Story Collection (single author)
THE ROOM IN THE TOWER AND OTHER STORIES ...
London: Mills & Boon, Limited, [1912]. Octavo, pp. [i-iv] v [vi] vii [viii] 1-338 [339-344: ads] + 32-page undated publisher's catalogue inserted at rear, original maroon cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold, publisher's monogram stamped in blind on rear panel, bottom edge untrimmed. First edition. Benson's first collection of ghost stories. "By far the best of his four books of ghost stories, this contains seventeen tales, each almost too well-rounded to fault." - Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, p. 30. Ashley, Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction, p. 32. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 3-17. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 139. Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature, p. 81. Penzoldt, The Supernatural in Fiction, p. 257. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-15. Wilson, Shadows in the Attic, p. 67. Bleiler (1978), p. 21. Reginald 01134.
THE TERROR BY NIGHT: COLLECTED SPOOK STORIES VOLUME ONE. Edited by Jack Adrian
Ashcroft, British Columbia: Ash-Tree Press, 1998. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Limited to 600 copies. First volume in a projected five volume series of Benson's supernatural tales. The stories from this volume date from 1899-1911.
VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE.
London: Hutchinson and Co., n.d., [1923]. Octavo, pp. [i-ii] iii [iv-vi] 7-288 + 40-page publisher's catalogue "for the Autumn, 1923" inserted at rear, original blue cloth, front panel stamped in black and blind, spine panel stamped in black. First edition. Collection of short horror fiction; twelve stories including "The Horror Horn" and the vampire story "Mrs. Amworth." "Probably Benson's most famous collection." - Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 142. Laid into this copy is information on a television film production of Mrs. Amworth. Ashley, Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction, pp. 31-2. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 3-17. Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, p. 31. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-17. Wilson, Shadows in the Attic, p. 67. Bleiler (1978), p. 21. Reginald 01137.
THE LIGHT INVISIBLE.
London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd., 1907. Octavo, pp. [1-2] [i-vii] viii [ix-x] [1-3] 4-250 [251-255: ads] [256: blank] 24 page publisher's catalog inserted at rear, title leaf printed in red and black, original pictorial blue cloth, front panel stamped in white and black, spine panel stamped in gold. Later printing. The author's first book. Fifteen weird tales, including the noted ghost story, "The Traveller." Religious ghost stories, dogmatism offset by strong atmosphere, especially "The Watcher," "The Blood-Eagle," "Poena Damni," and "The Traveller." Ashley, Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction, p. 32. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 148. Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia if Horror and the Supernatural, p. 30. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-18. Wilson, Shadows in the Attic, p. 70. Bleiler (1978), p. 21. Reginald 01139.
A MIRROR OF SHALOTT: COMPOSED OF TALES TOLD AT A SYMPOSIUM ...
London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd., 1907. Octavo, pp. [1-8] [1] 2-301 [302: blank] [303-312: ads], original green cloth, spine panel stamped in gold. First edition. Benson's best collection of short fiction. "... Montague Summers said of A MIRROR OF SHALOTT... that 'there are few better stories of this kind.' It is a series of stories recounted by a group of priests, much in the Canterbury Tales vein, each telling of his supernatural experiences." - Ashley , Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction, p.32. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 3-18. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 149. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, Volume II, p. 21 (recording the earlier UK edition). Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, pp. 28-31. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-19. Wilson, Shadows in the Attic, p. 71. Bleiler (1978), p. 21. Reginald 01141.
GHOSTS IN THE HOUSE. Introduction by Hugh Lamb.
Penyffordd, Chester: Ash-Tree Press, 1996. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Limited to 400 copies plus a few extras for legal deposit purposes. Collects nineteen stories, all selected from A. C. Benson's THE HILL OF TROUBLE (1903), THE ISLE OF SUNSET (1905) and BASIL NETHERBY (1927) and R. H. Benson's THE LIGHT INVISIBLE (1903) and A MIRROR OF SHALOTT (1907), plus "Haunted Houses," a nonfiction article by R. H. Benson first reprinted here, with introduction by editor Hugh Lamb.
GHOSTS IN THE HOUSE. Introduction by Hugh Lamb.
Penyffordd, Chester: Ash-Tree Press, 1996. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Limited to 400 copies. Collects stories from the A.C. Benson's THE HILL OF TROUBLE, THE ISLES OF SUNSET and BASIL NETHERBY and R.H. Benson's THE LIGHT INVISIBLE and THE MIRROR OF SHALOTT.
