Weird Tales: The Magazine That Never Dies

by Marvin Kaye (Editor), Saralee Kaye (Editor), Ray Bradbury (Contributor)

Since its first issue in March 1923, Weird Tales—"The Unique Magazine"—has provided countless readers with the most innovative and offbeat fantasy, suspense and horror stories. Almost every important writer of fantastic fiction in the first half of this century—including H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Fritz Lieber—and countless other notables have had their works showcased in its pages.

Now, in this special volume compiled by popular anthologist Marvin Kaye, some of the most memorable horrific, bizarre tales ever published are assembled, all of which have appeared in various incarnations of Weird Tales over the years.

Interim by Ray Bradbury
The House of Ecstasy by Ralph Milne Farley
The Stolen Body by H.G. Wells
The Scrawny One by Anthony Boucher
The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Lucian of Samosata translated by Sir Thomas More
Skulls in the Stars by Robert E. Howard
Eena by Manly Banister
The Look by Maurice Level
Methought I Heard A Voice by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt
Off the Map by Rex Dolphin
The Last Train by Fredric Brown
Ti Michel by W.J. Stamper
In the X-Ray by Fritz Leiber
Speak by Henry Slesar
The Pale Criminal by C. Hall Thompson
The Sombrus Tower by Tanith Lee
Mr. George by August Derleth
The Terror of the Water Tank by William Hope Hodgson
The Legend of St. Julian the Hospitaller by Gustave Flaubert
The Hoax of the Spirit Lover by Harry Houdini
Seed by Jack Snow
Masked Ball by Seabury Quinn
The Woman with the Velvet Collar by Gaston Leroux
Mistress Sary by William Tenn
The Judge's House by Bram Stoker
The Bagheeta by Val Lewton
Ghost Hunt by H.R. Wakefield
Funeral in the Fog by Edward D. Hoch
The Damp Man by Allison V. Harding
The Lost Club by Arthur Machen
Wet Straw by Richard Matheson
Mysteries of the Faceless King by Darrell Schweitzer
More Than Shadow by Dorothy Quick
The Dead Smile by F. Marion Crawford
The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Robert Bloch
Chicken Soup by Katherine MacLean and Mary Kornbluth
The Haunted Burglar by W.C. Morrow
Never Bet the Devil Your Head by Edgar Allan Poe
He by H.P. Lovecraft
The Brotherhood of Blood by Hugh B. Cave
The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan by Clark Ashton Smith
Men Who walk Upon the Air by Frank Belknap Long
A Child's Dream of a Star by Charles Dickens
The Perfect Host by Theodore Sturgeon
Why Weird Tales attributed to Otis Adelbert Kline

Dust jacket illustration by Richard Kriegler, based on Howard's "Skulls in the Stars." Interior drawings by Richard Kriegler.

Weird Tales has always been the most popular and sought-after of all pulp magazines. A mix of exotic fantasy, horror, science fiction, suspense, and the just plain indescribable.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Anthologies, Fiction, Weird Fiction

582 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

Marvin Nathan Kaye was an American mystery, fantasy, science fiction, horror author, anthologist, and editor. He was also a magician and theater actor. Kaye was a World Fantasy Award winner and served as co-publisher and editor of Weird Tales Magazine.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This old Book Club offering may be the best single-volume anthology from the long run of Weird Tales magazine. It is, of course, easy to sit back and nitpick with opinions of what stories should have been selected instead of the ones that were, but I thought he did a good job of including a story from all of the most famous writers most closely associated with the classic years of the magazine (Robert E. Howard, August Derleth, Seabury Quinn, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Hugh B. Cave, Frank Belknap Long, Jr., etc.), as well as later incarnations (Edward Hoch, Tanith Lee, Katherine MacLean and Mary Kornbluth, Darrell Schweitzer, etc.), and rare oddball gems from authors one doesn't immediately associate with the title (like Theodore Sturgeon, Richard Matheson, Val Lewton, William Tenn, Harry Houdini, Fredric Brown, William Hope Hodgson, Fritz Leiber, Jr., H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Anthony Boucher, Henry Slesar, etc.) I was less excited about the inclusion of reprints of classic reprints, but it's hard to argue with Bram Stoker, Gustave Flaubert, Arthur Machen, Charles Dickens, or Edgar Allan Poe. Kaye provides interesting introductions that put the stories in context, and there are useful appendices. Altogether, it's an excellent retrospective.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be the best Weird Tales collection I've read yet. It contains a great selection of the best authors of the era and some of the best stories I've read yet. The only other collection I've loved quite this much was "Weird Tales: 32 Unearthed Terrors". I'm only being extra-hard on my story ratings because I expect so much of Weird Tales. Anthologies in general can be of spotty quality, and the fact that I enjoyed reading all but 2 stories in this giant tome really speaks for the greatness of this book. The complete list of stories contained in this volume and my thoughts and ratings on them is as follows:

INTERIM by Ray Bradbury (10/10) Never has a 2-page story been so effectively creepy.

