
1. Being a Murderer Myself / by Arthur Williams
2. Lukundoo / by Edward Lucas White
3. A Woman Seldom Found / by William Sansom
4. The Perfectionist / by Margaret St. Clair
5. The Price of the Head / by John Russell
6. Love Comes to Miss Lucy / by Q. Patrick
7. Sredni Vashtar / by H. H. Munro (as Saki)
8. Love Lies Bleeding / by Philip MacDonald
9. The Dancing Partner / by Jerome K. Jerome
10. Casting the Runes (novelette) / by M. R. James
11. The Voice in the Night / by William Hope Hodgson
12. How Love Came to Professor Guildea (a novella) / by Robert Hichens (as Robert S. Hichens)
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1957
5 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Robert Arthur
347 books298 followersRobert Arthur (1909-1969) was a versatile mystery writer born November 10, 1909, on Corregidor Island, where his father served as a U.S. Army officer. He is best known as the creator of The Three Investigators, a mystery book series for young people, but he began his career writing for the pulps, and later worked in both radio and television. He studied at William and Mary College for two years before earning a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Michigan. In 1931, he moved to New York City, where he wrote mysteries, fantasies, and horror stories for magazines like Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, Detective Fiction Weekly, and Black Mask throughout the 1930s.
Later, with David Kogan, he co-created and produced The Mysterious Traveler radio show (1944-1952), earning a 1953 Edgar Award. He and Kogan also won an Edgar, in 1950, for Murder By Experts. In 1959, Arthur relocated to Hollywood, scripting for The Twilight Zone and serving as story editor and writer for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, while ghost-editing numerous "Alfred Hitchcock" anthologies for adults and children.
In 1963, Arthur settled in Cape May, New Jersey, where he created The Three Investigators series with The Secret of Terror Castle (1964). He wrote ten novels in the series before his death in Philadelphia on May 2, 1969. The 43-title series, continued after his death by writers-for-hire working for Random House, was published in over twenty-five languages and thirty countries. (Originally branded as "Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators", Random House dropped the Hitchcock name from the series after Hitchcock's death.)
In June of 2024, Hollow Tree Press reissued Robert Arthur's original ten novels as a sixtieth anniversary edition. Those editions have end notes written by his daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth Arthur and Steven Bauer, and Hollow Tree Press is also publishing a twenty-six book New Three Investigators series written by Arthur and Bauer.
Later, with David Kogan, he co-created and produced The Mysterious Traveler radio show (1944-1952), earning a 1953 Edgar Award. He and Kogan also won an Edgar, in 1950, for Murder By Experts. In 1959, Arthur relocated to Hollywood, scripting for The Twilight Zone and serving as story editor and writer for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, while ghost-editing numerous "Alfred Hitchcock" anthologies for adults and children.
In 1963, Arthur settled in Cape May, New Jersey, where he created The Three Investigators series with The Secret of Terror Castle (1964). He wrote ten novels in the series before his death in Philadelphia on May 2, 1969. The 43-title series, continued after his death by writers-for-hire working for Random House, was published in over twenty-five languages and thirty countries. (Originally branded as "Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators", Random House dropped the Hitchcock name from the series after Hitchcock's death.)
In June of 2024, Hollow Tree Press reissued Robert Arthur's original ten novels as a sixtieth anniversary edition. Those editions have end notes written by his daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth Arthur and Steven Bauer, and Hollow Tree Press is also publishing a twenty-six book New Three Investigators series written by Arthur and Bauer.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 4, 2018
One can never go wrong with a Hitchcock collection. Never.
This book was a lot of fun. Hitchcock chose this collection of stories by how perfectly they fit the medium. Each story featured here simply couldn't be featured on TV successfully, which creates the charm for this particular book.
I loved this collection! I can truly say that 10/12 of the stories were at least 4 stars. I highly recommend Hitchcock collections, and if you're looking for a solid first experience, this is a great place to start!
This book was a lot of fun. Hitchcock chose this collection of stories by how perfectly they fit the medium. Each story featured here simply couldn't be featured on TV successfully, which creates the charm for this particular book.
I loved this collection! I can truly say that 10/12 of the stories were at least 4 stars. I highly recommend Hitchcock collections, and if you're looking for a solid first experience, this is a great place to start!
