What do you think?
Rate this book
Hauntings: Tales of the Supernatural
Collection of 17 tales of the supernatural. These are all in the best tradition of the supernatural story -- authentically eerie, but more about the human spirit than about spooks and specters. Well-known authors are presented here in what, for them, is an unusual manner: a rich vein of British and American imaginative fiction. Beautifully illustrated with the macabre art of Edward Gorey on both front & back Dust Jacket; other of his illustrations open each story inside, + one on full title page.
1. The Lonesome Place by August Derleth ©1947 by All-Fiction Field, Inc. and ©1962 by August Derleth. Reprinted by permission of Arkham House.
2. In The Vault by H. P. Lovecraft ©1932 by Popular Fiction Publishing Company, ©1939, 1945 by August Derleth and Donald Wondrei; ©1963 by August Derleth. Reprinted by permission of Arkham House.
3. The Man Who Collected Poe by Robert Bloch, ©1951 by Popular Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the author's agent, Harry Altshuler.
4. Where Angels Fear by Manly Wade Wellman, from "Unknown". ©1939 by Street & Smith Publications, Inc.; © renewed 1967 by The Conde Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of The Conde Nast Publications, Inc.
5. Lot No. 249 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from "The Conan Doyle Stories". Reprinted by permission of the Trustees of the Estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and John Murray, Ltd.
6. The Haunted Doll's House by M. R. James from "The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James" by Montagne Rhodes James. Reprinted by permission of Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd.
7. The Open Door by Mrs. Oliphant
8. Thus I Refute Beelzy by John Collier from "Fancies and Goodnights". ©1940 by John Collier. Reprinted by permission of the Harold Matson Company.
9. Levitation from "Nine Horrors and a Dream" by Joseph Payne Brennen. ©1958 by Joseph Payne Brennen. Reprinted by permission of Arkham House.
10. The Ghostly Rental by Henry James
11. The Face by E. F. Benson from "Spook Stories". Reprinted by permission of Reverend K. S. P. McDowall.
12. The Whistling Room by William Hope Hodgson. ©1947 by August Derleth. Reprinted by permission of Arkham House.
13. The Grey Ones by J. B. Priestley. Reprinted by permission of A. D. Peters & Co.
14. The Stolen Body by H. G. Wells. Reprinted by permission of Collins-Knowlton-Wing, Inc.
15. The Red Lodge from "They Return at Evening" by H. Russell Wakefield. ©1928 by D. Appleton and Company. Reprinted by permission of Appleton-Century, affiliate of Meredith Press.
16. The Visiting Star from "Powers of Darkness" by Robert Aickman. ©1966 by Robert Aickman. Reprinted by permission of William Collins & Sons, Ltd.
17. Midnight Express by Alfred Noyes. Reprinted by permission of Hugh Noyes.
1. The Lonesome Place by August Derleth ©1947 by All-Fiction Field, Inc. and ©1962 by August Derleth. Reprinted by permission of Arkham House.
2. In The Vault by H. P. Lovecraft ©1932 by Popular Fiction Publishing Company, ©1939, 1945 by August Derleth and Donald Wondrei; ©1963 by August Derleth. Reprinted by permission of Arkham House.
3. The Man Who Collected Poe by Robert Bloch, ©1951 by Popular Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the author's agent, Harry Altshuler.
4. Where Angels Fear by Manly Wade Wellman, from "Unknown". ©1939 by Street & Smith Publications, Inc.; © renewed 1967 by The Conde Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of The Conde Nast Publications, Inc.
5. Lot No. 249 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from "The Conan Doyle Stories". Reprinted by permission of the Trustees of the Estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and John Murray, Ltd.
6. The Haunted Doll's House by M. R. James from "The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James" by Montagne Rhodes James. Reprinted by permission of Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd.
7. The Open Door by Mrs. Oliphant
8. Thus I Refute Beelzy by John Collier from "Fancies and Goodnights". ©1940 by John Collier. Reprinted by permission of the Harold Matson Company.
9. Levitation from "Nine Horrors and a Dream" by Joseph Payne Brennen. ©1958 by Joseph Payne Brennen. Reprinted by permission of Arkham House.
