Weird Comparisons

We're not quite ready to reveal the full table of contents for THE WEIRD: A COMPENDIUM OF STRANGE AND DARK STORIES (Atlantic/Corvus), but we have finished the proofing process and provided the publisher with story notes, the extended copyright page, and the introduction.In the interim before the reveal, I decided to go back and take a look at some of the best-of anthologies from the past couple of years and compare our table of contents to theirs. Below I've posted kind of a tease with regard to our book, revealing the number of stories overlapping ours, as well as the list of common writers. For the first two, I've put a line of ****** to indicate the year/story from which the antho correspond with our own list.These other anthologies have a different but at times overlapping mission statement from THE WEIRD, which clocks in at 750,000 words. Our mission statement was to chart the best examples of weird tales/weird fiction over the past one hundred years. We took that brief to mean exploration of several different threads: the traditional weird tale, weird ritual, some weird SF, etc. We also took the opportunity to include weird fiction from beyond the U.S. and U.K., with 17 nationalities represented among the 116 stories . We saw Franz Kafka and H.P. Lovecraft as representing two main strands of weird fiction, etc., and also traced other sources of influence. We also used the opportunity to commission new, definitive translations of several stories and included novellas and short novels.Non-supernatural horror without an element of strange ritual, Gothic fiction, and traditional ghost stories did not fit our brief to select "weird fiction". We also looked carefully at all public domain material, trying to be definitive but also not rely too heavily on it for the time period of roughly 1908 to 1922. Part of this process included re-evaluating the strength of certain authors and certain classic works.The four books below have their own constraints and obsessions. The Century's Best Horror Fiction chooses one story per year as the best from that year. It also contains only four stories not from Anglo sources, and ignores Kafka entirely, probably defining him as not really horror--it is largely concerned with comprehensively chronicling the horror impulse in the UK and US. The anthology also includes more naturalistic horror, selecting some fine authors that simply didn't fit into THE WEIRD.The Peter Straub American Fantastical Tales from Library of America has, of course, the constraint of including only stories by U.S. writers, going all the way back to Poe. However, Straub had the freedom to pick any kind of dark fantasy---weird, horror, etc.---meaning that traditional ghost stories are well-represented in his anthology, and correspondingly he has more women writers from the period of 1910 to 1950. He has also selected many stories from "literary" authors, which creates a nice mix of writers who might not always appear in the same volume.The other two anthologies, The Very Best of Best New Horror edited by Stephen Jones and Darkness edited by Ellen Datlow, both cover roughly the last 20 years of horror fiction, and intersect with The Weird during that period only partially. Neither anthology looks at fiction from outside of the US/UK/Australia....THE WEIRD will be out in October and we will post the full table of contents prior to publication. In the meantime, with these story lists as a partial guide, do you have your own favorite weird tale?THE CENTURY’S BEST HORROR FICTION (ed. By John Pelan, Cemetery Dance)100 stories totalSame Story Reprinted: 7Same Authors: 20 - Algernon Blackwood, M.R. James, Hanns Heinz Ewers, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Barbour Johnson, Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, Robert Aickman, Robert Bloch, Charles Beaumont, Jean Ray, Dennis Etchison, Ramsey Campbell, Michael Shea, Stephen King, Fritz Leiber, Bob Leman, Thomas Ligotti, Poppy Z. Brite, Caitlin R. Kiernan1901: Barry Pain — The Undying Thing1902: W.W. Jacobs — The Monkey's Paw1903: H.G.Wells — The Valley of the Spiders1904: Arthur Machen — The White People1905: R. Murray Gilchrist — The Lover's Ordeal1906: Edward Lucas White — House of the Nightmare**************************************************1907: Algernon Blackwood — The Willows1908: Perceval Landon — Thurnley Abbey1909: Violet Hunt — The Coach1910: Wm Hope Hodgson — The Whistling Room1911: M.R. James — Casting the Runes1912: E.F. Benson — Caterpillars1913: Aleister Crowley — The Testament of Magdelan Blair1914: