Classic Horror: An Anthology

by Washington Irving, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe

PENGUIN A celebration of the very best literary horror, a series of terrifying novels and tales that for generations have thrilled, captivated and kept readers wide awake at night.

Step into the terrifying world of ghostly apparitions, grotesque monsters and terrible, creeping dread – but be careful, who knows if you'll make it out alive?

This collection brings together ten of the greatest literary horror stories every written, from Mary Shelley’s iconic tale of a ‘body swap’ gone wrong, to Edgar Allen Poe's terrifying account of a great family’s downfall, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s chilling description of female subjugation. A treasure trove of scares and spooks, Classic An Anthology is a timeless celebration of all that curdles the blood and goes bump in the night …

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Classics

170 pages, Paperback

Published October 16, 2025

About the author

People remember American writer Washington Irving for the stories " Rip Van Winkle " and " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ," contained in The Sketch Book (1820).

This author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century wrote newspaper articles under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle to begin his literary career at the age of nineteen years.

In 1809, he published The History of New York under his most popular public persona, Diedrich Knickerbocker.

Historical works of Irving include a five volume biography of George Washington (after whom he was named) as well as biographies of Oliver Goldsmith, Muhammad, and several histories, dealing with subjects, such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra, of 15th-century Spain. John Tyler, president, appointed Irving to serve as the first Spanish speaking United States minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846.

Reviews

[Raskolnikovsdelirium · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Yellow Wallpaper may well be my favourite short story of all time. Five billion stars for that one. The most convincing first-person descend into madness I have ever read and there is so much symbolism to unpack…

That story stands out not only in quality, but also thematically. It’s more psychological horror whereas the others are classic ghost stories. I loved Poe, Stevenson and Shelley, as always (****). Sleepy Hollow was great as well, very funny and eerie (****). I liked the shorter stories towards the end as well as The Phantom Coach, though the latter seemed a bit rushed plotwise and more sloppily written than the others (***). I wasn’t a big fan of Henry James’ story: too stiff with too predictable a payoff that seemed unfinished in its execution (**).

As an anthology, it seems like Penguin just threw these stories together by copy/pasting from different works and published the thing without any sort of check. One story even refers to endnotes 9 and 10 that don’t exist? With the first eight missing it must be an editorial oversight. Also, I would have liked an introduction or at least some info on when/where the stories were first published!

[Mekhala Bhatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devoured this truly classic collection like a hot cup of cocoa, also with a hot cup of cocoa. This is old school, atmospheric and truly weird in the best way.
If you have a penchant for slow-burn, witty and even a tad melancholic tales, this is right up your alley.

[Arno Vermeulen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories varied between 2* and 4* for me; standouts were The Yellow Wall-Paper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman), The Shadow (Edith Nesbit) and Transformation (Mary Shelley).

[Rosie Sumner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of short horror stories, perfect read for spooky season and the darker nights!! The range of authors and genres from traditional Gothic horror, to folklore and quintessential english ghost stories contained in this anthology is uniquely diverse!! I picked this up in a bookshop for the cover having never read Washington Irving's 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' but loving Tim Burton's adaptation, it was interesting to compare the two!! It also has some of my favourite classics Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Fall of the House of Usher' and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper'. What persuaded me to buy it was the inclusion of Saki's 'Sredni Vashtar', a short and surprisingly gory story I have been haunted by since I first read it in school and yet have never come across it in print anywhere else!! I hope it finally gets the recognition it deserves as a twisted Gothic tale!! Would highly recommend!! :)

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 5/5

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe - 4.5/5

The Body-Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson - 4.5/5

The Shadow by Edith Nesbit - 4/5

The Phantom Coach by Amelia B Edwards - 4/5

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving - 3.5/5

August Heat by W F Harvey - 3.5/5

Sredni Vashtar by Saki - 3/5

Transformation by Mary Shelley - 2.5/5

The Romance of Certain Old Clothes by Henry James - DNF (I struggle with James's writing style)

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great collection, some of which this was my second or even third time of reading while there were also new ones as well which was great to read. My favourite was 'The Yellow Wallpaper' which is in general one of my favourite short stories. I am really happy to all add 'The Phantom Coach' and 'The Shadow' to potential all time favourites. All great classic horror tales that everyone should read or listen too, you will see traces of many of them in all forms of entertainment that have come since. Very enjoyable.

[lottie ｡꒰ঌ ✦໒꒱ ༘*.ﾟ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ (average)

Within this short story collection, I only enjoyed 3 stories out of the ten.

I did buy this mostly for The Yellow Wall-Paper, which is one of my favourite short stories and gave it a 5 ⭐️! But the overall average is just a 2.5.

[Cordelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the variety in this! And feel bad for all the slander I have made against Mary Shelly over the years…

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read over spooky season! A couple of less memorable stories but otherwise a really nice little collection with a couple of genuinely unsettling tales!

[Carley Batley · Rating 5 out of 5]

gimme all the classic spookies you've got

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agree with most other reviews: some less memorable stories in my opinion but overall a solid collection and some great new finds!

[Char · Rating 3 out of 5]

rating based on the stories I did NOT know (so all except usher, the yellow wallpaper, sleeping hollow) - really liked some, found some not very effective at all, would have included different ones!