10. The Ghostly Rental by Henry James
11. The Face by E. F. Benson from "Spook Stories". Reprinted by permission of Reverend K. S. P. McDowall.
12. The Whistling Room by William Hope Hodgson. ©1947 by August Derleth. Reprinted by permission of Arkham House.
13. The Grey Ones by J. B. Priestley. Reprinted by permission of A. D. Peters & Co.
14. The Stolen Body by H. G. Wells. Reprinted by permission of Collins-Knowlton-Wing, Inc.
15. The Red Lodge from "They Return at Evening" by H. Russell Wakefield. ©1928 by D. Appleton and Company. Reprinted by permission of Appleton-Century, affiliate of Meredith Press.
16. The Visiting Star from "Powers of Darkness" by Robert Aickman. ©1966 by Robert Aickman. Reprinted by permission of William Collins & Sons, Ltd.
17. Midnight Express by Alfred Noyes. Reprinted by permission of Hugh Noyes.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1968
17 people are currently reading
809 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
October 25, 2012
No guts or gore. No walls dripping blood. And no chainsaw-wielding maniacs.
Instead there are disembodied voices, ghostly apparitions, and spooky old houses with residents that will never leave. Though tame by today's standards, here is a collection of good, old-fashioned scary stories by Lovecraft, Henry James, H.G. Wells, Robert Bloch, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and more.
My favorite was the super-creepy The Red Lodge by H. Russell Wakefield.
And then the day before you arrived I woke suddenly, and something seemed to force me to go to the window, and I crawled there on hands and knees and peeped through the blind. It was just light enough to see. And suddenly I saw someone running down the lawn, his or her hands outstretched, and there was something ghastly just beside him, and they disappeared behind the trees at the end. I'm terrified every minute.
The icing on this eerie cake? There are dozens of glorious Edward Gorey illustrations that haunt the pages. This one's a keeper!
Instead there are disembodied voices, ghostly apparitions, and spooky old houses with residents that will never leave. Though tame by today's standards, here is a collection of good, old-fashioned scary stories by Lovecraft, Henry James, H.G. Wells, Robert Bloch, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and more.
My favorite was the super-creepy The Red Lodge by H. Russell Wakefield.
And then the day before you arrived I woke suddenly, and something seemed to force me to go to the window, and I crawled there on hands and knees and peeped through the blind. It was just light enough to see. And suddenly I saw someone running down the lawn, his or her hands outstretched, and there was something ghastly just beside him, and they disappeared behind the trees at the end. I'm terrified every minute.
The icing on this eerie cake? There are dozens of glorious Edward Gorey illustrations that haunt the pages. This one's a keeper!
October 11, 2018
If you enjoy a good to honest ghost story that delivers, this is it. A selection of fine stories that, aside from one or two, are really worth a look. I shall not go through each individually as it would be more fun to read without any comments to colour your own opinion. ENJOY.
HELLO CHUMS! Sorry if I han't been about for a while but work and other things had to take precedence.
HELLO CHUMS! Sorry if I han't been about for a while but work and other things had to take precedence.
December 6, 2009
I have to say that I was nicely surprized on how good the stories were in this little book.I have read dozen's of anthologies on the supernatural and thought I had read all of the 'good' stories out there.
While there are a couple of stories that I have seen in other collections, like The Lonesome place and The Open Door,most of the stories are 'new' to me.
Ghosts are the predominent supernatural manifestation here so if you like ghost stories you will be very pleased with this collection.
One story that stood out was The Man Who Collected Poe by Robert Block.I have not read much of him before but this story was so good and creepy that I went out and bought one of his 'great of' collections.
Another chiller is The Stolen Body by H.G. Wells.
While some of the stories had predictable endings I didn't think that this detracted from the strength of the stories.
So the long and short of it is that if you want a collection of creepy and scary short stories you can't go wrong with this book.
While there are a couple of stories that I have seen in other collections, like The Lonesome place and The Open Door,most of the stories are 'new' to me.
Ghosts are the predominent supernatural manifestation here so if you like ghost stories you will be very pleased with this collection.
One story that stood out was The Man Who Collected Poe by Robert Block.I have not read much of him before but this story was so good and creepy that I went out and bought one of his 'great of' collections.
