H. Douglas Thomson - Great Book Of Thrillers

[dem bones]

H. Douglas Thomson (ed.) - The Great Book Of Thrillers (Odhams, 1935)

Introduction

Stories Of Mystery And Adventure

A. J. Alan - H2, Etc.
Michael Arlen - The Smell In The Library
W. E. Aytoun - The Man In The Bell
Honore De Balzac - The Mysterious Mansion
Marjorie Bowen - The Folding Doors
Wilkie Collins - The Lady Of Glenwith Grange
J. S. Fletcher - The New Sun
Val Gielgud - Hot Water
L. P. Hartley - The Island
Nathaniel Hawthorne - Edward Randolph’s Portrait
Washington Irving - The Spectre Bridegroom
Frederick Marryat - The Story Of The Greek Slave
Prosper Merimee - The Blue Room
E. Phillips Oppenheim - The Cafe Of Terror
Edgar Allan Poe - The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar
Hugh Walpole - The Tarn
Samuel Warren - The Resurrectionist

Stories Of Crime And Detection

Anthony Berkeley - The Avenging Chance
Agatha Christie - The Witness For The Prosecution
G. D. H. & M. Cole - A Lesson In Crime
Freeman Wills Croft - Mr. Pembleton’s Commission
Gilbert Frankau - Who Killed Castelvetri
R. Austin Freeman - The Aluminium Dagger
Herbert Jenkins - The Gylston Slander
Maurice LeBlanc - Arsene Lupin In Paris
Baroness Orczy - The Fenchurch Street Mystery
Eden Phillpotts - Peacock House
John Rhode - The Vanishing Dagger
Dorothy L. Sayes - Bitter Almonds

Stories Of The Supernatural

E. F. Benson - The Gardener
Anon - A Spanish Ghost Story
Ambrose Bierce - Staley Fleming’s Hallucination
Catherine Crowe - The Italian’s Story
Daniel Defoe - The Ghost Of Dorothy Dingley
Charles Dickens - To Be Taken With A Grain Of Salt
Amelia B. Edwards - The Phantom Coach
Sheridan Le Fanu - Madam Crowl’s Ghost
Jeffrey Farnol - Black Coffee
John Galt - The Black Ferry
Theophile Gautier - The Dreamland Bride
Gerald Griffin - The Dilemma Of Phadrig
James Hogg - Mary Burnet
W. W. Jacobs - The Three Sisters
Arthur Machen - The Bowmen
Norman MacLeod - The Doctor’s Ghost
Walter De La Mare - Mr. Kempe
Sir Walter Scott - The Tapestried Chamber
H. Russell Wakefield - The Frontier Guards
H. G. Wells - The Red Room
Oscar Wilde - The Spinx Without A Secret

Apart from the diligent selections, something I adore about collections like these are the little plot outlines against each story on the contents pages, the seventeen full page illustrations (including an Ernest Wallcousin screamer for Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar) and cute little sketches of each author, the exceptions being A. J. Alan and the prolific anonymous, who are represented by a '?''

To prove that Man has a soul - that was Mr. Kempe’s terrifying problem. And there was danger for the stranger on the cliffside where he lived.

The frightful ordeal of a man at the mercy of an iron-tongued monster in a belfry.

How a respectable young medical student became for one night a body-stealer, and what fears and horrors assailed him during his gruesome adventure in a moonlit graveyard

Just a few to start with:

Hugh Walpole - The Tarn: Ullswater. Fenwick despises Foster. He always makes a success of things while Fenwick flounders in his wake. A clear the air meeting - instigated by Foster who doesn't like to upset anybody - gives Fenwick to do what he's always wanted - murder that simpering, obscenely nice, non-swimming bastard by pushing him in the tarn, that fathomless lake at the back of his house. But the icy water that acted as his accomplice in ridding him of his enemy now comes hunting the murderer.

W. E. Aytoun - The Man In The Bell: Shades of Poe's The Pit And The Pendulum as Jack climbs into the Cathedral belfry to unmuffle a clapper while his friend keeps watch below. Unfortunately, said friend is easily distracted and wanders away in pursuit of a pretty passer by. The bell-ringers arrive and, unaware of Jack's current activities, begin their work.

Marjorie Bowen - The Folding Doors: The French Revolution gave even De Sade the creeps so no surprise it's led to many horrible horror stories. Camille de Jaures has big plans for tonight. First to elope with fellow closet Royalist sympathiser Hortense, then to rescue the Queen from her midnight date with Madame Guillotine - if he can only sneak away from this wretched party. At present he's trying unsuccessfully to rid himself of the despised Citizen Durosoy - husband of Hortense - who requests that he bandage the finger he cut "slicing peaches" ....

