Fantasy and Horror: A Critical and Historical Guide

This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Book, 722 Books

Fantasy and Horror: A Critical and Historical Guide to Literature, Illustration, Film, TV, Radio, and the Internet, edited by Richard Neil Barron, is an exceptionally comprehensive and well-researched exploration of the history of fantasy and horror literature. Barron, a renowned science fiction bibliographer and scholar, has curated a nearly 800-page volume featuring contributions from numerous experts and academics in the field. This book delves deeply into the evolution of both genres, offering rich discussions and insights into their development and key works.

The book's unique ranking system categorizes notable works of fantasy and horror literature using a variety of labels. These labels serve to highlight different aspects of each book's significance:

** (The Best of the Best)
* (The Best)
F (Best Fantasy)
H (Best Horror)
MF (Modern Fantasy)
EB (Selected by Everett F. Bleiler)
DH (Selected by David Hartwell)
FR (Selected by Franz Rottensteiner)
L1 (Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults)
L2 (Higher Ranked Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults)
To create a more organized understanding of the books listed, I assigned points based on these labels and devised a smart ranking system, giving each book a score according to its accumulated points. This method allowed for a clearer hierarchy, showcasing the most significant works in the genres.

I highly recommend this guide to anyone interested in a meticulously organized summary of fantasy and horror literature. It is an essential resource for those who wish to explore the depth of these genres and their history in greater detail.

How many contributors are there?
Counting the chapter authors and the three guest critics, you’re looking at roughly two-dozen named specialists. There’s no statement like “X hundred voters” anywhere, because the book never positioned itself as a popularity poll – it’s closer to an annotated canon chosen by experts

This list was originally published in 1999 and was added to this site over 1 year ago.

