This collection gathers together some early work, which I like, and it also contains stories that I think, for one reason or another, missed their audience. There is also newer material that I treasure, some that has never before been gathered under one roof, and there are others written specifically for this volume. I love this collection. It’s a mixture of nostalgia and maturity, the reworking of others’ work and the discovery of my own voice. I like to write introductions as a way of inviting you into my house of stories. But now I’ll leave you to it. Just wander from room to room, and take your time. While you’re here, make yourself at home. But please . . . try not to break the furniture on your way out. —Joe R. Lansdale From his Introduction Contents: Introduction: good ju-ju The junkyard The valley of the swastika Duck-footed Dog It washed up Way down there A hard-on for horrror: low budget excitement Edgar Allan Poe's shadow and the aluminum chair collide: one survivor, weak in the knees with pen and paper Once upon a time The drunken moon Christmas monkey I tell you it's love The white rabbit Everybody plays the fool Pentecostal punk rock Jiving with shadows and dragons and long dark trains Dirt devils Trapped int the Saturday matinee The Devil's pants Family The hunt : before, and the aftermath