This is a quality anthology of some of the best writers in the mid-20th century, i.e., Ray Bradbury, Fritzz Lieber Jr., Edgar Allan Poe, Gustav Flaubert (okay, the last two are not the 20th century), theodore sturgeon, and mister Lovecraft and his circle of writers. There is an introduction called "Eyrie" that tells the tale of Weird Tales from its volume one, number one issue throughn to when this anthology was printed. In fact, the magazine is called "the magazine that won't ever die." If you want to know where to read other Weird Tales, there is a bibliography at the back. Also at the back is an essay by one of tghe early editors of the magazine entitled "Why there is 'Weird Tales'". It makes the point htat these tales could not have published anywhere else as publishers in the 1930s and 1940's were locked into genre books....westerns and detective specifically. Even today, 2009, there is a tendency to lump writers as a "horror" (Lovecraft), "western (L'amour), crime and drama (MacDonald) science fiction (Clarke). I will fight any body in or out of the business who tries to shove me into a genre , although I think I might do best in crime and social non-fiction. ( )

one of my favorites; provides a good diet in a drought of creepy writers. ( )