A Midnight Treasury of Macabre and Weird Poems

by Ana Sampson (Editor)

Genres: Poetry

368 pages, Hardcover

Published September 23, 2025

About the author

Ana grew up in Kent. She studied English Literature at the University of Sheffield and gained a BA and MA before starting a career in publishing PR. Ana has contributed articles to various publications including Writers’ Market UK, The Book Club Bible (Michael O’Mara, 2007), Cringe and The Bookseller. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud: And Other Poems You Half-Remember From School, her first anthology of well-loved poems, was the third bestselling poetry book of 2009. This was followed by Tyger Tyger Burning Bright: Much-Loved Poems You Half-Remember, Poems to Learn by Heart, Green and Pleasant Land: Best-Loved Poems of the British Countryside and Best-Loved Poems: A Treasury of Verse. She has appeared on television and radio discussing books, book clubs, teenage diaries and poetry. Ana lives in Surrey with her husband, two daughters and two demanding cats.

Reviews

[Kayley Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume of poetry is jam packed with a wide range of horror/spooky content: goblins, witches, vampires, sirens, and more. The subject matter flowed seamlessly, and I loved that some poems were fun while others resonated with me on a deeper level.

My favorite lines:

“And, as the lava ravishes the mead,
Spoilt all her silver mail, and golden brede;
Made gloom of all her frecklings, streaks and bars,
Eclips’d her crescents, and lick’d up her stars:
So that, in moments few, she was undrest
Of all her sapphires, greens, and amethyst,
And rubious-argent: of all these bereft,
Nothing but pain and ugliness were left.”
- Lamia, John Keats

“when I am alone with my fretting,
with my dreams like black pearls in the clam of my mouth,
I press my fists to that tenderest wound - my soul -
and Christ how I burn.”
- The Burning, Liz Berry

“One need not be a Chamber-to be Haunted
One need not be a House-
The Brain has Corridors-surpassing
Material Place-“
- One Need Not Be a Chamber, Emily Dickinson

“Her light had never given
More than her dark might steal”
- Woman Death, Hazel Hall

“No matter whose the arms that held me fast,
The arms of Darkness hold me at the last.
No matter what primrose path I tend,
I kiss the lips of Silence in the end.
No matter on what heart I found delight,
I come again unto the breast of Night.
No matter when or how love did befall,
‘Tis Loneliness that loves me best of all”
-L’Envoi, Willa Cather

[Blakerton Barwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great selection of poets and poems from dark fantasy fairy tales to haunting oceans and visages. The collection’s selection of poets has introduced me to some stand out ones that I will be checking out further (specifically Madison Cawein) which is really the highest praise I can give the book — that it introduced me to new poets.

If you are someone who enjoyed these poems, I’d recommend the poetry of Clark Ashton smith (Lovecraft’s contemporary) similar vibe, all free online.