Another chiller is The Stolen Body by H.G. Wells.
While some of the stories had predictable endings I didn't think that this detracted from the strength of the stories.
So the long and short of it is that if you want a collection of creepy and scary short stories you can't go wrong with this book.
June 12, 2017
An entertaining collection of supernatural tales, some by authors that I have previously read, and others that I have not. What united them for me personally was the fact that I came to them all as a fresh reader, for I had not thumbed my way through any of the stories in this volume before. Although a number of the authors included will doubtless be familiar to horror aficionados, some of them were new to me, even a figure so apparently well known as August Derleth.
Personal tastes differ, so it is just as well that I persevered reading beyond the first story in the collection – Derleth’s ‘The Lonesome Place’ – which I found particularly grating, owing to the extreme repetition of the term ‘lonesome place’ which seemed to pop up in every other sentence throughout the text. I would suggest, therefore, that a more befitting title would be ‘The Tiresome Place.’ Perhaps it would be unfair to judge Derleth too harshly upon the basis of having read only one of his tales, but if this is stylistically in keeping with his oeuvre, then I shall be steering well clear of anything else that he penned. There was one other story in the collection that I thought to be dire, once again owing to its exceptional repetitiveness – far too many ‘whistlings’ and ‘hoonings’ for my taste – entitled ‘The Whistling Room,’ by William Hope Hodgson. It was thus with something of a sardonic chuckle, having compelled myself to read the story, that I learned that Derleth had been something of an admirer of Hodgson.
Having gone on, at some length, about what I did not enjoy in this collection, please do not let this deter you from picking up and enjoying this volume, for it contains much that will reward the reader with an interest in the supernatural with many hours of satisfactory reading. Some of the highlights, for me, included ‘Lot No. 249,’ (the original mummy story, set at Cambridge University during the 1880s) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; ‘The Open Door,’ by Margaret Oliphant; ‘The Ghostly Rental,’ by Henry James; ‘The Face,’ by E.F. Benson, and ‘The Grey Ones,’ by J.B. Priestley. The last of these contained a considerable amount of humour, which raised many a smile during its modest number of pages. I shall be looking out for more by Oliphant, Benson and Priestley, as well as by other familiar names in the traditional horror genre who contributed some enjoyable stories to this book, who include M.R. James, Robert Aickman, and H.P. Lovecraft. If I’d have been in Mazzeo’s seat as editor, I would have dispensed with the contributions by Derleth, Joseph Payne Brennan and Hodgson.
Personal tastes differ, so it is just as well that I persevered reading beyond the first story in the collection – Derleth’s ‘The Lonesome Place’ – which I found particularly grating, owing to the extreme repetition of the term ‘lonesome place’ which seemed to pop up in every other sentence throughout the text. I would suggest, therefore, that a more befitting title would be ‘The Tiresome Place.’ Perhaps it would be unfair to judge Derleth too harshly upon the basis of having read only one of his tales, but if this is stylistically in keeping with his oeuvre, then I shall be steering well clear of anything else that he penned. There was one other story in the collection that I thought to be dire, once again owing to its exceptional repetitiveness – far too many ‘whistlings’ and ‘hoonings’ for my taste – entitled ‘The Whistling Room,’ by William Hope Hodgson. It was thus with something of a sardonic chuckle, having compelled myself to read the story, that I learned that Derleth had been something of an admirer of Hodgson.
Having gone on, at some length, about what I did not enjoy in this collection, please do not let this deter you from picking up and enjoying this volume, for it contains much that will reward the reader with an interest in the supernatural with many hours of satisfactory reading. Some of the highlights, for me, included ‘Lot No. 249,’ (the original mummy story, set at Cambridge University during the 1880s) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; ‘The Open Door,’ by Margaret Oliphant; ‘The Ghostly Rental,’ by Henry James; ‘The Face,’ by E.F. Benson, and ‘The Grey Ones,’ by J.B. Priestley. The last of these contained a considerable amount of humour, which raised many a smile during its modest number of pages. I shall be looking out for more by Oliphant, Benson and Priestley, as well as by other familiar names in the traditional horror genre who contributed some enjoyable stories to this book, who include M.R. James, Robert Aickman, and H.P. Lovecraft. If I’d have been in Mazzeo’s seat as editor, I would have dispensed with the contributions by Derleth, Joseph Payne Brennan and Hodgson.
