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Post by dem bones on Jan 31, 2011 9:29:28 GMT
Readers Digest - Great Ghost Stories (Readers Digest, 1997) Robert Wheeler & Tony Stone The Editors - introduction
Robert Aickman - Ringing The Changes Cynthia Asquith - The Corner Shop A. L. Barker - The Whip Hand Ambrose Bierce – A Tough Tussle Algernon Blackwood –Transition Ray Bradbury - The Crowd Ann Bridge – The Buick Saloon Rhoda Broughton - The Truth, The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth A. M. Burrage - Smee A. S. Byatt – The July Ghost B. M. Croker - 'To Let' Robertson Davies - The Ghost Who Vanished By Degrees Walter de la Mare – Seaton’s Aunt Charles Dickens - No. 1 Branch Line: The Signalman Lord Dunsany - August Cricket Elizabeth Fancett - The Ghost Of Calagou Frederick Forsyth - The Shepherd Shamus Frazer - Florinda Elizabeth Gaskell – The Old Nurse’s Story Graham Greene - A Little Place Of The Edgware Road L. P. Hartley - Someone In The Lift William Hope Hodgson - The Gateway Of The Monster Thomas Hood - The Shadow Of A Shade Holloway Horn - The Old Man Elizabeth Jane Howard – Three Miles Up Henry James – The Romance Of Certain Old Clothes M. R. James – The Ash Tree Rudyard Kipling – The Phantom Rickshaw Marghanita Laski – The Tower J. S. le Fanu – Shalken The Painter Penelope Lively - Black Dog Alison Lurie - The Highboy W. Somerset Maugham - The Taipan Guy de Maupassant – An Apparition E. Nesbit - Man-size In Marble Edgar Allan Poe - William Wilson Alexander Pushkin – The Queen Of Spades Jean Rhys - I Used To Live Here Once Robert Louis Stevenson - The Body-snatcher Bram Stoker - The Judge's House Elizabeth Taylor – Poor Girl H. R. Wakefield - Blind Man's Buff Elizabeth Walter – Dual Control Fay Weldon - Breakages Oscar Wilde - The Canterville Ghost Emile Zola – Angeline, or The Haunted HouseThe lit snobs can shake their heads and sneer their best superior sneer, but, credit where credit is due. The Readers Digest Book Of Strange Stories, Amazing Facts is a very entertaining delve into Fortean Times/ The Unexplained territory, and this 528 page paving slab of spook show classics likewise shapes up a bit tasty. You have to admit, whoever compiled this knows their way around, and they've even thrown in a nice red silk ribbon to mark your page without even making a drama out of it! My one concern is the lack of reassuring "complete and unabridged" as I believe RD have some form when it comes to pruning original works? I will never forgive Marshall Cavendish for lopping off the end of Carmilla in their attractively packaged but ultimately fatally flawed Anthology Of Fear!
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Post by cw67q on Feb 1, 2011 8:22:52 GMT
Yes Dem, this looks like a really well chosen selection. There are some great choices in there and a fair sprinkling of tales unfamiliar (which I'd have reasonably high hopes for given the quality of those I do recognise). Great to see such a large mainststream(ish) collection that avoids just making all the lazy choices. I agree, this was edited by someone who knew, and cared about, ghost stories.
- Chris
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Post by dem bones on Feb 1, 2011 13:55:09 GMT
There's some overlap with J. A. Cuddon's Penguin Book Of Ghost Stories and several from Cynthia Asquith & Co.'s Ghost Books, but if this had come from an imprint other than Readers Digest then chances are it would be lauded as the marvellous introduction to the genre it is. It's attractively packaged (glossy paper throughout) and those responsible add brief introductory notes to each story à la Richard Dalby in the Christmas Ghosts series. Have been meaning to reacquaint myself with Ringing The Changes and The Buick Saloon for some time, so will try and mop up the lesser known selections when i get around to it.