May 3, 2015
A very mixed bag. The last and longest story is not scary just odd. My views on the rest are in the updates. Some of them are fabulous; others execrable; & two downright offensive.
Most of the good stuff can easily be found elsewhere, but I'd not seen all of it before. If you come across a copy of this in a secondhand bookshop somewhere it's worth a quid or so.
Most of the good stuff can easily be found elsewhere, but I'd not seen all of it before. If you come across a copy of this in a secondhand bookshop somewhere it's worth a quid or so.
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November 29, 2022PLACEHOLDER REVIEWS
"The Dancing Partner" by Jerome K. Jerome - an expert maker of clockwork figures turns his skills towards the complaints of young women of his association who are unhappy with their choice of dancing partners at the grand balls. But ingenuity ends in tragedy. There's so much to like about this piece - its succinctness, its restraint (it lets you know that awfulness has happened without spelling it fully out), its prescience (as we enter the age of AI, for good or ill), its (possible) awareness its own lineage (I imagine Jerome must have read Hoffmann's "The Sandman" and incorporated its tale of the proto-android Olympia). A good 'un.
"The Dancing Partner" by Jerome K. Jerome - an expert maker of clockwork figures turns his skills towards the complaints of young women of his association who are unhappy with their choice of dancing partners at the grand balls. But ingenuity ends in tragedy. There's so much to like about this piece - its succinctness, its restraint (it lets you know that awfulness has happened without spelling it fully out), its prescience (as we enter the age of AI, for good or ill), its (possible) awareness its own lineage (I imagine Jerome must have read Hoffmann's "The Sandman" and incorporated its tale of the proto-android Olympia). A good 'un.
October 16, 2017
Letto da ragazzina di nascosto dai miei genitori... allora faceva paura!
June 4, 2017
Going back 30 years, picked up at thrift stores and garage sales, I have a whole bunch of Alfred Hitchcock presents compilations on my shelf. I finally read one.
The first few stories, I really dug; I admonished myself for taking so long to read one of these books that had been lingering so long on my shelf. The quality of the stories tended to decrease the book went on. I even had to skip over one for being too racist. Two of the last ones were tedious, leaving me with lingering sour opinion of the compilation.
The stories are set all over the world, which gives an interesting overall feel to the compilation. Some are quite dated.
"Being a Murderer Myself" by Arthur Williams was fun. Maybe a bit tired now after decades of CSI on TV, but it must have been novel when it came out. A good read and a good start to the compilation.
"Lukundoo" by Edward Lucas White - about white explorers in Africa, this one manages to just not be racially offensive; though it's close to the line. It's definitely a story that will linger with you.
"A Woman Seldom Found" by William Sansom - this one works due to its brevity. It's just right.
"The Perfectionist" by Margaret St. Clair - this one is a real stand out. A really enjoyable read.
"The Price of the Head" by John Russell - this is where the compilation starts going downhill. Really racist, even for the time. After a few pages, I skipped over it. It's hard to believe this was acceptable back then.
"Love Comes to Miss Lucy" by Q. Patrick - another really, really good one.
"Sredni Vashtar" by H. H. Munro (as Saki) - "H. H. Munro (as Saki)" is a byline I have seen over the years and Saki is often a crossword answer. My first time reading a H. H. Munro (as Saki) story. I hope to read more. Very tight, a great read.
"Love Lies Bleeding" by Philip MacDonald - this one is merely OK. A bit tedious.
"The Dancing Partner" by Jerome K. Jerome - sort of sci-fi, an interesting change of pace. Everything about this story is just right.
"Casting the Runes" by M. R. James - ugh. Boring in a very early 20th century English way. I trudged along until I came to a single paragraph that spanned 4 pages. WTF. Reading for pleasure shouldn't be so difficult. Screw that noise.
"The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson - this is another one that will stick with you. Creepy. Very tightly written.
"How Love Came to Professor Guildea" by Robert Hichens - the book closes with this turd. Not as ponderous as "Casting the Runes" but close. Dated and super boring. I spent more time pondering about early/mid 20th England then the story. The professor lives by himself with a household staff of three. A man being outside without a hat at the time was so radical that it needed to mentioned twice.
