Twenty Years of Hugh Lamb Anthologies 1972-1992: Index by Author

An index to Hugh Lamb’s British anthologies, from 1972’s A Tide Of Terror through to 1992 and the Constable ‘best of’ that shares it’s name with the earlier (and better) Terror By Gaslight. I’ve omitted the single author collections and – controversially! – the Barry Pain-Robert Barr-Jerome K. Jerome shared-anthology, Stories In The Dark. That’s about it. You never know, it might come in useful.

From the dust-jacket of A Wave Of Fear: Photo: Bob Marchant

Twenty Years of Hugh Lamb Anthologies 1972-1992: Index by Author

Robert Aickman – The Fetch (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)
______________ Laura (Cold Fear, 1981)
Ken Alden – Justice Tresilian In The Tower (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)
______________ The Papal Magician (Cold Fear, 1981)
Grant Allen – The Beckoning Hand (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
______________ Pallinghurst Barrow (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ Wolverden Tower (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
Raymund Allen – The Black Knight (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Anon – The Dead Man Of Varley Grange (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
______________ The Golden Bracelet (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ The Mountain Of Spirits (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ The Weird Woman (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
Edwin Lester Arnold – A Dreadful Night (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)

J. G. Ballard – Now Wakes The Sea (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
J. K. Bangs – Ghosts That Have Haunted Me (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Mrs G. Linnaeus Banks – The Pride Of The Corbyns (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
S. Baring-Gould – A Dead Man’s Teeth (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
______________ Mustapha (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Nugent Barker – One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
Robert Barr – An Alpine Divorce (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
______________ The Hour And The Man (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ Purification (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
______________ The Vengeance Of The Dead (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
J. A. Barry – A Derelict (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
______________ The Red Warder Of The Reef (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
T. O. Beachcroft – The Eyes (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
A. C. Benson – Basil Netherby (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________The Closed Window (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
______________ Out Of The Sea (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ The Slype House (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ The Snake, The Leper And The Grey Frost (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
______________ The Uttermost Farthing (The Taste Of Fear, 1976) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
E. F. Benson – The Case Of Frank Hampden (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
______________ The Chippendale Mirror (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
______________ The Step (A Tide Of Terror, 1972) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
______________ The Thing In The Hall (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
______________ Wishing Well (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
R. H. Benson – Father Bianchi’s Story (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
______________ Father Brent’s Tale (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
______________ The Traveller (A Wave Of Fear, 1973) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
______________ The Watcher (Return From The Grave, 1976)
J. D. Beresford – The Late Occupier (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
Eddy C. Bertin – Composed Of Cobwebs (Return From The Grave, 1976)
Ambrose Bierce – A Bottomless Grave (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
______________ The Death Of Halpin Frayser (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
______________ My Favourite Murder (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
______________ One Summer Night (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
______________ A Resumed Identity (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________ Some Haunted Houses (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
______________The Way Of Ghosts (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
Charles Birkin – Dinner In A Private Room (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ The Happy Dancers (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ Marjorie’s On Starlight (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________ Some New Pleasures Prove (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
______________ Waiting For Trains (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
John Blackburn – Aunty Green (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ Dad (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ Drink To Me Only (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
______________ The Field Of Blood (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
______________- The Final Trick (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
Algernon Blackwood – Full Circle (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
Oswell Blakeston – The Fear From The Lake (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
______________ Snow Time (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ The Ultimate Thrill (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
Robert Bloch – Edifice Complex (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
______________ Untouchable (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
Guy Boothby – The Black Lady Of Brin-Tor (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
______________ Remorseless Vengeance (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ A Strange Goldfield (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Marjorie Bowen – Twilight (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
Elizabeth Braddon – The Mystery At Fernwood (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
Joseph Payne Brennan – On The Elevator (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
D. K. Broster – Clairvoyance (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
Rhoda Broughton – The Man with the Nose (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
______________ Nothing But The Truth (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
Valerie Bryusov – In The Mirror (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
Thomas Burke – Johnson Looked Back (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
Joy Burnett – “Calling Miss Marker” (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ Lot 87 (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
______________ Marlston Water (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
______________ Phantom Silhouette (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)

