Mystery Anthology - a Singer book?

[andydecker]

This is an antholgy of ten stories, published by Vampir Horror paperback back in 1974.
As they forgot to put the original title in the fine print I don´t know what the original was. The only information is that this is copyrighted by Singer Features. Maybe someone can identify this

Exclusive Nightmares, Vampir Horror Paperback 4, 1974

Content:
Robert Bloch - A Sorcerer runs for Sheriff
Richard Matheson - Wet Straw
Dorothy Quick - The Lost Gods
H.G.Wells - The Red Room
C. Hall Thompson - Clay
Garnett Radcliffe - The Gloves
Mort Calhoun - The Massage Parlour
Justin Dowling - The Living Eyes
O. M. Cabral - Unhallowed Holiday
Leah Bodine Drake - Whisper Water

As VHR clocks at 158 pages, it has some small print and short stories. As there are a lot of names I never heard about, I could imagine that most of these stories were public domain even back then. As usual with these german anthos there are no writer introductions. Sold on the simple assumption that if it is published in an monthly horror imprint, people will buy it anyway. And I guess they were right, as the only names known hereabout at the time would have been Bloch and Wells.

Kind of Mystifying is the story by Mort Calhoun. Its rights are credited to the writer (and not to Singer) and they didn´t included the original title.

[Steve]

Dec 28, 2009 12:16:11 GMT andydecker said:

As there are a lot of names I never heard about, I could imagine that most of these stories were public domain even back then... Kind of Mystifying is the story by Mort Calhoun.

Can't identify this particular collection but, if it helps, all the stories (with the possible exception of the one by the mysterious 'Mort Calhoun') appeared in Weird Tales at one time or another.

[dem]

it looks Kurt Singer-ish. there's no US/ UK equivalent anthology i know of either, but i can't think of any other anthologist who concentrated on reprinting relatively obscure material from the last days of Weird Tales other than him.