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13th out of 161 books
—
288 voters
Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural
by
Phyllis Wagner ,
John Collier , Charles Collins , Wilkie Collins , Richard Connell , A.E. Coppard , F. Marion Crawford , Walter de la Mare
,
more…
When this longtime Modern Library favorite--filled with fifty-two stories of heart-stopping suspense--was first published in 1944, one of its biggest fans was critic Edmund Wilson, who in The New Yorker applauded what he termed a sudden revival of the appetite for tales of horror. Represented in the anthology are such distinguished spell weavers as Edgar Allen Poe ("The Bl...more
Hardcover, 1056 pages
Published
October 18th 1994
by Modern Library
(first published 1944)
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Jun 20, 2008
Werner
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of "horror," and of supernatural fiction
Shelves:
supernatural-fiction,
general-fiction
As the above description notes, the tales in this anthology (by 27 19th and 20th century authors, mostly British or American --Edgar Allan Poe, H. G. Wells, M. R. James, Rudyard Kipling, Guy de Maupassant, H. P. Lovecraft, E. F. Benson, and Algernon Blackwood are each represented twice) depict both naturalistic and supernatural themes; the two are separated into two distinct sections: 20 "Tales of [naturally-caused] Terror," and 32 "Tales of the Supernatural" [which are not necessarily terrifyin...more
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Review: Murderous spouses, ancient curses, talking corpses, seductive ghostsover a thousand pages long, presenting 52 stories from 33 authors, this collection is massive and dated, halfway a historical fragment and halfway a resource, fascinating but deep enough to drown in. It's so vast that it's almost impossible to review: no single opinion can reflect so many stories. There are a few classics here, just as many minor offerings from famous authors, and plenty of forgettable selections. Half...more
I actually have an original, 1944 edition that was passed down to me by my father when I was just entering into my teens. Many of the great classic authors grace these pages, from Faulkner, Hemingway, Hawthorne, Dickens, and Forster to Poe, Wells, and Kipling, among many others. My only disappointment is that I can no longer read through the book without worrying that I will break the binding! Perhaps I should be looking for a newer copy...
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In some respects, perhaps this collection is not the best thing to read in before retiring to sleep; but I found it admirably suited to the purpose, and did not have any more disturbing dreams than I usually have. All of the stories are wonderfully creepy, and I thoroughly enjoyed the reading of them.
The edition I possess (and read) is a reprint (dated 1972) of a work that was published in 1944; that did not not make the stories included any the less valuable, although it did exclude any stories...more
The edition I possess (and read) is a reprint (dated 1972) of a work that was published in 1944; that did not not make the stories included any the less valuable, although it did exclude any stories...more
Has a good mix of short stories from the well recognized authors, and some that may surprise you.
This is a terrific collection of short stories in the terror and supernatural genre. It was published in 1947, so all the stories are from the old guard. Authors like Honore de Balzac and Guy de Maupasant and Charles Dickens are the standard fair. And frankly, that's what makes this collection the most interesting. You're reading stories from the advent of the genre. Back when ghost stories and hinting at the unknown were novel.
It's a large collection with more than 1,000 pages in total. But the...more
It's a large collection with more than 1,000 pages in total. But the...more
This anthology is the best among all the collections available in the market which claims about having most of the best ghost & horror stories inside their covers. Simply the list of contents would be enough to make lovers of ghost stories gasp in delight, and when you combine the contents with a very-very reasonable price, you have to run for it! Most highly recommended.
I love to read stories like these, and what's also really cool is that I've actually heard of some of these older authors. And I am even seeing them in things that I see now, outside of the book. I can't wait to finish this one. And I did! Whoo! I loved reading the short stories, though some I was genuinely confused on as to why they were in a book with such a title as this, but I absolutely enjoyed reading it. Overall, it was such a great book to read, by many different writers who are all no l...more
Beautiful words, not very gory. It makes you realize the difference between schlock writers and true artists who can convey a mood with a few well chosen phrases. I loved it - one of the few books I won't lend out to friends. I can't afford to lose it! I've also ordered books by some of the best authors in the anthology.