THE HOUSE OF ECSTASY by Ralph Milne Farley (8/10) Interesting concept.

THE STOLEN BODY by H.G. Wells (6/10) Not a bad story by any means, but at this point in my short-story reading, it doesn't seem too original.

THE SCRAWNY ONE by Anthony Boucher (7/10) Good enough story but I wanted more from the author of one of my fav short stories, "They Bite".

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE by Lucian (5/10) Meh. I understand it being included to help the reader appreciate Bloch's story later in the collection.

SKULLS IN THE STARS by Robert E. Howard (8/10) Great uncommonly short Solomon Kane story.

EENA by Manly Banister (9/10) Touching story about a subject I usually don't care much about: werewolves.

THE LOOK by Maurice Level (7/10) Pretty good story about guilt.

METHOUGHT I HEARD A VOICE by L. Sprague Camp (8/10) Interesting, well written story on mesmerism.

OFF THE MAP by Rex Dolphin (8/10) I'm a sucker for any cursed-place story.

THE LAST TRAIN by Fredric Brown (6/10) Kind of Twilight Zone-y.

TI MICHEL by W.J. Stamper (9/10) I love a good revenge story.

IN THE X-RAY by Fritz Leiber (9/10) Maybe conventional in plot but excellently written and genuinely chilling.

SPEAK by Henry Slesar (7/10) Not bad, but I don't usually go for this sort of thing.

THE PALE CRIMINAL by C. Hall Thompson (8/10) Good psychological horror.

THE SOMBRUS TOWER by Tanith Lee (8/10) Lee is a great writer and I wanted more out of this story. I do understand that was kind of the point, though.

MR. GEORGE by August Derleth (10/10) Well written story that is appropriately humorous, a bit touching, and satisfying.

THE TERROR OF THE WATER-TANK by William Hope Hodgson (6/10) My first story by this author wasn't super-impressive to me.

THE LEGEND OF ST. JULIAN THE HOSPITALLER by Gustave Flaubert (2/10) I could only read 2 pages of this before being bored by religious fervor. I don't understand why this story was included because it really doesn't hit the Weird Tales tone at all.

THE HOAX OF THE SPIRIT LOVER by Harry Houdini (8/10) I enjoyed the direct, jaded voice in this story.

SEED by Jack Snow (9/10) One of my favorites here. I'm into any weird science or jungle cult stuff.

MASKED BALL by Seabury Quinn (8/10) Quinn is one of my least favorite Weird Tales writers, something about his faintly aristocratic tone pisses me off. This is the only story of his I've read so far that I've actually enjoyed. Ghost dance in New Orleans, yes, please!

THE WOMAN WITH THE VELVET COLLAR by Gaston Leroux (8/10) Good creepy one that doesn't end the way you probably think it will.

MISTRESS SARY by William Tenn (9/10) Something about stories with creepy children is very appealing to me. Maybe because I think they're a bit evil naturally. ;)

THE JUDGE'S HOUSE by Bram Stoker (7/10) Not a bad story, but I couldn't help feeling it's too similar to previously read stories elsewhere.

THE BAGHEETA by Val Lewton (9/10) A sad, effective story.

GHOST HUNT by H.R. Wakefield (6/10) Not bad, but same feeling to me as SPEAK.

FUNERAL IN THE FOG by Edward D. Hoch (8/10) Well-written mystery. I always enjoy Hoch's stories.

THE DAMP MAN by Allison V. Harding (6/10) A kind of pulpy feeling mystery that didn't really do it for me.

THE LOST CLUB by Arthur Machen (5/10) Reminded me too much of Stevenson's "Suicide Club" although I guess this must have been the original idea.

WET STRAW by Richard Matheson (10/10) One of my favorite shorts from one of my favorite authors.

MYSTERIES OF THE FACELESS KING by Darrell Schweitzer (10/10) An excellent fantasy story that has made me determined to hunt down more of the author's work.