M. P. Shiel — The Place of Pain1915: Hanns Heinz Ewers — The Spider1916: Lord Dunsany — Thirteen at Table1917: Frederick Stuart Greene — The Black Pool1918: H. De Vere Stacpoole — The Middle Bedroom1919: Ulric Daubeny — The Sumach1920: Maurice Level — In the Light of the Red Lamp1921: Vincent O'Sullivan — Master of Fallen Years1922: Walter de la Mare — Seaton's Aunt1923: George Allen England — The Thing From—"Outside"1924: C.M. Eddy, Jr. — The Loved Dead1925: John Metcalfe — The Smoking Leg1926: H.P. Lovecraft — The Outsider1927: Donald Wandrei — The Red Brain1928: H.R. Wakefield — The Red Lodge1929: Eleanor Scott — Celui-La1930: Rosalie Muspratt — Spirit of Stonhenge1931: Henry S. Whitehead — Cassius1932: David H. Keller — The Thing in the Cellar1933: C.L. Moore — Shambleau1934: L.A. Lewis — The Tower of Moab1935: Clark Ashton Smith — The Dark Eidolon1936: Thorp McCluskey — The Crawling Horror1937: Howard Wandrei — The Eerie Mr Murphy1938: Robert E. Howard — Pigeons from Hell1939: Robert Barbour Johnson — Far Below1940: John Collier — Evening Primrose1941: C.M. Kornbluth — The Words of Guru1942: Jane Rice — The Idol of the Flies1943: Anthony Boucher — They Bite1944: Ray Bradbury — The Jar1945: August Derleth — Carousel1946: Manly Wade Wellman — Shonokin Town1947: Theodore Sturgeon — Bianca's Hands1948: Shirley Jackson — The Lottery1949: Nigel Kneale — The Pond1950: Richard Matheson — Born of Man & Woman1951: Russell Kirk — Uncle Isiah1952: Eric Frank Russell — I Am Nothing1953: Robert Sheckley — The Altar1954: Everil Worrell — Call Not Their Names1955: Robert Aickman — Ringing the Changes1956: Richard Wilson — Lonely Road1957: Clifford Simak — Founding Father1958: Robert Bloch — That Hell-Bound Train1959: Charles Beaumont — The Howling Man1960: Fredric Brown — The House1961: Ray Russell — Sardonicus1962: Carl Jacobi — The Aquarium1963: Robert Arthur — The Mirror of Cagliostro1964: Charles Birkin — A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts1965: Jean Ray — The Shadowy Street1966: Arthur Porges — The Mirror1967: Norman Spinrad — Carcinoma Angels1968: Anna Hunger — Come1969: Steffan Aletti — The Last Work of Pietro Apono1970: David A. Riley — The Lurkers in the Abyss1971: Dorothy K. Haynes — The Derelict Track1972: Gary Brandner — The Price of a Demon1973: Eddy C. Bertin — Like Two White Spiders1974: Karl Edward Wagner — Sticks1975: David Drake — The Barrow Troll1976: Dennis Etchison — It Only Comes Out at Night1977: Barry N. Malzberg — The Man Who Loved the Midnight Lady1978: Michael Bishop — Within the Walls of Tyre1979: Ramsey Campbell — Mackintosh Willy1980: Michael Shea — The Autopsy1981: Stephen King — The Reach1982: Fritz Leiber — Horrible Imagings1983: David Schow — One for the Horrors1984: Bob Leman — The Unhappy Pilgrimage of Clifford M.1985: Michael Reaves — The Night People1986: Tim Powers — Night Moves1987: Ian Watson — Evil Water1988: Joe R. Lansdale — The Night They Missed the Horror Show1989: Joel Lane — The Earth Wire1990: Elizabeth Massie — Stephen1991: Thomas Ligotti — The Glamour1992: Poppy Z. Brite — Calcutta Lord of Nerves1993: Lucy Taylor — The Family Underwater1994: Jack Ketchum — The Box1995: Terry Lamsley — The Toddler1996: Caitlín R. Kiernan — Tears Seven Times Salt1997: Stephen Laws — The Crawl1998: Brian Hodge — As Above, So Below1999: Glen Hirshberg — Mr. Dark's Carnival2000: Tim Lebbon — Reconstructing AmyAMERICAN FANTASTICAL TALES: TERROR AND THE UNCANNY, Vols 1-2 (Peter Straub, Library of America)86 stories totalSame Story Reprinted: 5Same Authors: 20 - F. Marion Crawford, Francis Stevens, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, Fritz Leiber, Shirley Jackson, Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Jerome Bixby, Harlan Ellison, Joyce Carol Oates, Thomas Ligotti, Jeff VanderMeer, Stephen King, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Michael Chabon, Poppy Z. Brite, Brian Evenson, Kelly LinkCharles Brockden Brown, Somnambulism: A FragmentWashington Irving, The Adventure of the German StudentEdgar Allan Poe, BereniceNathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman BrownHerman Melville, The Tartarus of MaidsFitz-James O’Brien, What Was It?Bret Harte, The Legend of Monte del DiabloHarriet Prescott Spofford, The Moonstone MassW. C. Morrow, His Unconquerable EnemySarah Orne Jewett, In Dark New England DaysCharlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wall PaperStephen Crane, The Black DogKate Chopin, Ma’ame PélagieJohn Kendrick Bangs, Thurlow’s Christmas StoryRobert W. Chambers, The Repairer of ReputationsRalph Adams Cram, The Dead ValleyMadeline Yale Wynne, The Little RoomGertrude Atherton, The Striding PlaceEmma Francis Dawson, An Itinerant HouseMary Wilkins Freeman, Luella MillerFrank Norris, Grettir at Thorhall-steadLafcadio Hearn, Yuki-OnnaF. Marion Crawford, For the Blood Is the Life*******************Ambrose Bierce, The Moonlit RoadEdward Lucas White, LukundooOlivia Howard Dunbar, The Shell of SenseHenry James, The Jolly CornerAlice Brown, Golden BabyEdith Wharton, AfterwardWilla Cather, ConsequencesEllen Glasgow, The Shadowy ThirdJulian Hawthorne, Absolute EvilFrancis Stevens, Unseen—UnfearedF. