Lucian Poll's Collection

[Lucian Poll]

Thanks, Tom!

Good luck, slayn. I hope you get them all. I scoured World of Books, Amazon's second-hand market and eBay for most of my copies. AbeBooks seems to have a few too. It took a while (and there are a few damaged/ex-library copies in amongst them - the perils of buying sight-unseen) but it's good to have a full set to dip into.

To continue, here are the covers from volumes 7-12 along with the stories you can find inside:


Best New Horror: Volumes 7-12 covers. by lucian.poll, on Flickr

Best New Horror Volume 7 (1996)
Tirkiluk by Ian R. MacLeod
The Most Boring Woman in the World by Christopher Fowler
Extinctions in Paradise by Brian Hodge
Food Man by Lisa Tuttle
More Tomorrow by Michael Marshall Smith
Going Under by Ramsey Campbell
Survivor by Dave Smeds
The Stones by Patrick Thompson
Back of Beyond by Cherry Wilder
A Hundred Wicked Little Witches by Steve Rasnic Tem
The Finger of Falugra by Manly Wade Wellman
The Toddler by Terry Lamsley
Not Here, Not Now by Stephen Gallagher
The Bungalow House by Thomas Ligotti
Cradle by Alan Brennert
The Sixth Dog by Jane Rice
Scaring The Train by Terry Dowling
La Serenissima by David Sutton
The Bars on Satan's Jailhouse by Norman Partridge
The Bone-Carver's Tale by Jeff VanderMeer
Queen of Knives by Neil Gaiman
The True History of Doctor Pretorius by Paul J. McAuley
The Grey Madonna by Graham Masterton
Loop by Douglas E. Winter
The Hunger and Ecstasy of Vampires by Brian Stableford
Lacuna by Nicholas Royle

Best New Horror Volume 8 (1997)
Walking the Dog by Terry Lamsley
Mussolini and the Axeman's Jazz by Poppy Z. Brite
An Eye For An Eye by Norman Partridge
Underworld by Douglas Clegg
The Curse of Kali by Cherry Wilder
The Film by Richard Christian Matheson
Of a Cat, But Her Skin by Storm Constantine
Hopscotch by Donald R. Burleson
Ghost in the Machine by Steve Rasnic Tem
The Moon Never Changes by Joel Lane
Butcher's Logic by Roberta Lannes
Kites and Kisses by D. F. Lewis
Last Train to Arnos Grove by Marni Griffin
The King of Rain by Mark Chadbourn
Hardball by Iain Sinclair
Gas Station Carnivals by Thomas Ligotti
Ghost Music: A Memoir by George Beaune by Thomas Tessier
That Blissful Height by Gregory Frost
Skin Deep by Nicholas Royle
Hell Hath Enlarged Herself by Michael Marshall Smith
Unforgotten by Christopher Fowler
A Plague on Both Your Houses by Scott Edelman
Final Cut by Karl Edward Wagner
The Break by Terry Lamsley

Best New Horror Volume 9 (1998)
Dying Words by David J. Schow
The Windmill by Conrad Williams
The Right Ending by John Burke
Swallowing a Dirty Seed by Simon Clark
This is Your Life (Repressed Memory Remix) by Pat Cadigan
Christmas Forever by Christopher Fowler
Four Famines Ago by Yvonne Navarro
The Crawl by Stephen Laws
Serpent Eggs by David Langford
No One You Know by Dennis Etchinson
The Dripping of Sundered Wineskins by Brian Hodge
The Bells Will Sound Forever by Thomas Ligotti
The Word by Ramsey Campbell
The Map to the Homes of the Stars by Andy Duncan
Emptiness Spoke Eloquent by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Save As... by Michael Marshall Smith
Coppola's Dracula by Kim Newman
Grazing the Long Acre by Gwyneth Jones
The Zombies of Madison County by Douglas E. Winter

