The Penguin Book of Horror Stories

Here are the depths of fear and darkness, the furthest limits of agony in mind and body…

Born in the eighteenth century, the horror story produced a literature of terror filled with werewolves and vampires, and which borrowed many elements from its sister genre, the ghost story.

Many famous writers were tempted by it, including Maupassant,Poe, Gautier, Conan Doyle, L.P. Hartley and Ray Bradbury. In this excellent anthology Charles Cuddon has selected the best stories of all, spanning the whole period.

Cover illustration: Steve Crisp.