CHAIN OF WITNESSES: THE CASES OF MISS PHIPPS...edited by Marvin Lachman.
Norfolk, VA: Crippen & Landru Publishers, 2015. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Collects sixteen of the author's mystery short stories.
IN THE MIDST OF LIFE: TALES OF SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS.
New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1898. Small octavo, pp. [1-2] [i-ii] iii [iv] v-vi 1-362 [363-366: ads] [367-368: blank] [note: first and last leaves are blanks], original decorated maroon cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold. Enlarged edition. First printing of the enlarged edition of TALES OF SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS (1891), the first and best of two collections of Bierce's short fiction published during his lifetime. The enlarged edition adds three stories including the classic, "The Damned Thing," a chilling narrative of an encounter with a malignant being from another dimension. Anatomy of Wonder (1995) 1-13. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 2-7. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 162. Clareson, Science Fiction in America, 1870s-1930s 073. Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, pp. 33-4. Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature III, pp. 1436-40. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-23. Bleiler (1978), p. 23. Wright (III) 523. BAL 1119. Starrett 15. Baird and Greenwood, An Annotated Bibliography of California Fiction 1664-1970 250.
TALES OF SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS.
San Francisco: E. L. G. Steele, 1891. Octavo, pp. [1-8] 9-300 [301-304: blank] [note: penultimate leaf is a blank; final leaf excised; fly leaf precedes title leaf], original gray cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold. First edition. Presentation copy with inscription by Bierce to a fellow Hearst journalist on the title page: "Charles Michelson / with compliments of / The Author / St. Helena, Cal., / Aug. 30, 1892." Michelson was a famous adventurer and correspondent for William Randolph Hearst. Classic collection of short fiction including "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," Bierce's best known story. Anatomy of Wonder (1995) 1-13. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 2-7. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 162. Clareson, Science Fiction in America, 1870s-1930s 073. Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, pp. 33-4. Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature III, pp. 1436-40. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-23. Bleiler (1978), p. 23. Reginald 01265. Wright (III) 525. BAL 1109 (binding variant A). Starrett 8. Baird and Greenwood, An Annotated Bibliography of California Fiction 1664-1970 252.
TALES OF SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS.
San Francisco: E. L. G. Steele, 1891. Octavo, pp. [1-8] 9-300 [301-304: blank] [note: penultimate leaf is a blank; final leaf excised; fly leaf precedes title leaf], original brown cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold. First edition. Classic collection of short fiction including "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," Bierce's best known story. Stories "reminiscent of Poe's tales of horror and marked by an ingenious use of the surprise ending, a sardonic humor, and a realistic study of tense emotional states" (OCAL). Anatomy of Wonder (1995) 1-13. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 2-7. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 162. Clareson, Science Fiction in America, 1870s-1930s 073. Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, pp. 33-4. Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature III, pp. 1436-40. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-23. Bleiler (1978), p. 23. Reginald 01265. Wright (III) 525. BAL 1109 (binding variant A). Starrett 8. Grolier American 100: 94. Baird and Greenwood, An Annotated Bibliography of California Fiction 1664-1970 252.
THE METALLIC MUSE.
Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1972. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Signed and dated inscription by Biggle on the front free end paper. Collection of stories which all relate to the arts.
POWERS OF DARKNESS: A COLLECTION OF UNEASY TALES.
London: Philip Allan, [1934]. Octavo, pp. [1-4] 5 [6-8] 9-243 [244: blank] [245-256: ads], original green cloth, spine panel stamped in black. First edition. Original anthology collecting ten stories by Lord Dunsany ("The Two Bottles of Relish"), Birkin (as "Charles Lloyd"), Russell Thorndike and others. Part of the classic fourteen-volume "Creeps" series. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 3-23. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1329. Bleiler (1978), p. 8. Reginald 11848.
THRILLS: A COLLECTION OF UNEASY TALES.
