The Monkey's Paw and Other Tales

Jacobs was the author of 13 volumes of short stories, and 18 of these stories have been brought together for the first time in this gripping collection of macabre fiction. This book features Gothic narratives, stories of the macabre and supernatural tales. Many of them are also infused with shrewd and sardonic humour or which Jacobs was justifiably famous.

W.W. Jacobs is considered a master of the macabre tale, and especially The Monkey's Paw, the lead story in this collection, is a classic horror tale. Collected here are 18 of his stories, and will introduce North American mystery and horror aficionados to one of the great lost artists of the genre. Readers will be delighted by his range of witty and skillful prose, and will see how they are infused with shrewd and sardonic humor. Jacobs was a master at weaving terror and suspense into scenes of everyday life. Readers new to Jacobs are in for a rare treat. Gary Hoppenstand is a professor of American thought and language at Michigan State University. He is the author of Clive Barker's Short Stories: Imagination as Metaphor in the Books of Blood and Other Works and the editor of "Popular Fiction: An Anthology, which won the Popular Culture Association's National Book Award.