The first few stories, I really dug; I admonished myself for taking so long to read one of these books that had been lingering so long on my shelf. The quality of the stories tended to decrease the book went on. I even had to skip over one for being too racist. Two of the last ones were tedious, leaving me with lingering sour opinion of the compilation.
The stories are set all over the world, which gives an interesting overall feel to the compilation. Some are quite dated.
"Being a Murderer Myself" by Arthur Williams was fun. Maybe a bit tired now after decades of CSI on TV, but it must have been novel when it came out. A good read and a good start to the compilation.
"Lukundoo" by Edward Lucas White - about white explorers in Africa, this one manages to just not be racially offensive; though it's close to the line. It's definitely a story that will linger with you.
"A Woman Seldom Found" by William Sansom - this one works due to its brevity. It's just right.
"The Perfectionist" by Margaret St. Clair - this one is a real stand out. A really enjoyable read.
"The Price of the Head" by John Russell - this is where the compilation starts going downhill. Really racist, even for the time. After a few pages, I skipped over it. It's hard to believe this was acceptable back then.
"Love Comes to Miss Lucy" by Q. Patrick - another really, really good one.
"Sredni Vashtar" by H. H. Munro (as Saki) - "H. H. Munro (as Saki)" is a byline I have seen over the years and Saki is often a crossword answer. My first time reading a H. H. Munro (as Saki) story. I hope to read more. Very tight, a great read.
"Love Lies Bleeding" by Philip MacDonald - this one is merely OK. A bit tedious.
"The Dancing Partner" by Jerome K. Jerome - sort of sci-fi, an interesting change of pace. Everything about this story is just right.
"Casting the Runes" by M. R. James - ugh. Boring in a very early 20th century English way. I trudged along until I came to a single paragraph that spanned 4 pages. WTF. Reading for pleasure shouldn't be so difficult. Screw that noise.
"The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson - this is another one that will stick with you. Creepy. Very tightly written.
"How Love Came to Professor Guildea" by Robert Hichens - the book closes with this turd. Not as ponderous as "Casting the Runes" but close. Dated and super boring. I spent more time pondering about early/mid 20th England then the story. The professor lives by himself with a household staff of three. A man being outside without a hat at the time was so radical that it needed to mentioned twice.
September 5, 2025
Going back 30 years, picked up at thrift stores and garage sales, I have a whole bunch of Alfred Hitchcock presents compilations on my shelf. I finally read one.
The first few stories, I really dug; I admonished myself for taking so long to read one of these books that had been lingering so long on my shelf. The quality of the stories tended to decrease the book went on. I even had to skip over one for being too racist. Two of the last ones were tedious, leaving me with lingering sour opinion of the compilation.
The stories are set all over the world, which gives an interesting overall feel to the compilation. Some are quite dated.
"Being a Murderer Myself" by Arthur Williams was fun. Maybe a bit tired now after decades of CSI on TV, but it must have been novel when it came out. A good read and a good start to the compilation.
"Lukundoo" by Edward Lucas White - about white explorers in Africa, this one manages to just not be racially offensive; though it's close to the line. It's definitely a story that will linger with you.
"A Woman Seldom Found" by William Sansom - this one works due to its brevity. It's just right.
"The Perfectionist" by Margaret St. Clair - this one is a real stand out. A really enjoyable read.
"The Price of the Head" by John Russell - this is where the compilation starts going downhill. Really racist, even for the time. After a few pages, I skipped over it. It's hard to believe this was acceptable back then.
"Love Comes to Miss Lucy" by Q. Patrick - another really, really good one.
"Sredni Vashtar" by H. H. Munro (as Saki) - "H. H. Munro (as Saki)" is a byline I have seen over the years and Saki is often a crossword answer. My first time reading a H. H. Munro (as Saki) story. I hope to read more. Very tight, a great read.
"Love Lies Bleeding" by Philip MacDonald - this one is merely OK. A bit tedious.
"The Dancing Partner" by Jerome K. Jerome - sort of sci-fi, an interesting change of pace. Everything about this story is just right.
