Hugh Lamb - Forgotten Tales Of Terror

[dem bones]

Hugh Lamb - Forgotten Tales Of Terror (Methuen, 1978: Magnum, 1978)

Alun Hood

Introduction - Hugh Lamb

Oswell Blakeston - The Fear From The Lake
Frederick Cowles - The Cavader Of Bishop Louis
Barry Pain - Smeath
C. D. Pamely - The Murder Of The Hunchbacked Boy
Lafcadio Hearn - The Reconciliation
Bernard Capes - The Moon-Stricken
E. F. Benson - The Chippendale Mirror
Charles Duff - The Haunted Bungalow
Robert W. Chambers - The Third Eye
Amyas Northcote - The Late Mrs. Fowke
William Hope Hodgson - The Mystery Of The Derelict
Dermot Chesson Spence - The House On The Rynek

Another of Hugh's under-rated collections, neglected on here for too long, but no more!

Frederick Cowles - The Cavader Of Bishop Louis: I never thought Cowles would top The Headless Leper as a title but stone me if this doesn't give it a run for its money! The collapse of the Chancel wall at St. Winifred's Vicarage, Slympynton village, Blankshire reveals the splendid tomb of Louis de Clinton. The Reverend Walter requests the presence of his cousin, Professor Cecil Wallace at the exhumation, but due to overindulgence in fine wines and bawdy jokes the previous evening, he arrives late leaving old Fearnhead ("the despised rural Dean with an archaeological kink") to take command of the operation. When Prof. Wallace eventually arrives - having learned in the meantime that old Louis was a bit of a tartar in his day and drummed out of the church for practicing black sorcery - he decides to make up for lost time and pay an evening visit to the tomb and inspect the hideous cadaver for himself - with exceedingly dire consequences.

All the Jamesian trappings are there, but Cowles was never much one for subtlty - more power to him - and goes completely over the top on the horrors, and the end result not so much Canon Alberic's Scrapbook as Tales From The Crypt! That hand! That horrible, hairy hand!

Oswell Blakeston - The Fear From The Lake: Helga has been married to Ronnie for three years now and, much to his fury, still refuses to bow to his will in all things so, sure enough, when his old chum Martin offers them the run of his country house and grounds if he can stay at their place in London, that's it, they're going whether wifey fancies it or not! Helga isn't concerned for herself, but begs Ronnie to let her leave their three year old daughter, Christine at home with nurse as Martin's estate is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a wailing infant. Naturally, Ronnie won't hear of such "ridiculous old maid's yarns".

Deliciously grim and the thoroughly satisfying, nasty-minded ending is worthy of cheerful Charles Birkin.

C. D. Pamely - The Murder Of The Hunchbacked Boy: Very Edgar Allan Poe! The accused relives the sleepwalk murder of his younger brother who, as a child, met with a terrible accident the day after his mother's funeral. "Alas! ... He fell down the long flight of stairs at our home and was picked up with a broken back, a helpless hunchback for life. At once my love for him was changed to hatred for his hump. Ten thousand sleeping furies in my bosom were aroused at the sight of that accursed crooked spine!" Soon afterward, " ... I awoke from a horrible nightmare to find myself standing beside his bed, with upraised hatchet ...."

They just don't write them like this anymore, they really don't.

Robert Chambers - The Third Eye: A weird lost race story, and, like his The Harbor-Master more fantasy than horror I'd have said. Most of it takes place aboard a boat in the Atlantic heading toward the Black Bayou and it combines the gory slaughter of birds by the amphibious Grue with humorous romantic interest provided by the the narrator, Prof. Kemper and "pretty waitress" Evelyn. it's obvious from the first that Grue is a member of the lost people the trio are searching for but somehow they don't realise (I would have thought the third eye in the back of his head was something of a giveaway myself).

Amyas Northcote - The Late Mrs. Fowke: High drama at the Parsonage. The Reverend Barnabus Fowke could hardly believe his luck when Stella Farnleigh accepted his marriage proposal and it never occur ed to him to find out more about his bride to be. Stella, locally unpopular as she and her mother were back in Hungary, is given to putting up at an inn of ill repute on certain nights and is not about to change her routine over such a trifling matter as marriage. The Reverend follows her on one of these excursions ... and is horrified to discover that she is High Priestess of a Black Magic cult! How can he stop this Devil-worshipper and her hooded cronies?

Charles Duff - The Haunted Bungalow: Norfolk Broads. Three ex-soldiers - Major Bickley, 'Wilson' and the narrator - encounter something that terrifies them more than anything they saw in the trenches, on a property that proves impossible to let. The previous occupant was a Hungarian doctor who conducted experiments in the supernatural and the bungalow is haunted by multiple ghosts.

[doug]

I purchased a copy of Mr. Lamb's "Forgotten Tales of Terror" a few months ago from a tiny on-line used book store over here. I only paid €1.50
I took it down off the shelf just now to take a better look at it and to decide where it should actualy go in my collection.

Taking a quick look at it when it first arrived in November I thought that the previous owner had written their name in it, but after taking a real look at it about 15 minutes ago for the very first time since it arrived .........



Is this what I think it is or not?

Can anyone help me with this?

Take care.
Doug

[dem bones]

Yes, you got lucky, Doug. That's Hugh's signature unless there's a master forger on the loose.

[doug]

Jan 3, 2013 19:04:59 GMT dem bones said:

Yes, you got lucky, Doug. That's Hugh's signature unless there's a master forger on the loose.

Thanks!
I love little suprises like this!

Doug

[Michael Connolly]

Jan 3, 2013 19:01:44 GMT doug said:

I purchased a copy of Mr. Lamb's "Forgotten Tales of Terror" a few months ago from a tiny on-line used book store over here. I only paid €1.50
I took it down off the shelf just now to take a better look at it and to decide where it should actualy go in my collection.

Taking a quick look at it when it first arrived in November I thought that the previous owner had written their name in it, but after taking a real look at it about 15 minutes ago for the very first time since it arrived .........



Is this what I think it is or not?

Can anyone help me with this?

Take care.
Doug

That's the same signature on my copy of The Taste of Fear edited by Hugh Lamb.  I also have Richard Dalby's signature on my copy of The Sorceress in Stained Glass and Michel Parry's on The Rivals of Dracula. 

[dem bones]

Dermot Chesson Spence - The House On The Rynek: Cracow, Poland. Some centuries ago, The Count Lewandowski had a Jewish furrier killed to avoid squaring a debt. With his dying breath, Mattheus Levine cursed the Lewandowski line with a cryptic "you shall have your furs back," a reference to the sealskin a kindly serving girl draped over his broken body against the despicable Count's wishes.

The present day. Recently wed Paul and Sonia defy the family legend by inviting Levine's ghost into the courtyard on the anniversary of his murder. When the playful Sonia strips naked on the balcony, Paul and his guest, our narrator, wonder if she's not getting too caught up in her role. When next they set eyes on her, she has at least covered her modesty, but where on earth did she dig up a shaggy coat to fit her head to toe ...?

Lafcadio Hearn - The Reconciliation: An impoverished Samurai divorced his wife to wed the daughter of a prosperous family. He has regretted it ever since. Finally the second marriage is annulled and he can return home to Kyoto and claim back his beautiful bride MK I. There have been several changes in the town, but, for one night only, his beloved is as sweet and gorgeous as the day they met ...