I have had a copy of this book since the early 90's and I come back to it often to read and re-read the comments given by the various authors on their favorite horror books. It is an interesting experience to be able to see, within these covers, the growth and evolution of horror, inspiring itself over and over to become the phenomenon of today. From The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (the first work chronologically) to Dark Feasts (the last, the book was printed in 1988), we get to see a veritable timeline of horror.

Lists of this sort are invariably subjective. The authors commissioned for this were asked to write about their favorite book, not to describe the best books so some great works are going to be left out. But it is an excellent starting point and this list (along with the Suggested Reading in the back) should keep any horror afficionado trembling for years to come.

This updated version of the 1988 Bram Stoker Award winner is appealing for several reasons. First, it's a modern classic in horror scholarship, a survey of horror literature spanning fifteen centuries, several genres, and a plethora of authors. Second, there's the thrill of reading great writers' thoughts about their favorite authors--Stephen King on Robert Marasco, Peter Straub on King, and Ed Bryant on Dan Simmons among others. Third, it's basically a big list of good books. The 100 entries combined with an extensive list of recommended titles (now updated through 1997) have enriched my reading for years. Plus, I'm always gratified when knowledgable people reel off their recommendations--their picks send me scurrying to used bookstores in search of new treasures.

In their introduction, Messrs. Jones and Newman express their hope that the book is "...informative and fun," also stating that it "should offer a guide for the relative newcomer to the subject, but also some meat for the veteran afficionado. We hope we've succeeded in giving a working overview of an often maligned field of literature." I, for one, think they've achieved their goal--Horror: 100 Best Books is a worthwhuile addition to library of any horror maven, a useful, entertaining work that belongs on the shelf next to books like King's Danse Macabre, Winter's Faces of Fear, Skal's The Horror Show and Wiater's Dark Thoughts on Writing.

If you buy this book you'll just have to buy another one down the line. My current copy is falling apart from the constant use. The one I had before that still hasn't been returned. So with the next one I buy I'll be on my third copy in just under a year since my initial purchase. For the horror fan who doesn't have the time or volition to check out the horror websites or sift through all the rotten horror novels and anthologies, this book is perfect for you. In this volume of articles by distinguished writers and anthologists you get a taste of everything from splatterpunk to Gothic. Writers as diverse as Harlan Ellison and Richard Laymon (even going back as far as Poe) get to put their two cents in. You find established classics like Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and underappreciated gems like Carroll's The Land of Laughs. You get writers who you never associated with horror like Shakespeare(article for Will writen by writer/director Clive Barker) and Melville. Of course Stephen King and Peter Straub, the modern heavyweights, are included, it wouldn't be a party without them. Once you see the Hundred choices made and read the articles, you will understand why they are there(even if you disagree with the choice). Reading this book sent me out to my used book store in an attempt to locate the out of print volumes, but somebody else must have beat me to it. And I still have yet to go through the dozens and dozens of books listed in the recommended reading list at the back of the book. So do yourself a favor, don't buy this book, you'll just have to buy another copy and you'll find yourself hunting for books like Sarban's The Sound of His Horn or Laymon's The Cellar. It is an addiction worse than smoking. It is a fear addiction, and there's no patch for it.

It is as peaceful as the prairie it describes but takes you some wonderful places. You will love it, but you might feel like going to Nebraska after you read it... I know I do. A beautiful book.

The author gives a series of brief essays on the history, natural history, and current affairs of this region in north-central Nebraska, which is one of the most isolated areas in the US (in fact, that's why it is considered one of the best places in America for amateur astronomy). I read the book just before visiting the region on my way to work at a Sioux reservation just north of the geographic sandhills -- I must confess I thought this would be a boring and uninteresting territory.

Well, I was wrong about that. The author loves the area, because of its stark beauty and the natural peacefulness of the terrain. I found it to be an almost eerie place, with the same feeling of sacredness that I have encountered in places like Assisi. I remember sitting atop one of the hills on a stormy day and observing the wave-like swaying of the grass and the equally swirling texture of the clouds, and feeling sensually as close to our primordial being as I could. Supposedly, our blood has much of the same chemical character as the oceans from which we came, and the prairie sandhills seem almost as close to some unknown element of our being.

