First hitting newsstands in 1923, Weird Tales magazine quickly became a literary monster in discovering and publishing the best horror, sci-fi and fantasy writers of its day. The pulp magazine was one of the earliest publications, if not the first, to feature strange tales of occultism and alien invasions that simply didn't fit into any other magazine at that time. The stories struck a chord with those early audiences, and as a result, Weird Tales created a subgenre as "weird" could be attached itself to various genres.

Marquee names like master magician Harry Houdini and cosmic horror creator H.P. Lovecraft graced the magazine's pages during those early years with several debut stories, alongside authors who were already giants in their own right — Otis Adelbert Kline, Seabury Quinn, and Greye La Spina.

Maybe lesser known, but no less influential, writers like Frank Belknap Long Jr., Mary S. Brown, Lyllian Huntley Harris, Hasan Vokine, Arthur J. Burks, and H. Warner Munn turned out disturbing yarns that have stood the test of time only to be resurrected nearly a century later.

From the macabre and morbid to unexplainable stories of the occult, this collection features those early authors across thirteen tales of terror from the impactful years of 1923 to 1925 that are best enjoyed at the witching hour.

Reading ritual aside, you've been warned.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Confessions of a Weird Kid—Jonathan Maberry

IMPRISONED WITH THE PHARAOHS—Houdini

THE THING OF A THOUSAND SHAPES—Otis Adelbert Kline

THE MAGIC MIRROR—Mary S. Brown

THE VOW ON HALLOWEEN—Lyllian Huntley Harris

THE WEREWOLF OF ST. BONNOT—Seabury Quinn

THE SEA THING—Frank Belknap Long Jr.

SLEIGH BELLS—Hasan Vokine

THE FESTIVAL—H.P. Lovecraft

THE WEREWOLF OF PONKERT—H. Warner Munn

VALE OF THE CORBIES—Arthur J. Burks

THE TENANTS OF BROUSSAC—Seabury Quinn

THE PHANTOM WOLFHOUND—Otis Adelbert Kline

THE GARGOYLE—Greye La Spina