Algernon Blackwood - Best Ghost Stories

[Johnlprobert]

Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood

House of Stratus 2002

(Print On Demand Reprint of 1938 Edition)

Contents:

Introduction to the 1938 Edition
The Willows - From 'The Listener'
Secret Worship - From 'Secret Worship'
Ancient Sorceries - From 'Secret Worship'
The Glamour Of The Snow - From 'Pan's Garden'
The Wendigo - From 'The Lost Valley'
The Other Wing - From 'Day And Night Stories'
The Transfer - From 'Pan's Garden'
Ancient Lights - From 'Ten Minute Stories'
The Listener - From 'The Listener'
The Empty House - From 'The Empty House'
Accessory Before The Fact - From 'Ten Minute Stories'
Keeping His Promise - From 'The Empty House'
Max Hensig - From 'The Listener'

So after Dem's comments the other day about the lack of Mr Blackwood here it's finally Algernon's time on the Vault! My copy of the above is a very nice paperback from Print On Demand publisher House of Stratus that I picked up for £6-99, along with a host of other Blackwood works from Murder One in London when it was still alive. A quick perusal of the Stratus website shows it now to be unavailable but the contents appear to be identical to the EF Bleiler / Dover Classics version. Mine has Blackwood's 1938 introduction as well (written at the Savile Club).


The Willows - Two men travelling down the Danube by canoe spend a couple of nights on a sandbank surrounded by willows and have...an odd experience or two. This was great - and Lady P thought so too as she sat on the couch last night and had the entire thing read to her (she's not blind or anything btw, she just likes the...er...JLP voice). In fact I'm not sure which is better - this or The Wendigo, and I imagine that people with more time on their hands have debated the matter endlessly. Suffice to say that this works in the same way The Wendigo does - placing men in the wilderness and just letting 'nature do its work', with the actual beasties being far less important than the threat of them. And as with The Wendigo one gets the impression from this that Blackwood was definitely the outdoors man who, in the tradition of the very best horror writers, was able to convey superbly just how bloody scary the things he personally found terrifying on occasion (in this case the wilderness) could be.

[David A. Riley]

I must confess I've never read very much of Blackwood, and what I have was many years ago when, unfortunately, I wasn't particularly impressed. I must go back and read him again. I'm sure I would appreciate him more now. (It was at a time when I probably preferred Robert Bloch!)

I did get halfway through a fascinating book about Blackwood, Starlight Man by Mike Ashley, but for some reason or other got interrupted and never finished it. I've just taken it back off the shelf and will try to finish it this weekend. I would recommend this book to anyone at all interested in Blackwood. As the subtitle says, he did live an "extraordinary life".

[dem]

Algernon Blackwood - Selected Tales (John Baker, 1964)

Author's Preface

The Willows
The Woman's Ghost Story
Max Hensig
The Listener
The Old Man Of Visions
May Day Eve
The Insanity Of Jones
The Dance Of Death
Miss Slumbubble
The Wendigo
The Camp Of The Dog

Another variation on the (early) greatest hits - to my way of thinking the Dover/ House of Stratus selection is better - the bonus in this case being Blackwood's six page introduction in which he points out that the stories were written between 1906 and 1910 and appear here in the chronological sequence in which they were written. He had a proper ghost story tellers face - all craggy and lived in, with a look in his eye that suggests he knows something unpleasant that you don't and wouldn't want to. i'm at a loss to explain why i find it such a chore reading his work as i've mostly had a good time with it, particularly the pre-World War I stories, but i think it may have had something to do with a sprawling collection Tales Of The Uncanny & The Supernatural (Spring books, 1967?) which, for me, went fast downhill after opening story The Doll. it will be interesting to see what you (and others) make of the Best Ghost Stories, Lord P. Thanks for getting the ball rolling.

[David A. Riley]

"i'm at a loss to explain why i find it such a chore reading his work as i've mostly had a good time with it, particularly the pre-World War I stories, but i think it may have had something to do with a sprawling collection Tales Of The Uncanny & The Supernatural (Spring books, 1967?) which, for me, went fast downhill after opening story The Doll."

Those were the books I got when I first read Blackwood. Perhaps not the best introduction to his stories. I must admit I found them tedious.

[dem]

Jun 19, 2010 9:48:50 GMT David A. Riley said:

Those were the books I got when I first read Blackwood. Perhaps not the best introduction to his stories. I must admit I found them tedious.

There was the aforementioned Tales Of The Uncanny & The Supernatural and companion volume Tales Of The Mysterious & The Macabre, both Spring, 1967, neither of which were any great shakes as far as i remember. no longer have either book but might put up the details later as a forewarning to the innocent on what stuff of his to avoid.

