Great American Ghost Stories

Great American Ghost Stories #1-2

by Frank D. McSherry Jr. (Editor), Charles G. Waugh (Editor), Nancy Varian Berberick (Contributor)

This terrifying anthology contains some of the best in American ghost stories, from some of the best American short fiction writers.

Includes:

"Double Vision," Mary Higgins Clark
"This is Death," Donald E. Westlake
"Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes," Harlan Ellison
"Little Jimmy," Lester del Rey
"Poor Little Saturday," Madeleine L'Engle
"On 202," Jeff Hecht
"Ransom Cowl Walks the Road," Nancy Varian Berberick
"School for the Unspeakable," Manly Wade Wellman
"The Stormsong Runner," Jack L. Chalker
"Harry's Ghost," Talmage Powell
"Herbert West--Reanimator," H.P. Lovecraft
"Caller in the Night," Burton Kline
"Professor Kate," Margarte St. Clair
"The Guns of William Longley," Donald Hamilton
"Clay-Shuttered Doors," Helen R. Hull
"The Stranger," Ambrose Bierce
"Night-Side," Joyce Carol Oates
"Drawer 14," Talmage Powell
"The Jest of Warburg Tantavul," Seabury Quinn
"One of the Dead," William Wood
"Emmett," Dahlov Ipcar
"Night Court," Mary Elizabeth Counselman
"The Boarded Window," Ambrose Bierce
"The Ghosts of Steamboat Coulee," Arthur J. Burks
"He Walked by Day," Julius Long
The Phantom Farmhouse," Seabury Quinn
"Stillwater, 1896," Michael Cassutt
"Ride the Thunder," Jack Cady
"The Resting Place," Oliver LaFarge

Genres: Paranormal, Horror, Short Stories, Fiction

505 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Theresa Leone Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of the ghost stories is markedly different from the others, the biggest plus to this book. And while I have read a few of Mary Higgins Clark's novels, I find them to be light, with nothing meaningful or lasting, nothing that I will recall about any of them in the future. It is unfortunate that they gave her the lead story but I suppose she has the name recognition. Her story is like her novels, just ok, but there are much better ones by other authors. The two I liked most were Donald E. Westlake's story, 'This Is Death,' depressing but one that really stays with you, and Jack L. Chalker's story, 'The Stormsong Runner.' Stories by Nancy Varian Berberick and Manly Wade Wellman were perhaps the creepiest. If you like the genre, I'd definitely recommend this collection.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once upon a time I really loved to read scary stories -- the kind that would keep you awake at night because you'd scared yourself silly. This book really wasn't that. It had some great ghost stories in it, and some fantastic writers, but not very many were the kind to scare you -- though some did make you think....Little Jimmy by Lester Del Ray was especially good. My other favorite story in the bunch was Poor Little Saturday by Madeline L'Engle (I think its time to pick up A Wrinkle in Time again...)

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A number of the stories included in this book I did like, but there were some that were just plain bizarre or really boring...something I wasn't expecting because the authors of the stories are some of the best known in the horror genre.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were awesome...and some were definitely NOT. That about evens out to three stars I think :).

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories were enjoyable and others seemed to be rambling and were difficult to follow

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Snooze Fest. REAL liberal use of the the word "Great" in that title there Mr. McSherry.