A Wave of Fear

Description

Hardcover – Published in 1973 by W. H. Allen.

The baby and the pile of bones… the crawling horror on the lonely French beach… the woman who dominated her husband even from beyond the grave… the most evil woman in history… the horror in the confession booth… the maggots in the molten metal… the leper bride and her fearful wedding night… the skeleton in the cowl—these are just a few of the terrifying tales contained in A Wave of Fear.

As in his previous collection, A Tide of Terror, Hugh Lamb has unearthed rare stories of the macabre, most of them unobtainable for many years. There are more ghost stories from the three Benson brothers, more rare tales from masters of the genre like Ambrose Bierce, H. R. Wakefield and M. P. Shiel, and more tales from previously unanthologised authors such as Joy Burnett, Frederick Cowles and L. A. Lewis.

Ranging over the last eighty years, A Wave of Fear brings together new and old names in the history of the horror tale and is one of the best selections ever made in this field.

Contents

Foreword – Hugh Lamb
The Child – L. A. Lewis
Celui-La – Eleanor Scott
A Resumed Identity – Ambrose Bierce
Huguenin’s Wife – M. P. Shiel
Blind Man’s Buff – H. Russell Wakefield
Marjorie’s on Starlight – Charles Birkin
Hawley Bank Foundry – L. T. C. Rolt
Twilight – Marjorie Bowen
Basil Netherby – A. C. Benson
The Wishing-Well – E. F. Benson
The Traveller – R. H. Benson
Phantom Silhouette – Joy Burnett
Terrible Mrs. Greene – Frederick Cowles
Clairvoyance – D. K. Broster
The Late Occupier – J. D. Beresford
The Messenger – Robert W. Chambers
A Honeymoon in Hate – Vivian Meik

Praise

For people who always wanted to know what happens when a steamroller runs over somebody’s head – you’re in luck!

Dem Bones
Vault of Evil Forum

“Expertly crafted and ‘very British’, this collection of horror stories consists of pieces written in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Most are true hair-raisers, e.g., Ambrose Bierce’s understated A Resumed Identity about a Civil War soldier who becomes separated from his unit and Clairvoyance by D. K. Broster which recounts what happens when a sensitive young girl reveals the horrible history of an old Japanese sword. Other selections are by the Bensons, Joy Burnett, Vivian Meik, and Eleanor Scott. An excellent assemblage for YA’s [sic] who enjoy being scared out of their wits.”

Regina Minudri, Library Journal
Alameda County Library, CA
November 1974

“I found this garish looking paperback anthology buried in the basement of a local Chicago bookstore, and I almost passed it by, as I already had a big stack of horror fiction I planned on buying. I’m glad I didn’t, as there were some absolute gems in here I probably never would have come across otherwise.

Editor Hugh Lamb decided to try and bring more exposure to lost or forgotten ghost/strange stories from authors both well-known and not, mostly from the early 20th century, and it’s surprising to me that some of these stories are not considered classics of the genre.

There are no duds here, though the flowery language of some of the earlier-written stories would occasionally cause my eyelids to weigh ten pounds if I was reading late at night, but overall this was a great find filled with stories that should be more well-known than they are. Worth getting if you come across it for a reasonable price.”

Jack Tripper
Goodreads Reviewer

Other Editions

Paperback – Published by Coronet in 1976

Hardcover – Published by Taplinger in 1973

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OUT OF PRINT

Available on the second-hand market.

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