Haunted America: Star-Spangled Supernatural Stories: Selected by Marvin Kaye

American ghosts and hauntings abound in this collection of blood-red, bone-white, and cold-blue stories. In this volume: The Triumph Of Night, Edith Wharton: A secretary is maneuvered into spending the night with a young man suffering from tuberculosis and his wealthy uncle and becomes the unwitting tool of a malevolent apparition. The White Old Maid, Nathaniel Hawthorne: The corpse of a handsome young man; and two young women, one proud and stately whom the young man had rejected, the other frail and soft, his chosen bride...what would these women become in later years? Victoria (also published as The Three D's), Ogden Nash: Victoria wants to be popular at her school, and she must pass an initiation - visit the grave of Eliza Catspaugh, a famous Salem witch - and bring back proof...The Terrible Old Man, H.P. Lovecraft: A man so old none can remember when he was young, and so taciturn few know his name. He lives alone, is reputedly wealthy - and that is enough to attract three careless thieves... The Problem Of The Pilgrims Windmill, Edward D. Hoch: A man is murderously attacked inside a windmill - but his testimony together with snow unblemished by footprints say otherwise...The Romance Of Certain Old Clothes, Henry James: When sisters Perdita and Rosalind fall for the same handsome young man, there can't be a happy ending...Bones, Donald A. Wollheim: A specially selected group are invited to attend the unwrapping of a mummy - with the possibility of some impossible events. TheVacant Lot, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: A newly rich family find a house for sale in a very fashionable neighborhood - at an suspiciously bargain price...A Curious Dream, Mark Twain: The telling of a dream in which skeletons are walking down their road, with their few pitiful possessions...why are the dead leaving? The Man Who Collected Poe, Robert Bloch: Two collectors of Poe memorabilia fight over the ultimate Poe collectible...Guests From Gibbet Island, Washington Irving: In the British colonial days, Gibbet Island was where pirates were hanged - except two who escaped custody - but can they escape their bloodthirsty, dead crewmates? Our Late Visitor, Marvin Kaye: A writer seeking necessary solitude and his wife are very annoyed when their friend comes to visit after midnight - especially as he is meant to be dead. The Girl With The Beckoning Eyes: A family wonders why their son has become so solitary and secretive. The Ghost Of Washington, Anonymous: A young man on a cycling tour explores a deserted house and finds it’s not quite deserted. The Headless Horseman of Paoli, Darrell Schweitzer: A motorist encounters a headless horseman – or is it a body-less head? Artemisia’s Mirror, Bertha Runkle: A beautiful family heirloom proves to be the key in unlocking a decades-old secret. Unto The Fourth Generation, Isaac Asimov: An anxious young executive on his way to a business meeting keeps finding variations of the same name, over and over again. The Spook House, Ambrose Bierce: In 1858 an entire family of seven disappears suddenly and unaccountably from a plantation house , leaving behind everything they own. The Shot-Tower Ghost, Mary Elizabeth Counselman: The younger family members can’t resist making fun of Uncle Robert and his ‘ghost story’. A Tale Of The Ragged Mountains, Edgar Allan Poe: A man on a mountain hike westward and southward of Charlottesville stumbles onto an Eastern town straight out of the Arabian Nights and finds himself in the midst of a ferocious battle. Come To The Party, Frances Garfield: A tale of a wild – and deadly – party. Nobody Ever Goes There, Manly Wade Wellman: Silver John is keeping the peace in a little mountain village divided by a river, on one side of which there are things which don’t want to be bothered. Ghost of Buckstown Inn, Arnold M. Anderson: A travelling salesman decides to spend the night in the Buckstown Inn's 'supposedly' haunted bedroom. The Stuffed Alligator, L. Frank Baum: A young alligator ignores his mother’s warnings and crosses the river to the village of Men. The House Of The Nightmare, Edward Lucas White: A motorist stranded after a car accident encounters an unusual young lad who invites him to stay the night. The Elemental: A man’s thoughts and beliefs become reality. We Are The Dead, Henry Kuttner: A brief tale of a weird experience in Arlington Cemetery. The Destruction Of Smith, Algernon Blackwood: An oil tycoon is haunted by the spectral presence of the town he built burning to the ground. The Return Of The Moresbys: A man murders his wife…then becomes convinced she has been reincarnated as a cat which is determined to get vengeance. The Rider On The Pale Horse (Also published as Mr Death And The Red-Headed Woman) : Maude’s lover is shot dead over a hand of cards – but she isn’t going to let Mr Death take him. The Glove, Fritz Leiber: A creepy clue is found after a murder in an apartment house tenanted by eccentrics. Kaena Point, C.H. Sherman: Most people go to Hawaii for a holiday, or for the scenery – not to find a portal to the afterlife. Atrocities, Jessica Amanda Salmonson: When one can see the dead – and another finds he can suddenly see the dead - and there is confusion as to what is reality and whos is dreaming - there’s going to be a sticky end. Gibbler’s Ghost, William F Nolan: A famous actor tries to lose his virginity – but his would-be lady loves keep being frightened off by the sight of a knight in armor on a horse. They Bite, Anthony Boucher: A greedy thief, in an abandoned desert town, encounters something not quite human…not quite alive…and definitely not quite dead…Miracle At Chimayo, Carole Buggè: A man needs a miracle – but who is answering his prayer? Slaughter House, Richard Matheson: Can a dead woman really come between two brothers? The Dead Remember, Robert E. Howard: A tale of almost perfect revenge in the wild West of the 1870s. The Night The Ghost Got In, James Thurber: Young James Thurber hears footsteps walking around the dining table at 1.15 a.m. - and his mother is NOT amused when he wakes the household. Dumb Supper, Henderson Starke: Rosalind wonders if she really should serve a dumb supper in order to see her future husband. The Fear That Walks By Noonday, Willa Cather: After a football player is fatally injured during a game, the next game his team plays is overshadowed by coldness…and inexplicable events. The Chadwick Pit, Carol Jacobi: (also published as The Pit) When Chadwick uses stones from a pit as foundations for a summer house, he begins to have terrible nightmares. The Return Of Andrew Bentley, August W. Derleth and Mark Schorer: Uncle Amos is fearful that after his death, his body will be inhabited by spirit of the evil Andrew Bentley. Away, Barry N. Malzberg: A ghost from Iowa lives on to tell the tale of early settlement. The StrangeGuests, Anonymous: The wife of a Chippewa hunter finds she and her husband entertaining hungry dinner guests each night for a year. Another Chance For Casey, Larry Siegel : Casey is determined to get into Baseball Heaven – but how can he do what he needs to do, when’s he’s dead? Cover art by Edward Gorey.