Samuel Warren - The Resurrectionist: "It poured with rain and to enhance the dreariness and horrors of the time and place, flashes of lightening followed in quick succession, shedding a transient awful glare over the scene, revealing the white tombstones, the ivy-grown venerable church, and our own figures, a shivering group, come on our unhallowed errand."

A bumbling group of Medical students and a stage Irishman named Tip endeavour to steal the corpse of a girl who died of a baffling disease. Tip is terrified of ghosts and it comes to a point where even having a steady stream of gin down his throat won't calm him.

[pulphack]

ooh, i have this one. picked it up earlier this year. like a oto of this kind of anthology, if you have a few you'll find overlap (i had several at one time - sacrificed to the great god space clearance), but this is as good as any.

i knopw you're not big on crime, dem, but give some of the crime stories a go - there's some goodies in there.

[allthingshorror]

Odhams Press (1935)


Interior Illustrations by Holland, Mooroom, Alfred Sindall and others.

STORIES OF MYSTERY AND ADVENTURE

H2, Etc - A J Alan
The Smell in the Library - Micheal Arlen
The Man in the Bell - W E Aytoun
The Mysterious Mansion - Honore De Balzac
The Folding Doors - Marjorie Bowen
The Lady of Glenwith Grange - Wilkie Collins
The New Sun - J S Flethcher
Hot Water - Val Gieguld
The Island - L P Hartley
Edward Randolph's Portrait - Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Spectre Bridegroom - Washington Irving
The Story of the Greek Slave - Fredrick Marryat
The Blue Room - Prosper Merimee
The Cafe of Terror - E Phillips Oppenheim
The Facts in the Case of M Valdemar - Edgar Allan Poe
The Tarn - Hugh Walpole
The Ressurectionist - Samuel Warren

STORIES OF CRIME AND DETECTION

The Avenging Chance - Anthony Berkeley
The Witness for the Prosecution - Agatha Christie
A Lesson in Crime - G D H and M Cole
Mr Pemberton's Commission - Freeman Wills Crofts
Who Killed Castelvetri - Gilbert Frankau
The Aluminium Dagger - R Austin Freeman
The Gylston Slander - Herbert Jenkins
Arsene Lupin in Prison - Maurice Leblanc
The Fenchurch Street Mystery - Baroness Orczy
Peacock House - Eden Phillpotts
The Vanishing Diamond - John Rhode
Bitter Almonds - Dorothy L Sayers
The Shadow Man - Edgar Wallace

STORIES OF THE SUPERNATURAL

The Gardener - E F Benson
The Willows - Algernon Blackwood
The Italian's Story - Catherine Crowe
The Ghost of Dorothy Dingley - Daniel Defoe
To Be Taken With a Grain of Salt - Charles Dickens
Madam Crowl's Ghost - Sheridan Le Fanu
Black Coffee - Jeffrey Farnol
The Black Ferry - John Galt
The Dreamland Bride - Theophile Gautier
Mary Burnet - James Hogg
The Three Sisters - W W Jacobs
Mr Kempe - Walter De La Mare
The Tapestried Chamber - Sir Walter Scott
The Frontier Guards - H Russell Wakefield
The Red Room - H G Wells
The Sphinx Without a Secret - Oscar Wilde

[dem bones]

James Hogg - Mary Burnet: (The Shepherd's Calendar: Tales Illustrative of Pastoral Occupations, Country Life, and Superstitions, 1828). A legend of the lowlands of Scotland of magic and "the Guid folk" who spirited away a village girl. John Allanson, libertine, lusts after the lovely, sylph-like form of the most beautiful girl in Kirkstyle - who wants nothing to do with him. Furious, he calls on the witches and fairies to fetch the wench, and never mind her maidenly principles! The little people do their worst. A spellbound Mary appears to Allanson at the trysting place, only to turn away with a terrible shriek and leap into the loch! The fairy folk replace the dead girl with a changeling who, over the next seven years, leads Allanson a merry dance - to his doom!

Anon - A Spanish Ghost Story: The foreign governess was puzzled and terrified by the strange atmosphere of the new household. At last she discovered its secret. Seville. Mrs Garcia and lover, Father Avila, conspire to poison her husband. Carlos does not take death lying down.