Horror Stories

When I was in my early teens, I read a short story that I've been looking for ever since. . .It was in a raggedy paperback collection, likely presented by Alfred Hitchcock (or maybe just including a story which became one of his films, as I seem to recall 'The Birds'), and has apparently been long out of print. The story itself concerned some hideous murder and the clever, though macabre, disposal of the remains . . . something about a bottle of relish. As a young man, it stuck out in my mind with an extreme EWWWWWWWW factor, though I could never remember its title or author.For years I've combed through bookstores, new and used, seeking words in titles and tales that might trigger recognition - to no avail. I'd given up on finding it, honestly, though still I searched. Today, nearly two decades later, I've found the story!! It's included in this great collection: a little ditty, aptly titled "The Two Bottles of Relish" by some chap named Lord Dunsany. My heart soared. My eyes grew huge. Drool fell down my chin, smearing fingers coated with the ancient dust of sedentary books. I thought, "Gosh, I hope it's as good as I remember . . ."But I have it - and, apparently, loads of other good stuff from horror past, in this thick collection. Over six hundred pages, crammed full of shivers and frights . . . a horror mavens fantasy. 'Tis mostly older works - from Poe, HG Wells, Robert Louis Stevenson, and the like - but there's lots of folks here I don't know, oodles of spooky stories yet to keep one awake at night. Going now to turn down the lights, burn some candles, and rediscover a tiny, lost piece of my youth. If I am lucky, I might even have to throw the lights back on . . .

It's a shame that this collection has gone out of print. It contains a careful selection of horror stories, including exerpts from 18th century chap books and lesser known works from the Victorian penny magazines. Most of the writers represented are from th 19th and early 20th century: Poe, Ambrose Bierce, de Maupassant, and H. G. Wells.(Even though the editor expressed his dislike of H. P. Lovecraft, I think one of his works should have been included.)But overall it's a great book. And well worth the money.