Ramsey Campbell – After The Queen (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ Ash (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
______________ Baby (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
______________ In The Bag (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ In The Shadows (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ Run Through (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
Bernard Capes – The Accursed Cordonnier (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
______________ The Black Reaper (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
______________ Dark Dignum (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
______________ An Eddy On The Floor (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ The Green Bottle (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ The Moon-Stricken (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
______________ The Vanishing House (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Robert W. Chambers – In The Court Of the Dragon (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
______________ The Messenger (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________ The Third Eye (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
______________ Un Peu D’Amour (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Georgina C. Clark – A Life-watch (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Adrian Cole – The Demon In The Stone (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ Midnight Hag (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)
W. Bourne Cooke – The Woman With A Candle (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Frederick Cowles – The Cavader Of Bishop Louis (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
______________ Death In The Well (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ Eyes For The Blind (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ The Horror Of Abbot’s Grange (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
______________ The House In The Forest (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ Punch And Judy (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
______________ Terrible Mrs. Green (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________ Three Shall Meet (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
John Keir Cross – Hands (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)

W. Carlton Dawe – Coolies (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
August Derleth – The Coffin Of Lissa (Return From The Grave, 1976)
Charles Dickens – The Black Veil (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
______________ The Drunkard’s Death (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
Ken Dickson – The Snorkel, The Starfish And The Salt, Salt Sea (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)
Lady Dilke – The Black Veil (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ The Serpent’s Head (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
______________ The Shrine Of Death (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
Dick Donovan – The Cave Of Blood (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
______________ The Corpse Light (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
______________The Doomed Man (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
______________ The Mystic Spell (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
______________ A Night Of Horror (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Lot No. 249 (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
Charles Duff – The Haunted Bungalow (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
______________ Murderers Corner (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
Alexandre Dumas – Marceau’s Prisoner (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)

A. Erskine Ellis – Compartment 1313A (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
______________The Life-Buoy (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
Erckmann-Chatrian – The Crab Spider (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
______________ The Invisible Eye (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
______________ The Man-Wolf (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
______________ The Murderer’s Violin (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
______________ The Three Souls (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)

Elizabeth Fancett – Baby Hate (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)
______________ A Strange And Awful Coincidence (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)
George Mandeville Fenn – Haunted by Spirits (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Les Freeman – Late (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
______________ Mind (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)

John Gawsworth – How It Happened (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
W. L. George – Waxworks (Return From The Grave, 1976)
Dorothea Gerard – My Nightmare (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Wirt Gerrare – The Dark Shadow (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
______________ Mysterious Maisie (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
Perceval Gibbon – The King Of The Baboons (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
R. Murray Gilchrist – The Basilisk (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
______________ Dame Inowslad (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ Roxana Runs Lunatick (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ The Return (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
______________ Witch-In-Grain (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)

H. Rider Haggard – Only A Dream (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
Robert Haining – An Emissary For The Devil (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ Montage Of Death (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ Sylow Springs (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)
______________ This House Is Evil (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
______________ The Wall (Return From The Grave, 1976)
Joel Chandler Harris – The Late Mr. Watkins Of Georgia (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
L. P. Hartley – Podolo (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
Lafcadio Hearn – Nightmare-Touch (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
______________ The Reconciliation (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
C. D. Heriot – The Trapdoor (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
E. and H. Heron – The Story of Baelbrow (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
William Hope Hodgson – From The Tideless Sea (The Taste Of Fear, 1976) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
______________ The Mystery Of The Derelict (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
______________ A Tropical Horror (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
______________ The Weed Men (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)

Eleanor Inglefield – The Music In The House (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ The Singing Stream (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)

Sir T. G. Jackson – The Lady Of Rosemount (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
M. R. James – The Experiment (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
______________ Twelve Medieval Ghost Stories (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
Jerome K. Jerome – The Haunted Mill (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
______________ The Woman Of The Saeter (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)