MORE THAN SHADOW by Dorothy Quick (10/10) I may be a bit biased rating this one seeing as I think poodles are evil anyway.

THE DEAD SMILE by F. Marion Crawford (10/10) I'd already decided to read more Crawford, but if I hadn't, this story would have made me. Genuinely unsettling.

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE by Robert Bloch (9/10) I loved this "cruel story", I must be a bit cruel inside.

CHICKEN SOUP by Katherine MacLean (7/10) I didn't wholly "get" this story, but I think that was maybe the point.

THE HAUNTED BURGLAR by W.C. Morrow (8/10) This story is so over the top I couldn't help liking it.

NEVER BET THE DEVIL YOUR HEAD by E.A. Poe (4/10) This is the only other story in the volume I skipped over after reading the first few pages. I didn't care for the style it was written in. Poe is hit or miss for me.

HE by H.P. Lovecraft (8/10) Good story by one of my all time favorite authors. It isn't one of his best, but I imagine it was chosen because it's short, this volume is huge already.

THE BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD by Hugh B. Cave (9/10) Vampirism can be a tired subject to me. In this story it's more of a family curse than anything else, which appeals to me.

THE WEIRD OF AVOOSL WUTHOQQUAN by Clark Ashton Smith (9/10) Good luck trying to pronounce that title! Smith is one of the best writers I've read in Weird Tales, though. His writing always feels like a treat for me.

MEN WHO WALK UPON THE AIR by Frank Belknap Long (7/10) Pretty good, I like the repetition used here.

A CHILD'S DREAM OF A STAR by Charles Dickens (8/10) I'm not really a fan of Dickens in general or children, but I really liked this one and I understand why it was chosen.

THE PERFECT HOST by Theodore Sturgeon (9/10) Really fascinating story of possession. Sturgeon always impresses me.

So there ya go. My extremely long complete list of contents with a few thoughts. If you're still reading this far, you should just quit reading reviews and go find this book!

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvin Kaye's "Weird Tales: The Magazine That Never Dies" anthology from 1988 takes a slightly different tack than its earlier sister volume, "Weird Tales: 32 Unearthed Terrors." Whereas the editors of that earlier collection chose to select one story from each year of the magazine's celebrated 32-year run (1923-54), Kaye has decided here to not just limit himself to the periodical's classic era of 279 issues, but to also include tales from each of the four latter-day incarnations of "The Unique Magazine" (from 1973-87). The result is 45 pieces of generally superb speculative fantasy and horror, including six "Weird Tales Reprints" by such luminaries as Dickens, Poe, Flaubert and Stoker, as well as Otis Adelbert Kline's "Why Weird Tales?," an article that clearly delineated the magazine's goals and intentions in its first anniversary issue, the one dated May/June/July 1924. Simply put, Kaye's almost-600-page anthology is a collection of some of the very finest imaginative writing from the mid-19th to late 20th century.

As would be expected, many writers closely associated with "Weird Tales" are represented here. H.P. Lovecraft, who sold 48 stories to the magazine, gives us a creepy tale of the lost byways of Greenwich Village, in "He." Robert E. Howard, who placed 55 of his pieces in the magazine, is shown to good effect with one of his Solomon Kane stories, "Skulls in the Stars." Seabury Quinn, the author who appeared in "Weird Tales" more than any other, with a whopping 160 (!) appearances, is here represented by one of his non-Jules de Grandin adventures, "Masked Ball," a beautifully written ghost story that takes place during Mardi Gras. August Derleth of course makes an appearance, with his tale of a young girl's spirit playmate, "Mr. George"; Robert Bloch provides a very amusing and grisly updating of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"; Clark Ashton Smith offers up another of his gorgeously written tales of the Hyperborean Age, in "The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan" (love that name!); Richard Matheson tells the story of an aged widower who can't stop dreaming of "Wet Straw"; and sci-fi legend Theodore Sturgeon gives us an absolute work of genius with his novella "The Perfect Host."