Best New Horror Volume 10 (1999)
Learning to Let Go by Christopher Fowler
The Wedding Present by Neil Gaiman
Adventures in Further Education by Peter Atkins
Bondage by Kathe Koja
The Keys to D'Esperance by Chaz Brenchley
The Song My Sister Sang by Stephen Laws
A Victorian Ghost Story by Kim Newman
The Dead Boy at Your Window by Bruce Holland Rogers
Ra*e by Ramsey Campbell
Upstairs by Lawrence Watt-Evans
Postcards from the King of Tides by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Everybody Goes by Michael Marshall Smith
Yellow and Red by Tanith Lee
What Slips Away by Steve Rasnic Tem
Inside the Cackle Factory by Dennis Etchinson
The Specialist's Hat by Kelly Link
The Boss in the Wall: A Treatise on the House Devil by Avram Davidson & Grania Davis
Objects of Desire in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear by Harlan Ellison
Mr Clubb and Mr Cuff by Peter Straub

Best New Horror Volume 11 (2000)
Halloween Street by Steve Rasnic Tem
Others by James Herbert
Growing Things by T. E. D. Klein
Unhasped by David J. Schow
The Emperor's Old Bones by Gemma Files
The Entertainment by Ramsey Campbell
Harlequin Valentine by Neil Gaiman
The Stunted House by Terry Lamsley
Just Like Eddy by Kim Newman
The Long Hall on the Top Floor by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Lulu by Thomas Tessier
The Ballyhooly Boy by Graham Masterton
Welcome by Michael Marshall Smith
Burden by Michael Marano
Naming the Dead by Paul J. McAuley
Aftershock by F. Paul Wilson
A Fish Story by Gene Wolfe
Jimmy by David Case
White by Tim Lebbon
Pork Pie Hat by Peter Straub
Tricks & Treats One Night on Halloween Street by Steve Rasnic Tem

Best New Horror Volume 12 (2001)
Castle in the Desert by Kim Newman
The Keeper of the Rothenstein Tomb by Iain Sinclair
Forever Gramma by Mick Garris
At Home in the Pubs of Old London by Christopher Fowler
In the Water Works (Birmingham, Alabama 1888) by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Bone Orchards by Paul J. McAuley
No Strings by Ramsey Campbell
The Grotto by Kathryn Ptacek
Merry Roderick by Geoffrey Warburton
Climbing Down From Heaven by Terry Lamsley
Empty Stations by Nicholas Royle
Flesh of Leaves, Bones of Desire by Charlee Jacob
The Repulsion by Tim Lebbon
The Detailer by Dennis Etchinson
Coming Home by Mark Morris
The Hunger of the Leaves by Joel Lane
Xenos Beach by Graham Joyce
At Eventide by Kathe Koja
Pareidolia by Steve Rasnic Tem
I Have a Special Plan For This World by Thomas Ligotti
The Handover by Michael Marshall Smith
The Other Side of Midnight by Kim Newman

[slayn666]

I'm working on building up my collection for that series.

[Lucian Poll]

In time-honoured fashion, here are the covers for the first six volumes of Best New Horror and a run-down of the stories you'll find in each one.

Any favourites stand out for you?


Best New Horror: Volumes 1-6 covers. by lucian.poll, on Flickr

Best New Horror Volume 1(1990)
Pin by Robert R. McCammon
The House on Cemetery Street by Cherry Wilder
The Horn by Stephen Gallagher
Breaking Up by Alex Quiroba
If It Helps You Sing by Ramsey Campbell
Closed Circuit by Laurence Staig
Carnal House by Steve Rasnic Tem
Twitch Technicolor by Kim Newman
Lizaveta by Gregory Frost
Snow Cancellations by Donald R. Burleson
Archway by Nicholas Royle
The Strange Design of Master Rignolo by Thomas Ligotti
...To Feel Another's Woe by Chet Williamson
The Last Day of Miss Dorinda Molyneaux by Robert Westall
No Sharks In The Med by Brian Lumley
Mort au Monde by D. F. Lewis
Blanca by Thomas Tessier
The Eye of the Ayatollah by Ian Watson
At First Just Ghostly by Karl Edward Wagner
Bad News by Richard Laymon

