Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century’s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.”—Stephen King“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”—H.P. LovecraftThis is the collection that true fans of horror fiction must have: sixteen of H.P. Lovecraft’s most horrifying visions, including:The Call of Cthulu: The first story in the infamous Cthulhu mythos—a creature spawned in the stars brings a menace of unimaginable evil to threaten all mankind.The Dunwich Horror: An evil man’s desire to perform an unspeakable ritual leads him in search of the fabled text of The Necronomicon.The Colour Out of Space: A horror from the skies—far worse than any nuclear fallout—transforms a man into a monster.The Shadow Over Innsmouth: Rising from the depths of the sea, an unspeakable horror engulfs a quiet New England town.Plus twelve more terrifying tales!

    It is not just that Chekhov democratized this art form; more than that, he changed the thrust of short fiction from relating to revealing. And what marvelous and unbearable things are revealed in these Forty Stories. The abashed happiness of a woman in the presence of the husband who abandoned her years before. The obsequious terror of the official who accidentally sneezes on a general. The poignant astonishment of an aging Don Juan overtaken by love. Spanning the entirety of Chekhov's career and including such masterpieces as "Surgery," "The Huntsman," "Anyuta," "Sleepyhead," "The Lady With the Pet Dog," and "The Bishop," this collection manages to be amusing, dazzling, and supremely moving—often within a single page.Contains:The Little ApplesSt. Peter's DayGreen ScytheJoyThe NinnyThe Highest HeightsDeath of a Government ClerkAt the Post OfficeSurgeryIn the CemeteryWhere There's a Will, There's a WayA ReportThe ThreatThe HuntsmanThe MalefactorA Dead BodySergeant PrishibeyevA BlunderHeartacheAnyutaThe ProposalVankaWho Is to Blame?TyphusSleepyheadThe PrincessGusevThe Peasant WomenAfter the TheaterA FragmentIn ExileBig Volodya and Little VolodyaThe StudentAnnie Round the NeckThe House with the MezzanineIn the HorsecartOn LoveThe Lady with the Pet DogThe BishopThe Bride

    In his wanderings, John encounters a parade of benighted forest creatures, mountain spirits, and shapeless horrors from the void of history with only his enduring spirit, playful wit, and the magic of his guitar to preserve him. Manly Wade Wellman's Silver John is one of the most beloved figures in fantasy, a true American folk hero of the literary age. For the first time the "Planet Stories" edition of "Who Fears the Devil?" collects all of John's adventures published throughout Wellman's life, including two stories about John before he got his silver-stringed guitar that have never previously appeared in a Silver John collection. Lost, out of print, or buried in expensive hardcover editions, the seminal, unforgettable tales of "Who Fears the Devil?" stand ready for a new generation ready to continue the folk tradition of Silver John!

    Typical targets of Zoshchenko's satire are the Soviet bureaucracy, crowded conditions in communal apartments, marital infidelities and the rapid turnover in marriage partners, and "the petty-bourgeois mode of life, with its adulterous episodes, lying, and similar nonsense." His devices are farcical complications, satiric understatement, humorous anachronisms, and an ironic contrast between high-flown sentiments and the down-to-earth reality of mercenary instincts.Zoshchenko's sharp and original satire offers a marvelous window on Russian life in the 20s and 30s.

    Serling's legendary television series The Twilight Zone consistently demonstrated his remarkable gift for storytelling. In the years that have followed, millions have experienced and remembered these timeless scenarios, now airing regularly on the Sci-Fi Channel.These haunting stories by the fabled creator, producer, and series host were the basis for some of the most celebrated, eerie programs ever seen on the home screen. In this collector's edition, compiled from three previously published volumes, we rediscover the brilliance of these beautifully turned, inspired stories by a uniquely American writer.Rod Serling continues to leave us spellbound with his imaginative and unsettling tales.

