The Book Of Lists: Horror

[dem bones]

Amy Wallace, Del Howison & Thomas Lennon - The Book Of Lists: Horror (HarperCollins, 2008)

Cover design by Milan Bozic

Acknowledgements
Introduction
The Book Of Lists: Horror Writing Staff
A Note On Spoilers.

1. "Keep Repeating .... 'It's Only A Movie!": Fear On The Silver Screen
2. "For The Love Of God, Montresor!": The Literature Of Dread
3. "They Did The Monster Mash": A Little Nightmare Music
4. "And He Answered ''Legion' ... ": A Miscellany Of Terrors
5. "I'm Your Biggest Fan": Shrieks From The Gallery

Blurb:
HORRORS! THE BOOK OF LISTS IS BACK!
- (BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID!)

The phenomenally popular Book of Lists series has sold millions of copies from coast to coast, enthralling trivia aficionados with fascinating infobits about simply every­thing! Now the latest edition turns an evil eye toward the strange, the bloodcurdling, and the macabre with spine-tingling fun facts from the dark side of entertainment. Chock-full of creepy information from the netherworlds of movies, TV, literature, video games, comic books, and graphic novels, The Book of Lists: Horror offers a blood-feast of forbidden knowledge that horror fans are hungry to devour, including:

- Stephen King's Ten Favorite Horror Novels or Short Stories — learn what scares the master!
- Top Six Grossing Horror Movies of All Time in the United States — which big shocks translated into big bucks?
- Top Ten Horror-Themed Rock 'n' Roll Songs — maybe it is "devil's music" after all!
- And much, much more!

Drawing on its authors' extensive knowledge and contribu­tions from the (living) legends and greatest names in the horror and dark fantasy genres, The Book of Lists: Horror is a scream — an irresistible compendium of all things mysterious, terrifying, and gory ... and so entertaining, it's scary!

Relax, it's annotated and, like Mike Ashley's Illustrated Book Of Science Fiction Lists, far more entertaining than it probably has any right to be.

i've yet to venture into the celluloid section but have ploughed through everything else and to give something of the flavour. 'Michael Slade' points to the grisly real life inspirations for Headhunter, Ghoul, Ripper & Co. Ramsey Campbell suggests 13 borderline horror novels worth investigating. Michael Marshall Smith retaliates with the best horror books you'll not find on the horror shelves (this was 2008, remember: you'd struggle to find a bookshop, let alone a horror shelf these days). Gary Brander comes up with a disappointingly conservative top ten horror novels, so Lisa Tuttle shows him how it's done with an eclectic selection of horrible shorts. James D. Jenkins shares his 10 weirdest Gothics, galloping gourmet Poppy Z. Brite contributes a personal take on Peter Haining's Murder On The Menu theme and ) Joel Lane selects his favourite weird landscapes.

I's not all good news. The chapter on horror in music comprises a paltry dozen pages (of 400 plus) and those devoted mainly to opera, classical and Kim Newman being smarmy. Elsewhere, Charles Black - i don't think he's our one (!?) - promotes his top fives Nightmare On Elm Street products and R. B. Payne nominates the ten best pulp mag covers - with a John Newton Howitt Terror Tales classic topping the chart!

[ramseycampbell]

It's worth having (well, I would say that, eh?) but it's a pity about some of the material that was jettisoned, and there's a decided bias towards the cinema and away from prose (particularly disconcerting since one co-editor is a bookseller).

[dem bones]

Jul 1, 2012 8:50:33 GMT ramseycampbell said:

It's worth having (well, I would say that, eh?) but it's a pity about some of the material that was jettisoned, and there's a decided bias towards the cinema and away from prose (particularly disconcerting since one co-editor is a bookseller).

Then that is truly to be regretted. I hope you'll be pleased to learn that your selection of Arthur Morrison's The Hole In The Wall has finally decided me to heed my wife's tip-off and give it a go. Mrs. Dem is a also a big fan of his Child Of The Jago and Tales Of Mean Streets. She's like the tasteful public face of the enterprise.

[cauldronbrewer]

Jul 1, 2012 8:50:33 GMT ramseycampbell said:

It's worth having (well, I would say that, eh?) but it's a pity about some of the material that was jettisoned, and there's a decided bias towards the cinema and away from prose (particularly disconcerting since one co-editor is a bookseller).

I had a similar reaction to the film/prose balance. What material was jettisoned? Apologies if there's something in the book about that--I don't have a copy, and it's been a while since I read it.

[ramseycampbell]

Forgive me - I knew at the time but have forgotten. Some were posted online by the book's editors. My unused list (on horror in music) I published as a column. Much of the music was classical, but I included Coil, Rammstein and Violent Femmes.

[dem bones]

That already sounds a considerable improvement on much of the material the editors eventually went with. In the circumstances, i'd rather they'd dropped the The Monster Mash section altogether and devoted the freed space to horror lit., though there's surely enough scope in both subjects to warrant their own Book Of Lists. Alan Clayson wrote a compelling, informative and frequently hilarious history of morbidity in rock and pop music as Death Discs (Gollancz, 1992).

[dem bones]

Mike Ashley - The Illustrated Book Of Science Fiction Lists (Virgin, 1982)

Wadsworth Keates

Acknowledgements
Introduction

Section A : ... What Is This Thing?
Section B : Expert Opinion
Section C : The Recordholders
Section D. Oddities & Entities

Mary Elizabeth Counselman's 10 Favourite Weird Tales, Patrick Moore's 10 Favourite SF Novels, 8 SF Writers Who Took Their Own Lives, 50 SF Writers Who Were pro-Vietnam, And 50 Who Were Anti, Michel Parry's 10 Favourite/ 15 Worst/ 10 Enjoyably Bad SF & Fantasy Films, 10 SF Book/Stories That Were Banned Or Withdrawn, The 7 Shortest SF Stories, 10 Best Horror Short Stories Published Before 1971 .... You get the picture. With contributions from nearly everybody, ever, and a potential pub argument starter on several of it's 190 pages, this is highly recommended to those who enjoyed Book Of Lists: Horror but wished it had devoted more space to fiction.

[mattofthespurs]

I've got the horror one, and have read it many times, but not seen or heard of the science fiction book of lists.
Bought a copy off Amazon for 65p (plus £2 postage), so thanks for the heads up Dem

[dem bones]

Oct 23, 2017 9:13:37 GMT mattofthespurs said:

I've got the horror one, and have read it many times, but not seen or heard of the science fiction book of lists.
Bought a copy off Amazon for 65p (plus £2 postage), so thanks for the heads up Dem

Hope you find it interesting, Matt. Is title suggests, it's primarily SF orientated but plenty of horror crossover to keep you going. Makes for a neat supplement to Who's Who In Horror & Fantasy Fiction. Well worth £2.65, any roads.

[mattofthespurs]

Big fan of sci-fi as well as horror so if it's anything like the horror lists books I'll be in my element.

[mattofthespurs]

My copy of the Science Fiction lists book arrived today.
Jolly good fun it is too. Already added quite a few books to my 'must buy' list.
Thanks Dem.