Best New Horror Volume 2 (1991)
The First Time by K. W. Jeter
A Short Guide to the City by Peter Straub
Stephen by Elizabeth Massie
The Dead Love You by Jonathan Carroll
Jane Doe #112 by Harlan Ellison
Shock Radio by Ray Garton
The Man Who Drew Cats by Michael Marshall Smith
The Co-Op by Melanie Tem
Negatives by Nicholas Royle
The Last Feast of Harlequin by Thomas Ligotti
1/72nd Sale by Ian R. MacLeod
Cedar Lane by Karl Edward Wagner
At a Window Facing East by Kim Antieau
Inside the Walled City by Garry Kilworth
On The Wing by Jean-Daniel Breque
Firebird by J. L. Comeau
Incident on a Rainy Night in Beverly Hills by David J. Schow
His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood by Poppy Z. Brite
The Original Dr Shade by Kim Newman
Madge by D. F. Lewis
Alive in Venice by Cherry Wilder
Divertimento by Gregory Frost
Pelts by F. Paul Wilson
Those of Rhenea by David Sutton
Lord of the Land by Gene Wolfe
Aquarium by Steve Rasnic Tem
Mister Ice Cold by Gahan Wilson
On The Town Route by Elizabeth Hand

Best New Horror Volume 3 (1992)
True Love by K. W. Jeter
The Same in Any Language by Ramsey Campbell
Impermanent Mercies by Kathe Koja
Ma Qui by Alan Brennert
The Miracle Mile by Robert R. McCammon
Taking Down the Tree by Steve Rasnic Tem
Where Flies Are Born by Douglas Clegg
Love, Death and the Maiden by Roger Johnson
Chui Chai by S. P. Somtow
The Snow Sculptures of Xanadu by Kim Newman
Colder Than Hell by Edward Bryant
Raymond by Nancy A. Collins
One Life, in an Hourglass by Charles L. Grant
The Braille Encyclopaedia by Grant Morrison
The Bacchae by Elizabeth Hand
Busted in Buttown by David J. Schow
Subway Story by Russell Flinn
The Medusa by Thomas Ligotti
Power Cut by Joel Lane
Moving Out by Nicholas Royle
Guignoir by Norman Partridge
Blood Sky by William F. Nolan
Ready by David Starkey
The Slug by Karl Edward Wagner
The Dark Land by Michael Marshall Smith
When They Gave Us Memory by Dennis Etchinson
Taking Care Of Michael by J. L. Comeau
The Dreams of Dr Ladybank by Thomas Tessier
Zits by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Best New Horror Volume 4 (1993)
The Suicide Artist by Scott Edelman
Dancing on a Blade of Dreams by Roberta Lannes
The Departed by Clive Barker
How to Get Ahead in New York by Poppy Z. Brite
They Take by John Brunner
Replacements by Lisa Tuttle
Under the Pylon by Graham Joyce
The Glamour by Thomas Ligotti
Under the Ice by John Gordon
And Some Are Missing by Joel Lane
The Little Green Ones by Les Daniels
Mirror Man by Steve Rasnic Tem
Moth Music by Sarah Ash
Did They Get You to Trade? by Karl Edward Wagner
Night Shift Sister by Nicholas Royle
The Dead by Simon Ings & M. John Harrison
Norman Wisdom and the Angel of Death by Christopher Fowler
Red Reign by Kim Newman
Aviatrix by Peter Atkins
Snodgrass by Ian R. MacLeod
The Day of the Sharks by Kate Wilhelm
Anima by M. John Harrison
Bright Lights, Big Zombie by Douglas E. Winter
The Ghost Village by Peter Straub

Best New Horror Volume 5 (1994)
Later by Michael Marshall Smith
When the Red Storm Comes by Sarah Smith
The Exhibit by Martin Plumbridge
Leavings by Kathe Koja
Human Remains by Edward Bryant
Flying into Naples by Nicholas Royle
The Sixth Sentinel by Poppy Z. Brite
The Brothers by Rick Cadger
The Owen Street Monster by J. L. Comeau
One Size Eats All by T. E. D. Klein
Mulligan's Fence by Donald R. Burleson
How She Dances by Daniel Fox
Passages by Karl Edward Wagner
Easing The Spring by Sally Roberts Jones
Safe at Home by Steve Rasnic Tem & Melanie Tem
Mother of the City by Christopher Fowler
Justice by Elizabeth Hand
The Big Fish by Kim Newman
In the Desert of Deserts by Thomas Tessier
Two Returns by Terry Lamsley
The Moment the Face Falls by Chet Williamson
Darker Angels by S. P. Somtow
The Timbrel Sound of Darkness by Kathe Koja & Barry N. Malzberg
The Tsalal by Thomas Ligotti
In the Still, Small Hours by Charles Grant
Ice House Pond by Steve Rasnic Tem
The Dog Park by Dennis Etchinson
The Marble Boy by Gahan Wilson
Mefisto in Onyx by Harlan Ellison