August 10, 2012
I cannot recommend this collection of short stories by the masters of literary horror strongly enough. A spooky joy from start to finish. H.P. Lovescgraft amuses and shocks with In The Vault. Robert Bloch charms and alarms with The Man Who Collected Poe. (A story brought to the screen by Peter Cushing and Jack Palance in Amicus' Torture Garden.) M.R. James sells you an amazing and frightening little toy called The Haunted Doll's House. You'll find that John Collier got to the cornfield twenty years before Rod Serling and Billy Mumy with the child horror fantasy Thus I Refute Beelzy. Joseph Payne Brennen's Levitation will have you making a list of all the people to whom you'd like to do that. J.B. Priestley, who's Benighted was the basis for one of my all-time favorite films The Old Dark House, will make you paranoid with The Grey Ones. (Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone is NOT out to get you.) H.G. Wells freaks you out with The Stolen Body. H. Russell Wakefield creeps you out in The Red Lodge. And there's more; August Derleth, Manly Wade Wellman, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mrs. Oliphant, Henry James, E. F. Benson, William Hope Hodgson, Robert Aickman, Alfred Noyes. 17 reasons to sleep with the lights on. Get it and get into it. As Carl Kolchak would say, "Just... do yourself a treat."
December 7, 2009
This is a 1968 first (and only, I think) edition that I purchased on etsy. I wanted this mainly for the Edward Gorey illustrations but the stories actually impressed me more. The illustrations looked like etchings or lithographs which were quite small and muddy. The stories, though, were great, very impressive for what I thought would be a dull collection. I read most of them. The following are included in the book and the starred ones were my favorites:
The Lonesome Place by August Derleth
In the Vault by H.P. Lovecraft***
The Man who collected Poe by Robert Bloch***
Where Angel Fear by Manly Wade Wellman***
Lot No. 249 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle***
The Haunted Dolls' House by M.R. James
The Open Door by Margaret Oliphant***
Thus I Refute Beelzy by John Collier
Levitation by Joseph Payne Brennan
The Ghostly Rental by Henry James
The Face by E.F Benson
The Whistling Room by William Hope Hodgson
The Grey Ones by J.B. Priestley
The Stolen Body by H.G. Wells
The Red Lodge by H. Russell Wakefield
The Visiting Star by Robert Aickman
Midnight Express by Alfred Noyes***
The Lonesome Place by August Derleth
In the Vault by H.P. Lovecraft***
The Man who collected Poe by Robert Bloch***
Where Angel Fear by Manly Wade Wellman***
Lot No. 249 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle***
The Haunted Dolls' House by M.R. James
The Open Door by Margaret Oliphant***
Thus I Refute Beelzy by John Collier
Levitation by Joseph Payne Brennan
The Ghostly Rental by Henry James
The Face by E.F Benson
The Whistling Room by William Hope Hodgson
The Grey Ones by J.B. Priestley
The Stolen Body by H.G. Wells
The Red Lodge by H. Russell Wakefield
The Visiting Star by Robert Aickman
Midnight Express by Alfred Noyes***
July 3, 2018
Compiled with an inerrant sense of wit, this book is a whole lot of eerie fun, and the Gorey illustrations are just perfect. I have a long shelf of ghost story anthologies, but this one is special because the stories all kind of work together to create a very singular mood peculiar to this book. Highly recommended if the late-Victorian/Edwardian Gothic is your thing (or even more highly recommended if it's not and you kind of want it to be, but in a half-ironic kind of way).
The Aickman story is really something else. A good one to start with if you've been meaning to check him out. It's exactly the sort of story that warrants an Edward Gorey illustration.
The Aickman story is really something else. A good one to start with if you've been meaning to check him out. It's exactly the sort of story that warrants an Edward Gorey illustration.
