The Best Ghost Stories

by Charles Fowkes (Introduction), Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Edgar Allan Poe

In the selection of these tales, the widest possible interpretation has been given to the term "ghost story". It would have been disastrous if a magnificent vampire story like Carmilla, or tales dealing with ghouls (Pickman's model), a werewolf (Gabriel-Ernest) and Black Magic (Casting the runes), had been excluded for the sake of adhering to a category which is at best imprecise. Any supernatural element in a story made it eligible for inclusion - those finally selected are the best.

Contents:
- Introduction (1977) by Charles Fowkes
- The House and the Brain (1859) by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
- The Masque of the Red Death (1842) by Edgar Allan Poe
- The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar (1845) by Edgar Allan Poe
- Ligeia (1838) by Edgar Allan Poe
- Carmilla (1872) by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
- Was It a Dream? (1887, La morte) by Guy de Maupassant
- The Horla (1887, Le Horla) by Guy de Maupassant
- Count Magnus (1904) by M.R. James
- An Episode of Cathedral History (1914) by M.R. James
- The Diary of Mr. Poynter (1919) by M.R. James
- Casting the Runes (1911) by M.R. James
- The Furnished Room (1904) by O. Henry
- The Monkey's Paw (1902) by W. W. Jacobs
- The Novel of the White Powder (1895) by Arthur Machen
- The Great God Pan (1894) by Arthur Machen
- The Novel of the Black Seal (1895) by Arthur Machen
- How Love Came to Professor Guildea (1897) by Robert Hichens
- Lukundoo (1907) by Edward Lucas White
- The Man Who Went Too Far (1904) by E.F. Benson
- Negotium Perambulans (1922) by E.F. Benson
- The Willows (1907) by Algernon Blackwood
- The Glamour of the Snow (1911) by Algernon Blackwood
- The Decoy (1921) by Algernon Blackwood
- Ancient Sorceries (1908) by Algernon Blackwood
- Gabriel-Ernest (1909) by Saki
- The Music on the Hill (1911) by Saki
- All Hallows (1926) by Walter de la Mare
- Mr. Kempe (1925) by Walter de la Mare
- The Beckoning Fair One (1911) by Oliver Onions
- The Story of a Panic (1904) by E.M. Forster
- The Story of the Siren (1920) by E.M. Forster
- The Sailor-Boy's Tale (1942) by Karen Blixen
- Pickman's Model (1927) by H.P. Lovecraft
- The Dunwich Horror (1929) by H.P. Lovecraft
- The Music of Erich Zann (1922) by H.P. Lovecraft
- The Rats in the Walls (1924) by H.P. Lovecraft
- The Shout (1929) by Robert Graves
- Are You Too Late or Was I Too Early? (1951) by John Collier
- A Woman Seldom Found (1956) by William Sansom

Genres: Horror, Anthologies

750 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1977

Reviews

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific anthology which contains some of the most frightening stories I have ever read. The stars are (for me, at least):

1. Casting the Runes by M. R. James
2. How Love Came to Professor Guildea by Christopher Hichens
3. Pickman's Model by H. P. Lovecraft
4. Lukundoo by Edward Lucas White
5. The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs
6. The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

[Elaine Doe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book lots of good stories.

[Lise · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing anthology of ghost stories from the likes of Algernon Blackwood, Edgar Alan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft etc.