Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Author of the 6th Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849 is Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) has appeared many times on my countdown of the Top 40 horror short stories for the first half of the nineteenth century. Most recently he appeared at spot 9 with The Tell-Tale Heart. Tomorrow I will reveal his story that appears at the sixth spot.

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Friday, October 8, 2010

Review of The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology



The first professional review for The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology has been posted by one of Amazon.com's Top Ten Reviewers. For those not familiar with Amazon's top reviewers or how one becomes a top reviewer, they are a group of people who are highly sought out by sellers to review their products. Amazon Top Ten Reviewers are the top 10 people who have reviewed the most products listed for sale on Amazon. Grady Harp, who has held this title for a number of years, was kind enough to review The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849 that I edited and he gave it 5 stars. Here's what he had to say: 

"Andrew Barger is rapidly becoming recognized as an authority on scary things. Two of his previous books, 'Edgar Allan Poe Annotated and Illustrated Entire Stories and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe and Andrew Barger', and 'The Best Werewolf Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Werewolf Anthology by Andrew Barger', have demonstrated not only his obsession with things frightening but also with his keen sense of research and curatorial gifts. This current volume, 'THE BEST HORROR SHORT STORIES 1800-1849' will likely become a best seller, seeing the public interest continuing to grow for things frightful. 


For this volume Barger went beyond his choice of King of the Horror short stories - Edgar Allan Poe, hands down the leader - and combed through some 300 possible entries from around the world. From these entries he selected according to three guiding principles: fear, empathy with the protagonist, and the level of writing. In a very entertaining and informative introduction Barger explains his process and his choices of the final twelve winning short stories. The authors include of course Edgar Allen Poe (4), Nathaniel Hawthorne, ETA Hoffmann, Balzac (2), Dickens, Wilhelm Hauff, Samuel Warren, and George Soane. Some of these writers may be new to the reader of this anthology and some of the stories will be very well known to most. 

What makes this collection (of truly terrifying tales!) so satisfying is the presence of a brief introduction before each story, sharing some comments about the writer and elements of the tale. It is, after all, an annotated version. Barger has once again whetted our appetites for fright, spent countless hours making these twelve stories accessible and available, and has provided in one book the best of the best of horror short stories. It is a winner."
  

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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Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Author of the 7th Best Scary Short Story 1800-1849 is George Soane



It is extremely rare for George Soane (1789-1860) to be mentioned when scholars discuss the best horror short story writers for the first half of the nineteenth century. In my view he is one of the most largely overlooked horror story writers for this period. Tomorrow I will reveal his scary short story that is 7 on my countdown of the Top 40 from 1800-1849 and is contained in my new book: The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology.


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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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Author of the 8th Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849 is Wilhelm Hauff

Back to my countdown of the Top 40 horror short stories from 1800-1849. The author of the 8th best horror story for this period is Wilhelm Hauff (1802-1827). Here is a photo of this German horror author who died much too young. Tomorrow I will post the title of his horror story.

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Friday, September 24, 2010

Reveal for the 9th Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849

I pick Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart as the 9th best horror short story for the first half of the nineteenth century. Before I am finished with the countdown Poe will make three more appearances. For those of you interested in the great stories and poems of Poe, I edited Edgar Allan Poe Annotated and Illustrated Entire Stories and Poems that is chock full of interesting information about America's most mysterious and haunting author of the early nineteenth century. Next week I will continue with the countdown.

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Author of the 9th Best Horror Short Story 1800-1849 is Edgar Allan Poe

This is not the first time Edgar Allan Poe has appeared in my countdown of the Top 40 horror short stories from 1800-1849, but it is the first time he has appeared in the Top 10. It will not be his last. Tomorrow I will reveal which horror short story of his I place at the ninth best for this period. While you wait, you can check out the press release for the best horror stories book that I edited, which contains the Top 12 horror short stories for this period. It's called The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A  Classic Horror 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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