Rudyard Kipling – A Matter of Fact (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)

Perceval Landon – Mrs. Rivers’s Journal (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Andrew Lang – The House Of Strange Stories (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
Margery Lawrence – The Dogs Of Pemba (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
Warden Ledge – The Legion Of Evil (Return From The Grave, 1976)
J. S. Le Fanu – Madam Crowl’s Ghost (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
Maurice Level – Blue Eyes (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ In The Light Of The Red Lamp (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
______________ The Kennel (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
______________ The Test (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
S. Levett-Yates – The Devil’s Manuscript (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
L. A . Lewis – The Child (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________ The Meerschaum Pipe (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ The Tower Of Moab (Return From The Grave, 1976)
Jonas Lie – The Earth Draws (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
Lewis Lister – The Terror By Night (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Brian Lumley – In The Glow Zone (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ The Man Who Photographed Beardsley (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
______________ Snarker’s Son (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)

Charles J. Mansford – Maw-Sayah (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
H. B. Marriott-Watson – The Devil of the Marsh (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Richard Marsh – The Haunted Chair (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
______________ The Houseboat (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ The Mask (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
______________ A Psychological Experiment (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
Guy De Maupassant – The Mother Of Monsters (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
______________ The Tomb (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
T. H. McCormick – Morton (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)
L. T. Meade & Robert Eustace – The Mystery Of The Felwyn Tunnel (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Vivian Meik – A Honeymoon In Hate (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
Richard Middleton – The Wrong Turning (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
Bertram Mitford – The Sign Of The Spider (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
Mrs. Molesworth – Old Gervais (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
______________ The Shadow In The Moonlight (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
Frank Frankfort Moore – The Strange Story Of Northavon Priory (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Bassett Morgan – Laocoon (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
W. C. Morrow – His Unconquerable Enemy (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
______________ The Permanent Stiletto (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
A. N. L. Munby – A Christmas Game (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
______________ The Tregannet Book Of Hours (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
______________ The Tudor Chimney (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
The Countess Of Munster – The Page Boy’s Ghost (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
______________ The Tyburn Ghost (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
Kathleen Murray – All The Amenities (Cold Fear, 1981)
Philip Murray – The Charnel House (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
______________ The Trunk (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)

Hume Nisbet – The Haunted Station (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ The Phantom Model (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
Frank Norris – The Ship That Saw a Ghost (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Amyas Northcote – The Downs (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
______________ The Late Mrs. Fowke (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)

Fitz-James O’Brien – The Wondersmith (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
Charles Ollier – The Haunted House Of Paddington (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)

Barry Pain – Smeath (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
______________ The Undying Thing (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
C. D. Pamely – The Crimson Plague (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
______________The Murder Of The Hunchbacked Boy (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
Roger Parkes – Interim Report (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
J. H. Pearce – An Unexpected Journey (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
______________The Man Who Coined his Blood Into Gold (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
Howard Pease – The Warlock Of Glororum (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
Alice Perrin – The Sistrum (Return From The Grave, 1976)
Marion Pitman – “Lullaby For A Baby Horror-story Writer” (verse)[/color] (Cold Fear, 1981)
Edgar Allan Poe – Some Words With A Mummy (Return From The Grave, 1976)
Arthur Porges – In The Tomb (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ The Man Who Wouldn’t Eat (Cold Fear, 1981)
K. & H. Pritchard – The Fever Queen (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)

Alice Rea – The Beckside Boggle (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
Mrs. J. H. Riddell – The Last Of Squire Ennismore (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974) & (Terror by Gaslight: An Anthology of Rare Tales of Terror **, 1992)
______________ Nut Bush Farm (Tales from a Gaslit Graveyard, 1979)
______________ The Old House In Vauxhall Walk (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
Morgan Robertson – The Battle of the Monsters (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Sax Rohmer – The Master Of Hollow Grange (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
L. T. C. Rolt – Hawley Bank Foundry (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________ The House Of Vengeance (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
______________ The Shouting (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)