"Casting the Runes" by M. R. James - ugh. Boring in a very early 20th century English way. I trudged along until I came to a single paragraph that spanned 4 pages. WTF. Reading for pleasure shouldn't be so difficult. Screw that noise.
"The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson - this is another one that will stick with you. Creepy. Very tightly written.
"How Love Came to Professor Guildea" by Robert Hichens - the book closes with this turd. Not as ponderous as "Casting the Runes" but close. Dated and super boring. I spent more time pondering about early/mid 20th England then the story. The professor lives by himself with a household staff of three. A man being outside without a hat at the time was so radical that it needed to mentioned twice.
The first few stories, I really dug; I admonished myself for taking so long to read one of these books that had been lingering so long on my shelf. The quality of the stories tended to decrease the book went on. I even had to skip over one for being too racist. Two of the last ones were tedious, leaving me with lingering sour opinion of the compilation.
The stories are set all over the world, which gives an interesting overall feel to the compilation. Some are quite dated.
"Being a Murderer Myself" by Arthur Williams was fun. Maybe a bit tired now after decades of CSI on TV, but it must have been novel when it came out. A good read and a good start to the compilation.
"Lukundoo" by Edward Lucas White - about white explorers in Africa, this one manages to just not be racially offensive; though it's close to the line. It's definitely a story that will linger with you.
"A Woman Seldom Found" by William Sansom - this one works due to its brevity. It's just right.
"The Perfectionist" by Margaret St. Clair - this one is a real stand out. A really enjoyable read.
"The Price of the Head" by John Russell - this is where the compilation starts going downhill. Really racist, even for the time. After a few pages, I skipped over it. It's hard to believe this was acceptable back then.
"Love Comes to Miss Lucy" by Q. Patrick - another really, really good one.
"Sredni Vashtar" by H. H. Munro (as Saki) - "H. H. Munro (as Saki)" is a byline I have seen over the years and Saki is often a crossword answer. My first time reading a H. H. Munro (as Saki) story. I hope to read more. Very tight, a great read.
"Love Lies Bleeding" by Philip MacDonald - this one is merely OK. A bit tedious.
"The Dancing Partner" by Jerome K. Jerome - sort of sci-fi, an interesting change of pace. Everything about this story is just right.
"Casting the Runes" by M. R. James - ugh. Boring in a very early 20th century English way. I trudged along until I came to a single paragraph that spanned 4 pages. WTF. Reading for pleasure shouldn't be so difficult. Screw that noise.
"The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson - this is another one that will stick with you. Creepy. Very tightly written.
"How Love Came to Professor Guildea" by Robert Hichens - the book closes with this turd. Not as ponderous as "Casting the Runes" but close. Dated and super boring. I spent more time pondering about early/mid 20th England then the story. The professor lives by himself with a household staff of three. A man being outside without a hat at the time was so radical that it needed to mentioned twice.
March 25, 2020
I always enjoy reading story collections compiled by Alfred Hitchcock. I'm really not sure how much he was actually involved in putting the stories together but for the most part they always hold my interest.
This collection was really a mixed bag of tales. Most of them were older stories written in the early part of the 20th century. A lot of his collections are merely reprints of stories from his Mystery Magazine or from Ellery Queen's Magazine but this collection were mainly reprints from other collections and included some very well-known stories and authors including Saki and M.R. James.
I particularly enjoyed the following:
Being a Murderer Myself by Arthur Williams: This was a classic tale of murder and how a murderer was able to hide his crime from the police. Somewhat dated by today's standards but at the time of its publication in 1948 it was probably quite baffling.
Lukundoo by Edward Lucas White: This was a true tale of terror taking place in Africa and written in 1927. It's about some African explorers who come upon another group that includes a man who seems to have a disease where numerous carbuncles break out all over his body. But what is really happening. Very disturbing tale involving a hint of voodoo. I have another collection of horror stories that also includes this one which apparently is a well known story.
The Perfectionist by Margaret St. Clair: Whimsical tale about a woman who takes up art and must get a perfect rendering of her subjects including fruit, a tree, and her pet dog. But what steps does she take for this perfection?
Love Comes to Miss Lucy by Q. Patrick: Tale about a rich spinster on holiday in Mexico with her friends who falls for a local Mexican youth. But what is the young man really after?
The Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson: A ship comes upon a drifting rowboat in the middle of the night in the Pacific with someone who calls out for help and food but doesn't want to show himself. So why not? A rather bizarre tale of horror.
How Love Came to Professor Guildea by Robert S. Hichens: This was probably the longest story in the collection about a man that seems to be haunted by another entity. But is the entity real and why has it latched onto the man?
Some of the other stories were misses for me and one, The Price of the Head, also was quite racist. I had always heard that M.R. James was one of the best writers of ghost stories but the story included by him, Casting the Runes, was to me quite boring. But overall, I did enjoy this collection.
This collection was really a mixed bag of tales. Most of them were older stories written in the early part of the 20th century. A lot of his collections are merely reprints of stories from his Mystery Magazine or from Ellery Queen's Magazine but this collection were mainly reprints from other collections and included some very well-known stories and authors including Saki and M.R. James.
I particularly enjoyed the following:
Being a Murderer Myself by Arthur Williams: This was a classic tale of murder and how a murderer was able to hide his crime from the police. Somewhat dated by today's standards but at the time of its publication in 1948 it was probably quite baffling.
Lukundoo by Edward Lucas White: This was a true tale of terror taking place in Africa and written in 1927. It's about some African explorers who come upon another group that includes a man who seems to have a disease where numerous carbuncles break out all over his body. But what is really happening. Very disturbing tale involving a hint of voodoo. I have another collection of horror stories that also includes this one which apparently is a well known story.
The Perfectionist by Margaret St. Clair: Whimsical tale about a woman who takes up art and must get a perfect rendering of her subjects including fruit, a tree, and her pet dog. But what steps does she take for this perfection?
Love Comes to Miss Lucy by Q. Patrick: Tale about a rich spinster on holiday in Mexico with her friends who falls for a local Mexican youth. But what is the young man really after?
The Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson: A ship comes upon a drifting rowboat in the middle of the night in the Pacific with someone who calls out for help and food but doesn't want to show himself. So why not? A rather bizarre tale of horror.
How Love Came to Professor Guildea by Robert S. Hichens: This was probably the longest story in the collection about a man that seems to be haunted by another entity. But is the entity real and why has it latched onto the man?
Some of the other stories were misses for me and one, The Price of the Head, also was quite racist. I had always heard that M.R. James was one of the best writers of ghost stories but the story included by him, Casting the Runes, was to me quite boring. But overall, I did enjoy this collection.
May 7, 2023
Este libro empezó muy bien, las primeras cuatro historias me gustaron y si me perturbaron pero a partir de la quinta historia me aburrió muchísimo, por lo que me costo demasiado terminarlo, se me hacían muy tediosas el resto de las historias, excepto la numero nueve y la ultima. Con razón no le dejarían hacer varias de esas historia en tv, están muy aburridas 🥱. Como quiera dejo mi ranking de cada una:
1. Being a murderer myself - Arthur Williams 9/10, la primera historia me gustó bastante, la ambientación me pareció muy buena.
2. Lukundoo - Edward Lucas White 9/10, está la pondría en segundo lugar porque empezó un poco aburrida pero al final me perturbó bastante y si me asusto.
3. A woman seldom found - William Sansom 8/10, está fue una muy corta y creo que por eso funciono, no se podía alargar más y en general estuvo bien.
4. The perfectionist - Margaret St. Clair 9/10, diría que está es mi favorita, es la única que me dejo con ganas de saber más, esta si me gustaría que fuera un libro como tal, no puedo explicarlo pero lo sutil que es con el terror que va planteando me gusto bastante.
5. The price of the head - John Russell 5/10, empezó bien y creí que iba a dar con algo pero no.
6. Love comes to Miss Lucy - Q. Patrick 7/10, no estuvo mal pero algo le faltó, especialmente al mostrarnos al personaje principal, pero como se desarrolla en México no la pude odiar.
