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ALFREDHITCHCOCKPRESENTS:FEARANDTREMBLING

(Version1.0)ADELLMYSTERYPublishedbyDELLPUBLISHINGCO.,INC.750ThirdAvenue,NewYork17,N.Y.Copyright,1948,byAlfredJ.Hitchcock Dell®TM681510,DellPublishingCo.,Inc.AllrightsreservedPreviousDellEdition#264NewDellEditionFirstprinting—October,1963PrintedinU.S.A.

CONTENTS

§THEFORMSOFFEAR—ALFREDJ.HITCHCOCK §CASSIUS—HENRYS.WHITEHEAD§THETARN—HUGHWALPOLE§LITTLEMEMENTO—JOHNCOLLIER §OH,WHISTLE,ANDI'LLCOMETOYOU,MYLAD—M.R.JAMES§ONESUMMERNIGHT—AMBROSEBIERCE§TELLING—ELIZABETHBOWEN§THEJAR—RAYBRADBURY§THEBADLANDS—JOHNMETCALFE§GHOSTHUNT—H.R.WAKEFIELD

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§SKULESKERRY—JOHNBUCHAN§THEREDROOM—H.G.WELLS§THESACKOFEMERALDS—LORDDUNSANY§THENIGHTREVEALS—WILLIAMIRISH§ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ALFREDHITCHCOCK

THEFORMSOFFEAR

Theytellme—Ihaveneverhadoccasiontoexperiment—that"thereismorethanonewaytoskinacat."Iknow,byreasonofmanydelightfullyquakinghourswhileequippedwithslippersandeasychair,thatthereareagoodmanywaystoinduceshiverysensationsinareader.Itdoesn'ttakeaghoststory,necessarily;fearhasmanyforms,andthespectraltalehaslostthemonopolyitonceenjoyed.Thattypewas,perhaps,writtenmosteffectivelybyM.R.James,andIhaveincludedherehiswonderfullytitled,"Oh,Whistle,andI'llCometoYou,MyLad,"aswellas"GhostHunt,"whichH.R.Wakefieldgivesadistinctivelymoderntwist.Theelevenotherstories,however,produceshiversofother,widelyvaryingkinds.ThemalignantcreaturewhichattackstheterrifiedservantnightafternightinHenryS.Whitehead's"Cassius"high-lightsafineexampleofthestrange-beasttheme.AmbroseBierce'slittleshocker,"OneSummerNight,"istypicalofthiswriter'sbolddelineationofbrutalityandcallousness;itsgrave-robbingscene,withtheghoulishenterpriseilluminedbyfitfullightningflashes,isappropriatelyeerie.Ourfearoftheunknown,ofelementalnature,givesussometerrifyingmomentsinJohnBuchan's"SkuleSkerry"whentheventuresomescientist,aloneonthetinyislet,realizesheiscloseto"theworldwhichhasonlydeathinit"and,shuddering,stands"nextdoortotheAbyss—thatblanchedwalloftheNorthwhichisthenegationoflife."JohnMetcalfetakesusto"TheBadLands,"whereordinarythingsbecomechargedwith"sinistersuggestion"andthescenerydevelops"anunpleasanttendencytothemacabre"— smallwonderthatitevokesadreaminwhich,withBrentOrmerod,wewalk"upandupintoastrangedimcountryfullofsignsandwhisperingsandsombertrees,wherehollowbreezesblowfitfullyandaqueerhousesetwithloftypinesshinesoutwhiteagainstaluridsky."

Br-rrr!

And,accompanyingH.G.Wells'sfoolhardyyoungherointo"TheRedRoom,"wediscover,withhim,thatitcontainsnot"haunts,"

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butsimplyFear—blackFear.AlongwithHughWalpole'sevildoer,wecringeundertheterriblewhipsofconsciencein"TheTarn."Incontrast,ElizabethBowenpresentsin"Telling"akillerwhosemindisincapableofknowingremorsefor hisbloodydeed,butonlyadimcomprehensionthatatlasthehasfoundSomethinghecando— Somethingthatotherscannot.Thehavocwroughtbyatwistedmindholdsusenthralledin"TheNightReveals,"WilliamIrish'saccountofamanwhofindshedoesnotreallyknowhiswife;andJohnCollier,in"LittleMemento",affordsusabriefbutmemorablepeekintothemachinationsofadeviousandmorbidoldman.Lastly,twotaleswhicharefar,fardifferentfromeachother,butintheirownwaysequallyeffective.WhenyoureadLordDunsany's"TheSackofEmeralds,"forgettherealworldandsurrenderyourselftohismagicashetellsusof"onebadOctobernightinthehighwolds,withanorthwindchauntingof winter,"whenanoldman,hisfacehopeless,tottersalongundertheweightofaheavysack;listentothe

click,clack,clop

comingnearerinthedarkness,firstfaintly,thenlouderandlouder,atlasttorevealtherider:afigurewearingaswordinahugescabbard,lookingblackerthanthedarkness—RayBradbury,whoseuniquetalentforhorror-writingisbeginningtoreceivejustrecognition,makesussharewithhissimpleswampfolktheiraweatthesilentthingsloshingin"TheJar";likethemweask,"Wonderwhatitis?Wonderifit'saheorasheorjustaplainold

it?"

Whetheryoulikeyourshiversold-fashionedornewfangled,orboth,youshouldgetplentyofthemfromthesepages!

ALFREDHITCHCOCK HENRYS.WHITEHEAD

CASSIUS

Myhouseman,StephenPenn,whopresidedoverthestaffofmyresidenceinSt.Thomas,wasnot,strictlyspeaking,anativeofthatcity.PenncamefromtheneighboringislandofSt.Jan.ItisoneoftheancientWestIndiannames,althoughthereremainintheislandsnowadaysnoCaucasianstobearthathonorablecognomen.Stephen'stravels,however,hadnotbeenlimitedtothecrossingfromSt.Jan—which,incidentally,istheauthenticsceneofR.L.Stevenson's

TreasureIsland

—whichlieslittlemorethanarowboat's journeyawayfromthecapitaloftheVirginIslands.Stephenhadbeen"downtheIslands,"whichmeansthathehadbeenactuallyasfarfromhomeasTrinidad,orperhaps,BritishGuiana,downthroughthegreatsweepofformermountaintops,submergedbysomevast,cataclysmic,prehistoricinundationandnamedtheBowofUlyssesbysomefanciful,antiquegeographer.ThatodysseyofhumbleStephenPenn