But even more fun than reading wonderful tales by old friends is discovering great authors one had never heard of before, or realizing that certain celebrities could actually spin a good horror tale. Who knew, for example, that Harry Houdini could tell a story as good as "The Hoax of the Spirit Lover," or that 1940s horror producer Val Lewton could write a story as suspenseful and as meaningful as "The Bagheeta"? As for those new acquaintances that this reader made here, take Allison V. Harding, whose 1947 story "The Damp Man," with its memorably dank and bloated villain, will most certainly make any reader hot to track down the tale's two sequels. Rex Dolphin's "Off the Map" tells the story of a lost English village far, far nastier than the Brigadoon it may bring to mind, while W. J. Stamper's "Ti Michel" is a story of Haitian vengeance that builds to quite a hideous conclusion. No voodoo is involved here, but voodoo certainly does play a part in William Tenn's "Mistress Sary," a story about an 8-year-old albino girl who is all-too proficient in such dark arts. Other authors who I was happy to encounter for the first time here include Manly Banister, who provides a lovely story of a writer who is in love with a female werewolf, "Eena"; Hugh B. Cave, who gives us a chilling account of a writer who is in love with a female vampire, in "The Brotherhood of Blood"; Jack Snow, with his pulpy but highly enjoyable tale of a parasitic plant discovered in the African jungle, "Seed"; Dorothy Quick, with her sinister fantasy that revolves around a cute little puppy, "More Than Shadow"; and F. Marion Crawford, whose Gothic tale "The Dead Smile" will surely compel me to seek out more by this writer. An author who I first encountered in that earlier "Weird Tales" volume, C. Hall Thompson, is now a very solid two for two with me. The earlier anthology had given us Thompson's brilliant Lovecraft pastiche "The Will of Claude Ashur," while this latter one presents us with the author's "The Pale Criminal," a grisly neo-Gothic that really does make for a powerful read. Truth to tell, with all of the writers listed above, to read their representative story in this anthology is to become an instant fan.

The book is not all "beer and skittles," however, and there are a (very) few clinkers to be found. Ray Bradbury's "Interim," from 1947, did not leave much of an impact on me, and Tanith Lee's "The Sombrus Tower," dark and mysterious as it is, was, for this reader, unsatisfying. Still, two clinkers out of 45 is not a bad ratio, and I have not even mentioned the marvelous works provided by William Hope Hodgson, H.G. Wells, Fredric Brown, Fritz Leiber, Jr., Gaston Leroux, Arthur Machen and many others. Indeed, for all lovers of fantasy and horror, Marvin Kaye's "Weird Tales" anthology should prove a treasure trove of wonders.

[Brian Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great horror/fantasy/sci-fi/weird anthology from the legendary magazine. Kaye definitely did his homework making sure every publication era was represented. It’s impossible to remember each story individually without going back through, but it sure ends with a bang.

[Shawn]

PLACEHOLDER REVIEW

"Skulls In The Stars" by Robert E. Howard - Solomon Kane, puritan adventurer, deliberately takes the wrong path through the moorlands in order to face off against a ghostly spirit that has been killing travelers - and in doing so, unravels a mystery for which he must provide final, human judgment. While I've not a big fan of Howard's most famous character, Conan, (mostly because I'm not big on fantasy settings) I have to say that this story may be a perfect example of Weird Adventure Pulps at their best. The story itself, while not "deep" (but then, were any pulp stories ever "deep"? Even the suggestion seems to go against the basic remit...) is a model of efficiency. Warning (set-up), atmosphere, horror, battle, confrontation, judgment, comeuppance. Howard does a great job of cutting all the fat out of the middle (because he knows it would be repetitive) and just dumping the rest into exposition until racing to the inevitable ending.

Of particular note - Solomon Kane is an extremely interesting character here. Though a Puritan (and thus convinced of the Rightness of his crusade against evil) two details in the story really tint his basic character as adventure hero. First, there's the hint that he's conflicted, in the climax, of having taken on the role of Judge and Executioner (and with an even vaguer history of having observed or been involved in the Spanish Inquisition, this makes sense). But even better, earlier, is an authorial note that he is unaware that his zeal for battle and combat might be motivated by something other than a Puritan's desire to thwart evil. Really good stuff!

Of note is Val Lewton's "The Bagheeta," supposedly the story that he could point at to get the job of directing CAT PEOPLE. Did he really write it? I don't know (he has no other credits at the ISFDB). And it's interesting to note that the story is nothing like the film, taking place in a rural, Slavic village where a virginal young man is charged with slaying the titular beast, supposedly preying on the flocks while taking the form of a beautiful woman to slay the shepherds. It's a nice evocation of the locale and local legendry, but perhaps even more interesting is that the story is REALLY about how there is NO Bagheeta and instead the young man realizes that it's a con that helps reinforce the villager's superstitions - and what "undoing" that con might entail - while at first questioning his own blind acceptance of basic beliefs like religion. So, surprisingly complex for something that holds an odd position in reality.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent pulp reprint. Great selection of stories from an amazing pulp magazine. Recommended

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird Tales is a magazine I’ve heard of forever—or at least as long as I’ve been reading C.L. Moore and H.P. Lovecraft—but have never seen. Judging from the “Other Anthologies” in the appendix, I really should have seen a Weird Tales or Weird Tales-adjacent collection before this.