[Dr Strange]

The House of Stratus "Best Of" is the one I have. Plus a Dover "John Silence" collection with the following "cases" - (1) A Psychical Invasion, (2) Ancient Sorceries, (3) The Nemesis of Fire, (4) Secret Worship, (5) The Camp of the Dog, and (6) A Victim of Higher Space.

That last one, A Victim of Higher Space, sticks in my mind - about a guy who is slowly disappearing into another dimension (or something). Seems to pre-figure some of Lovecraft's writing about higher mathematics revealing "alternative spaces" with weird geometries, etc. The Camp of the Dog is a werewolf story, and Nemesis of Fire (if I remember right) was something to do with a "fire elemental".

I've also got a 1940s (wartime) Penguin collection, but can't access it right now to list the stories. I think there was a couple of very strange ones in it, not in either of the above collections.

[Johnlprobert]

Jun 19, 2010 9:48:50 GMT David A. Riley said:

"i'm at a loss to explain why i find it such a chore reading his work as i've mostly had a good time with it, particularly the pre-World War I stories, but i think it may have had something to do with a sprawling collection Tales Of The Uncanny & The Supernatural (Spring books, 1967?) which, for me, went fast downhill after opening story The Doll."

Those were the books I got when I first read Blackwood. Perhaps not the best introduction to his stories. I must admit I found them tedious.

I have a funny feeling I've read a John Silence collection and found it utterly uninteresting, which was why I left the 'Best' alone for so long, but we'll see as I plunge onwards into this volume!

[dem]

to be fair, these two collections are probably a lot better than i remember them. it's likely i was on a blood and guts thirties pulp kick when reading (most of) Tales of the Mysterious and The Macabre and Blackwood's approach was just too thoughtful for me.

Algernon Blackwood (ed.) - Tales of the Mysterious and The Macabre (Spring, 1967)

Chinese Magic (Short Stories Of Yesterday & Today, 1930)
The Olive (Tongues of Fire and Other Sketches, 1924)
The Wayfarers (Incredible Adventures, 1914)
The Sacrifice (Incredible Adventures, 1914)
The Attic (Pan's Garden, 1912)
The Heath Fire (Pan's Garden, 1912)
A Desert Episode (Day And Night Stories, 1917)
Transition (Day And Night Stories, 1917)
The Return (Pan's Garden, 1912)
Clairvoyance (Pan's Garden, 1912)
The Golden Fly (Pan's Garden, 1912)
Special Delivery (Pan's Garden, 1912)
The Tryst (Day And Night Stories, 1917)
Initiation (Day And Night Stories, 1917)
By Water (Day And Night Stories, 1917)
A Victim Of Higher Space (Day And Night Stories, 1917)

Algernon Blackwood (ed.) - Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural (Spring, 1967)

The Doll (The Doll & One Other, 1946)
Running Wolf (Ancient Sorceries & Other Tales, 1927)
The Little Beggar (Tongues of Fire and Other Sketches, 1924)
The Man Whom the Trees Loved (Pan's Garden, 1912)
Valley of the Beasts (Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural, 1949)
The Deferred Appointment (Ten Minute Stories, 1914)
The House of the Past (Ten Minute Stories, 1914)
Entrance and Exit (Ten Minute Stories, 1914)
The Trod (The Doll & One Other, 1946)
The South Wind (Pan's Garden, 1912)
Accessory Before the Fact (Ten Minute Stories, 1914)
The Tradition (Day And Night Stories, 1917)
The Pikestaff Case (Tongues of Fire and Other Sketches, 1924)
The Lost Valley (The Lost Valley and Other Stories, 1910)[/i][/color]

Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural is a stripped down version of the collection published under the same title in 1947. The original included two of his best known traditional ghost stories - The Glamour of the Snow,The Occupant of the Room - plus The Man Who Was Milligan, Terror of the Twins, The Decoy, The Touch of Pan, The Empty Sleeve and Violence

Dr. Strange, the original edition of John Silence (1908) only ran to five stories, A Victim Of Higher Space being added some years afterward.

[cw67q]

These are both good collections demonik, and can be found easily for less than a fiver on line unless things have greatly changed in the last couple of years. But "Best of" is the best introductions and "Pan's Garden" cuts to the chase as far as Blackwood's main theme goes.

The tales I'd recommend from the two collections mentioned are:

Algernon Blackwood (ed.) - Tales of the Mysterious and The Macabre (Spring, 1967):

The Olive (a very unusual tale for Blackwood who very rarely emphasizes sex to this extent).

The Sacrifice (not the best tale from one of Blackwood's strongest collections "Incredible Adventures" but does highlight his predilection for mystical themes)

A Victim Of Higher Space (the shortest of the John Silence Tales, and IIRC written some time after the original Silence collection)

T of M&M contains a fair few of the shorter tales from Pan’s GArden, but the have much more impact read in situ (so to speak) PG has a kind of cumulative effect.

