Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce [Paperback]

Ambrose Bierce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1964

23 modern horror stories by American master. "The Eyes of the Panther," "The Damned Thing," 21 more. "These pieces are not dated, nor are they lacking any of the narrative elements necessary to attract and hold the attention of anyone interested in the horror genre." — SF Booklog.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 1, 1964)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486207676
• ISBN-13: 978-0486207674
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > United States

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Careful - it bites, December 6, 1999

By 

Philip Challinor - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce (Paperback)

Bierce ranks with Poe and Lovecraft as one of the greatest American writers of horror stories. This collection presents a selection of his supernatural tales, leaving out the Civil War stories for which he is perhaps better known. The first story, "The Death of Halpin Frayser", is a genuine nightmare, and well worth the price of the volume on its own. But the book also includes Bierce's genre-bending experiments with science fiction, "Moxon's Master" and "The Damned Thing"; the cynical Rashomon precursor "The Moonlit Road"; the apocalyptic "An Inhabitant of Carcosa" and "The Eyes of the Panther", a lycanthrope story (maybe) which grows more unsettling the more you think about it, as well as a number of minor works which may be hard to find elsewhere. The only real flaw is E F Bleiler's sanctimonious introduction, which seems to attempt to escape the satiric snap of Bierce's work by repeating unpleasant (and largely unreliable) opinions of the writer. Watch out for this book - even the cover is scary.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An American original..., December 2, 2004

By 

meiringen "meiringen" (the Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce (Paperback)

Ambrose Bierce is an American original. His tales of ghosts and horror are like no other, and one story in particular, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," is considered to be, in some circles, a classic.

Bierce's writings are also an acquired taste -- one gets the impression that he knew a bit about what he wrote: inner torment and a feeling of unsettlement. The preface to the book is very illuminating, giving us some insight into his personal life, which was then translated into these tales. Personally, I find them fascinating, but others may not. It's up to you to decide.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Horror Stories by Ambrose Bierce (1842-1913), June 21, 2004

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce (Paperback)

Anyone that enjoys a good ghost story will certainly like these tales. In contrast, the author himself, Ambrose Bierce, was apparently unlikable. He was described as vindictive, rancorous, and even malevolent. Nonetheless, his stories remain popular a century later, perhaps proving something profound.

Bierce's literary style is occasionally too concise, too factual, possibly reflecting his long years as a journalist in San Francisco in the late 1800s. However, this factual approach sometimes works to Bierce's advantage by lending authenticity to his stories.

These twenty-four tales, titled Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce, offer a wide range of supernatural topics. Bierce's prophetic theme in Moxon's Master, that of man versus machine, remains a staple of modern science fiction today. His handling of The Man and the Snake is surprisingly mature for an early psychological thriller. His classic, The Moonlit Road, tells a ghost story from three perspectives, including that of the dead victim. Unless my memory fails me, Bierce's startling story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was vividly portrayed years ago on the Twilight Zone. Other favorites include The Death of Halpin Frayser, The Eyes of the Panther, and The Middle Toe of the Right Foot.

Three stories - The Ways of Ghosts, Some Haunted Houses, and Mysterious Disappearances - are in themselves collections of short tales, reported from a journalistic perspective. The cumulative effect of these short accounts adds credence to them. One's skepticism begins to fade.

Despite Bierce's rather unpleasant disposition, a sense of humor surfaces in some stories. A Jug of Syrup, The Haunted Valley, A Watcher by the Dead, and the section titles in The Damned Thing are examples of Bierce's sometimes misplaced humor.

Other accounts like The Secret of Macarger's Gulch, The Night Doing's at Deadman's, and Beyond the Wall are more conventional ghost stories, albeit with a little flavoring from Bierce. The final entry, Visions of the Night, recounts particularly vivid nightmares remembered by Ambrose Bierce himself.

The solid introduction by E. F. Bleiler provides a fascinating biographical sketch of the irascible Ambrose Bierce and examines the characteristics of Bierce's unique style. This Dover collection was first published in 1964 and remains in print.

Don't confuse this larger collection with a shorter Dover edition titled The Moonlit Road and Other Ghost and Horror Stories by Ambrose Bierce. The short Thrift Edition contains only twelve stories. All twelve are quite good; however, nine of the stories are found in the larger Dover edition reviewed above.