September 26, 2008
OUTSTANDINGly creepy stories:
in the vault, h.p. lovecraft
where angels fear, manly wade wellman
lot no. 249, conan doyle
the open door, margaret oliphant
thus i refute beelzy, john collier
the whistling room, william hope hodgson
the grey ones, j.b. priestly
midnight express, alfred noyes
the rest are varying degrees of good, and i'm quite glad i picked this up. victorian/early 2oth century horror pretty much beats all, being so much subtler and creepier than what's popular today. plus edward gorey illustrations? perfection!
in the vault, h.p. lovecraft
where angels fear, manly wade wellman
lot no. 249, conan doyle
the open door, margaret oliphant
thus i refute beelzy, john collier
the whistling room, william hope hodgson
the grey ones, j.b. priestly
midnight express, alfred noyes
the rest are varying degrees of good, and i'm quite glad i picked this up. victorian/early 2oth century horror pretty much beats all, being so much subtler and creepier than what's popular today. plus edward gorey illustrations? perfection!
October 8, 2011
Great, great collection of classic horror/ghost stories that have been reprinted many times in many places, but this is one of my go-to reads for October in preparation for Halloween.
June 12, 2017
Illustrated by Edward Gorey (!)
December 3, 2025
I must’ve checked this out of the Library 20 times when I was a kid. A great collection of creepy stories and wonderful illustrations by Edward Gorey. Between this and my mother’s terrifyingly illustrated collection of Edgar Allan Poe, I was off to the races with my love of horror.
January 4, 2012
wonderful illistrations and wonderfully creepy stories :) A must read for fans of classic haunted house stories
June 30, 2017
Ok, I admit I initially grabbed this book because the cover was illustrated by Edward Gorey, whose book covers I collect. I wasn't sure about the writers; I hadn't heard of a lot of them, and the stories were all written in the late 1800s. Wow, double trophy! The stories were scary and elegantly written. Now, I've heard of H.G. Wells, Lovecraft and Conan Doyle, but the other writers were unknown to me and their stories were the best. Each tale is accompanied by a brief bio of the author and 3 small sketches by Gorey.
Ok, I like big messy bloody stupendous stories, but these were almost genteel. Hair-raising, and from another time, but written without bombast and slaughter.
This is a Book Club edition, and I found it at a library sale. If you can get yourself a copy, you will be lucky, and the electric company will be delighted when you need to sleep with the lights on all night.
Ok, I like big messy bloody stupendous stories, but these were almost genteel. Hair-raising, and from another time, but written without bombast and slaughter.
This is a Book Club edition, and I found it at a library sale. If you can get yourself a copy, you will be lucky, and the electric company will be delighted when you need to sleep with the lights on all night.
June 20, 2020
I picked this up at a thrift store. If there is a horror anthology and it has stories in it I haven't read, especially an older one, I snatch it up. Imagine my gleeful surprise when I got home and discovered that it was a first printing of the Doubleday anthology, hardcover, with the drawings by Edward Gorey. In fantastic condition, but missing the slip cover. The paper is deckle-edged! Pride of place for this one.
November 15, 2020
3.5
Hauntings is nice collection of classic tales that is worth checking out for Edward Gorey's illustrations alone. The strongest in the lot for me personally where those by Derleth, Lovecraft, Wellman, Doyle, James and Collier.
Hauntings is nice collection of classic tales that is worth checking out for Edward Gorey's illustrations alone. The strongest in the lot for me personally where those by Derleth, Lovecraft, Wellman, Doyle, James and Collier.
October 25, 2020
My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9pZn...
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9pZn...
Enjoy!
December 29, 2020
The face was one of the creepiest stories ever written just thinking of it gives me the chills. All of the stories were great.
September 23, 2023
A nice variety of short stories assembled in 1968. Some are horrific, fantastical, or just plain odd. Edward Gorey's illustrations were the cherry on top.
November 7, 2023
After the first half, I had high hopes for the second; unfortunately, most of the stories after the Haunted Dolls' House stumble; the best part are the explanatory noted by the author.
January 2, 2024
This was one of my childhood favorite books and I was so happy to find it at my mom's house tucked away and waiting to be rediscovered. Such a great collection of old spooky stories 👻
August 17, 2018
Great collection of old-fashioned horror and ghost stories accentuated by illustrations from Edward Gorey. Fun read all around.
