Creepy Classics: (Anthology)

Illus. in black-and-white. A haunting compilation of the scariest horror that literature has to offer--classic short stories, poems, and excerpts from novels by Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Sir Authur Conan Doyle and 17 other masters of the macabre. Accompanied by bone-chilling illustrations, each entry is introduced with a paragraph about the author and a brief description of the work.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-A collection of short stories, poems, and novel excerpts penned by notable 19th-and early 20th-century writers that has surefire appeal for horror fans. Some of the entries are well known, including W.W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw," Robert W. Service's "The Cremation of Sam McGee," and, from Mary Shelley's novel, "Frankenstein Creates a Monster." Other selections may be less familiar to young readers, such as Saki's "Gabriel-Ernest" and Edgar Allan Poe's "Alone." Even Shakespeare's witches from Macbeth appear, chanting their famous spell. Each entry is prefaced by a brief statement about the author's life and work and is accompanied by a full-page black-and-white illustration. These sketches are filled with intricate, bone-chilling detail and capture precisely the mood created by the text. Readers weaned on Alvin Schwartz-style stories will find this volume to be a great introduction to the scary tales that delighted an earlier generation. They're more cerebral, but just as frightening.Mary Jo Drungil, Niles Public Library District, ILCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-10. Why do we like stories that scare us? The editor of this anthology suggests it may be because we like to feel "that nothing is too strange to be true, that if the very worst can happen . . . then perhaps so can the very good." The 11 stories, poems, and excerpts collected in this bright, inexpensive paperback have thrilled people for generations. They aren't easy reading (no wonder Hill provides a long glossary), but in such stories as Poe's "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," the lure of the hypnotized corpse and the deathbed horror may pull kids through the turgid prose. The excerpt from Shelley's Frankenstein focuses on the moment when the monster comes alive. "The Dead Girl" by Guy de Maupassant is one of those shocking graveyard stories that stays with you forever. The pieces collected here, together with Hill's lively introduction to each writer, will encourage kids to read more by some of the gothic writers who may have started Stephen King on his way. Hazel Rochman

From the Inside Flap

ack-and-white. A haunting compilation of the scariest horror that literature has to offer--classic short stories, poems, and excerpts from novels by Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Sir Authur Conan Doyle and 17 other masters of the macabre. Accompanied by bone-chilling illustrations, each entry is introduced with a paragraph about the author and a brief description of the work.

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