Fam Ghost Stories V140

by Bennett Cerf

Book Overview

"Ghosts are the true immortals, and the dead grow more alive all the time. Wraiths have a greater vitality today than ever before. They are far more numerous than at any time in the past, and people... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394701402
• ISBN13: 9780394701400
• Release Date: October 1956
• Publisher: Vintage Books USA
• Length: 361 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Enjoying things that go bump in the night

My copy of Bennett Cerf's, "Famous Ghost Stories," is old and yellowed and I would not part with it. I purchased it as a new hardback Modern Library Book in about 1959 and still take it off of the shelf to explore it's delightful scares every halloween. To me this book has come to symbolize ghost stories and dark fall evenings.Within Cerf's anthology there are some standard such as W.W. Jacob's, "The Monkey's Paw' and Saki's "The Open Window." The reader will also find some rarer treats in August Derleth's, "The Return of Andrew Bentley' and Ambrose Bierce's, "The Damned Thing." Cerf had fantastic taste in ghost stories and assembled 15 that range from pleasent to down-right horrifying. Modern Library has allowed this wonderful classic to go out of print which denies modern readers access to the best ghost story anthology every published and makes it virtually impossible for me to replace my old yellowed copy...Though I may be telling the reader to go find Shangra-la, find a copy if you can. I beg modern library to re-introduce this great anthology to the public. Hwlloween is always coming you know.

a classic lost to obscurity

this collection is indeed yet another example of a should-have-been bona fide classic all but languishing in bibliophile limbo; i naively lent my own first copy--the 1944 pb edition--out to a 'good friend' only to later discover that its $.25 thrift store price belied its actual rarity in light of its disappearance. behind cerf's editorial modesty is the brilliance reflected in his selections which represent the best of the genre with stories and authors both well-known and unfamiliar; though sourced from differing places, time periods and publications, all succeed as both literature and ghost stories--unsettling the reader with well-written, intelligent, and ultimately satisfying tales for neophyte and scholar alike.

Simply the Best!

This is far and away the finest collection of ghost stories I have ever read. This is not a book for those who dote on slasher stories or sex. Nothing here but bone-chilling tales of fear and horror in a classic mode.

Classic, brilliant... will someone wake the publisher?

I can't believe this brilliant collection of thrilling fiction is out of print. Someone should wake the publisher, add a new introduction by Stephen King some great cover artwork by say William Joyce and watch the thing go right back on the New York Times bestseller list. This is great stuff!