    THE STRANGEST MANHUNT IN INTERSTELLAR HISTORY: when the three mutated men known as The Furies searched across the galaxy for Victor Corgo, captain of the Wallaby, ex-hero of Interstel, now traitor to mankind.THE PARTY THAT LASTED FOREVER: where the ultra-rich members of "The Set" reveled for a night, then slept for years, then partied again, and slept again...and all the while they traveled into a more and more alien future in which they were increasingly lost.THE LEVIATHAN OF VENUS: which had destroyed every Earth expedition sent to capture it...but still one man had to risk his life in a final desperate attempt.THE LAST OF THE ANCIENT MARTIANS: who was an awesomely lovely girl with a mission she could not fulfill...and a secret for the future...Here are four great stories of wonder and adventure, beauty and danger in the stars, by today's most exciting writer of science fiction.Four novelettes including:The FuriesThe Graveyard HeartThe Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His MouthA Rose for Ecclesiastes Introduction by Theodore Sturgeon.

    Rod Serling, an award-winning writer of television dramas, was the creator and host--and wrote more than 90 of the 156 episodes. The series has since been shown around the world and the title is now a part of pop culture lore. Serling adapted 19 of his favorite teleplays into short stories, first published as a trio of paperback originals. The Twilight Zone: Complete Stories is a hardcover omnibus collection that includes all 19 stories and a historical introduction.

    You meet a souvenir hunter in the Thirtieth Century and a schoolgirl who tries to cope with the teaching methods of the Twenty-second Century. You share the terror of an astronaut in a “haunted” space suit and the dilemma of a wife whose husband knows a common chemical formula for destroying the earth. In short, you feel the impact, the originality, and the uncanny atmosphere created by these science fiction experts not once—but 50 times.Fifty Short Science Fiction Tales have been selected for their concise writing, and for punch lines that leave the reader “surprised, shocked, and delighted at the final sentence.” According to the editors, another important aspect of this literary form is “evocation of a background differing from our own.” Consequently, though some of the stories are just a page long, the reading experience is always excitingly unique.Ballade of an artificial satellite / Paul Anderson --Fun they had / Isaac Astimov --Men are differenct / Alan Bloch --Ambassadors / Anthoy Boucher --Weapon / Fredric Brown --Random sample / T.P. Caravan --Oscar / Cleve Cartmill --Mist / Peter Cartur --Teething ring / James Causey --Haunted space suit / Arthur C. Clarke --Stair Trick / Mildred Clingerman --Unwelcome tenant / Roger Dee --Mathematicians / Arthur Feldman --Third level / Jack Finney --Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! / Stuart Friedman --Figure / Edward Grendon --Rag thing / David Grinnell --Good provider / Marion Gross --Columbus was a dope / Robert A. Heinlein --Texas Week / Albert Hernhuter --Hilda / H.B. Hickey --Choice / W. Hilton-Young --Not with a bang / Damon Knight --Altar at midnight / C.M. Kornbluth --Bad day for sales / Fritz Leiber --Who's cribbing? Jack Lewis --Spectator sport / John D. MacDonald --Cricket ball / Avro Manhattan --Double-take / Winston K. Marks --Prolog / John P. McKnight --Available data on the worp reaction / Lion Miller --Narapoia / Alan Nelson --Tiger by the tail / Alan E. Nourse --Counter charm / Peter Phillips --Fly / Arthur Porges --Business, as usual / Mack Reynolds --Two weeks in August / Frank M. Robinson --See? / Edward G. Robles, Jr. --Appointment at noon / Eric Frank Russell --We don't want any trouble / James H. Schmitz --Built down logically / Howard Schoenfeld --Egg a month from all over / Idris Seabright --Perfect woman / Robert Sheckley --Hunters / Walt Sheldon --Martian and the magician / Evelyn E. Smith --Barney / Will Stanton --Talent / Theodore Sturgeon --Project hush / Willian Tenn --Great judge / A.E. Van Vogt --Emergency landing / Ralph Williams --Obviously suicide / S. Fowler Wright --Postlude --Six Haiku / Karen Anderson

    He stayed for weeks but the Minor Canon finally had to try to make it leave. Illustrated.