Best New Horror Volume 6 (1995)
Dead Babies by Lawrence Watt-Evans
Sensible City by Harlan Ellison
Blade and Bone by Terry Lamsley
Harvest by Norman Partridge
Sometimes, in the Rain by Charles Grant
Menage a Trois by Richard Christian Matheson
Like Shattered Stone by Joel Lane
Black Sun by Douglas E. Winter
Isabel Avens Returns to Stepney in the Spring by M. John Harrison
The Dead Orchards by Ian MacLeod
What Happened When Mosby Paulson Had Her Painting Reproduced on the Cover of the Phone Book by Elizabeth Massie
The Alternative by Ramsey Campbell
In The Middle of a Snow Dream by Karl Edward Wagner
The Temptation of Dr Stein by Paul J. McAuley
Wayang Kulit by Garry Kilworth
The Scent of Vinegar by Robert Bloch
The Homecoming by Nicholas Royle
The Singular Habits of Wasps by Geoffrey A. Landis
To Receive is Better by Michael Marshall Smith
The Alchemy of the Throat by Brian Hodge
Out of the Night, When the Full Moon is Bright... by Kim Newman
Lovers by Esther M. Friesner

[bookworm 1]

That is one amazing collection. Me want those.

[Lucian Poll]

Christ, another two months slip away! I'll be drawing my pension next week at this rate.

Anyhoo, I've recently opened a Flickr account to house my book porn. Let's see if I can link to the photos on there, or whether I make a right Henry Halls of it.

If I've gotten this right, and to celebrate Stephen Jones' lifetime achievement award at WHC2014 this weekend, below there should be a panoramic family photo of all 24 volumes of Best New Horror:


Best New Horror: a family photo of volumes 1-24 by lucian.poll, on Flickr

[rusty23]

Thanks! I'll look towards plugging some more gaps while luxuriating in this little number...

I loved this book!!

[srboone]

...a little madness now and then
Is cherished by the wisest men...

But how mad can you be, LP? I mean, they're Kings!!!

[bsaenz24]

Nice! I'd love to get my hands on just a US 1st/1st.

I actually discovered Rothfuss before his first book came out. I have the US ARC of Name. I've seen his site list one for $800 one time. Just for the ARC! Crazy!!

[slayn666]

Nice! I'd love to get my hands on just a US 1st/1st.

[Lucian Poll]

Thanks! I'll look towards plugging some more gaps while luxuriating in this little number...

[Theli]

Very killer King collection!

[bookworm 1]

Just a bit..Great collection of books.

[Lucian Poll]

Holy crap, it's March already! Where have the last three months gone? (Looks at work/life balance...) Oh. That.

Anyway, given that we're enjoying the first decent weekend here in the UK for nearly four months, I thought I'd take the opportunity to snap one's collection of Uncle Steves with the assistance of Actual Daylight. I've already stuck pics on here of some of these, but have since gone on to plug a number of gaps...



...okay, I went a bit mad.

[Lucian Poll]

In other news, I got a second copy of S.

[Lucian Poll]

Thanks everyone. It was my first con and I'm tempted to attend a few more. (I'm seriously eyeing WHC 2014 as I've not left Blighty for over ten years and I can fly out from Norwich. Anyone going?)

When I look back it was incredible the sheer number of authors in attendance, and a good deal of names from the horror field too. I could namedrop but, in truth, you are best to see the membership list on the WFC2013 website. Just incredible! It's a crying shame the crap the organisers took across Twitter, Facebook and a million and one blogs in the run-up to the event has seemingly put them off bidding for another in the future. I hope they reconsider.