''On an Odd Note'' is a collection of
short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
written by
Gerald Kersh
Gerald Kersh (26 August 1912– 5 November 1968) was a British and later also American writer of novels and short stories.
Biography
Born in 1912, Kersh began to write at the age of eight. After leaving school, he worked as, amongst other thin ...
, published as a paperback original by
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...
in 1958. No other editions were issued until 2015, when
Valancourt Books
Valancourt Books is an independent American publishing house founded by James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle in 2005. The company specializes in "the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print fiction," in particular gay titles and Gothic and horr ...
brought out a new edition with an introduction by
Nick Mamatas
Nick Mamatas ( el, Νίκος Μαμματάς) (born February 20, 1972) is an American horror, science fiction and fantasy author and editor for Haikasoru's line of translated Japanese science fiction novels for Viz Media. His fiction has been ...
.
Contents
* "Seed of Destruction'' (''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' 1947)
* "Frozen Beauty"
''John Bull'' 1941)
* "Reflections in a Tablespoon" (''Neither Man Nor Dog'' 1946)
* "The Crewel Needle"
''Lilliput'' 1953)
* "The Sympathetic Souse" (''Lilliput'' 1954)
* "The Queen of Pig Island ''
The Strand'' 1949)
* "Prophet Without Honor" (original)
* "The Beggars’ Stone" (''
John O'London's Weekly
''John O'London's Weekly'' was a weekly literary magazine that was published by George Newnes Ltd of London between 1919 and 1954. In 1960 it was briefly brought back into circulation (writer Peter Green's biography lists him as having been fil ...
'' 1941)
* "The Brighton Monster ''
The Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
1948)
* "The Extraordinarily Horrible Dummy (''Penguin Parade'' 1939)
* "Fantasy of a Hunted Man" (''John Bull'' 1942)
* "The Gentleman All in Black" (''John Bull'' 1942)
* "The Eye (''The Saturday Evening Post'' 1957)
"Frozen Beauty", "Fantasy of a Hunted Man" and "The Gentleman All in Black" originally appeared under the "Waldo Keller" byline. "The Beggars' Stone" was originally published as "The Stone". "The Brighton Monster" was originally published as "The Monster". "The Eye" was originally published as "The Murderer's Eye".
Reception
Anthony Boucher
William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio d ...
, despite faulting the story selection as a chaotic mix of genres, noted that the book "is unified by the ever-captivating Kersh personality." Boucher concluded that while "Mr. Kersh can (and often does) write a trite or inept story, . . . he is incapable of writing a dull sentence."
Everett F. Bleiler
Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" ...
found ''On an Odd Note'' to be "a collection of Kersh's more important fantastic stories. . . . Good narratives, with unusual detail."
[E. F. Bleiler, ''The Guide to Supernatural Fiction'', Kent State University Press, 1983, p.102]
References
{{Reflist
1958 short story collections
Books with cover art by Richard M. Powers
Ballantine Books books