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Post by cw67q on Feb 2, 2011 8:22:53 GMT
Dem I assume (hope!) that the tales have not been digested, edited for length.
- Chris
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Post by lemming13 on Feb 4, 2011 10:11:35 GMT
Does look good, but like cw points out Readers Digest do sometimes edit material. The Strange Stories book is excellent, though, my kids now have my copy stashed upstairs somewhere and won't give it back. Like so many other things I liked, like my copy of Dungeon Keeper 2. I miss my torture chamber...
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Post by dem bones on Feb 25, 2011 9:55:51 GMT
Robert Aickman - Ringing The Changes: So i compared the Readers Digest version of Aickman's story against the one included in Roald Dahl's Book Of Ghost Stories and thankfully, everything seems present and correct. It's ages since i first read Ringing The Changes and i'd forgotten or misremembered entire episodes, think i even referred to it on here as "his most straightforward supernatural story" or some such garbage when, in fact, it's anything but. Fortunately, nobody reads me for incisive literary analysis - actually, nobody with any smarts reads me, period - which is just as well because doing Ringing The Changes any kind of justice is a struggle i won't win.
Some months after their marriage, Gerald Banstead takes wife Phrynne on an October honeymoon in Holihaven, East Anglia. Banstead, a typical Aickman middle class anti-hero, is almost a quarter of a century older than his bride and they've known each other all of six months. They put up at The Bell Hotel, a grim establishment with a grimmer landlady, Mrs. Hilda Pascoe, and it's not long before the constant ringing of multiple church bells begins to get on Gerald's nerves. Phrynne initially takes the din in her stride. But for permanent boarder, Commandant Shorecroft, the lugubrious hotel "mascot", there are no other guests - Holihaven out of season resembles a ghost town: even the sea seems to have shut down for winter as the Bansteads can't find it - although at one stage a noticeably drunk Mrs. Pascoe insists the bar is crowded. The bells keep up their relentless toll, and Shorecroft warns Banstead that he must get his wife away before they stop for this is the night of the year when "they're ringing to wake the dead." Banstead, by now sufficiently unnerved to heed Shorecroft, fatally procrastinates - they'll leave in the morning.
The bells slow to a halt. Banstead catches a glimpse of a sinister black cloaked figure from his window and gradually Station Road fills with revellers. Far removed from the familiar shambling zombies, the East Anglian dead are fully alert and rowdy - "... the crowd had amalgamated their utterances and began to shout in unison. They were like agitators howling a slogan, or massed troublemakers at a football match." The mob burst into the Bansteads' room. Gerald is punched to the ground and the dead sweep Phrynne into their arms and dance away with her.
If we were talking a pulp horror story, then that, unquestionably would be the last Banstead sees of his wife, but Phrynne is returned him next morning, no bones broken but subtly altered in a way he can't put his finger on. Where did the dead take her and what did they do when they got there? It is no good looking to Aickman for an answer - he wasn't in the business of cosy explanations!
