A Treasury of American Horror Stories

by Frank D. McSherry Jr. (Editor, Introduction), Michael Shea, Robert Arthur

CONTENTS

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge · Ambrose Bierce ·
Lost Face · Jack London ·
Being · Richard Matheson ·
One Happy Family · John S. McFarland ·
A Return to the Sabbath · Robert Bloch ·
The Autopsy · Michael Shea ·
The Believers · Robert Arthur ·
A Teacher’s Rewards · Robert S. Phillips ·
Chico Lafleur Talks Funny · Suzette Haden Elgin ·
The Legend of Joe Lee · John D. MacDonald ·
Seventh Sister · Mary Elizabeth Counselman ·
The Isle of Voices · Robert Louis Stevenson ·
One Man’s Harp · Babette Rosmond ·
Cannibalism in the Cars · Mark Twain ·
The Smell of Cherries · Jeffrey Goddin ·
Away · Barry N. Malzberg ·
Twilla · Tom Reamy ·
His Name Was Not Forgotten · Joel Townsley Rogers ·
Désirée’s Child · Kate Chopin ·
The Children of Noah · Richard Matheson ·
2The Man Who Collected Poe · Robert Bloch ·
Pickman’s Model · H. P. Lovecraft ·
The Screwfly Solution [as by Raccoona Sheldon] · James Tiptree, Jr. ·
The Unpleasantness at Carver House · Carl Jacobi ·
Mute Milton · Harry Harrison ·
Dumb Supper · Henderson Starke ·
Lonely Train a’ Comin’ [“The Train”] · William F. Nolan ·
Children of the Corn · Stephen King ·
Legal Rites [Pohl as James MacCreigh] · Isaac Asimov & Frederik Pohl ·
The Devil and Daniel Webster · Stephen Vincent Benét ·
The Master of the Hounds · Algis Budrys ·
The Devil of the Picuris · Edwin L. Sabin ·
The Garrison [as by David Grinnell] · Donald A. Wollheim ·
The Desrick on Yandro [John] · Manly Wade Wellman ·
Shaggy Vengeance · Robert Adams ·
The Horsehair Trunk · Davis Grubb ·
The Curse of Yig · Zealia Brown Reed Bishop ·
Peekaboo · Bill Pronzini ·
Bird of Prey · Nelson S. Bond ·
The Haunter of the Dark · H. P. Lovecraft ·
Song of the Slaves · Manly Wade Wellman ·
The Eagle-Claw Rattle · Ardath Mayhar ·
Our Town · Jerome Bixby ·
Perverts · Whitley Strieber ·
The Goddess of Zion · David H. Keller, M.D. ·
Alannah [as by Stephen Grendon] · August Derleth ·
His Coat So Gay [Brigadier Ffellowes] · Sterling E. Lanier ·
Bigfish · Edward D. Hoch · ss *
Lonely Road · Richard Wilson ·
Beyond the Threshold · August Derleth ·
The Monster of Lake LaMetrie · Wardon Allan Curtis

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Horror Thriller, Short Story Collection

670 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Laurin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book in probably 1991 on the discount shelf at a local bookstore. It is easily my favorite collection of horror stories, and I have either lent it or recommended it to nearly everyone I know who enjoys the horror genre. But I love this book so much I always make sure I get it back when I lend it out!

There is one story for each state in the U.S. and something from 50 different authors including H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Richard Matheson and Stephen King, off the top of my head. I have read it several times and enjoy it each time.

[Mark Lukens · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite collection of horror stories of all time.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally, when I had set down to transcribe my new year's resolutions from thought to paper; I had no intention of including this book in my 2005 reading list. Not because it is a "bad" or poorly written book or even the fact that it was published when I was only six years old. No, the primary reason was that I had read this book in spurts about a dozen times between 1988 and 1992, as it was the first "grown-up" book I had ever purchased and taken an interest in.

It was only while sifting through some items we have boxed up in storage, while my wife and I wait for our house to be built, that I stumbled across this long forgotten text. The cover alone, a take on the "American Gothic" painting was enough to send chills up my spine when I first read this book, a time when I still had the pleasure of attending recess daily and drinking chocolate milk straight out of a half-pint cardboard container.

As I flipped through the table of contents I was reminded of how many renowned writers work had been republished in this anthology. Names like King, Twain, Bradbury and Lovecraft jumped out at me and demanded that I give these yellowed pages another look. Some of the stories were captivating, like "Twilla" and "Smells Like Cherries" while others fell flat. This anthology served to remind me that not all horror and mystery tales need to rely upon blood and gore, sometimes true terror rests in the subtle details, an important lesson for many writers. For the horror aficionado, this book is a must read and horror writers should consider it a guidebook for what makes and breaks in the genre.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read all the stories yet, but my favorite so far is Twila. So freaky!