Thanks be to Google. I think I've identified this title as an anthology much-beloved in my childhood. This is old fashioned psychological horror, creepy and disturbing rather than gory. I loved The Great God Pan, Casting the Runes and Sredni Vashtar. Now to pay my respects to Amazon!
1 like · like · see review
Love this book. I actually own the original 1944 version printed on war approved paper. I've been reading it since I was a child, some stories over and over again, and I finally finished the last three I hadn't read. So many excellent stories by classic authors in one collection.
This is a reprint of the original, which I still have, first published in 1944.... I've worn it out, but I love every last one of these authors and stories. I keep it in my nightstand for when I just want a good old-fashioned creepy story to go to sleep to.
My favorite collection of stories ever. I've read this to many times to count. This is the book that sits on my night stand. I reach for it after I've read a handful of crappy horror stories. Or after I've written a handful of crappy horror stories.
Nothing like it in the world. Expertly chosen ghost stories from the 19th and 20th Century. To read the book as a whole is spend time in a community of masters of what feels like a lost art: scaring you without resorting to cheap shock effects.
Jan 04, 2012
Theresa Glover
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
25-book-challenge-for-2011
This is a great collection of classic stories that no horror aficionado should be without. While most of these stories have been reprinted elsewhere (and with good reason), this collection provides a sweeping overview of stories of varying intensity. While the older stories in it were somewhat dated and didn't shock me as a modern reader, considering when they were written, they would have been ground-breaking. To show the importance of this volume, this was also used as one of the texts in a cl...more
Gothic tales of terror kickin' it old skool. Not enough stars for this awesome book that is worth the time & effort of ordering it in printed format.
Great collection of classic horror short stories--most of which are free digitally now, but I still have the book as a part of my collection.
This book was awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of authors. Some of these stories are true classics. I highly recommend it.
Brilliantly done, chilling and a lovely edition you'll be pleased to leave out on the table. Scary Galore!
My desert Island book number one!! The greatest horror anthology ever published.
Okay, so I didn't actually "read" the whole thing. I have the attention span of a gnat. I give five stars for "A Rose For Emily" and "Monkey's Paw".
It could be the single most frightening book on the planet.
Oct 06, 2011
Alasse
marked it as to-read
I've had this forever. I should read it or something.
I loved reading this and scaring myself to death.
Outstanding!
What a fabulous book! I was surprised at how many of the tales I’ve read, and I was excited to see my favorite short story--A Rose For Emily included in this collection. The most interesting thing about this copy was it was an original copy from 1944 and the flyleaf said “this is a wartime book” and though it was made with rationing in mind, the quality should not be affected. Thanks to my coworker for lending it to me!
If you never read another horror anthology, if you even hate horror, you should read this one anthology just to make sure you round out your literary background. The one essential classic anthology that has NEVER been bettered since it was first published. Cannot really be compared to anything else.
If you are a horror buff, then you owe it to yourself to read this to find out where it all came from and what the best can be.
If you are a horror buff, then you owe it to yourself to read this to find out where it all came from and what the best can be.
favorites that still keep me up at night:
caterpillars
oh, whistle, and i'll come to you, my lad
leningen versus the ants
the boarded window
the black cat
favorites that are oddly hilarious:
back for christmas
the open window
caterpillars
oh, whistle, and i'll come to you, my lad
leningen versus the ants
the boarded window
the black cat
favorites that are oddly hilarious:
back for christmas
the open window
Mar 31, 2008
Jon
is currently reading it
This collection is a beast, totaling over 1000 pages. It's gonna take me forever to wade through the whole thing, but so far it has been really exciting. There are a lot of gems in here and people should check em out.
Feb 24, 2008
Kristian
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who love horror and are short on time
This is a fantastic collection of suspense/horror stories from the twentieth century. If you like horror and suspense, and you just don't have all day to sit around reading books, get this collection of tales.
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