7. Sredni Vashtar - Saki (H. H. Munro) 5/10, otra donde creí que iban a darnos algo súper wow y nada.
8. Love lies bleeding - Philip Macdonald 5/10, otra buena idea que fue desperdiciada.
9. The dancing partner - Jerome K. Jerome 8/10, muy buena historia corta.
10. Casting the runes - M. R. James 5/10, pudieron darnos algo muy bueno pero siento que la narración del autor me lo hizo muy tedioso, me aburrió mucho y eso que tenía una buena idea para desarrollar.
11. The voice in the night - William Hope Hodgson 7/10, está me podría haber gustado más pero fue muy corta, si fuera más larga apuesta que me habría gustado mucho.
12. How love came to Professor Guildea - Robert Hichens 8/10
1. Being a murderer myself - Arthur Williams 9/10, la primera historia me gustó bastante, la ambientación me pareció muy buena.
2. Lukundoo - Edward Lucas White 9/10, está la pondría en segundo lugar porque empezó un poco aburrida pero al final me perturbó bastante y si me asusto.
3. A woman seldom found - William Sansom 8/10, está fue una muy corta y creo que por eso funciono, no se podía alargar más y en general estuvo bien.
4. The perfectionist - Margaret St. Clair 9/10, diría que está es mi favorita, es la única que me dejo con ganas de saber más, esta si me gustaría que fuera un libro como tal, no puedo explicarlo pero lo sutil que es con el terror que va planteando me gusto bastante.
5. The price of the head - John Russell 5/10, empezó bien y creí que iba a dar con algo pero no.
6. Love comes to Miss Lucy - Q. Patrick 7/10, no estuvo mal pero algo le faltó, especialmente al mostrarnos al personaje principal, pero como se desarrolla en México no la pude odiar.
7. Sredni Vashtar - Saki (H. H. Munro) 5/10, otra donde creí que iban a darnos algo súper wow y nada.
8. Love lies bleeding - Philip Macdonald 5/10, otra buena idea que fue desperdiciada.
9. The dancing partner - Jerome K. Jerome 8/10, muy buena historia corta.
10. Casting the runes - M. R. James 5/10, pudieron darnos algo muy bueno pero siento que la narración del autor me lo hizo muy tedioso, me aburrió mucho y eso que tenía una buena idea para desarrollar.
11. The voice in the night - William Hope Hodgson 7/10, está me podría haber gustado más pero fue muy corta, si fuera más larga apuesta que me habría gustado mucho.
12. How love came to Professor Guildea - Robert Hichens 8/10
December 11, 2025
When one of the best selections in an anthology is the introduction, you've got a problem. Keep in mind that Hitchcock is referring to the television of 1957. A few of these stories still couldn't be done today because of racism, or the lack of a point. Many of these stories have not aged well. There's really only three creepy stories.
Basically, read the intro, the first story, skip to "The Voice in the Night" then put it back on the shelf.
Selections:
* "Preface" by Our Editor. Most introductions to anthologies aren't worth taking the time away from your life to read. Not this one. This is a quite amusing.
* "Being a Murderer Myself" by Arthur Williams. Some stories don't age well. This one has, since this tale of murder and mayhem is located in the white South African community of 1948.
* "Lukundoo" by Edward Lucas White. It's a good thing they wouldn't let Hitchcock do this 1927 story, since it has not aged well. It's incredibly racist, describing Blacks as ugly.
* "A Woman Seldom Found" by William Sansom. A very short love story of a man meeting the perfect woman in Rome -- a young widow.
* "The Perfectionist" by Margaret St. Clair. An old biddy needs her subjects to be absolutely still in order to draw them. Predictable and genuinely upsetting stuff. WARNING: She kills her tree, her goldfish and her poor old Pomeranian.
* "The Price of the Head" by John Russell. The most disturbing thing about this 1916 story is the racism.
* "Love Comes to Miss Lucy" by Q. Patrick. One of those predictably tedious "don't lose your virginity except on your wedding night" morality tales, with a dash of racism.
* "Srendi Vashtar" by Saki/H. H. Munro. Found in several other anthologies, this is a horror story and a wry look at religion. WARNING: Animal abuse.
* "Love Lies Bleeding" by Phillip MacDonald. I don't know if the Elton John song was influenced by this 1950 crime tale (with a predictable ending ), but it is a weird look at gay men in the theater.
* "The Dancing Partner" by Jerome K. Jerome. Very short story in the style of someone at the bar telling a tale about a clever German toymaker who decides to build the perfect dancing man.
* "Casting the Runes" by M. R. James. One of those dreadful Victorian-like ghost stories with paragraphs that go on for pages, way too many characters, and not enough action.
* "The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson. In this case, Hitchcock couldn't film this horror story because CGI hadn't been invented yet.
* "How Love Came to Professor Guildea" by Robert S. Hitchens. Amazingly unsatisfying story that makes zero sense, even by supernatural horror story standards. There is a wonderful description of a gray parrot (who doesn't die) and not much else.
Basically, read the intro, the first story, skip to "The Voice in the Night" then put it back on the shelf.
Selections:
* "Preface" by Our Editor. Most introductions to anthologies aren't worth taking the time away from your life to read. Not this one. This is a quite amusing.
* "Being a Murderer Myself" by Arthur Williams. Some stories don't age well. This one has, since this tale of murder and mayhem is located in the white South African community of 1948.
* "Lukundoo" by Edward Lucas White. It's a good thing they wouldn't let Hitchcock do this 1927 story, since it has not aged well. It's incredibly racist, describing Blacks as ugly.
* "A Woman Seldom Found" by William Sansom. A very short love story of a man meeting the perfect woman in Rome -- a young widow.
* "The Perfectionist" by Margaret St. Clair. An old biddy needs her subjects to be absolutely still in order to draw them. Predictable and genuinely upsetting stuff. WARNING: She kills her tree, her goldfish and her poor old Pomeranian.
* "The Price of the Head" by John Russell. The most disturbing thing about this 1916 story is the racism.
* "Love Comes to Miss Lucy" by Q. Patrick. One of those predictably tedious "don't lose your virginity except on your wedding night" morality tales, with a dash of racism.
* "Srendi Vashtar" by Saki/H. H. Munro. Found in several other anthologies, this is a horror story and a wry look at religion. WARNING: Animal abuse.
* "Love Lies Bleeding" by Phillip MacDonald. I don't know if the Elton John song was influenced by this 1950 crime tale (with a predictable ending ), but it is a weird look at gay men in the theater.
* "The Dancing Partner" by Jerome K. Jerome. Very short story in the style of someone at the bar telling a tale about a clever German toymaker who decides to build the perfect dancing man.
* "Casting the Runes" by M. R. James. One of those dreadful Victorian-like ghost stories with paragraphs that go on for pages, way too many characters, and not enough action.
* "The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson. In this case, Hitchcock couldn't film this horror story because CGI hadn't been invented yet.
* "How Love Came to Professor Guildea" by Robert S. Hitchens. Amazingly unsatisfying story that makes zero sense, even by supernatural horror story standards. There is a wonderful description of a gray parrot (who doesn't die) and not much else.
April 26, 2024
Many times I read these books of short stories and get impatient because the last story in the collection is often a novella and too wordy to hold my attention.
This time, I bumped the rating up a star because of that last story. The suspense was something else. It really held me and was deeply atmospheric. "How Love came to Professor Guildea" by Robert S. Hichens. I might look around to see if I can find other things written by him.
These stories are not for everyone. Some were stronger selections than others. Some I had found included in too many collections of this type. One of the stories was distinctly a thriller that didn't work for me because it felt trite and cliche, except that it was published so many decades ago, it might have been the original for its type.
I'm sure it's also obvious that most of these stories could totally be done on television now. A couple would have made fabulous episodes of "The X Files."
One thing I will point out, though, is that there's some very offensive historical racism in at least two of the stories. Feel free to skip them if you pick up the book. I don't think the book should be burned, or anything, I feel like we can learn a lot from seeing how far we've come since people thought some of their racial assumptions were acceptable. And to be fair, some of the racist characters get their just desserts.
This time, I bumped the rating up a star because of that last story. The suspense was something else. It really held me and was deeply atmospheric. "How Love came to Professor Guildea" by Robert S. Hichens. I might look around to see if I can find other things written by him.
These stories are not for everyone. Some were stronger selections than others. Some I had found included in too many collections of this type. One of the stories was distinctly a thriller that didn't work for me because it felt trite and cliche, except that it was published so many decades ago, it might have been the original for its type.