January 27, 2012
I made "doing a review" my excuse for re-reading this delectable little book, though truly I need no excuse save the book itself. My sister and I had one old copy that we traded between us for thirty-plus years, each panicking if we thought the other had lost it. Now we each have a copy. My favorite story is "Where Angels Fear" by Manly Wade Wellman. A nice young couple heads out by the light of the moon to explore a haunted house around midnight, in hopes of seeing if old legends are true. Ah... nice, shivery fun. Next on my list is "The Haunted Dolls' House" by M.R. James. The original manuscript was written in the author's own hand in a miniature book for Queen Mary's doll-house library. Tsk, tsk! For shame, scaring little girls like that. Then I'd have to choose "In the Vault," (H.P. Lovecraft), in which a quite unimaginative undertaker has his mind awakened to certain higher sensibilities. Creepy! "Thus I Refute Beelzy" (John Collier) is one of several stories of interesting little children. You daddies might want to rethink that corporal-punishment thing. "The Face" (E.F. Benson) is personally haunting to me. I keep wanting to shout, "No, wait! Go back, go back." But she doesn't listen. Sigh. "The Red Lodge," "The Open Door," "The Ghostly Rental"--still more goodies. Standard equipment required: a nice warm throw and a cup of hot chocolate. If I could read it by candlelight, I would do so. Highly recommended to lovers of quaint and old-fashioned gothic horror. I think I'll read it again, now...
May 21, 2015
- Midnight Express -
“It was the story of a man who, in childhood, long ago, had chanced upon a book, in which there was a picture that frightened him.” – Narrator, The Midnight Express
Midnight Express is a dark short story which tells the tale of a twelve year-old boy’s fear of a battered old book, bound in read buckram. The old book names “The Midnight Express” had the strangest fascination for the boy even though he had never quite grasped the story itself, having tried to read the book night after night but keeps falling asleep, and never remembering its details the following day. The fear lay in the illustration on the fiftieth page, an illustration at which he could never bear to look at. “It showed an empty railway platform at night lit by a single dreary lamp. There was only one figure on the platform, the dark figure of a man, standing almost directly under the lamp with his face turned away towards the black mouth of a tunnel. Eventually he forgets about the book, but recalls it suddenly thirty-eight years later when he finds himself one night in a dark railway platform facing a shadowy figure standing beneath the single lamp post.
This is an astounding little story which made every hair on the back of my neck stand up as a very real chill ran down my spine. It has a symmetry that cannot fully be explained, it has to be discovered for oneself. The horror comes from something primal, from a deep rooted nightmare that you one day wake up to find you are living. Very few tales of horror have been able to bring a satisfied smile to my face at being so frightened. I could discuss this story all day with someone, and I am happy to have discovered it!
“It was the story of a man who, in childhood, long ago, had chanced upon a book, in which there was a picture that frightened him.” – Narrator, The Midnight Express
Midnight Express is a dark short story which tells the tale of a twelve year-old boy’s fear of a battered old book, bound in read buckram. The old book names “The Midnight Express” had the strangest fascination for the boy even though he had never quite grasped the story itself, having tried to read the book night after night but keeps falling asleep, and never remembering its details the following day. The fear lay in the illustration on the fiftieth page, an illustration at which he could never bear to look at. “It showed an empty railway platform at night lit by a single dreary lamp. There was only one figure on the platform, the dark figure of a man, standing almost directly under the lamp with his face turned away towards the black mouth of a tunnel. Eventually he forgets about the book, but recalls it suddenly thirty-eight years later when he finds himself one night in a dark railway platform facing a shadowy figure standing beneath the single lamp post.
This is an astounding little story which made every hair on the back of my neck stand up as a very real chill ran down my spine. It has a symmetry that cannot fully be explained, it has to be discovered for oneself. The horror comes from something primal, from a deep rooted nightmare that you one day wake up to find you are living. Very few tales of horror have been able to bring a satisfied smile to my face at being so frightened. I could discuss this story all day with someone, and I am happy to have discovered it!
December 23, 2012
For people who like stories about ghosties and things that go bump in the night AND want to find some newer authors that they haven't checked out yet? This is a great gift.
