Deadly Nightshade: 17 Strange Tales of the Dark

by Peter Haining (Editor, Introduction), M.R. James (Contributor), Saki (Contributor)

Worn dust jacket has a torn corner, page edges tanned. Shipped from the U.K. All orders received before 3pm sent that weekday.

Genres: Horror, Ghosts, Fiction, Short Stories

189 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1978

About the author

Peter Alexander Haining was an English journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk. Born in Enfield, Middlesex, he began his career as a reporter in Essex and then moved to London where he worked on a trade magazine before joining the publishing house of New English Library.

Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.

In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).

He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.

Reviews

[Shawn]

PLACEHOLDER REVIEWS

"The Dabblers" by William Fryer Harvey - a former British schoolteacher tells of the series of coincidental events that allowed him to know the true nature of a secretive, "secret society" among the schoolboys that made an appearance once a year, and performed actions both ceremonial and pagan. This is good - a nice little, contained yarn that ostensibly is about nothing of importance but still leaves a sense of unease.

[Anabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most stories were good. Others like The Dabblers, Silent Snow Secret Snow were too dull.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOTTOM LINE: Another of his superb collections, this features scary children, and the majority of the stories are creepy - and excellent.

Haining was one of the best anthologists of the 1960s and 70s, and this collection is no exception, being a nicely balanced batch of weird tales, each with an intriguing paragraph by him explaining, or introducing an author or idea. The best, IMO, are “The Thing in the Cellar”, David H. Keller; “The Doll’s Ghost”, Francis Marion Crawford; the grisly “October Game”, Ray Bradbury; and a lovely pair by the Aikens, the gently weird “Looking Glass Tree” by daughter Joan, and the classic - but still powerful - “Secret Snow, Slient Snow”, by father Conrad Aiken.

“Snow” is, IMO, one of the very best depictions of autism or psychotic withdrawal, that I’ve ever read - possibly that’s why it resonates so powerfully even after multiple rereads and many years. Sadly, the published dates aren’t available in this volume (Haining’s only defect), but I believe it was written in the 1950s.

Conrad Aiken, “Silent Snow, Secret Snow”
— still brilliantly scary classic, about a lost boy
Joan Aiken, “The Looking Glass Tree”
— witches, wizards, cats and wolves, a village fair, all weirdly wonderful
Algernon Blackwood, “The Attic”
— sentimentally scary French Victoriana, about a dead child and a cat
Robert Bloch, “Sweets to the Sweet”
— which witch is which?
Anthony Boucher, “Mr Lupescu”
— a murder plot goes awry when an invisible playmate joins in, classic
Ray Bradbury, “The October Game”
— an unforgettable Halloween party - grisly gem, with lots of scary hints
Francis Marion Crawford, “The Doll’s Ghost”
— wonderful Victoriana, sadly sweet
August Derleth, “Twilight Play”
— invisible playmates can be deadly
W.F. Harvey, “The Dabblers”
— school isn’t for the faint of heart
M.R. James, “Lost Hearts”
— another nicely calibrated creeper from a Master, about an orphan
David H. Keller, “The Thing in the Cellar”
— superb classic, carefully gauged, you know what’s coming but...
Greye La Spina, “The Tortoise-Shell Cat”
— predictable but smooth, tale of possession
Alfred Noyes, “Midnight Express”
— a haunted book leads a man to... (very old-fashioned style)
Saki (H.H. Munro), “Gabriel-Ernest”
— beasts of the night, oddly compelling
William Tenn, “The Human Angle”
— never trust a child
Mark Van Doren, “The Witch of Ramoth”
— scary - and cold - tale of a walk home
H.R. Wakefield, “The Nurse’s Tale”
— classic early 19th century spooker about a cursed family

[Tracy Auerbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book horrified me as a child!