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Post by dem bones on May 22, 2013 21:23:23 GMT
Maxim Jakubowski (ed.) - Great TV & Film Detectives: A Collection of Crime Masterpieces Featuring Your Favorite Screen Sleuths (Orion/ Readers Digest, 2005) Maxim Jakubowski - Introduction
Ngaio Marsh - Roderick Alleyn: I Can Find My Way Out G. K. Chesterton - Father Brown: The Secret Garden Margery Allingham - Albert Campion: The Case of the Widow Howard Engel - Benny Cooperman: My Vacation in the Numbers Racket Mickey Spillane - Mike Hammer: The Duke Alexander Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet Maurice Leblanc - Arsene Lupin: The Red Silk Scarf George Simenon - Inspector Maigret: Crime in the Rue Sainte-Catherine Raymond Chandler - Philip Marlowe: Trouble Is My Business Agatha Christie - Miss Marple: Sanctuary Erle Stanley Gardner - Perry Mason: The Case of the Irate Witness Colin Dexter - Inspector Morse: The Inside Story Max Allan Collins - Eliot Ness: The Strawberry Teardrop Ed McBain - The 87th Precinct: Sadie When She Died p. 249 Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The Theft of the Royal Ruby Ellery Queen - Man Bites Dog E. W. Homung - Raffles: The Criminologists' Club Ian Rankin - Inspector Rebus: Saint Nicked John Harvey - Charlie Resnick: Now's the Time Lawrence Block - Bernie Rhodenbarr: The Burglar Who Dropped In on Elvis Jeffrey Deaver - Lincoln Rhyme: The Christmas Present John Mortimer - Rumpole of the Bailey: Rumpole and the Scales of Justice Lawrence Block - Matt Scudder: A Candle for the Bag Lady Mark Timlin - Nick Sharman: Midnight at the Lost and Found Agatha Christie - Tommy and Tuppence: The Disappearance of Mrs. Leigh Gordon Nicolas Freeling - Van Der Valk: Van der Valk and the False Caesar Sara Paretsky - V. I. Warshawski: The Pietro Andromache Ruth Rendell - Inspector Wexford: When the Wedding Was Over
AcknowledgmentsBlurb: Sherlock Holmes. Miss Marple. Perry Mason. Nick Sharman. These are but a few of the fictional super sleuths who have become etched in our collective imagination through their star appearances in movies and TV series. Today, most suspense buffs are familiar with the operating methods, mannerisms, and faces of Hercule Poirot, Philip Marlowe, Eliot Ness, and scores of other crime-solving heroes and heroines because they've seen them in action, courtesy of an impressive roster of acting talent on-screen.
If you've ever wondered 'where and how famous characters like Inspector Maigret and Ellery Queen got their start — or if you'd like to revisit engaging masters of intrigue brought to life by such actors as John Barrymore and Stacy Keach — GREAT TV & FILM DETECTIVES is the definitive anthology. Maxim Jakubowski, who honed his expertise in crime fiction as the proprietor of the world-famous Murder One bookshop, has gathered more than 25 short stories featuring such familiar detectives as Mike Hammer and V. I. Warshawski. Each gripping tale provides fascinating clues into the literary origin of the star sleuth and highlights of his or her film history. As an added extra, introductory author notes provide insight into the interesting lives and ingenious minds of the creators of these dynamic and complex crime solvers. - In this collection, you'll discover a cast of iconic characters and brilliant authors in such spine-tingling tales as:
"The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—the spellbinding 1892 magazine story that introduced the greatest fictional detective of all time, Sherlock Holmes; "The Case of the Widow" by Margery Allingham—a gripping manhunt that takes place in London's sinister underworld, where the sleuthing talents of Albert Campion are put to the test; "Rumpole and the Scales of Justice" by John Mortimer—a case that captures the particular charm of the savvy barrister Rumpole of the Bailey; "Midnight at the Lost and Found" by Mark Timlin—a twister of poetic justice worthy of that lovable rogue cop-turned-private-eye Nick Sharman.
You'll also find classic gems of suspense by Agatha Christie, the grand dame of mystery writers, who gave birth to such acclaimed characters as Tommy and Tuppence, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Marple; Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder); G. K. Chesterton (Father Brown); Ian Rankin (Inspector Rebus); Sara Paretsky (the incomparable V. I. Warshawski); and other best-selling authors.
Celebrating some of the world's best-known and most-beloved detectives—hardworking professional investigators, reformed thieves, and rich dilettantes among them—GREAT TV & FILM DETECTIVES promises to rouse all fans of crime thrillers on-screen or on the page. You might even be inspired to do some investigating of your own into the intriguing lives of the real and fictional personalities you discover!A variation on Peter Haining's two volume The Television Detectives’ Omnibus (Orion, 1992, 1994) from the former Murder One supremo and Mammoth Book of Erotic, Mammoth Book Of Jack The Ripper & Co. anthologist. First began seeking these out on the off chance that Caroline Graham may have penned a Midsomer Murders short or two, but that doesn't seem to have been the case. As with the mighty Great Ghost Stories, this provides further evidence that Readers Digest publications are not uniformly rubbish.
