Leatherbound Classic: “Classic Horror Stories”

If you follow my reviews, you know I love collections, particularly of horror stories. Unfortunately, it’s been a long time since I’ve found a good monster story I haven’t read. Luckily, I just received a collection of the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classic Classic Horror Stories. At first, I wasn’t really sure what to expect here. The name doesn’t give you much to go off of, and there are already countless collections that just feature the same stories rearranged. Classic Horror Stories features stories by Bram Stoker, M.R. James, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, J. Sheridan Le Janu, William Hope Hodgson, and a few other authors (including collection standards like Lovecraft and Poe).

I was immensely pleased with how this collection turned out. Classic Horror Stories gives you all the slinking, stalking Gothic horror you could possibly want with tales of human folly, ancient monsters, and older gods. In a day and age where horror is dominated by the psychological twist on the mundane, this collection revives the hair raising feeling you had as a child when listening to ghost stories. Most importantly, this collection introduced me to a handful of writers that I’d virtually ignored in my library, such as Algernon Blackwood. Whereas most collections have obvious weak links, Classic Horror Stories features solid tales across the board, cementing its place as one of the best short story collections I’ve ever owned. The styles presented within are varied enough to please almost any horror fan, and the book as a whole calls back to an older hand at the art of horror. If you like questioning what makes the sounds you hear in your house at night, then look no farther than Classic Horror Stories (A Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classic). It also makes an excellent gift to lovers of older horror literature.