The main reason I got this book was to look at Edward Gorey's art for each of the stories in the anthology. I was slightly disappointed that the sketches weren't integrated with the stories, but on the first page - but the selected works all worked together beautifully. I found a few new authors that I am interested in finding out more about, and... possibly most importantly for me - I saw Edward Gorey's art for a story by HP Lovecraft and HG Wells. (Two of my favorite authors <3 )
All in all, I enjoyed this. Without Edward Gorey as an added incentive, I probably would not have looked too seriously into this collection.
For those considering reading it? Check it out - you'll be pleasantly surprised.
The main reason I got this book was to look at Edward Gorey's art for each of the stories in the anthology. I was slightly disappointed that the sketches weren't integrated with the stories, but on the first page - but the selected works all worked together beautifully. I found a few new authors that I am interested in finding out more about, and... possibly most importantly for me - I saw Edward Gorey's art for a story by HP Lovecraft and HG Wells. (Two of my favorite authors <3 )
All in all, I enjoyed this. Without Edward Gorey as an added incentive, I probably would not have looked too seriously into this collection.
For those considering reading it? Check it out - you'll be pleasantly surprised.
March 26, 2012
What a wonderful horror anthology. The stories in this book, not to mention Edward Gorey's magnificent illustrations, made such an impression on me that thirty years later I still remembered them. Finally found and bought a used library edition of this book. It was well-thumbed when I got it, and it's even more well-thumbed now. I envy those young, middle-aged, and old people who might be reading it for the first time. Enjoy the ride!
Each story should be savored on a dark, stormy night, by candlelight in solitude. My two favorites: W. H. Hodgson's 'The Whistling Room,' and H. R. Wakefield's 'The Red Lodge.'
Each story should be savored on a dark, stormy night, by candlelight in solitude. My two favorites: W. H. Hodgson's 'The Whistling Room,' and H. R. Wakefield's 'The Red Lodge.'
May 10, 2013
I credit this anthology with shaping my love of literary horror. All of the stories are excellent, but John Collier's "Thus I Refute Beelzy" creeped me out to my core, and to this day I can't shake its simple, elegant intimations of supernatural evil.
And the evocative cover art by Edward Gorey was as influential on my appreciation of the macabre as the stories themselves.
This belongs on the shelf of everyone who appreciates literary horror. If you find a copy, grab it. You can thank me afterward.
And the evocative cover art by Edward Gorey was as influential on my appreciation of the macabre as the stories themselves.
This belongs on the shelf of everyone who appreciates literary horror. If you find a copy, grab it. You can thank me afterward.
September 7, 2016
I own quite a few anthologies of ghost stories, but this one has always been toward the top of the pile. It's been long out-of-print (1968), so if you find it in a used book store do *not* let it go by.
The mix of authors is excellent, and the selected stories tend to be ones that don't turn up in other collections. Plus you get some wonderful Edward Gorey illustrations.
The only disappointment about this collection is that it seems to be the only one Henry Mazzeo ever edited. I would have liked the chance to find at least a couple more.
The mix of authors is excellent, and the selected stories tend to be ones that don't turn up in other collections. Plus you get some wonderful Edward Gorey illustrations.
The only disappointment about this collection is that it seems to be the only one Henry Mazzeo ever edited. I would have liked the chance to find at least a couple more.
February 11, 2012
Between the covers of "Hauntings" there were many excellent stories ("Lot No. 249," "Levitation," "The Visiting Star," et al.) & several worthless stories ("The Face," "The Grey Ones"). Overall, I'd call this experimental voyage into horror a success, though my preference is still for novels rather than short stories.
June 26, 2012
It felt like it took forever to read. They were all written a long time ago, and so they were slow and kind of boring. There were a few that I liked a lot, but now I can't remember them; I'm just happy that I finally actually finished it.
I don't think I can read another short story collection for a while.
I don't think I can read another short story collection for a while.
June 19, 2018
These are the kind of ghost stories I like - big on psychology and low on gore. They don't depend on big surprises. They're more subtle. The copy I own was published in 1968 and is illustrated by one of my favorite artists, Edward Gorey. Instead of passing this book along to a new owner I think I'll keep it for future Halloweens.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews