The John Collier Reader

by John Collier

The John Collier Reader

Genres: Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

John Collier was a British-born author and screenplay writer best known for his short stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker from the 1930s to the 1950s. They were collected in a 1951 volume, Fancies and Goodnights, which is still in print. Individual stories are frequently anthologized in fantasy collections. John Collier's writing has been praised by authors such as Anthony Burgess, Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman and Paul Theroux. He was married to early silent film actress Shirley Palmer.

Reviews

[Nancy Beiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when it was originally published in 1972 and located a used copy fifty years later. My attitudes have changed with age; and not all of the stories have aged well.
Collier's stories are often filled with the casual misogyny of his era. Most are still worth reading because of his superb use of the English language.
GREEN THOUGHTS is unquestionably the origin of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS; THUS I REFUTE BEELZY is one of the most understated horror stories of its time.
If you can locate a copy of any of Collier's books, he's definitely worth the trouble.

[L J Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Collier is a wonderful wordsmith and that is what helped me finish this book. The stories themselves are far too whimsical for my tastes. I had heard of Collier and was under the impression that he was a fantasist and horror writer. As a horror writer, however, he is strictly tongue-in-cheek.