The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales

Rating:
Summary: What gothic really means!
Review: Another reviewer said this collection of stories changed their lives. It changed mine as well. It elevated my understanding of gothic literature and art and made me think critically about the popular manifestations of "goth" culture. And the most shocking tale, the one about "Countess Dracula", just happens to be true. But as Angela Carter's wonderful story "The Lady of the House of Love" shows, the gothic legacy has less to do with death and brooding and more to do with a totally different view on the world and living.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing short of amazing
Review: I bought this book on a whim. It changed my life. Well not really but it is an incredible book. This book is loaded. From the first tale by someone named Anna Laetitia Aikin (1773) to the last by Isabel Allende (1991)this book is pure quality. Names such as Hawthorne, Hardy, Poe, Lovecraft, Bierce, Faulkner, Ray Russell, Le Fanu, Arthur Conan Doyle, and some chap named Anonymous who shows up frequently in the early stories. Come on you read the names BUY THE BOOK. It will change your life forever.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing short of amazing
Review: I bought this book on a whim. It changed my life. Well not really but it is an incredible book. This book is loaded. From the first tale by someone named Anna Laetitia Aikin (1773) to the last by Isabel Allende (1991)this book is pure quality. Names such as Hawthorne, Hardy, Poe, Lovecraft, Bierce, Faulkner, Ray Russell, Le Fanu, Arthur Conan Doyle, and some chap named Anonymous who shows up frequently in the early stories. Come on you read the names BUY THE BOOK. It will change your life forever.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Fabulous!
Review: I'm only half-way through this book, and it is just completely terrific! It captivates the soul and excites the mind to horrific levels. This collection is the perfect thing for all of your moods! (Now I sound like a solicitor, don't I?) I usually like to read it in the bath tub, but it's the perfect thing for any time you need a quick reading-fix.

Rating:
Summary: Not what is sounds like
Review: This book is not gothic at all, and it is very consertive.

Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile Reading
Review: This is a very interesting collection of literature. It includes writing from the late 1700s extending to the present. What makes this collection so amazing is that it not only includes stories from Poe, Lovecraft, and Hawthorne, but it also has stories taken from periodicals and anthologies long out of print. You'd never find some of this writing anywhere else, and it is truly amazing.
All of the stories do have somewhat of a dark and twisted theme, but they are all very rich.
If seriously considering this book, I highly recommend purchasing it in a hardback edition. It will last you much longer, and you'll be glad for this after reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile Reading
Review: This is a wonderful anthology, giving a full historical spectrum of Gothic tales from silly early ones to chilling modern ones. I've used this as a textbook in two courses I teach in college, and students have been both amused (at blatantly Freudian overtones in 18th century stories) and horrified (especially at Pizarnek's account of Erzebet Bathory's perversions). My favorites are Carter's "Lady of the House of Love" and Cowles' "The Vampire of Kaldenstein," both of which combine eerieness with ironic humor.

Rating:
Summary: Views of the Dark Side
Review: This is a wonderful anthology, giving a full historical spectrum of Gothic tales from silly early ones to chilling modern ones. I've used this as a textbook in two courses I teach in college, and students have been both amused (at blatantly Freudian overtones in 18th century stories) and horrified (especially at Pizarnek's account of Erzebet Bathory's perversions). My favorites are Carter's "Lady of the House of Love" and Cowles' "The Vampire of Kaldenstein," both of which combine eerieness with ironic humor.