Eleanor Scott – At Simmel Acres Farm (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ Celui-La (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________ The Cure (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
______________ Randall’s Round (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ The Twelve Apostles (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
John C. Shannon – The Spirit Of The Fjord (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
M. P. Shiel – Huguenin’s Wife (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________ Xelucha (Victorian Tales of Terror, 1974)
G. R. Sims – A Tragic Honeymoon (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Michael Sims – Benjamin’s Shadow (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
J. Keightley Snowdon – A Ghost Slayer (Victorian Nightmares, 1980)
Dermot Chesson Spence – The House On The Rynek (Forgotten Tales Of Terror , 1978)
Harriet Beecher Stowe – The Ghost In The Mill (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)
E. R. Suffling – The Phantom Riders (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
David Sutton – The Fetch (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
______________ A Little Bit Of Egypt (Cold Fear, 1981)

W. F. W. Tatham – Manfred’s Three Wishes (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
Rosemary Timperley – The Darkhouse Keeper (Cold Fear, 1981)
______________ The Other Woman (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ Some Travellers Return … (New Tales Of Terror, 1981)

R. E. Vernede – The Finless Death (The Man-Wolf And Other Horrors, 1978)
E. H. Visiak – Medusan Madness (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ The Queen Of Beauty (The Taste Of Fear, 1976)
______________ The Skeleton At The Feast (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)

H. R. Wakefield – Blind Man’s Buff (A Wave Of Fear, 1973)
______________ Ingredient X (Return From The Grave, 1976)
______________ Into Outer Darkness (Star Book Of Horror #2, 1976)
______________ Mr. Ash’s Studio (The Thrill Of Horror, 1978)
______________ The Red Lodge (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
Hugh Walpole – Mrs Lunt (A Tide Of Terror, 1972)
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward – Kentucky’s Ghost (Terror by Gaslight, 1975)
Edward Lucas White – The Pig-Skin Belt (Gaslit Nightmares 2, 1991)
Don C. Wiley – The Head Of Wu Fang (Star Book Of Horror #1, 1975)
Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman – Luella Miller (Gaslit Nightmares, 1988)

see also Hugh Lamb: bibliography in progress thread on the Vault forum:

Anon – Fifty Masterpieces Of Mystery

Anon – Fifty Masterpieces Of Mystery (Odhams, nd.  [1937])

Crime Stories

Dorothy L. Sayers – The Learned Adventure Of The Dragon’s Head
Austin Freeman – The Magic Casket
H. C. Bailey – The President Of San Jacinto
Anthony Berkeley – Outside The Law
The Baroness Orczy – The Regent’s Park Murder
Margery Allingham – They Never Got Caught
J. J. Connington – Before Insulin
Stacy Aumonier – The Perfect Murder
G. K. Chesterton – The Shadow Of The Shark
O. Henry – The Marsonettes
F. Britten Austin – Diamond Cut Diamond
Augustus Muir – Murder At The Microphone
Milward Kennedy – Death In The Kitchen
Freeman Willis Croft – The Vertical Line
Edgar Wallace – The Clue Of Monday’s Settling
Gerard Fairlie – The Ghost Of A Smile
Bertram Atkey – Sons Of The Chief Warder

Strange And Horrible Stories

Seamark – Query
Ralph Straus – The Room On The Fourth Floor
A. E. W. Mason – The Wounded God
Lord Dunsany – The Electric King
A. J. Alan – Charles
John Metcalfe – The Funeral March Of A Marionette
W. W. Jacobs – The Interruption
C. D. Heriot – Nobody At Home
Agatha Christie – The Blood-Stained Pavement
Mrs. Belloc Lowdnes – St. Catherine’s Eve
F. Marion Crawford – The Screaming Skull
Joseph Conrad – The Idiots
Sydney Horler – The Vampire
Saki – The Interlopers
L. P. Hartley – The Travelling Grave
E. A. Poe – The Tell-Tale Heart
H. Spicer – The Bird Woman
W. Fryer Harvey – The Dabblers