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Post by michaelscollins on Nov 15, 2016 15:43:27 GMT
I've misplaced my copy of this. It'll turn up somewhere. I like the nice massive 50+ story collections. They've always got the usual suspects, and a few duffers, but more often than not turn up a few unheralded good ones. This was my first introduction to Aickman, I've re-read Ringing the Changes since, and still haven't a clue what's going on there! Though that's a theme to the book - The Ash Tree, Schalken the Painter, Someone in the Lift and Three Miles Up were all stories which left me cold on first reading, but I've come to properly appreciate with re-reads. The M.R. James is up there with his nastiest, blood sucking revenge creatures. Lovely. My memory tells me The Ghost Who Vanished by Degrees is a funny one, I need to read it again, and The Judge's House is one of Stoker's finest. I find Stoker tends to waffle on a bit for my liking, but he can be quick and nasty ( The Squaw) and Judge's House is one of his most effective uses of creeping tension. (I feel it was an inspiration for Crooked House, the BBC ghost drama a few years back.) I think it was influenced somewhat by Le Fanu. Speaking of Stoker - B.M. Croker? an Irish horror writer, from roughly the same time period? Yer fooling no one with that pseudonym, Stoker... The Crowd is one of Bradbury's nastier works - no nostalgic childhood here, just an all knowing, unstoppable thing which should not be. The Wakefield is the only of his I've read as he is so difficult to get ahold of these days, and from the evidence, it's a crying shame. Which leaves Smee (obligatory Burrage reference here). There's also Man Size in Marble, a fantastic tale about the legend of two statues which are said to move once a year, and how the main character disbelieves it, even when he finds out his new house is the only place standing of the old house the people the statues are of lived in. And whilst I remember nothing of Poor Girl, it leads me to a thought with Elizabeth Taylor: we all know The Fly Paper, right? Roald Dahl said it was the one story he regretted not writing first. Classic of the nasty non-supernatural horror genre. Yet... I can't for the life of me recall it being anthologised in anything I've read, and the ifsdb draws a blank too. Which leaves, of all the tales, Florinda. What a horrible, nasty story that is. I mean that in the best possible way. Wee girl seems to have a imaginary friend, as family move into small place in the country, and start to clear the overgrown garden. When things start to go wrong, girl blames it on Florinda, her "pal". And then things start to get really dark, and creepy, and if I read it again now, it'd probably have a whole new layer of creepy parent fear on top. If this is symptomatic of Frazer's other stories, I'll need to track them down. However, I might wait till the wean's in uni...
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Post by dem bones on Nov 15, 2016 18:04:48 GMT
Which leaves, of all the tales, Florinda. What a horrible, nasty story that is. I mean that in the best possible way. Wee girl seems to have a imaginary friend, as family move into small place in the country, and start to clear the overgrown garden. When things start to go wrong, girl blames it on Florinda, her "pal". And then things start to get really dark, and creepy, and if I read it again now, it'd probably have a whole new layer of creepy parent fear on top. If this is symptomatic of Frazer's other stories, I'll need to track them down. However, I might wait till the wean's in uni... In that case think you would enjoy his The Fifth Mask. Copies of The Tandem Book Of Horror Stories are thin on the ground/ ridiculously overpriced just now but Ramsey Campbell included it in the excellent Fine Frights: Stories That Scared Me which should be a little easier to find. And whilst I remember nothing of Poor Girl, it leads me to a thought with Elizabeth Taylor: we all know The Fly Paper, right? I don't!