I would have liked to like this more, although it was still very enjoyable. Marvin Kaye’s tastes appear to be more modern than mine (although it may also be that the plethora of collections preceding this had already dried the older wells).

Many of these, especially the very old stuff that even in Weird Tales was a reprint, I’ve already read. H.G. Wells, Anthony Boucher, Lucian (as translated by Sir Thomas More), and William Hope Hodgson, Gustave Flaubert, Bram Stoker, Arthur Machen, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Dickens are all represented—and while I’ve read most of them, they were all fun to read again.

The Edgar Allan Poe story Kaye chose is his satirical “Never Bet the Devil Your Head” and highlights just how brilliant Poe was. He seemed to be a pioneer in whatever genre he tried and this is not only funny all the way through but relevantly funny all the way through despite being nearly two centuries old.

There are also a couple of essays (one by Ray Bradbury) and a handful of story notes beyond the biographical notes at the top of each.

The authors represented include many unknowns (to me) as well as many old favorites, from Leiber through Bloch, Clark Ashton Smith through Richard Matheson. Having never read any issue of Weird Tales, I can’t say how representative this is of the series, but I’m pretty sure I would have wanted to subscribe if any of its lives overlapped mine.

He shaded the candle with his hand, and his fingers seemed to be made of wax and blood as the light shone through them.

[Jeff McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Barnes and Noble anthology, culled from the pages of the original "Weird Tales" and its re-birth in the early 1970s, and again in the 1980s in paperback form, and finally again..in the mid 1980s. This anthology bears the publication date of 1988, with the stories therein originally published as early as 1924 (Houdini) to 1987 (Schweitzer).

As usual with most of the B&N anthologies - the quality of the stories was uneven, but given that caveat, I think the stories represented the spirit of Weird Tales.

As for my favorite stories, Derleth's "Mr. George" raises the difficulties of planning the demise of an orphan in order to steal her inheritance - especially when she has a ghostly guardian. Harding's "The Damp Man" concerns a persistent suitor who refuses to take no for an answer.....Smith's "The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan - where the purchaser of rare gems finds himself invited for dinner. Bloch's "Sorcerer's Apprentice"....can't go wrong with Robert Bloch. Ever.

Copies easily available thru amazon or ebay.

[Judy]

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook for the Damp Man trilogy which include The Damp Man, The Damp Man Returns, and The Damp Man Again which were all first published as short stories in Weird Tales, July and September 1947, and May 1949 respectively.
Considering how old the stories are, they aren't as problematic in terms of language or tone as other publications from around the same time. Interesting read not scary at all considering they are from the horror babble genre.

[LordSlaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with any anthology, this particular collection of Weird Tales stories is a mixed bag, depending on the tastes of the reader. There reside, between these two cardboard covers, tales that are brilliant, others that are dreadful, and the rest just OK. This particular collection gets bumped up an additional star from 3 to 4 because of the introductions to each story and the useful lists and other historical apparatus added by anthologist Kaye.

[Jeff Greason · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I seldom pick up books in this genre, I've read enough Lovecraft and Seabury Quinn and Robert E. Howard to have familiarity with it. I found this a thoroughly enjoyable read; of course for such a wide variety of shorts, some appeal more than the others, but if interested in the general theme of supernatural shorts, this is an excellent sampling of some infrequently-collected works from, generally, the first half of the 20th century, with a smattering of later works.

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with any anthology, some stories are better than others, but Kaye has managed to pull together a very solid bunch of tales from the classic magazine. A few are even excellent enough to stick with you when the book is done.

Recommended for those interested in the genres or sci-fi and weird supernatural.

[Linda Torres]

Read 1 story from Weird Tales: The Magazine That Never Dies so far. It was just to fill in the time between Halloween and the start of November. I do plan on reading more and updating the review as I go.

This year (2021). I read Mr. George written by August Derleth in 1947. It was creepy but I loved it.