I'm sure it's also obvious that most of these stories could totally be done on television now. A couple would have made fabulous episodes of "The X Files."
One thing I will point out, though, is that there's some very offensive historical racism in at least two of the stories. Feel free to skip them if you pick up the book. I don't think the book should be burned, or anything, I feel like we can learn a lot from seeing how far we've come since people thought some of their racial assumptions were acceptable. And to be fair, some of the racist characters get their just desserts.
July 14, 2022
For the first four stories:
Writing: 5/5
Plot:5/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
For the stories 5 till the end:
Writing: 4/5
Plot:2/5
Enjoyment: 1/5
12 stories. Stories tend to get progressively worse starting around the middle of the book. The first one was best, the story about a murderer in south africa probably setting around 100+ years ago. Great read. "being a murderer myself" by arthur williams. The story "the perfectionist" by margaret st. clair is superb, although a bit outdated plot wise 30 years after in this current age and time. "The price of the head" by john russell is also well written.
All of these stories have a twist in the end, usually of macabre fiber. The three I mentioned, were also spectacularly written, terse, compact, and to the point.
Writing: 5/5
Plot:5/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
For the stories 5 till the end:
Writing: 4/5
Plot:2/5
Enjoyment: 1/5
12 stories. Stories tend to get progressively worse starting around the middle of the book. The first one was best, the story about a murderer in south africa probably setting around 100+ years ago. Great read. "being a murderer myself" by arthur williams. The story "the perfectionist" by margaret st. clair is superb, although a bit outdated plot wise 30 years after in this current age and time. "The price of the head" by john russell is also well written.
All of these stories have a twist in the end, usually of macabre fiber. The three I mentioned, were also spectacularly written, terse, compact, and to the point.
October 27, 2018
2.5 stars
Apart from the blatant racism, misogyny and/or homophobia exhibited by some stories (sign of the times, blah blah blah), this was generally OK. Some stories meh, some very good. Ratings in my updates.
Favourites: Sredni Vashtar by Saki (predictably) and The Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson (unexpectedly).
Apart from the blatant racism, misogyny and/or homophobia exhibited by some stories (sign of the times, blah blah blah), this was generally OK. Some stories meh, some very good. Ratings in my updates.
Favourites: Sredni Vashtar by Saki (predictably) and The Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson (unexpectedly).
August 28, 2024
I need to do a better job of writing about my random books when I've read them. This one I read a couple of months ago. I think I was sick and spent some time in bed, and that's why I was reading.
This is one of the best collections. Nearly all of the stories are so twisty and dark. And weird! Did I mention weird? I have read a lot of these collections and could not have predicted where these stories were going. Though there is a story by M.R. James that gets put in a lot of collections and might be familiar to a number of readers.
Oh, I remember why I hadn't written about it before. I wasn't sure how to warn about the historic racism in some of the stories. It's pretty bad. I absolutely would understand people being offended and avoiding some of these stories. I don't think the book should be burned, though, because it's good for us to see how far we've come. I'm delighted that most of the old attitudes and ignorance aren't taught anymore.
This is one of the best collections. Nearly all of the stories are so twisty and dark. And weird! Did I mention weird? I have read a lot of these collections and could not have predicted where these stories were going. Though there is a story by M.R. James that gets put in a lot of collections and might be familiar to a number of readers.
Oh, I remember why I hadn't written about it before. I wasn't sure how to warn about the historic racism in some of the stories. It's pretty bad. I absolutely would understand people being offended and avoiding some of these stories. I don't think the book should be burned, though, because it's good for us to see how far we've come. I'm delighted that most of the old attitudes and ignorance aren't taught anymore.
February 9, 2009
This only gets four stars because it includes my favorite short story of all time, Arthur Williams's "Being a Murderer Myself." Somehow, I don't think I should be able to relate to the main character so well.
January 29, 2015
It was actually Alfred Hitchcock who edited this collection of horror stories. When I started reading it I was disgusted with first three stories. However, I enjoyed the 'The Dancing Partner', 'Casting the Runes', 'The Voice in the Night' and the last long one 'How Love Came to Professor Guildea'.
September 21, 2011
My kind of collection.
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