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Post by michaelscollins on Nov 15, 2016 18:31:08 GMT
Which leaves, of all the tales, Florinda. What a horrible, nasty story that is. I mean that in the best possible way. Wee girl seems to have a imaginary friend, as family move into small place in the country, and start to clear the overgrown garden. When things start to go wrong, girl blames it on Florinda, her "pal". And then things start to get really dark, and creepy, and if I read it again now, it'd probably have a whole new layer of creepy parent fear on top. If this is symptomatic of Frazer's other stories, I'll need to track them down. However, I might wait till the wean's in uni... In that case think you would enjoy his The Fifth Mask. Copies of The Tandem Book Of Horror Stories are thin on the ground/ ridiculously overpriced just now but Ramsey Campbell included it in the excellent Fine Frights: Stories That Scared Me which should be a little easier to find. And whilst I remember nothing of Poor Girl, it leads me to a thought with Elizabeth Taylor: we all know The Fly Paper, right? I don't! I'll have a look for the Frazer, thanks. And on that note: Elizabeth Taylor - The Fly Paper: Sylvia is an unpopular, quiet young schoolgirl. Her mother died, and her gran has decided the best thing for Sylvia to do is to take piano lessons on the other side of town in the middle of Winter. Finally the bus home arrives, and on it, she finds one of those chatty types sidling up for conversation. This man seems on the creepy side, and Sylvia's smart enough to see the danger there. "I'm fond of children, I'm good with them" he says, but she gets off the bus..and he follows. Not to worry, a kindly old woman frightens him off, and says she'll just give our Sylvia a nice cup of tea before she phones the police for her... It must have been anthologised at some point, because Roald Dahl read it (possibly during his reading for that TV series in the 1950s that never was) and was adamant that it was picked up for use in Tales of the Unexpected. By that time, Taylor was dead, though I seem to recall Dahl had written to her in her lifetime to express admiration for the tale. I mean, even though it's a subtle tale at heart, there's probably an obvious reason why it's not published often (child harm), but even then, it's near complete disappearance surprises me.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 15, 2016 19:57:00 GMT
And on that note: Elizabeth Taylor - The Fly Paper: Sylvia is an unpopular, quiet young schoolgirl. Her mother died, and her gran has decided the best thing for Sylvia to do is to take piano lessons on the other side of town in the middle of Winter. Finally the bus home arrives, and on it, she finds one of those chatty types sidling up for conversation. This man seems on the creepy side, and Sylvia's smart enough to see the danger there. "I'm fond of children, I'm good with them" he says, but she gets off the bus..and he follows. Not to worry, a kindly old woman frightens him off, and says she'll just give our Sylvia a nice cup of tea before she phones the police for her... It must have been anthologised at some point, because Roald Dahl read it (possibly during his reading for that TV series in the 1950s that never was) and was adamant that it was picked up for use in Tales of the Unexpected. By that time, Taylor was dead, though I seem to recall Dahl had written to her in her lifetime to express admiration for the tale. I mean, even though it's a subtle tale at heart, there's probably an obvious reason why it's not published often (child harm), but even then, it's near complete disappearance surprises me. It doesn't appear to have made any horror anthologies, but some kind souls have posted it HERE. And it is indeed creepy. Thanks for putting us onto it, Michael.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Nov 15, 2016 20:52:26 GMT
The television dramatization may be watched here.
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Post by Swampirella on Nov 15, 2016 21:11:36 GMT
Just had the creepy pleasure of reading it, my thanks to the "kind souls"
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Post by dem bones on Nov 15, 2016 21:49:04 GMT
The television dramatization may be watched here. ... And if you want a graphic, adult version of the story there's always 'Alex White' (Dulce Gray on this occasion, if I remember?) and Never Talk To Strangers in Pan Horror 7
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Post by Swampirella on Nov 15, 2016 21:58:55 GMT
Read it and now have watched it too; thanks for the link. May or may not have a nightmare about this tonight
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