Ghost Stories

Vernon Lee – Marsyas In Flanders
Eleanor Scott – The Room
Marjorie Bowen – Florence Flannery
Ernest Bramah – The Ghost At Massingham Mansions
Norman Matson – The House On Big Faraway
Naomi Royde-Smith – Madam Julia’s Tale
L. A. G. Strong – Sea Air
Ann Bridge – The Buick Saloon
May Sinclair – The Token
Oliver Onions – The Cigarette Case
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch – A Pair Of Hands
H. R. Wakefield – Blind Man’s Buff
Algernon Blackwood – The Man Who Was Milligan
Richard Hughes – The Ghost
A. M. Burrage – The Room Over The Kitchen
J. S. LeFanu – Mr. Justice Harbottle
Anonymous – The Dead Man Of Varley Grange

Includes:

Eleanor Scott – The Room: “I’m not going to try and tell you what it was … I’d as soon try to describe the most loathsome surgical operation or the most indecent physical illness. And if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Thank Heaven, we haven’t made the word for what I saw.”

A room in Massingham’s house has the reputation of being haunted, so when five of his friends answer his invitation to stay with him, naturally they decide to each take a turn at spending a night in the creepy chamber and “do down the spook!” By the time Amery the Parson gets to take his turn, it’s clear from the state of Grindley and Vernon that whatever is in there is far more powerful and evil than a mere ghost. By the following morning, the Parson is a broken man, but Reece, the ‘simple’ little curate, is insistent that he’s not going to be denied the experience. Although we’re never told outright what each man endured in the room – the closest we get is with Amery who is confronted by the past crimes of his Church – it hardly makes the goings-on any less unsettling. Not quite as striking as Randall’s classic Celui-La but very deserving of your attention i’d have said. “There must be an amazing amount of goodness somewhere when here is such a quantity of unspeakable evil in men like us, who thought ourselves decent fellows enough.”

John Metcalfe – The Funeral March Of A Marionette: On a snowy, bitterly cold November 4th, budding entrepreneur Alf and little George drag a trolley along the Millbank, collecting a small fortune in coppers from admires of their uncannily lifelike Guy. Unfortunately, old Gus the tramp isn’t equip to handle the sub-zero temperatures ….

A. M. Burrage – The Room Over The Kitchen: A weary rambler arrives in Penhiddoc, his one thought to get a room at the inn for the night. In the doorway, he’s accosted by a fellow who he takes to be the local harmless lunatic who implores him not to take the room over the kitchen. It transpires that twenty years ago, four Oxford students stayed at the inn. For a chuckle, a trio of these fellows, in cahoots with the landlord, convinced the nervous young Mr. Farney that his room was haunted. They pushed the joke too far ….

C. D. Heriot – Nobody At Home: Frank and Maurice have drifted out of each others lives since Oxford, and now the former, learning his old pal has fallen on hard times, is keen to put the friendship back on course. Maurice has tried to make a go of it as a poet, but as soon as he arrives at the decrepit old schoolhouse that serves as his home, Frank realises it’s gone very badly for him. At first, Frank is angry that he may have made a wasted journey as no-one replies to his knocks at the door. But when he takes a look through the letterbox ….

Henry Spicer – The Bird Woman: A young lady answers an advertisement for a position as carer to “an invalid, infirm or lunatic person” at a dingy-looking house which has the reputation of being haunted. “Having little fear of anything human and none at all of apparitions” she’s confident that she’ll be able to cope with her charge – until she actually claps eyes on the owl-like travesty she’s expected to look after.

Sydney Horler – The Vampire: Two Roman Catholic priests discuss the case of a man of whom everyone seemed to have an “instinctive horror”. When a terrible murder is committed, leaving the victim minus most of her throat, the shunned individual confesses to Father ——, who, of course, he is powerless to pass on the information to the police. Sometimes published as The Believer

Richard Hughes – The Ghost: Told from the perspective of Millie, who’s just had her head bashed in by cheating husband Johnny. Having spent her life terrified of ghosts, now she’s evidently one herself Millie intends to haunt the murderer, especially as he doesn’t seem the least perturbed about what he’s done.

