Short Story Collections

Garry Holmes · Post by **Garry Holmes** » Sat 7 Jan, 2006 11:09:24

Just before Christmas I picked up a very nice paperback copy of 'Gunmen, Gallants and Ghosts' and decided to read a few of the short stories over the holiday. Overall, I rather enjoyed them. Though I think that DW is at his best at novel length, they were still highly enjoyable, particularly the 'Ghost Hunter' series. It's a shame that he didn't write any more of the latter. What does everyone else think? Is this book and 'Mediterranean Nights' all of his short story output, or is there any uncollected stuff?

Post by **Bob Rothwell** » Sat 7 Jan, 2006 18:33:05

I'm glad someone else likes the short stories. I love reading and re-reading them. Like Gary, I also enjoy the Ghost Hunter series and in a quaint way the Pawlett-Browne series.

Yes there are a number of short stories still unpublished and maybe one day I'll get permission to add the ones I know of added to the site. (see bibliography page for details)

For collectors, the Arrow paperbacks of 'Mediterranean Nights' and 'Gunmen, Gallants and Ghosts' contain additional stories not present in the original hardbacks, but also omit a couple of titles. However the Lymington edition titles contain all the titles from both previous editions and the Heron 'Mediterranean Nights' does the same for this title (for some reason Heron did not publish GG&G).

gloomysundae · Post by **gloomysundae** » Sat 7 Jan, 2006 22:12:12

I'm not sure if this belongs here, but I think one of DW's greatest contributions to the Horror genre was the "A Century Of Horror Stories" selection he put together for Hutchinson in 1935. Some of these stories were republished in his "Shafts Of Fear" and "Quiver Of Horror" paperbacks for Arrow in '64, together with a new story in each by Charles Birkin.

I think of DW more as a novels man as well: perhaps his championing of Birkin (and others) was more important than his own attempts at shorter fiction?

Garry Holmes · Post by **Garry Holmes** » Sat 21 Jan, 2006 13:19:16

There's a short story, in 'Mediterranean Nights' I think, about an old man who looks for company from a young woman he meets in a bar. I think that it's called 'The Pick Up'. It's totally unlike anything else that DW wrote, and is terribly poignant. What does everyone else think of it?