[Josh Dollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a nice background on the magazine -a great introduction for those getting started. Excellent stories by early writers keep in mind this was published in the 80s so while it covers the majority of the history its missing the recent stuff

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extra Book #49.... Not part of the EBN Challenge.

I had a tough time with this book. I checked it out for the short story by Edgar Allen Poe, but the stories just didn't hold me. Some of them were good, but others were just really hard to get into.

[Nora Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best compilation of weird tales that will probably ever be published and right now you can still find hardback copies for cheap on eBay

[Wendopolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid stories

[Andromeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you rate a collection of stories? Had some favorites, but I took a star off for the age of these stories.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology contains some really good stories and some really bad stories.

[Egghead · Rating 4 out of 5]

mediocre yarns
with few great ones reflects most
weird tales issues

[Dru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew! Two months and 570 pages later...

I went into this because of my love for Lovecraft, the most prolific Weird Tales contributor of them all, and what I found was an interesting mishmash of good and bad stories. The editor chose stories not based on whether they were good but rather whether they had an interesting backstory...which sometimes backfires. This was NOT a "best of" collection.

[Larsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit of an odd one, by virtue of it's source material. Weird Tales first started publication in the early 1920s, predating our modern perceptions of genre fiction. As a result this anthology, which draws from the original Weird Tales magazine run as well as it's subsequent revivals, presents an eclectic assortment of fantasy stories, tales of supernatural horror, and stories of grotesque -although mundane- murder and crime. While one might initially think that this broad focus would be a weakness for an anthology, it is actually among it's great strengths. Without certainty beyond the broadest strokes as to what the next story will entail, I approached each one with less preconception than I normally possess.

While the anthology contains short fiction by many of the usual suspects (Lovecraft, Poe, Stoker, Howard, Bradbury, and Wells all make appearances) there are a great many stories by authors of less notoriety, as well as a few surprises (there's a Dickens story towards the end, and it doesn't seem as out of place as you might think.) Most are at the least enjoyable diversions; some are quite good. If I were to level a complaint, it would be (wholly unfairly) that the limitations of the magazine form have resulted in many stories that could have used a bit more time to steep for maximum horrific effect. There are exceptions, Theodore Sturgeon's wonderfully bizarre "The Perfect Host" being chief among them in my mind.

All in all an enjoyable read. I picked this up at a library book sale over the summer, and believe I got far more value than the pittance I paid for it.

[Paul Roof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird Tales is a 582 page book, Short stories from some of the greats such as, Ray Bradbury, L. Sprague Decamp, H.G. Wells, Bram Stroker, Edgar Allen Poe. is just a few of the great writers that you will find in this book.
There is 44 Stories in the book they all appeared in the Weird Tales Magazine from days gone past.
My favorite story in this book is HE by H.P. Lovecraft which I will agree with the snip that was in the book which read, The old man knew secrets about Greenwich village in that early time before it was part of New York City.
I recommend this book to any that enjoys short stories, Horror and Fantasy

SAMUEL P. KAY

[Michael Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Old fashioned, but reasonably good. Worth it just for the Poe story "Never Bet The Devil Your Head", but the rest are mostly just OK.

It's odd, I think, that the New Weird writers claim to have been inspired by Weird Tales magazine, when most of what's here is ghost stories and mysteries. I suppose it's all "supernatural horror", but the flavor is very different...

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this over the course of 11 months, so I cant really write a coherent review. The spread of the stories is really wide. Some are great, some are unreadable. Surprisingly, the Lovecraft and Poe stories they included were both awful. But hey, I imagine this is a representative sample of Weird Tales stories. Classic experience.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me interested to read more science fiction and fantasy (I'm more of a "literary" fiction/nonfiction kind of girl) but it also made me want to read more Flaubert because it includes some of the supernatural stories of literary folks like that. And it's all great stuff. Great writing, really. Makes you wonder why "imaginative" fiction gets such a bum rap.

[Jeannie Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book of stories.I've always liked Marvin Kaye as an editor and this book does not disappoint.
It is chock full of the authors we love like Bradbury,Wells,Howard and Quinn.
Very worth the money this used book costs me and I am glad to add it to my library of good old fashioned tales.

[Brett]

Anthology,Horror

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A massive collection of reprints from the magazine Weird Tales, including stories by Howard, Lovecraft, Bloch, and Bradbury.

[Mike Rissler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird Tales is full of strange and silly little stories, but sometimes that's enough.