London: Philip Allan, 1935. Octavo, pp. [1-10] 11-249 [250-255: ads] [256: printer's imprint], original green cloth, spine panel stamped in black. First edition. Original anthology collecting fourteen stories by Tod Robbins, H. R. Wakefield, Birkin (as "Charles Lloyd") and others. Patrick Carleton's "Doctor Horder's Room" an antiquarian vampire story, after the manner of M. R. James; Elizabethan magus battens upon young collegians for their precious bodily fluids. Part of the classic fourteen volume "Creeps" series. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 3-23. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1598. Carter, The Vampire in Literature, p. 57. Frost, The Monster with a Thousand Faces, p. 86. Bleiler (1948), p. 30. Not in Bleiler (1978). Reginald 14110.
A HAUNTING BEAUTY: STORIES OF THE MACABRE BY CHARLES BIRKIN. SELECTED BY MICHAEL ASHLEY.
Seattle: Midnight House, 2000. Octavo, cloth. First edition. One of 450 numbered copies. The first volume of Birkin's work from this publisher. Collects thirteen stories, a preface by Michael Ashley and an introduction by Birkin. Ashley assembled this collection in 1983 before Birkin passed away but was unable to find a publisher for the volume for seventeen years.
BLOODED ON ARACHNE.
[Sauk City, WI]: Arkham House Publishers, Inc., [1981]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. The author's first story collection. "Atmospheric SF, including such standouts as the title story and 'The White Otters of Childhood.' Bishop is one of the more stylish and intellectual writers of American SF ..." - Pringle, The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, second edition (1995), p. 44. "Infatuated with strangeness." - Brian Stableford. Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-123.
BLOODED ON ARACHNE.
[Sauk City, WI]: Arkham House Publishers, Inc., [1981]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. The author's first story collection. "Atmospheric SF, including such standouts as the title story and 'The White Otters of Childhood.' Bishop is one of the more stylish and intellectual writers of American SF ..." - Pringle, The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, second edition (1995), p. 44. "Infatuated with strangeness." - Brian Stableford. Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-123.
BLOODED ON ARACHNE.
[Sauk City, WI]: Arkham House Publishers, Inc., [1981]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. The author's first story collection. "Atmospheric SF, including such standouts as the title story and 'The White Otters of Childhood.' Bishop is one of the more stylish and intellectual writers of American SF ..." - Pringle, The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, second edition (1995), p. 44. "Infatuated with strangeness." - Brian Stableford. Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-123.
BLOODED ON ARACHNE.
[Sauk City, WI]: Arkham House Publishers, Inc., [1981]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. The author's first story collection. "Atmospheric SF, including such standouts as the title story and 'The White Otters of Childhood.' Bishop is one of the more stylish and intellectual writers of American SF ..." - Pringle, The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, second edition (1995), p. 44. "Infatuated with strangeness." - Brian Stableford. Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-123.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH THE DEITY ...
[Atlanta, Georgia]: Peachtree Publishers, Ltd., [1986]. Octavo, cloth-backed boards. First edition. A collection of fourteen stories with introduction by Isaac Asimov. "Sophisticated, playful SF and fantasy stories on metaphysical, even mystical, themes. High spots include 'A Gift from the Graylanders' and 'Alien Graffiti.'" - Pringle, The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, second edition (1995), p. 71. Anatomy of Wonder (1987) 4-61.
EMPHATICALLY NOT SF, ALMOST.
Eugene, OR: Author's Choice Monthly Pulphouse Publishing, [1990]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. One of 300 numbered clothbound copies copies signed by Bishop. Collects nine stories. Author's Choice Monthly, Issue Fifteen.
ONE WINTER IN EDEN.
[Sauk City, Wisconsin]: Arkham House Publishers, Inc., [1984]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Collects twelve short stories including the Nebula award winner, "The Quickening." Anatomy of Wonder (1995) 4-49.
ONE WINTER IN EDEN.
[Sauk City, Wisconsin]: Arkham House Publishers, Inc., [1984]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. 3596 copies printed. Bishop's second collection of short fiction. Collects twelve short stories including the Nebula award winner, "The Quickening." See Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-123.
THE CURSE OF YIG.
Sauk City, WI: Arkham House, 1953. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Signed by Bishop on the front free endpaper. 1217 copies printed. Collects three stories, largely revised by H. P. Lovecraft, and profiles of Lovecraft and August Derleth. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 3-24. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 171. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 4-20.
THE CURSE OF YIG.
Sauk City, WI: Arkham House, 1953. Octavo, cloth. First edition. 1217 copies printed. Collects three stories, largely revised by H. P. Lovecraft, and profiles of Lovecraft and August Derleth. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 3-24. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 171. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 4-20.