The author has an uncanny feel for the land, and he is able to make you easily understand why he loves it so. The book is far more than a geographic tour, however, and it will leave you with a greater appreciation for life and its observation, no matter where or how you live.

Mr. Jone's admiration, appreciation and concern for this very special ecosystem shines through this lovely book. In it, he intertwines Native American myth, Plains history and well researched scientific data into a cohesive and readable overview of the Sandhills of Nebraska.

Through his eyes, we visit and experience a landscape of beauty, solitute, history and rich wildlife. It is, in turns, thought provoking, humourous, enlightening, yet never preachy. Steve is most respectful of the current private owners of these lands, and integrates their ongoing stewardship into well reasoned suggestions to insure the long-term integrity of this fecund habitat for posterity.

As I only had about 30 minutes to view this exhibit at the Met (I know - it's absurd), I am delighted to have this beautiful catalog to examine in close detail. The reproductions are indeed stunning, and the text, although very detailed, is quite readable. A treasure for art lovers, especially fans of the Pre-Raphaelite style.

This is a real eye opener of a book if you are looking for an in depth retrospective of the artist's body of work! Burne-Jones is at last receiving his fair due of recognition as witnessed by the recent Met show in the Summer of 1998. This book showcases his many merits, including a unerring color and design technique applied to fantastical subjects. What makes the book so irresistible is the wealth of color plates accompanied by detailed explanations. It also helps that the authors were thoughtful enough to leave out any stuffy, academic narrative that overburdens this genre.

This edition of the catalogue for the Metropolitain Museum of Art's recent(and sadly closed) exhibit belongs on every art library's list of " must buys." What a wealth of information and imagery, all presented in generous counterbalance in splendid color throughout. Buy this!!

The Fast Red Road is the kind of novel that makes you want to write, and drive, and read more of Jones' work. The prose is clear and uninhibited, and never takes itself too seriously. A syllabus in Jones' class at Texas Tech is more entertaining than most books on the bestseller list; his fiction is remarkable.

The Fast Red Road is a wild ride that moves beyond postmodernism into something totally new. This is a fun, fast, read that sticks with you after you are finished. Young authors like Jones give us a reason to be excited about the future of literature.

This is probably the best novel I have ever read. Jones' style in this book is very much akin to Pynchon's in The Crying of Lot 49, except more sonically tasty. The plot jumps out at you in complex imagery that mirrors this linguistic free-for-all (I read this book with more than one dictionary at hand). Like Joyce, it's very tough to get a hold of mentally, but, in the end, well worth it. Anyone interested in contemporary fiction does themselves a disservice by not reading this book.

In my sophomore genetics class we used two textbooks. One is a 600 pages textbook filled with colorful pictures, the other one is the this book. After I spent hours reading and comprehending a chapter in the 600-pages tiny-font textbook, I turned to the 200-pages large-font Gist of Gennetics. And there it is, truly the gist of genetics. I regretted that I didn't read this book first but instead wasted my valuable time reading useless [junk]. The only problem is that this book is entirely black and white, with little to no picture (only has genetic diagrams). But unless you are the type who fall asleep reading b/w textbooks, this is a great book for quick understanding of basic genetics.

The Gist of Genetics

Hathaway Jones was a rural mail carrier in at the turn of the century. He delivered "mail" and various mail order catalogue items from West Fork to homesteaders, miners et al along the Rogue River. He had lots of time to make up stories as he led his pack string of anywhere from two to 15 mules and horses. Most were stories on himself.

Tall Tale telling is an American tradition being recognized with swaps all over the country. It helps stir the imagination and the stories are great, especially when told around a campfire.

Also gives incentive to make up your own tall tales. Look around you and you'll see lots of stories just waiting to be told. This book provides the incentive to do just that.

Folks around the Rogue River STILL talk about this guy. Some even do impersonations of him. Hathaway Jones could have been the Aesop and the Garrison Keillor of his time.