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonSeabury Quinn, The Curse of Everard MaundyStephen Vincent Benét, The King of the CatsDavid H. Keller, The Jelly-FishConrad Aiken, Mr. ArcularisRobert E. Howard, The Black StoneHenry S. Whitehead, Passing of a GodAugust Derleth, The Panelled RoomH. P. Lovecraft, The Thing on the DoorstepClark Ashton Smith, Genius LociRobert Bloch, The CloakJohn Collier, Evening PrimroseFritz Leiber, Smoke GhostTennessee Williams, The Mysteries of the Joy RioJane Rice, The RefugeeAnthony Boucher, Mr. LupescuTruman Capote, MiriamJack Snow, MidnightJohn Cheever, Torch SongShirley Jackson, The Daemon LoverPaul Bowles, The Circular ValleyJack Finney, I’m ScaredVladimir Nabokov, The Vane SistersRay Bradbury, The April WitchCharles Beaumont, Black CountryJerome Bixby, TraceDavis Grubb, Where the Woodbine TwinethDonald Wandrei, NightmareHarlan Ellison, I Have No Mouth, and I Must ScreamRichard Matheson, PreyT.E.D. Klein, The Events at Poroth FarmIsaac Bashevis Singer, HankaFred Chappell, Linnaeus ForgetsJohn Crowley, NoveltyJonathan Carroll, Mr FiddleheadJoyce Carol Oates, FamilyThomas Ligotti, The Last Feast of HarlequinPeter Straub, A Short Guide to the CityJeff VanderMeer, The General Who Is DeadStephen King, That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in FrenchGeorge Saunders, Sea OakCaitlín Kiernan, The Long Hall on the Top FloorThomas Tessier, NocturneMichael Chabon, The God of Dark LaughterJoe Hill, Pop ArtPoppy Z. Brite, PansuSteven Millhauser, Dangerous LaughterM. Rickert, The Chambered FruitBrian Evenson, The Wavering KnifeKelly Link, Stone AnimalsTim Powers, Pat MooreGene Wolfe, The Little StrangerBenjamin Percy, Dial ToneTHE VERY BEST OF BEST NEW HORROR (edited by Stephen Jones)20 stories totalSame Story Reprinted: 1Same Authors: 9 - Ramsey Campbell, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Elizabeth Hand, Mark Samuels, Lisa Tuttle, Clive Barker, Stephen KingNo Sharks In The Med, Brian LumleyThe Man Who Drew Cats, Michael Marshall SmithThe Same In Any Language, Ramsey CampbellNorman Wisdom And The Angel Of Death, Christopher FowlerMefisto In Onyx, Harlan EllisonThe Temptation Of Dr Stein, Paul J. McauleyQueen Of Knives, Neil GaimanThe Break, Terry LamsleyEmptiness Spoke Eloquent, Caitlín R KiernanMr. Clubb And Mr. Cuff, Peter StraubWhite, Tim LebbonThe Other Side Of Midnight: Anno Dracula, 1981, Kim NewmanCleopatra Brimstone, Elizabeth Hand20th Century Ghost, Joe HillThe White Hands, Mark SamuelsMy Death, Lisa TuttleHaeckel's Tale, Clive BarkerDevil's Smile, Glen HirshbergThe Church On The Island, Simon Kurt UnsworthThe New York Times At Special Bargain Rates, Stephen KingDARKNESS: TWO DECADES OF MODERN HORROR (edited by Ellen Datlow)26 stories totalSame Story Reprinted: 1Same Authors: 13 - Clive Barker, Thomas Ligotti, George R.R. Martin, Kathe Koja, Stephen King, Lucius Shepard, Poppy Z. Brite, Elizabeth Hand, Dennis Etchison, Joyce Carol Oates, Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, Ramsey CampbellJacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament Clive Barker 1984Dancing Chickens Edward Bryant 1984The Greater Festival of Masks Thomas Ligotti 1985The Pear-Shaped Man George R.R. Martin 1987The Juniper Tree Peter Straub 1988Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds Dan Simmons 1988The Power and the Passion Pat Cadigan 1989The Phone Woman Joe R. Lansdale 1990Teratisms Kathe Koja 1991Chattery Teeth Stephen King 1992A Little Night Music Lucius Shepard 1992Calcutta, Lord of Nerves Poppy Z. Brite 1992The Erl King Elizabeth Hand 1993The Dog Park Dennis Etchison 1993Rain Falls Michael Marshall Smith 1994Refrigerator Heaven David J. Schow 1995---- Joyce Carol Oates 1995Eaten (Scenes from a Moving Picture) Neil Gaiman 1996The Specialist’s Hat Kelly Link 1998 The Tree is My Hat Gene Wolfe 1999Heat Steve Rasnic Tem 1999No Strings Ramsey Campbell 2000Stitch Terry Dowling 2002Dancing Men Glen Hirshberg 2003My Father’s Mask Joe Hill 2005