Classic Horror Stories: Sixteen Legendary Stories of the Supernatural [Paperback]

Charles A. Coulombe (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Classic | Publication Date: September 1, 2003

Before electric lights and telephones, there were only candles and, at last,
gas lights, to banish the darkness. And in that darkness might lurk - who
knows? Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, witches, or even the Devil himself!
Such stories were told - and written - to provoke that delicious chill
of fear which, even in our own electrified world, millions seek through
movies and television. Here are some of the most spine-tingling tales ever written about the starnge and thrilling world of the supernatural.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Before electric lights and telephones, there were only candles and, at last,
gas lights, to banish the darkness. And in that darkness might lurk - who
knows? Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, witches, or even the Devil himself!
Such stories were told - and written - to provoke that delicious chill
of fear which, even in our own electrified world, millions seek through
movies and television. Here are some of the most spine-tingling tales ever written about the strange and thrilling world of the supernatural.
With contributions from: The Old Testament; Sir Walter Scott; Charles Dickens; Rudyard Kipling; Ambrose Bierce; Perceval Landon and many more.

About the Author

CHARLES A. COULOMBE has written extensively about religion, history, and the
occult and paranormal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592282008
• ISBN-13: 978-1592282005
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,531,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and satisfying on all levels, you will not be disappointed, September 5, 2005

By 

Bachelier ""1004"" (Ile de France) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Classic Horror Stories: Sixteen Legendary Stories of the Supernatural (Paperback)

This is perhaps the finest small collection of horror stories available in any book. This work features excellent introductory commentary to each tale. Editor Charles A. Coulombe has both intelligence and taste, and his curious selections bare no obvious common thread save one: each author of the stories contained here was not writing merely to thrill, but also to warn. For the arc of each selection is that both the editor and the authors here have a true and healthy respect for the supernatural, and acknowledge there is an evil side to it, and that the evil side is neither friendly nor pretty, but in fact is hell-bound. In addition, unlike Russell Kirk's admirable works in "Ancestral Shadows: An Anthology Of Ghostly Tales" that ultimately are moral tales, not ghost stories, Coulombe's selections have less predictable endings and allow for ambiguity in whether good triumphs over evil. For simple "good" does not always triumph over complex evil, rather, the supernatural source of these horrors needs something far more powerful than mere human good to be defeated. And the source of that power is supernatural also, and divine. Coulombe's selections, therefore, frighten us at a much deeper level than the gore and anarchy, or Lovecraft re-stated, that passes for "horror" today, but like Kirk Coulombe's selections also instruct the orientation of dimensions of our selves. But Coulombe's selections are superior to Kirk's works, and point to a challenging Platonic ultra-realism where the reader remains unsettled and seeks real solace outside the fictional landscape. Only good horror tales can do that, and Coulombe has found them.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful collection of horror stories, October 18, 2009

By 

A READER (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Classic Horror Stories: Sixteen Legendary Stories of the Supernatural (Paperback)

I bought this to keep in my car while I wait for other to complete their shopping. I picked this because it contains one of my favorite horror tales. I remember it from a collection I bought in grade school--The Dead Valley. And it is a creepy and frightening now as it was when I was 12. The other stories are of equal footing. Ambrose Bierce is represented with "Middle Toe Right Foot." And that is among my favorite ghost stories. In error I thought I was reading a E.F.Benson story, and it turns out I discovered a new Benson, Robert Hugh, whose "The Watcher did not disappoint. This is a good book and I recommend it to all.