Algernon Blackwood (ed.) - Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural (Spring, 1967)

Running Wolf (one of his Canadian tales)
The Man Whom the Trees Loved (A must, one of Blackwood's finer. It is a slow burner, but a great weird tale)
The Trod
The Pikestaff Case

As I said, go elsewhere for the introduction, but don't turn your nose up if you see these books at bargain prices.

- Chris

[cw67q]

Bearing in mind the pulpy inclinations of this group, another tale I'd recommend from Great Ghost Stories is "Max Hensig". This one reads like the script for an intense film noir B-movie and really doesn't fit the lable on the book cover. It is entirely out of Blackwood's usual remit, but a great read all the same.

- chris

[cw67q]

sorry to reply again, but I just had a look on the supernaturalfiction database and they list a longer series of tales for "Tales of the Uncanny and the Supernatural". This listing fits with my recollection and includes some other tales that I'd pick out for recommendation (bold):

Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural, Nevill, 1949
(Including: "The Doll", "Running Wolf", "Little Beggar", "The Occupant of the Room", "The Man Whom the Trees Loved", "Valley of the Beasts", "The South Wind", "The Man Who Was Milligan", "The Trod", "Terror of the Twins", "Deferred Appointment", "Accessory Before the Fact", "Glamour of the Snow", "House of the Past", "The Decoy", "The Tradition", "Touch of Pan", "Entrance and Exit", "Pikestaff Case", "Empty Sleeve", "Violence", "The Lost Valley".)
ditto, Castle (U.S.), 1974

The Decoy is particularly good. I suspect that there may also be a more compehensive edition of "Tales of the Mysterious and the Macabre".

- chris

[Johnlprobert]

I don't have the Tartarus Press volume, so for my own interest and for others who don't have it, here's the contents:

Algernon Blackwood - Pan's Garden Tartarus Press (September 2000)

True Inspiration by Mike Ashley
The Man Whom the Trees Loved
The South Wind
The Sea Fit
The Attic
The Heath Fire
The Messenger
The Glamour of the Snow
The Return
Sand
The Transfer
Calirvoyance
The Golden Fly
Special Delivery
The Destruction of Smith
The Temptation of the Clay

[cw67q]

John, I first read Pan's Garden in a pb edition from these guys: www.starkhousepress.com/blackwood.html

before finding a copy of the Tartarus edition. More recently the press above started doing doubler reprints of Blackwood collections, bundling Pan's Garden with Incredible Adventures ;The Wolves of God with the lost Valley; and a couple of volumes of paired novels. These were done IIRC at the same price point as the earlier single volume versions and are great value if you can find them. The PG/IA doubler is currenmtly listed as temporarily OOP, but I'd be amazed if some POD press doesn't have a version. The Stark House editions are recommended if you can find them.

Cheers - Chris

[dem]

Yeah, The Decoy is very effective, puts me in mind a little of H. R. Wakefield's A Peg On Which To Hang: John Burley inherits an ugly mansion in the Kentish Weald, locally notorious on account of the suicides of its three previous owners. To put an end to the superstitious mutterings, Burley announces that he will spend a night there alone before he lets it. "Only cowards or lunatics kill themselves" he assures his young wife, Nancy. "I'm neither one nor t'other .... "

Looking down the list of the stories awarded red asterisks when i was keeping my tragic index, it's clear that i was most taken with his more traditional tales with The Wendigo and Keeping His Promise (about which i remember nothing!) rating highest and The Glamour Of The Snow, The Listener, The Occupant Of The Room, The Singular Death Of Morton, The Listener, Ancient Sorceries, The Transfer, Man Who Was Milligan, Confession, Old Clothes, Empty Sleeves, A Haunted Island also singled out as "very good!". Doesn't look as though i were ready for the bulk of Pan's Garden at the time. Will have to have a crack at Max Hensig as i don't think i ever got around to it so Chris, thanks for the nod!

[Johnlprobert]

Jun 19, 2010 20:31:28 GMT cw67q said:

John, I first read Pan's Garden in a pb edition from these guys: www.starkhousepress.com/blackwood.html

before finding a copy of the Tartarus edition. More recently the press above started doing doubler reprints of Blackwood collections, bundling Pan's Garden with Incredible Adventures ;The Wolves of God with the lost Valley; and a couple of volumes of paired novels. These were done IIRC at the same price point as the earlier single volume versions and are great value if you can find them. The PG/IA doubler is currenmtly listed as temporarily OOP, but I'd be amazed if some POD press doesn't have a version. The Stark House editions are recommended if you can find them.

Cheers - Chris

That's great Chris - thanks for the link!