''American Fantastic Tales'' is a set of two reprint horror anthologies, released as ''American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from Poe to the Pulps'' and ''American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940s to Now''. Both anthologies were edited by Peter Straub. They were published by Library of America in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

. The anthologies contain horror stories by American authors from the 18th century to modern times, split at 1940. The anthology pair itself won the 2010

World Fantasy Award—Anthology The World Fantasy Awards are given each year by the World Fantasy Convention for the best fantasy fiction published in English during the previous calendar year. The awards have been described by book critics such as ''The Guardian'' as a "prestig ...

. The pair were also released as a boxed set in 2009.

Poe to the Pulps

* "Somnambulism: A Fragment", by Charles Brockden Brown * "

The Adventure of the German Student "The Adventure of the German Student" is a short story by Washington Irving, which was published in 1824 in his collection of essays ''Tales of a Traveller''. The story was inspired by a French tale of unknown origin, and several variations of the ...

", by Washington Irving * "

Berenice Berenice ( grc, Βερενίκη, ''Bereníkē'') is the Ancient Macedonian form of the Attic Greek name ''Pherenikē'', which means "bearer of victory" . Berenika, priestess of Demeter in Lete ca. 350 BC, is the oldest epigraphical evidence. Th ...

", by Edgar Allan Poe * "

Young Goodman Brown "Young Goodman Brown" is a short story published in 1835 by American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story takes place in 17th-century Puritan New England, a common setting for Hawthorne's works, and addresses the Calvinist/Puritan belief that all ...

", by Nathaniel Hawthorne * "The Tartarus of Maids", by Herman Melville * "What Was It? A Mystery", by

Fitz-James O'Brien Fitz James O'Brien (also spelled Fitz-James; 25 October 1826 – 6 April 1862) was an Irish-American Civil War soldier, writer, and poet often cited as an early writer of science fiction. Biography O'Brien was born Michael O'Brien in Cork, Irela ...

* "The Legend of Monte del Diablo", by Bret Harte * "The Moonstone Mass", by

Harriet Prescott Spofford Harriet Elizabeth Prescott Spofford (April 3, 1835 – August 14, 1921) was an American writer of novels, poems and detective stories. One of the United States's most widely-published authors, her career spanned more than six decades and included ...

* "His Unconquerable Enemy", by

W. C. Morrow William Chambers Morrow (July 7, 1854 – April 3, 1923) was an American writer, now noted mainly for his short stories of horror and suspense. He is probably best known for the much-anthologised story "His Unconquerable Enemy" (1889), about the ...

* "In Dark New England Days", by Sarah Orne Jewett * "

The Yellow Wallpaper "The Yellow Wallpaper" (original title: "The Yellow Wall-paper. A Story") is a short story by American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in January 1892 in '' The New England Magazine''. It is regarded as an important early work ...

", by Charlotte Perkins Gilman * "The Black Dog", by Stephen Crane * "Ma'ame Pélagie", by

Kate Chopin Kate Chopin (, also ; born Katherine O'Flaherty; February 8, 1850 – August 22, 1904) was an American author of short stories and novels based in Louisiana. She is considered by scholars to have been a forerunner of American 20th-century feminis ...

* "Thurlow's Christmas Story", by

John Kendrick Bangs John Kendrick Bangs (May 27, 1862 – January 21, 1922) was an American author, humorist, editor and satirist. Biography He was born in Yonkers, New York. His father Francis N. Bangs was a lawyer in New York City, as was his brother, Francis S. ...

* "

The Repairer of Reputations "The Repairer of Reputations" is a short story published by Robert W. Chambers in the collection ''The King in Yellow'' in 1895 in literature, 1895. The story is an example of Chambers' horror fiction, and is one of the stories in the collection w ...

", by Robert W. Chambers * "The Dead Valley", by

Ralph Adams Cram Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partner ...

* "The Little Room", by Madeline Yale Wynne * "The Striding Place", by Gertrude Atherton * "An Itinerant House", by Emma Frances Dawson * "Luella Miller", by

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (October 31, 1852 – March 13, 1930) was an American author. Biography Freeman was born in Randolph, Massachusetts on October 31, 1852, to Eleanor Lothrop and Warren Edward Wilkins, who originally baptized her " ...

* "Grettir at Thorhall-stead", by Frank Norris * "Yuki-Onna", by

Lafcadio Hearn , born Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (; el, Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χέρν, Patríkios Lefkádios Chérn, Irish language, Irish: Pádraig Lafcadio O'hEarain), was an Irish people, Irish-Greeks, Greek-Japanese people, Japanese writer, t ...

