Showing posts with label horror stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horror stories. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849; Mary Burnet by James Hogg

29

It's been awhile since I last posted scary ghost story 30, maybe too long. Without further delay I pick James Hogg's (1770-1835) Mary Burnet as the 29th best ghost story for the first half of the nineteenth century. The scary story is the classic case of an "innocent maiden" who is wronged and, well . . . I'll let you read for yourself what happens. 

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James Hogg, commonly known by his penname "The Ettrick Shepard," was self-educated. He eventually made his way out of the rustic life of country living in Scotland. He began writing short stories and articles for Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and befriended Sir Walter Scott. While Hogg's novels did not leave a deep mark on literature, his short stories were penned at a very high level. In my estimation he is greatly overlooked as a writer of horror and ghost stories in this important half century. Two of his stories made my list of the Top 40 horror short stories for the period in review, but none rose to the level of the top dozen that I include in The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849, which recently won a literary award. Hogg has a way with dialogue that takes one back to the old Scottish brogue and in the scary story of "Mary Burnet" he does not disappoint in this regard. 

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Reveal for the 2nd Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849

For the second best short horror story of 1800-1849 I choose "The Mysterious Mansion" by Honore de Balzac (1799-1850). This horrific story of "entrapment" rises far above Edgar Allan Poe's best tale of a similar nature, "The Cask of Amontillado." You can read the story along with my annotations and story background in The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology.

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Friday, November 5, 2010

Reveal for the 3rd Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849


I am down to the Final Three in my countdown of the Top 40 horror short stories from 1800-1849. I pick Edgar Allan Poe's "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" as the third best horror tale for this period. You can read it along with my annotations and introduction in my newly published horror anthology. 

AmazonThe Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849A Classic Horror Anthology

 Barnes & NobleThe Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849A Classic Horror Anthology

Website: AndrewBarger.com

Monday, October 25, 2010

Reveal for the 4th Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849

Weighing in as the 4th best horror short story of 1800-1849 is The Thunder-Struck and the Boxer by Samuel Warren. This fine horror tale is included in The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology with background information and annotations. P.S. Halloween is only 6 days away!

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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Reveal for the 6th Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849

The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe is picked as the 6th best horror story from 1800-1849. In my recent book: The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology you can read this horror tale along with my thoughts and annotations for difficult terms. Tomorrow I will post the next author in my countdown.

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Thursday, October 7, 2010

Reveal for the 7th Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849

The Lighthouse by George Soane is my pick for the 7th best horror short story for the period in question. It is the best lighthouse horror story for the first half of the nineteenth century. I say this knowing that Edgar Allan Poe never finished the lighthouse story he was penning at his death. My research did not uncover The Lighthouse by George Soane as being collected in any horror anthology. Where can you read it then? The best way is in the recent book I have edited, The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology. Tomorrow I will post the first review of the horror book. Cheers! 

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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Reveal for the 8th Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849

My pick for the 8th best horror short story from 1800-1849 is "The Severed Hand" by Wilhelm Hauff. You can read the Top 12 in my recently published The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849. The book is a classic horror anthology with photos of the authors, story background and annotations. Tomorrow I will post the creepy book trailer video for the anthology.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Reveal for the 10th Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849

Yesterday I announced that Nathaniel Hawthorne was the author of what I believe to be the 10th best horror story for the first half of the nineteenth century. There has been speculation about just which one of his horror tales would be the first in the Top 10. I am happy to report that it is The Minister's Black Veil. If you want to read it in its entirety along with background information about the story, it (and 11 others) are contained in my new book: The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849. Here are some links where you can buy it.

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Friday, September 17, 2010

The 11th Best Horror Short Story from 1800-1849 is The Deserted House

Few people have read The Deserted House, which in my view is the best horror story ETA Hoffmann (1776-1822) ever wrote. I've included it in my collection of the 12 greatest: The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology. Next week I will begin counting down the Top 10 for this crucial period that serve as a foundation for our modern horror stories.

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