View: List Grid Table
Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
2899 The Return Walter de la Mare 1910 British English
8539 The Woodwitch Stephen Gregory 1988 British English
287 The Once and Future King T. H. White 1958 British English
1835 Grendel John Gardner 1971 American English
1475 Flatland Edwin A. Abbott 1884 British English
1422 Out Of Space And Time Clark Ashton Smith 1942 American English
3040 Three Hearts And Three Lions Poul Anderson 1953 American English
5156 Jirel of Joiry C. L. Moore 1934 American English
1419 The October Country Ray Bradbury 1955 American English
3477 The King Of Elfland's Daughter Lord Dunsany 1924 British English
5157 Northwest Smith C. L. Moore 1933 American English
1369 The House Of Souls Arthur Machen 1906 British English
81 The Castle Franz Kafka 1926 Czech German
5157 Mistress Masham's Repose T. H. White 1946 British English
3609 The Eyes Of The Overworld Jack Vance 1966 American English
1358 The King In Yellow Robert W. Chambers 1895 American English
2621 Collected Writings Ambrose Bierce 1909 American English
2197 Sub Rosa Robert Aickman 1968 British English
902 Rosemary's Baby Ira Levin 1967 American English
1623 The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch Philip K. Dick 1965 American English
3506 Song Of Kali Dan Simmons 1985 American English
3452 Glory Road Robert A. Heinlein 1963 American English
1495 The Sleeping And The Dead August Derleth 1947 American English
6474 The Philosopher's Stone Colin Wilson 1969 British English
3132 The Keep F. Paul Wilson 1981 American English
1165 Lanark Alasdair Gray 1981 Scottish English
6065 The Dream Years Lisa Goldstein 1985 American English
2339 The Well Of The Unicorn Fletcher Pratt 1948 American English
2067 Night Has A Thousand Eyes George Hopley 1945 American English
5163 Ghost Stories H. Russell Wakefield 1928 British English
2585 Red Shift Alan Garner 1973 British English
9090 The Collected Short Stories Of Roald Dahl Roald Dahl 1991 British English
5163 The Citadel Of Fear Francis Stevens 1918 American English
6560 Zothique Clark Ashton Smith 1970 American English
1429 The Wandering Jew Eugène Sue 1844 French French
5306 The Vampire Tapestry Suzy McKee Charnas 1980 American English
2685 The Ceremonies T. E. D. Klein 1984 American English
5163 Mosses From An Old Manse Nathaniel Hawthorne 1846 American English
2838 The Book Of Ptath A. E. van Vogt 1943 American English
3539 The Dragon And The George Gordon R. Dickson 1976 American English
5163 The Land Of Unreason L. Sprague de Camp 1942 American English
2006 Pincher Martin William Golding 1956 British English
2887 Seven Days In New Crete Robert Graves 1949 British English
695 King Solomon's Mines H. Rider Haggard 1885 British English
5163 Slaves Of Sleep L. Ron Hubbard 1939 American English
5163 Adept's Gambit Fritz Leiber 1947 American English
5163 Humour And Fantasy F. Anstey 1931 British Unknown
2327 The Devil In Velvet John Dickson Carr 1951 American English
3396 Shadow Over Mars Leigh Brackett 1944 American English
2887 Silverlock John Myers Myers 1949 American English
1371 The Horror Horn And Other Stories E. F. Benson 1931 British English
5163 Land Under England Joseph O'Neill 1935 British English
5163 The Third Omnibus Of Crime Dorothy L. Sayers 1934 British English
5163 The Second Omnibus Of Crime Dorothy L. Sayers 1932 British English
5163 Best Tales E. T. A. Hoffmann 1814 German German
5163 The Omnibus Of Crime Dorothy L. Sayers 1929 British English
1533 The Sound Of His Horn Sarban 1952 British English
5758 The Businessman Thomas M. Disch 1984 American English
1372 Winter's Tale Mark Helprin 1983 American English
710 At the Mountains of Madness H. P. Lovecraft 1936 American English
2316 The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward H. P. Lovecraft 1941 American English
20 The Trial Franz Kafka 1925 Czech German
1549 Hawksmoor Peter Ackroyd 1985 British English
5163 War In Heaven Charles Williams 1930 British English
3483 Descent Into Hell Charles Williams 1937 British English
6192 The Bridge Iain Banks 1986 Scottish English
3154 Who Made Stevie Crye? Michael Bishop 1984 American English
1191 The Painted Bird Jerzy Kosinski 1965 Polish English
5223 Dark Feasts Ramsey Campbell 1987 British English
458 The Island of Doctor Moreau H. G. Wells 1896 British English
1247 The White Devil John Webster 1612 British English
3253 A Fine And Private Place Peter S. Beagle 1960 American English
2023 The Land Of Laughs Jonathan Carroll 1980 American English
2829 The Unpleasant Profession Of Jonathan Hoag Robert A. Heinlein 1942 American English
3944 The Phoenix And The Mirror Avram Davidson 1969 American English
3629 The Totem David Morrell 1979 American English
1942 Medusa E. H. Visiak 1929 British English
2932 Best Ghost Stories Sheridan Le Fanu 1923 Irish English
15 Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë 1847 British English
3064 Fearful Pleasures A. E. Coppard 1946 British English
2863 Dead Zone Stephen King 1979 American English
5647 Soul Eater K. W. Jeter 1983 American English
5180 Washington Irving's Tales Of The Supernatural Washington Irving 1824 American English
2926 The Compleat Werewolf And Other Stories Of Fantasy And Science Fiction Anthony Boucher 1969 American English
5180 The Wind In The Rose Bush Mary E. Wilkins Freeman 1903 American English
4251 Jack Of Shadows Roger Zelazny 1971 American English
5450 Angels And Spaceships Fredric Brown 1954 American English
3064 Kecksies And Other Twilight Tales Marjorie Bowen 1946 British English
3877 The Cellar Richard Laymon 1980 American English
2932 The Demon Lover Elizabeth Bowen 1927 British English
6203 The Unconquered Country Geoff Ryman 1986 Canadian English
5180 Mistress Of Mistresses E. R. Eddison 1935 British English
4466 Nifft The Lean Michael Shea 1982 American English
5180 Gods, Men And Ghosts Lord Dunsany 1912 British English
3834 Gog Andrew Sinclair 1967 British English
6480 Neither The Sea Nor The Sand Gordon Honeycombe 1969 British English
7729 The Sending Geoffrey Household 1980 British English
2660 The Lost World Arthur Conan Doyle 1912 British English
3614 Day Of The Minotaur Thomas Burnett Swann 1966 American English
4810 Hotel De Dream Emma Tennant 1976 British English
1560 Burnt Offerings Robert Marasco 1973 American English
2919 The Castle Of Iron L. Sprague de Camp 1950 American English
2072 The Lurker At The Threshold August Derleth, H. P. Lovecraft 1945 American English
2180 The Witches Of Eastwick John Updike 1984 American English
1982 Seven Gothic Tales Isak Dinesen 1934 Danish English
5375 The Tritonian Ring L. Sprague de Camp 1953 American English
1970 Peace Gene Wolfe 1975 American English
5180 They Went Norman Douglas 1920 British English
5180 Hauntings Vernon Lee 1890 British English
540 Uncle Silas Sheridan Le Fanu 1864 Irish English
3434 The House Next Door Anne Rivers Siddons 1978 American English
6130 Cry Horror! H. P. Lovecraft 1963 American English
2932 Beyond The Wall Of Sleep H. P. Lovecraft 1919 American English
2932 The Ghost Book Cynthia Asquith 1926 British English
2446 Worse Things Waiting Manly Wade Wellman 1973 American English
5180 Witch Wood John Buchan 1927 British English
633 Johnny Got His Gun Dalton Trumbo 1939 American English
1945 The Jewel Of Seven Stars Bram Stoker 1903 British English
2932 Dracula's Guest Bram Stoker 1914 British English
5180 Phantasmion Sara Coleridge 1837 British English