A collection of fourteen stories feature ghoulies, ghosties, long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night. Expect shivers up your spine, the smell of human flesh, and the occasional touch of wonder. The Boarded Window - by Ambrose Bierce The Cask of Amontillado - by Edgar Allan Poe Casting the Runes - by M. R. James A Cold Greeting - by Ambrose Bierce The Dead Mother - by Unknown Death and the Woman - by Gertrude Atherton I Have a Rendezvous With Death - by Alan Seeger An Inhabitant of Carcosa - by Ambrose Bierce The Masque of the Red Death - by Edgar Allan Poe A Strange Goldfield - by Guy Boothby The Strange Orchid - by H. G. Wells Two Military Executions - by Ambrose Bierce The Valley of the Beast - by Algernon Blackwood Yuki-onna by Lafcaido Hearn
Author
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (1842-1914) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. Today, he is best known for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work – along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto "nothing matters" – earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce." Despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including poet George Sterling and fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events. Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71. He is believed to have traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on that country's ongoing revolution. Despite an abundance of theories, Bierce's ultimate fate remains a mystery. He wrote in one of his final letters: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico—ah, that is euthanasia!"