    T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822) was perhaps one of the two or three greatest of all writers of fantasy. His wonderful tales, translated into many languages and adapted into numerous stage works, have delighted readers for a century and a half. They open our eyes to an extraordinary world of fantasy, poetry, and the supernatural. Remarkable characters come vividly to life. With exciting speed, Hoffmann moves from the firm ground of reality to ambiguity, mystery, and romance. His imaginativeness is unsurpassed, and his handling of allegory, symbolism, and mysticism is unusually skillful. These qualities make his tales some of the most stimulating and enjoyable in the world's literature. They can be read on many levels of enjoyment; as exciting fiction brilliantly told, as a fascinating statement of many of the major concerns of the Romantic era, and as a culmination of German Romantic literature. This collection contains ten of his best tales: "The Golden Flower Pot," "Automata," "A New Year's Eve Adventure," "Nutcracker and the King of Mice," "The Sand-Man," "Rath Krespel," "Tobias Martin, Master Cooper, and His Men," "The Mines of Falun," "Signor Formica," and "The King's Betrothed."

    This collection of light fantastic stories will fill you with nostalgia for the older, gentler ways; and happily, it will assure you that some of those ways are still around.

    Tales of shock and suspense, of strange twists hidden in a shadow world of fear.Contents:The Birds - Daphne du MaurierOf Missing Persons - Jack FinneyMidnight Blue - John CollierFlowers for Algernon - Daniel KeyesTaste - Roald DahlTwo Bottles of Relish - Lord DunsanyCharles - Shirley JacksonContents of a Dead Man's Pockets - Jack FinneyThe Perfectionist - Margaret St. Clair

    10 Stories of Ghosts, Haunts, Spooks, Spells and Witchcraft for Young PeopleThese ten stories, written by an expert in the art of the strange, the spooky, and the suspenseful, will give you hours of pleasantly shivery reading -- mixed with chuckles to relieve the tension.

    Then, from every side, from under leaves and from behind rocks, creatures began to appear.To begin with, all the creatures were rather alike - they had no idea what they were going to become. Some wanted to become lions, so they practised being lions. But other creatures - including the whale, the elephant, the cat and the donkey - came about in different ways.There are eleven animal stories in this collection for younger children to enjoy. They are particularly suitable for reading aloud and Ted Hughes himself read them to his own children when they were young.Ted Hughes' classic text is accompanied by the beautiful illustrations of Jackie Morris to bring a lyrical and witty version of the creation myths.

    

    Then there is another kind of person who goes even further, and he says that the stories I tell are all stories that he has heard before, somewhere, long ago he can’t remember when, exactly, but somewhere at the back of his mind he knows that it is not a new story. I have heard that remark passed quite often which is not surprising, seeing that I really don’t know any new stories. But the funny part of it is that these very people will come around, say, ten years later, and ask me to tell them another story. And they will say, then, because of what they have learnt of life in between, that the older the better (Oom Schalk Lourens, The Selon’s Rose). This revised edition of Unto Dust gathers Oom Schalk’s last tales and concludes the sequence begun in Mafeking Road and continued in Seed-time and Harvest. It includes famous stories (Unto Dust, Funeral Earth,The Traitor’s Wife), two previously unpublished ones (Bush Telegraph and Tryst by the Vaal) and others previously uncollected and barely known. Vintage Bosman at his most masterly, written in an intense last period. Edited from original versions, with an introduction and notes on the texts.

    published by the Berkley Pub. Corp., New York.Stories Included:1. No, No, Not Rogov!2. The Lady Who Sailed The Soul3. Scanners Live In Vain4. The Game Of Rat And Dragon5. The Burning Of The Brain6. Golden The Ship Was - Oh! Oh! Oh!7. Alpha Ralpha Boulevard8. Mark Elf

    The new foreword by her son. Karl Kroeber, provides context about the author's methods and describes his own personal connection to the stories themselves.

