This is part II of the ten question interview I did for The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology. I hope you find it interesting.
Q6: Did you find any obscure horror story from these periodicals that made your list of the best horror stories? Sort of a one-hit wonder?
A6: There is one unknown horror story: The Lighthouse by George Soane. I included it in the collection. It is the best lighthouse horror story to come out of this period. I say this knowing that Poe never got a chance to finish his horror story titled The Lighthouse. George Soane, the son of the famous architect John Soane, is the most underrated writer of short horror stories to come out of this fifty year period. He is not a one-hit wonder.
Q7: Edgar Allan Poe wrote his horror short stories during this time period and you edited Edgar Allan Poe Annotated and Illustrated Entire Stories and Poems. How many of his made the list?
A7: Four. It my view he penned one third of the best horror short stories from 1800-1849. That is amazing.
Q8: How many horror stories are in the book?
A8: Twelve: The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe; The Severed Hand by Wilhelm Hauff; The Thunder-Struck and the Boxer by Samuel Warren; The Deserted House by Ernst T. A. Hoffmann; The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe; El Verdugo (The Executioner) by Honoré de Balzac; The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne; The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe; The Mysterious Mansion by Honoré de Balzac; The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe; The Old Man’s Tale About the Queer Client by Charles Dickens; and The Lighthouse by George Soane.
Q9: What is your favorite horror story from the anthology?
A9: That’s tough. They are all great in their own devious ways. If I have to pick, I would say The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe. The story has some of Poe's best character generation and is rife with fear. The horror story builds to a crescendo and still maintains a high literary quality. The writing is top notch. For this period it is tough to top this story on almost any level.
Q10: Where can a person buy this book assuming they want to be scared out of their mind?
A10: The best place to start is by clicking on this best horror short stories path to the book’s page on my Website where I provide links to buy the book (or ebook) online. It can be purchased at all major online retailers including The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849 at Amazon.com and The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849 at Barnes & Noble.