* "For the Blood Is the Life", by

F. Marion Crawford Francis Marion Crawford (August 2, 1854 – April 9, 1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels, especially those set in Italy, and for his classic weird and fantastical stories. Early life Crawford was born in Bagni di Lucca, in th ...

* "

The Moonlit Road "The Moonlit Road" is a gothic horror short story by American Civil War soldier, wit, and writer Ambrose Bierce. It first appeared in a 1907 issue of ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine, illustrated by Charles B. Falls. This story is presented in three parts ...

", by Ambrose Bierce * "Lukundoo", by

Edward Lucas White Edward Lucas White (May 11, 1866 – March 30, 1934) was an American author and poet. Life Born in Bergen County, New Jersey, the son of Thomas Hurley White (1838-1902) and Kate Butler (Lucas) White, he attended Johns Hopkins University in Balt ...

* "The Shell of Sense", by

Olivia Howard Dunbar Olivia Howard Dunbar (1873–1953) was an American short story writer, journalist and biographer, best known today for her ghost fiction. Life Dunbar was born in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts in 1873. She graduated from Smith College, after ...

* "

The Jolly Corner "The Jolly Corner" is a short story by Henry James published first in the magazine ''The English Review'' of December 1908. One of James' most noted ghost stories, "The Jolly Corner" describes the adventures of Spencer Brydon as he prowls the now ...

", by Henry James * "Golden Baby", by Alice Brown * "Afterward", by

Edith Wharton Edith Wharton (; born Edith Newbold Jones; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and interior designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray ...

* " Consequences", by Willa Cather * "The Shadowy Third", by Ellen Glasgow * "Absolute Evil", by

Julian Hawthorne Julian Hawthorne (June 22, 1846 – July 14, 1934) was an American writer and journalist, the son of novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sophia Peabody. He wrote numerous poems, novels, short stories, mysteries and detective fiction, essays, t ...

* "Unseen—Unfeared", by Francis Stevens * " The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", by F. Scott Fitzgerald * "The Curse of Everard Maundy", by Seabury Quinn * "The King of the Cats", by Stephen Vincent Benét * "The Jelly-Fish", by

David H. Keller David Henry Keller (December 23, 1880 – July 13, 1966) was an American writer who worked for pulp magazines in the mid-twentieth century, in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. He was also a psychiatrist and physician to shell- ...

* "Mr. Arcularis", by Conrad Aiken * "

The Black Stone "The Black Stone" is a horror short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, first published in the November 1931 in literature, 1931 issue of ''Weird Tales''. The story introduces the mad poet Cthulhu Mythos biographies#Geoffrey, Justin, Justi ...

", by

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...

* "Passing of a God", by

Henry S. Whitehead Henry St. Clair Whitehead (March 5, 1882 – November 23, 1932) was an American Episcopal minister and author of horror and fantasy fiction."In Memoriam: Henry St. Clair Whitehead". H. P. Lovecraft. Reprinted in Robert Weinberg, ''The Weird ...

* "The Panelled Room", by August Derleth * "

The Thing on the Doorstep "The Thing on the Doorstep" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Cthulhu Mythos universe. It was written in August 1933, and first published in the January 1937 issue of ''Weird Tales''. Inspiration The ide ...

", by H. P. Lovecraft * "Genius Loci", by

Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Algernon Charles Swinburne ...

* "The Cloak", by

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

1940s to Now

* "Evening Primrose", by

John Collier John Collier may refer to: Arts and entertainment *John Collier (caricaturist) (1708–1786), English caricaturist and satirical poet *John Payne Collier (1789–1883), English Shakespearian critic and forger *John Collier (painter) (1850–1934), ...

* "Smoke Ghost", by Fritz Leiber * "The Mysteries of the Joy Rio", by Tennessee Williams * "The Refugee", by

Jane Rice Jane Rice (April 30, 1913 – March 2, 2003) was an American science fiction and horror writer. Her fiction debut was with "The Dream" in the July 1940 issue of ''Unknown'', edited by the legendary sf editor John W. Campbell. During the war she ...

* "Mr. Lupescu", by Anthony Boucher * "

Miriam Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Tor ...

", by Truman Capote * "Midnight", by Jack Snow * "Torch Song", by

John Cheever John William Cheever (May 27, 1912 – June 18, 1982) was an American short story writer and novelist. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs". His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan; the Westchester suburbs; ...

* "The Daemon Lover", by Shirley Jackson * "The Circular Valley", by

Paul Bowles Paul Frederic Bowles (; December 30, 1910November 18, 1999) was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator. He became associated with the Moroccan city of Tangier, where he settled in 1947 and lived for 52 years to the end of his ...