    What might those intrepid explorers of the solar system and beyond encounter? Here are the speculations, some terrifying, some delightful, all thought-provoking, by science fiction's greatest writers.Lester del Rey: The Wings of NightJerome Bixby: The Holes Around MarsRay Bradbury: KaleidoscopeJack Vance: I'll Build Your Dream CastleA.E. Van Vogt: Far CentaurusMurray Leinster: ProgagandistDamon Knight: Cabin BoyArthur C. Clarke: A Walk in the DarkIsaac Asimov: Blind AlleyPoul Anderson: The Helping HandEric Frank Russell: Allamagoosa

    Tertz's settings are exotic but familiar and as compelling as those of lunatics and mystics. This edition contains the nightmarish "Pkhentz," a story missing from the first English edition.

    The ultimate possibility—that life exists beyond earth—is no longer a fantasy but the subject of scientific experimentation. Humans and extraterrestrial beings may be making CONTACT today—certainly tomorrow.The first, explosive, grappling instant of encounter between Man and Alien is the subject of this extraordinary journey of man's imagination into the unknown, by the masters of Science Fiction.Contents:Introduction • essay by Noel Keyes First Contact • (1945) • novelette by Murray Leinster Intelligence Test • (1953) • short story by Harry Walton The Large Ant • (1960) • short story by Howard Fast What's He Doing in There? • (1957) • short story by Fritz Leiber Chemical Plant • (1950) • short story by Ian Williamson Limiting Factor • (1949) • shortstory by Clifford D. Simak The Fire Balloons • (1951) • short story by Ray Bradbury Invasion from Mars • (1938) • short fiction by Howard Koch The Gentle Vultures • (1957) • short story by Isaac Asimov Knock • (1948) • short story by Fredric Brown Specialist • (1953) • short story by Robert Sheckley Lost Memory • (1952) • short story by Howard Browne (as by Peter Phillips)

    T. A. Hoffmann dwelt in the realm of "things that seem to not exist but live just the same." The truth of these words of Balzac's about Germany's greatest Romantic storyteller is confirmed by all five tales in this volume, each representing a different facet of Hoffmann's genius, yet bearing its unmistakable signature.The impact of these stories is all the more stunning because they are variations on a single theme: the pursuit of a man by a dark fate he nurtures within himself. Long before the advent of psychoanalysis, Hoffmann was aware of the threat of eruption from the unconscious. The weird lands he explores lie within ourselves.The SandmanOne of the tales selected by Offenbach for his opera Tales of Hoffmann. Nathanael, presented in childhood with a gruesome picture of the "bringer of sleep," flees all his life from a man who wants his eyes.Mademoiselle de ScuderyIn which a victim of split personality baffles the police of 17th century France.Datura FastuosaOf the awful consequences of repression and a mother fixation.The King's BrideSuch delightful whimsy! Yet it does not spare us an encounter with the more dubious aspects of ourselves.Gambler's LuckA suggestion of Edgar Allan Poe and perhaps Robert Louis Stevenson, and is there a touch of O. Henry?

    Collection of short stories.

    

    Valentine; Sashka the Christ; The song; The kiss; Zamostye; Theory and practice of the cart; The death of Dolgushov; Prishchepa; Matvei Pavlichenko's autobiography; Konkin; Troop Leader Trunov; The remount quartermaster; The widow --Afterward:Karl-Yankel; The end of the almshouse; You missed the point, Captain; Rue Dante; The trial; Oil.

    Represented in this anthology are a number of practicing physicians -- including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (M.D.!) -- as well as such well-known science fictioneers as Arthur C. Clarke, C.M. Kornbluth, and Murray Leinster, and such classical writers as Poe and Hawthorne. Some of the stories ("The Man Without an Appetite" and "Family Resemblance") are lighthearted. Some ("The Little Black Bag" and "A Matter of Ethics") are biting. Some ("Rappacini's Daughter" and "The Brothers") are ghoulish. All are compelling, and all project a sometimes titillating, sometimes macabre, but always incisive view of the far-out worlds of medicine. The editors prescribe this collection for the fun of it: to relax tensions and expand the imagination. But if you come across some provacative, serious ideas, don't be startled -- science fiction is full of such intriguing surprises.CONTENTS:The Man Without an Appetite by Miles J. BreuerOut of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting by Arthur C. ClarkeThe Brothers by Clifton Dance, Jr.The Great Keinpatz Experiment by Arthur Conan DoyleCompound B by David Harold FinkRappacini's Daughter by Nathaniel HawthorneThe Psychophonic Nurse by David H. KellerThe Little Black Bag by C.M. KornbluthRibbon in the Sky by Murray LeinsterMate in Two Moves by Winston K. MarksBedside Manner by William MorrisonThe Shopdropper by Alan NelsonFamily Resemblance by Alan E. NourseFacts in the Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan PoeEmergency Operation by Arthuer PorgesA Matter of Ethics by J.R. ShangoBolden's Pets by F.L. WallaceExpedition Mercy by J.A. Winter

