This new Library of America set collects the best horror stories of the past couple hundred years. VOLUME ONE features Irving, Poe, Hawthorne, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Ambrose Bierce, Stephen Crane, Willa Cather, Conrad Aiken, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Robert Bloch, and other classic contributors to Weird Tales are well represented. In VOLUME 2, Shirley Jackson, Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Stephen King, Steven Millhauser, and Thomas Ligotti represent the changing of the guard. Classics like Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream,” Tim Powers’ “Pat Moore,” John Collier’s “Evening Primrose,” Fritz Leiber’s “Smoke Ghost,” Tennessee Williams’ “The Mysteries of the Joy Rio,” Davis Grubb’s “Where the Woodbine Twineth,” Richard Matheson’s “Prey,” John Cheever’s “Torch Song,” and Shirley Jackson’s unforgettable “The Daemon Lover” are included in this volume’s 42 stories. I don’t think you can go wrong owning these wonderful books! GRADE: A
I know he lived in California for many years, but does the intensely British John Collier count as an American?
Like Henry James (American who became a Brit) and W. H. Auden (a Brit who became an American), these nationality issues are thorny, Drongo. Peter Straub is claiming John Collier for Our Team so that’s good enough for me.
I’m a big fan of the Library of America – I’m finishing up the Raymond Carver volume at the moment – and if I had the room and unlimited funds I’d probably collect them all.
Thanks for telling us about this one.
I have most of the Library of America volumes, Jeff. I skipped AMERICAN SERMONS and a few others.
This looks brilliant. Someone sent me this yesterday. Maybe you’d find it interesting.
http://14theditch.livejournal.com/306792.html
Also did Amazon sent you a message saying the Horsley book is delayed. Or did you order it straight from Palgrave.
Amazon sent me the delay message, Patti. Great ghost story link!
I have many LoA volumes, and think they do a terrific job. I do pick and choose, though, and these will probably not make it to my shelves, mostly because tales of terror isn’t an area of interest for me. I also admit that there are quite a few of the 20 or so volumes on the shelves that are unread. Something else to “get around to one of these days”.
By the way, since all here sometimes comment on my blog, please note I have started putting my replies to comments below the text of the actual comment, rather than making a separate comment. So if you want to see my reply to your comment – if I’ve made one – you need to open the comments.
Like you, I pick and choose LOA volumes, Rick. And, the volumes I don’t buy when they’re published, I sometimes pick up when BORDERS or B&N remainder them.