[Chr*s Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure anymore how this one found its way into my collection - I think it was a Friends sale back in the pre-college years because I know I first started reading it October 2015, my freshman year in college. I would read one story per day, from the 1st to the 31st, in order of statehood rather than the alphabetical order the book places the states in, and I think I held to that for the entire month. Then I put it back on my shelf, 20 stories unread (the 50 states plus D.C. are each represented here) and didn't bother with it again till now. And was I missing anything? It's hard to say. This is very much a collection of stories one wouldn't be as likely to find together post-1980s; as far as I can tell, there are no authors of any race beside white and only a handful of female writers; it doesn't seem like any attempt at diversity of perspectives was made. Moreover, a good handful of stories touch on themes of enslaved persons and violence against Native Americans and almost all come off as patronizing at best; there's at least three too many stories where the "horror" relies on attacks by "savages" and nothing else. Furthermore, "horror" is a loose term here - none of the stories are really scary per se (then again, I rarely find written stories to be that scary, so that may just be a me thing), and although some definitely fit the genre, at least a fourth run to the severity level of generic ghost stories or less. There's a few gems, sure ("The Screwfly Solution" and "His Coat So Gay" chief among them), but all said, it's a bit more miss than hit, at least for my tastes. 2.5 stars, rounded up for the sake of the season.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book last year for some seasonal Halloween cheer, then mostly ignored it once the season passed. It is full of great short stories and a few that you may be glad are short. There is a story for each of the United States and one for DC.

Here are my favorites:
Arizona-Being
Arkansas-One Happy Family
California-A Return to the Sabbath
Colorado-Autopsy
Connecticut-The Believers
Idaho-One Man's Harp
Kansas-Twila
Maine-Children of Noah
Massachusetts-Pickman's Model
Michigan-Screwfly Solution
NJ-Master of the Hounds
Rhode Island-Haunter of the Dark
Texas-Perverts *(this only is adults only)
West Virginia-Lonely Road
Wisconsin-Beyond the Threshhold

I decided not to specify what each story is about, because in short stories, not knowing is often what makes it so good.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old fashioned horror. Some stories were just so-so but some I really enjoyed. The writing was excellent in either case. It has held up over time, but then there are quite a few masters of the genre represented here so that isn't surprising. This was a great book to pick up every once in awhile in between reading others. Glad I grabbed it at a garage sale all those years ago!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very good stories, but also some very dated stories. An interesting mix, glad I read it.

[Bobbi Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at American horror. Everyone from Ambrose Bierce to Stephen King is here. Be forewarned, though. Despite having three editors, this collection has typos on almost every page.

[dejah_thoris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story collection is definitely a mixed bag of horror stories from both the greats and the fairly unknowns with each story connected to one of the 50 states (plus D.C.). Before I get into those tales that stuck with me long after I finished them, I want to note two problems with the first edition copy I own. 1) This book is RIDDLED with typos. My father made some attempts to correct the obvious ones but they are overwhelmingly distracting in their quantity and varied appearance. 2) The paper chosen for this book is cheap, browned quickly, and has a strong odor. Don't get me wrong, I usually enjoy "old book smell" but cracking this one opens a rush of odor without having to get anywhere near the spine.

That noted, the following stories stuck with me.

"Seventh Sister" by Mary Elizabeth Counselman.

"Cannibalism in the Cars" by Mark Twain. (VERY GOOD!!)

"The Man Who Collected Poe" by Robert Bloch (Probably because I want the collector's library and materials.)

"Dumb Supper" by Henderson Starke (Spooky, never going to do my own.)

"Lonely Train A'Comin'" by William F. Nolan (Incredible imagery.)

"Children of the Corn" by Stephen King (Duh. All the details and subtlety truly evoke terror like no other master. Worth re-reading.)

"Lonely Road" by Richard Wilson (I don't think I'd be able to avoid panicking if everyone else disappeared one night.)

[Hex · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some truly incredible stories in this anthology... and some that are best described as "meh". There are also a few tales that make absolutely no sense whatsoever and leave one to wonder just what substance the author was imbibing when they wrote the piece. There are many great writers featured in this book, so it should be an amazing collection. Unfortunately, it's mediocre at best. If you happen upon this book at a used book sale, it's worth a couple bucks, but I can't see it as a permanent fixture in anyone's horror collection and to pay list price for this anthology would be the most horrifying thing about it.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wildly uneven collection. It ranges from the excellent (Pickman's Model by HP Lovecraft, Children of the Corn by Stephen King) to the mediocre, to the "Why is this @#^& story even here?? It's awful!". Not to mention that the "Georgia" story would be good if it wasn't so incredibly racist. Yes, yes, it was published in 1943, but the anthology was put together in the '80's, so there is NO EXCUSE for using the word "pickaninny" to describe anyone with a straight face.

Since I bought this book secondhand, I think I got my money's worth. However, a better idea would be to track this down at the library and only read the stories that are worth reading.