    Henry's stories about New York City -- the best of which are included in The Four Million -- are his most famous.A master of the surprise ending, the short story knew a rebirth with his fertile pen.

    It has also appeared in Jack Vance's collections Green Magic (Underwood-Miller, 1979) and The Narrow Land (DAW, 1982).

    A collection of short fiction by the acclaimed author of Can't Quit You, Baby, in a new edition enhanced with fourteen illustrations by an artist who has grasped the subtle issues in these four stories that explore the intimacy and estrangement between the races in the American South

    Tyrone, Benedict Kiely has for many years been one of Ireland's leading men-of-letters. Critic, travel-writer, biographer, author of many distinguished novels, broadcaster — but it is as a short story writer that he has made an international reputation.His first collection, A Journey to the Seven Streams, has been out of print since shortly after its publication in 1963, and this selection from it makes available again many of the short stories which securely placed Benedict Kiely alongside the great Irish masters of the form.

    There are, for example, stories of cats: a magic cat who tests an old man's goodness of heart, and rewards him; and an ordinary mother cat who goes adventuring with her kittens in a box-boat, and has to bring up a strange baby with long ears. There are stories of children: the kind who make friends with an acorn-man in the forest, or dance with mist-children on a lonely island; and the more ordinary kind who go to the seaside and lose their shoes in the sand.There is also a story about an Ugsome Thing - and Antony Maitland, the illustrator of these tales and holder of the Kate Grenaway Medal for children's book illustration, is the only living authority on what an Ugsome Thing really looks like.

    DanielsA kind of murder / Hugh PentecostBy the scruff of the soul / Dorothy Salisbury DavisJustice has a high price / Pat McGerrIntroducing Ellery's mom / Margaret AustinIn the confessional / Alice Scanlan ReachThe grandest game in the world / John Dickson CarrStop me if you've heard this one / Ring LardnerThe other shoe / Charlotte ArmstrongMonday is a quiet place / Marjorie CarletonRevolver / Avram DavidsonWhat happened in Act One / William BankierThe people across the canyon / Margaret MillarThe terrapin / Patricia HighsmithThe most wanted man in the world / Youngman CarterThe Pegasus pilfer / H.C. NealThe stock market detective / James M. UllmanMurder under the mistletoe / Margery AllinghamDarl I luv u / Joe Gores

    "Matryona's House" is the tale of an old peasant woman, whose tenacious struggle against cold, hunger, and greedy relatives is described by a young man who only understands her after her death.

    In fact, any student in college taking a course in the history of the West or even in a general history of the United States should be required to read Dick's book; and when once the student had sniffed its atmosphere, the required would no longer be necessary."-Georgia Historical Quarterly "An entertaining and comprehensive collection. . . . The reader is sure to put Dick's book down with a fresh realization of the vigor, adventure, humor, tragedy, and endeavor that went into the development of our western country."-Annals of Wyoming

    

    As Mrs. Hornblow and Mr. Cerf say in their introduction, "It is a mixed bag of offerings, reflecting first, the often contrasting tastes of a woman and a man; second, the determination of two editors who not only have read, but have compiled some very-little-known stories by writers just making their mark. Backing them are a few older special favorites by standbys that, in four cases at least, were never allowed to be reprinted in anthologies before... The editors of this anthology will be particularly grateful if the reader discovers in its pages a few new authors whose work he will care to follow further in days to come."