''The Eye and the Finger'' is a collection of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

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 ...

by American writer

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

. It was released in

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

and was his first book published by

Arkham House Arkham House is an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had pr ...

. 1,617 copies were printed. The stories had appeared previously in ''

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Argosy'', ''

Astounding Stories ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William Cl ...

'' and other magazines. They were selected by the author and were the ones he considered to be his best at the time. The dust jacket illustration is by the author's brother,

Howard Wandrei Howard Elmer Wandrei (24 September 1909 – 5 September 1956)Minnesota Death Certificates Index< ...

. Don Herron quotes bookseller/publisher Roy A. Squires as saying that ''The Eye and the Finger'' is "one of the most difficult to find of Arkham House fiction titles - it was out of print in 1946." The collection has never been reprinted in its original form, although all the stories are included in the

Fedogan & Bremer Fedogan & Bremer is a weird fiction specialty publishing house founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1985 by Philip Rahman and Dennis Weiler. The name comes from the nicknames of the two founders when they were in college. The first Fedogan and ...

omnibus collections '' Don't Dream: The Collected Fantasy and Horror of Donald Wandrei'' and '' Colossus: The Collected Science Fiction of Donald Wandrei''.

''The Eye and the Finger'' contains the following short stories: * "Introduction" * "The Lady in Gray" * "The Eye and the Finger" * "The Painted Mirror" * "It Will Grow on You" * "The Tree-Men of M'Bwa" * "The Lives of Alfred Kramer" * "The Monster from Nowhere" * "The Witch-Makers" * "The Neverless Man" * "Black Fog" * "The Blinding Shadows" * "The Scientist Divides" * "Earth Minus" * "Finality Unlimited" * "The Crystal Bullet" * "A Fragment of a Dream" * "The Woman at the Window" * "The Messengers" * "The Pursuers" * "The Red Brain" * "On the Threshold of Eternity"

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewer Marjorie Farber gave the collection a mixed review, saying "If the sole function of a horror story is to horrify, this volume can be safely recommended to all addicts of clear conscience and strong stomach", but that ile conceding genuine effectiveness to most of Mr. Wandrei's scientific and supernatural horrors, . . . I still feel that the effect he produces is sometimes too direct" -- "effective at the time, but not lasting"."All Kinds of Gooseflesh", ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'', September 10, 1944, p.12

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eye and the Finger, The 1944 short story collections Fantasy short story collections Horror short story collections Science fiction short story collections by Donald Wandrei Arkham House books

Contents

Reception

References