Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural, Marvin Kaye

[Timebender]

I recently bought an old, used copy of Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural, an anthology of short scary stories both classic and modern ("modern" being the 1980s when the book was published) compiled by Marvin Kaye and Saralee Kaye. It has a lot of big names in it, like Mary Shelley, Orson Scott Card, EA Poe, JRR Tolkien, HP Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce.

I haven't read most of it yet, but what I have read has been a nice variety to the stories: ghosts, monsters, supernatural, fantasy, SF, poetry, a few humorous tales to lighten things up. I'd never read anything by Marvin Kaye before, but I love the air of sophistication and "high culture" he brings to the whole thing with his introduction and epilogue. He even comes across as a tiny bit snobbish sometimes, but it's okay, it's a little bit amusing.

If you can find it, I highly recommend it.

(I took plenty of photos because I think the cover isn't long for this world.)

 

[Toby Frost]

Is the cover by Edward Gorey?

 

[Timebender]

Yes! I didn't notice when I first got the book, I just thought it looked good, but in hindsight it's fairly obvious, ha ha.

 

[Randy M.]

Kaye edited several such anthologies. I read Fiends and Creatures when I was a teen, and bought this one and Ghosts: A Treasury of Chilling Tales, Old and New when they were new.

As with all too many anthologies, I've never finished it. I've read maybe 30% and the high points were, "Carmilla," "Sardonicus," "Lazarus" (maybe the most depressing story I've ever read), "The Hospice," "The Hungry House" and "The Question".

Let us know how you fare, Timebender. I'll be interested in your thoughts.

 

[Timebender]

Kaye edited several such anthologies. I read Fiends and Creatures when I was a teen, and bought this one and Ghosts: A Treasury of Chilling Tales, Old and New when they were new.

As with all too many anthologies, I've never finished it. I've read maybe 30% and the high points were, "Carmilla," "Sardonicus," "Lazarus" (maybe the most depressing story I've ever read), "The Hospice," "The Hungry House" and "The Question".

Let us know how you fare, Timebender. I'll be interested in your thoughts.

Thank you! As I said I haven't read most of it yet, but I have liked what I read.
So far, "The Professor's Teddy Bear" was the scariest one to me, though I'm sure that will change the farther I get.
"The Quest for Blank Claveringi", was a pleasant surprise because I knew going in that it was about giant snails, and didn't expect to be too scared by that. But the tension is built really well, (mild spoiler alert) as the viewpoint character goes from scientific fascination to uneasy frustration to mortal terror for his life.
"A Malady of Magicks" by Craig Shaw Gardner was really not scary at all, to the point where I'm not even sure why it was included. But it was so funny that I was happy it WAS included, all the same.