The Supernatural Reader

If the reader of this book occasionally feels a slight shiver running down his spine, or if his hair stiffens suddenly and he is reluctant to look over his shoulder, he need not he embarrassed about it. For in this he shares mankind’s innermost and oldest feelings—fear of the supernatural coupled with a tormenting curiosity that leads one on to seek its clammy touch—not first-hand, of course, but preferably through the medium of a well-told tale.

With these twenty-seven stones of the supernatural, the editors have aimed at presenting as wide a range as possible, from the gruesome horrors of the vampire to the gentle whimsy of the gremlin. Several unexpected names appear as a result—

M. Forster and E. Nesbit, for instance—though the regulars are here as well, with Ray Bradbury. A. E. Coppard. M. R. James and Saki ” at their brilliant and terrifying best.

This is a collection of constant surprises, of laughs and shivers.