First published in Ray Bradbury’s Futuria Fantasia, Summer 1939 issue, ‘The Record’ was credited to “Forrest J. Ackerman”, completely omitting any mention of Bradbury’s involvement…
Author Archives: Archive Material
H.G. Wells – ‘The Man Who Could Work Miracles’ (1898)
‘The Man Who Could Work Miracles’ (subtitled ‘A Pantoum in Prose’) is an H.G. Wells story, first published in 1898 in The Illustrated London News. The story is an early example of contemporary fantasy-comedy, enacting a major fantasy premise against the dull routine of suburban London…
Lord Dunsany – ‘The Ghosts’ (1908)
Written in 1908, Lord Dunsany’s short story ‘The Ghosts’ was first published in his collection ‘The Sword of Welleran & Other Stories’. The story’s narrator recounts a ghostly encounter one winter night, as he debates the existence of the supernatural while sojourning in a decaying English mansion…
Robert William Chambers – ‘The Key to Grief’
American writer and artist Robert William Chambers (strongly admired by H. P. Lovecraft and friends) first published the short story ‘The Key to Grief’ in 1897…
Franz Kafka – ‘In the Penal Colony’
A haunting short story written by Franz Kafka in 1919, ‘In the Penal Colony’ is set in the anonymous eponymous penal colony, where a strange & elaborate execution machine is to be used for the last time…
Ambrose Bierce – ‘My Favorite Murder’
‘My Favorite Murder’ is a short story by American writer Ambrose Bierce (1842-c.1914; known chiefly for his satirical ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’), first published in 1916…
Hans Christian Andersen – ‘The Old Grave-Stone’
Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) is now chiefly remembered for his popular fairy tales, despite his broader output as a prolific author of novels, travelogues, plays & poems. The story featured here, ‘The Old Grave-Stone’, has also been translated as ‘The Old Tombstone’ & was originally published in 1852.
Nikolai Gogol – ‘Memoirs of a Madman’
Nikolai Gogol’s classic short story, ‘Diary of a Madman’, in its entirety…
Jack London – ‘Hoboes that Pass in the Night’ (1907)
‘Hoboes that Pass in the Night’ was first published in the December 1907 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, and recounts the ingenious tricks and harsh realities of the hoboes…
Oscar Wilde – ‘The Selfish Giant’ (1888)
‘The Selfish Giant’ is a classic fairytale by Oscar Wilde, first published in his book ‘The Happy Prince and Other Tales’, in 1888…
Philip K. Dick – ‘Beyond Lies the Wub’
Enjoy Philip K. Dick’s first published short story, first printed in the July 1952 edition of ‘Planet Stories’ magazine…
Ava Hall – ‘Over 30,000 died this week alone…’
Some special announcements from the mysterious Ava Hall – a warning to a church congregation…