This book is a wonderful way to teach children how to use their imaginations with everyday things to create exciting stories. For adults, Hathaway's humor makes great reading next to the fireplace or around a campfire.

A note of thanks to Steven Dow Beckham for compiling these stories. Hathaway Jones was truly a remarkable man and it would have been a shame to have lost the wit and wisdom of this simple mail carrier.

If you want people to know what this book is about, you should probably write your own review about it. I'm not even contemplating a book about which I know nothing.

Stephen Graham Jones is an extremely talented writer. He throws off vivid phrases and unforgettable scenes like sparks from a fireworks pinwheel. In ALL THE BEAUTIFUL SINNERS he has devised an entirely original motive and modus operandi for the "Tinman", a serial kidnapper and killer who strikes in the wake of midwestern tornados. Having said that, I must confess that I disliked this book intensely.

First, there is the body count, which approaches the carnage of a Tom Clancy war novel. Two Sheriffs, a dozen FBI agents, numerous firemen, two psychiatrists, countless civilians, and dogs, cats, and horses. And that doesn't include all the victims of the twisters! One expects death in mysteries and suspense novels, but Jones seems to be striving for some kind of macabre record for gore.

Second, the arch-villain is far too superhuman for my taste -- an all-knowing Hannibal Lechter with wings. The Tinman flits between Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Connecticut, and Tornado Alley as if born by flocks of flying blue monkeys. Jones offers us no explanation for where his killer acquired all the skills he displays nor the wealth needed to support his farflung operations.

Third, the unlikely plot contrivances were too much for this reader to swallow. Example: the only explanation offered for how the killer manages to be johnny-on-the-spot for every tornado is that he was raised by Mennonites. The series of events that end the book are nightmarishly unconvincing. Yet in those same pages Jones gives us the striking simile of National Guard helicopters landing at a tornado site "...like Valkyrie, to ferry off the dead."

Let's hope that Jones next book displays his gifts as a fiction-writer -- minus the glut of blut.

I think I see what Jones is doing with this one. it's a similar pattern to his last. will wait for a third to be sure.

ALL THE BEAUTIFUL SINNERS is a work of art. The cadence of the prose snap off the page and their rhythm is amazing. The book is an amazing thriller but don't pigeon hole this book into any genere it's a book for everybody. It'll keep you reading late into the night...and did I mention the prose...this guy can WRITE. Seriously if you're looking to read something different something with edge and is suspenseful, something that will make you fall in love with literature again, buy this book. Spend the [money] on ALL THE BEAUTIFUL SINNERS.

this was a excelant book, but some of the stories were pretty unbelivable.

I discovered a few authors in this wonderful collection and enjoyed these stories tremendously. I really enjoyed this collection o stories and I didn't expect to as much as I did. The book is worth its weight at least in sterling silver with about sixty tales - TRUE tales of the macabre and paranormal.

Okay, so they spelled Stephen King's name wrong on the cover. So, what? If found this book fascinating and entertaining at the same time. It is filled with stories by famous authors, both past and present. The one that sticks out the most is Ramsey Campbell's "The Nearest to a Ghost." He goes to the cemetery to scatter his mother's ashes and feels a powerful sense of grief that isn't his own. The feeling vanishes after a moment, his own grief returning. Creepy, huh? This is one of about thirty true-life experiences these people came face-to-face with. A great read.

This book was one that I just couldn't resist picking up. Not too often do you come across a unique business book.

The pictures and lessons are excellent. This is a book I find myself turning to when I need some inspiration or just a kick in the pants.

If you're in business and a nature lover, it's a no-brainer.

The title of the book may be problematic without knowing the content. For those who love books of nature are likely to miss this one and for those who are serious readers on leadership may be disappointed. Perhaps a subtitle, something like "thoughts of life through nature" to go along with the main one is needed. Anyway, I love it.

as a ardent covey follower for years I must say this is a must expierence for all! dont just read this book meditate about it, you will find great peace and principles that will be effective in the home or workplace.