H. R. Wakefield – Blind Man’s Buff: Aylesbury, Herts. Mr. Cort learns why none of the locals will approach Lorn Manor after nightfall. In pitch darkness, He loses himself within a few feet of the front door and is pursued about the old house by unseen entities.

W. W. Jacobs – The Interruption: With his wife dead at last Spencer Goddard can get his hands on all of her lovely money! How happy he is! For all of twenty seconds. Hannah, his cook, wastes no time in letting on that she knows more about her late mistress’s “illness” – and his part in it – than he’d prefer and neither is she slow in turning the situation to her advantage. Should she die suddenly – like poor Mrs. Goddard for example – she’s left a letter with her sister , the contents of which he should regret being made known to the police. Now he must think of a way to save his neck and see hers stretched he opts for a high risk solution …

Anonymous – The Dead Man Of Varley Grange: Westernshire. When young Henderson takes over the Grange, he unwisely invites eight friends to spend the Christmas holiday with him. Prior to his arrival the property had remained vacant for years due to the dreadful family curse as it is reputed that, some centuries ago, Captain Varley murdered his sister after she fled the Convent and ran off with her lover. Now their phantoms stalk the Grange and if you’re unfortunate enough to see the dead nun’s face you die within the year!

Richard Dalby – Virago Book of Ghost Stories

Richard Dalby (ed.) – The Virago Book of Ghost Stories (Virago, 1987)

Richard Dalby – Preface
Jennifer Uglow – Introduction

Edith Wharton -The Eyes
E. Nesbit – The Violet Car
Henrietta D. Everett – The Crimson Blind
May Sinclair – The Token
Ellen Glasgow – The Shadowy Third
Marjory E. Lambe – The Return
Margery H. Lawrence – The Haunted Saucepan
Mary Webb – Mr. Tallent’s Ghost
Enid Bagnold – The Amorous Ghost
Marjorie Bowen – The Accident
Marjorie Bowen – A Persistent Woman
Phyllis Bottome – The Waiting-Room
Catherine Wells – The Ghost
Eleanor Scott – ‘Will Ye No’ Come Back Again?’
E. M. Delafield – Sophy Mason Comes Back
Hester Gorst – The Doll’s House
Edith Olivier – The Night Nurse’s Story
Winifred Holtby – The Voice of God
Cynthia Asquith – The Follower
F. M. Mayor – Miss De Mannering Of Asham
Stella Gibbons – Roaring Tower
D. K. Broster – Juggernaut
Elizabeth Bowen – The Happy Autumn Fields
Pamela Hansford Johnson – The Empty Schoolroom
Elizabeth Jane Howard – Three Miles Up
Rose Macaulay – Whitewash
Elizabeth Taylor – Poor Girl
Elizabeth Jenkins – On No Account, My Love
Rosemary Timperley – The Mistress in Black
Norah Lofts – A Curious Experience
Fay Weldon – Breakages
Elizabeth Walter – Dual Control
Sara Maitland – Lady With Unicorn
Lisa St. Aubin De Teran – Diamond Jim
Angela Carter – Ashputtle

Notes on the Authors

A real change of pace – I’ve been on a diet of Not At Night‘s and Charles Birkin for a fortnight – but this is a truly special collection. No surprise to see Lady Cynthia Asquith’s groundbreaking Ghost Book‘s so well represented, but I certainly wasn’t expecting three (admittedly, non-sadistic: Asquith’s own The Follower would have suited the series admirably) from Birkin’s Creeps to make the cut. I was a little disappointed to see that Marjory Bowen was represented by two 150 word vignettes … until I read them: The Accident, in particular, is terrific, an E.C. strip in microcosm.
It’s very difficult to pick a ‘best’ from such a strong, varied selection, but if pushed, I’d probably opt for Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Three Miles Up which has one of the most jaw-dropping finales in this -or any other – form of literature.
Mind you, I could’ve done without Whitewash and A Curious Experience, and I’m still trying to figure out how Lady With Unicorn sneaked in …

Some tasters/ spoilers:

Cynthia Asquith – The Follower:Mrs. Meade is plagued by a Hyde-like figure who she first encounters leering and gesticulating at her outside Baker Street Station. Soon he has taken to following her, and with each meeting her terror mounts. He is seen gloating over the body of a little girl who’s been run down, then, as a taxi-driver, he nearly brings about the death of his passenger – Mrs. Meade – by driving the cab into railings. She recovers, but is sent to a nursing home to recover. She’s not the only patient …

Hester Gorst – The Dolls House: The narrator buys a Georgian Dolls house at an auction immediatly and begins to suffer from nightmares in which he becomes “A rake … coming home very late and very drunk”, ascending the staircase of the original for his recent purchase. It becomes apparent that his dream-self is one some terrible errand, and he convinces himself that this is the murder of a woman. Best friend Jack offers to spend the night with him to see what he gets up to when he’s asleep …

Elizabeth Walter – Dual Control: Told entirely in dialiogue – and a very hostile exchange it is too – between Eric, a ruthless businessman on the make, and his alcoholic wife, Freda, as they drive to and from the Bradey’s party, having knocked down a girl on the way. The girl, Giselle, arrived at the same party, seemingly none the worse for wear, but as they drive home they encounter her again at the scene of the accident, blood pouring from a terrible wound ….

Edith Bagnold – The Amorous Ghost: While his wife is away, two of the maids hand in their notice after discovering a woman’s underclothes in the master’s room. That night, he watches transfixed as a figure half-materialises in a chair with her back to him, slowly slipping out of her clothes. It’s with great relief he hears his wife return, undress and slip into bed beside him. It must be freezing outside because she’s cold enough to chill the entire room ….

Stella Gibbons – Roaring Tower: Clara’s parents disapprove of her lover, and pack her off to Aunt Julia in Cornwall to recuperate. Clara is instrumental in releasing the trapped spirit of a ghostly bear, imprisoned in a pit at the base of the roaring tower, so named after the tormented creature’s bellows for assistance.

Marjory E. Lambe – The Return: A murderer returns to the house of his victim, an old miser who once employed him and who he surprised while he was counting his treasure. The skinflint’s spectre (or his guilty conscience) provide his undoing. When he is recognised in The White Horse and Bessie the barmaid raises the alarm, the old boy’s son decides to look over the house. The burglar, when faced with the unexpected visitor, sees “the white hair … streaked with blood, the skin yellow across the skeleton face … the bloodless lips … drawn back into a grin of pure triumph.”

Marjorie Bowen – The Accident: Murchinson and Bargrave are involved in a car smash. When Murchinson sees the ‘grey whisp’ that is his enemy emerging from the wreckage, he gloats: “So you were killed, you silly fool!”

Pamela Hansford Johnson – The Empty Schoolroom: Maud remains behind with M. Fournier and Marie during the school holidays and encounters the sobbing ghost of an ugly girl in a dunces cap. She had been mistreated and humiliated by the embittered headmistress and now it is time to exact revenge …

Marjorie Bowen – A Persistent Woman:After yet another blazing row, Temple decides to leave his wife, Sarah. She clings to him with a greater tennacity than either would have thought her capable.

Margery H. Lawrence – The Haunted Saucepan: London, around St. James’ Palace. Anybody who eats anything prepared in the saucepan suffers the most horrible pains consistent with the pangs suffered by those poisoned with arsenic. Connor,Trevanion and a borrowed dog conceal themselves in the kitchen overnight to catch who or what has been setting it on the boil. The denouement is predictable, but the story has some wonderfully atmospheric touches and Strutt, the butler, is a trip.

Fay Weldon – Breakages: Poltergeist activity in the unhappy household of the vicar and his “barren” wife. David’s prize possessions are forever being broken and mended by Dierdre, who prays that he won’t notice the cracks. When he does, the ensuing flare-up is enough to decide her to pluck up the courage and leave, especially as it is now known that his impotence has been responsible for their childlessness. When she goes, her room destroys itself. David remarries. The second time is as joyless as the first.