* "I'm Scared", by Jack Finney * "

The Vane Sisters "The Vane Sisters" is a short story by Vladimir Nabokov, written in March 1951. It is famous for providing one of the most extreme examples of an unreliable narrator. It was first published in the Winter 1958 issue of ''The Hudson Review'' and then ...

", by Vladimir Nabokov * "The April Witch", by Ray Bradbury * "Black Country", by Charles Beaumont * "Trace", by

Jerome Bixby Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby (January 11, 1923 – April 28, 1998) was an American short-story writer and scriptwriter. He wrote the 1953 story " It's a Good Life", which was the basis of a 1961 episode of ''The Twilight Zone'' and was included ...

* "Where the Woodbine Twineth", by Davis Grubb * "Nightmare", by

Donald Wandrei Donald Albert Wandrei (20 April 1908 – 15 October 1987)Minnesota Death Certificates Index
. ...

* "

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" is a post-apocalyptic science fiction short story by American writer Harlan Ellison. It was first published in the March 1967 issue of '' IF: Worlds of Science Fiction''. It won a Hugo Award in 1968. The na ...

", by

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

* "Prey", by Richard Matheson * "The Events at Poroth Farm", by

T. E. D. Klein Theodore "Eibon" Donald Klein (born July 15, 1947) is an American horror writer and editor. Klein has published very few works, but they have all achieved positive notice for their meticulous construction and subtle use of horror: critic S. T. ...

* "Hanka", by Isaac Bashevis Singer * "Linnaeus Forgets", by Fred Chappell * "Novelty", by

John Crowley John Crowley may refer to: *John Crowley (Irish revolutionary) (1891-1942), Irish revolutionary and hunger striker *John Crowley (author) (born 1942), American author *John Crowley (baseball) (1862–1896), American Major League catcher *John Crowl ...

* "Mr. Fiddlehead", by Jonathan Carroll * "Family", by

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. Her novels '' Bla ...

* "The Last Feast of Harlequin", by

Thomas Ligotti Thomas Ligotti (born July 9, 1953) is an American horror writer. His writings are rooted in several literary genres – most prominently weird fiction – and have been described by critics as works of ''philosophical'' horror, often formed into ...

* "

A Short Guide to the City "A Short Guide to the City" is a 1990 horror short story by American writer Peter Straub collected in '' Houses Without Doors''. It combines two disparate literary forms: a self-congratulatory travel brochure published by an unnamed city's Chamber ...

", by Peter Straub * "The General Who Is Dead", by

Jeff VanderMeer Jeff VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American author, editor, and literary critic. Initially associated with the New Weird literary genre, VanderMeer crossed over into mainstream success with his bestselling Southern Reach Trilogy. The tr ...

* "

That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French "That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French” is a horror short story by American writer Stephen King. It was originally published in the June 22, 1998 issue of ''The New Yorker'' magazine. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection ...

", by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

* "Sea Oak", by George Saunders * "The Long Hall on the Top Floor", by

Caitlín R. Kiernan Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan (born 26 May 1964) is an Irish-born American published paleontologist and author of science fiction and dark fantasy works, including 10 novels, series of comic books, and more than 250 published short stories, novella ...

* "Nocturne", by

Thomas Tessier Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

* "The God of Dark Laughter", by Michael Chabon * "Pop Art", by Joe Hill * "Pansu", by

Poppy Z. Brite Billy Martin (born May 25, 1967), formerly Poppy Z. Brite, is an American author. He initially achieved fame in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s by publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections. He i ...

* "Dangerous Laughter", by Steven Millhauser * "The Chambered Fruit", by

M. Rickert Mary Rickert, known as M. Rickert (born December 11, 1959 in Port Washington, Wisconsin), is an American writer of fantasy fiction. Many of her stories have been published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction''. Her first collection, ...

* "The Wavering Knife", by Brian Evenson * "Stone Animals", by

Kelly Link Kelly Link (born July 19, 1969) is an American editor and author of short stories. While some of her fiction falls more clearly within genre categories, many of her stories might be described as slipstream or magic realism: a combination of sci ...

* "Pat Moore", by Tim Powers * "The Little Stranger", by Gene Wolfe * "Dial Tone", by

Benjamin Percy Benjamin Percy is an American author of novels and short stories, essayist, comic book writer, and screenwriter. Career Benjamin Percy has published four novels, ''The Dark Net'', ''The Dead Lands'', ''Red Moon'', and ''The Wilding'', as well a ...

References

{{World Fantasy Award Best Anthology 2009 anthologies American anthologies Horror anthologies

Contents

Poe to the Pulps

1940s to Now

References