Bodies of the Dead & Other Great American Ghost Stories

by David G. Hartwell

Thirteen terrifying tales to take you on a heart-pounding journey to the dark side! Including:
Bodies of the Dead by Ambrose Bierce: Is it your worst fear to be buried alive? Live your greatest nightmare in these four chilling tales. The Golden Rat by Alexander Harvey: A psychiatrist is haunted by a strange power that allows him to see him patients' worst fear manifested in ghostly images. Kerfol by Edith Wharton: A violent and bitter man is brutally murdered. His wife is accused but she pleads innocent, blaming the ghosts of her slain dogs. And ten more tales of horrifying consequences by Arlo Bates, Elia W. Peattie, Willa Cather, F. Marion Crawford, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Lafcadio Hearn, G. Ranger Wormser, Harriet Prescott, Julian Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.


CONTENTS
Kerfol · Edith Wharton ·
The Intoxicated Ghost · Arlo Bates ·
The Golden Rat · Alexander Harvey ·
A Grammatical Ghost · Elia W. Peattie ·
The Affair at Grover Station · Willa Cather ·
The Doll’s Ghost · F. Marion Crawford ·
The Gray Champion · Nathaniel Hawthorne ·
The Boy Who Drew Cats · Lafcadio Hearn ·
The Scarecrow · G. Ranger Wormser ·
Circumstance · Harriet Prescott Spofford ·
Ken’s Mystery · Julian Hawthorne ·
Bodies of the Dead · Ambrose Bierce ·
Berenice · Edgar Allan Poe

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 15, 1995

About the author

David Geddes Hartwell was an American editor of science fiction and fantasy. He worked for Signet (1971-1973), Berkley Putnam (1973-1978), Pocket (where he founded the Timescape imprint, 1978-1983, and created the Pocket Books Star Trek publishing line), and Tor (where he spearheaded Tor's Canadian publishing initiative, and was also influential in bringing many Australian writers to the US market, 1984-date), and has published numerous anthologies. He chaired the board of directors of the World Fantasy Convention and, with Gordon Van Gelder, was the administrator of the Philip K. Dick Award. He held a Ph.D. in comparative medieval literature.

He lived in Pleasantville, New York with his wife Kathryn Cramer and their two children.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of older stories, mostly from the 19th and early 20th centuries. My favorite story was Kerfol by Edith Warton - a ghost story written for dog lovers. The Affair at Grover Station was a disappointment because of the racist and anti-Semitic elements. Other stories like The Doll's Ghost (F. Marion Crawford) or The Golden Rat (Alexander Harvey) are sweet and decidedly old-fashioned. This book is out of print but many of the stories are available from Project Guttenburg.

[Caitlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

David G. Hartwell was the best anthologist in the game and this book was still boring. I have come to conclusion that ghost stories suck, and that's just the sad truth.