Cloak & Dagger - Ten Thrilling Stories of Espionage.
Dell paperback. First Printing, June 1967.
Features an extensive five page introduction by Robert Arthur who gives a brief history of the spy story from biblical times up through James Bond.
Stories:
"The Hairless Mexican" by W. Somerset Maugham
"The Hut" by Geoffrey Household
"Parker Adderson, Philosopher" by Ambrose Bierce
"Crispin's Way" by Harris Downey
"The Man Who Was in Love With Death" by Louis Bromfield
"A Source of Irritation" by Stacy Aumonier
"Uncle Hyacinth" by Alfred Noyes
"A Curious Experience" by Mark Twain
"High Tide" by John P. Marquand
"From a View to a Kill" by Ian Fleming
Monster Mix - Thirteen Chilling Tales
Edited by Robert Arthur.
Dell paperback. First Printing, June 1968.
Featuring a three page introduction by Robert Arthur who has chosen some truly fine "monster" stories to give us the late-night shivers! Includes one of my personal favorite Robert Arthur stories, "Footsteps Invisible."
Stories:
"The Day of the Dragon" by Guy Endore
"Mrs. Amworth" by E.F. Benson
"Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent" by Stephen Vincent Benet
"Creature of the Snows" by William Sambrot
"Aepyornis Island" by H.G. Wells
"Fire in the Galley Stove" by William Outerson
"The Mannikin" by Robert Bloch
"The Wendigo" by Algernon Blackwood
"The Derelict" by William Hope Hodgson
"O Ugly Bird!" by Manly Wade Wellman
"Mimic" by Donald A. Wollheim
"The Hoard of the Gibbelins" by Lord Dunsany
"Footsteps Invisible" by Robert Arthur
A Red Skel(e)ton In Your Closet - ghost stories gay and grim selected by the master of comedy, Red Skelton.
Grosset and Dunlap hardbound with dust jacket, 1965.
Cover art and internal illustrations by J. Flora.
Red Skelton's Favorite Ghost Stories
Tempo paperback, 1970.
Cover art by Harry Kane, no internal illustrations.
The hardbound book contains 21 delightfully spooky stories and features three Robert Arthur stories and one poem:
"Of Course I Believe in Ghosts" by Red Skelton
"The Spook Upon The Stair" poem by Andrew McCullen (pseudonym)
"My Displaced Ghosts" by John West (pseudonym)
"In A Dim Room" by Lord Dunsany
"The Wonderful Cat of Cobbie Bean" by Barbee Oliver Carleton
"Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley
"To Starch A Spook" by Andrew Benedict (pseudonym)
"The Open Window" by Saki
"The Moor's Legacy" by Washington Irving
"Nine Little Goblins" by James Whitcomb Riley
"The Ghost Ship" by Richard Middleton
"The Boy Who Drew Cats" by Lafcadio Hearn
"The Haunted Trailer" by Robert Arthur
"The Superstitious Ghost" by Arthur Guiterman
"O Ugly Bird!" by Manly Wade Wellman
"The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde
"He Walked By Day" by Julius Long
"When The Night Wind Howls" by W.S. Gilbert
"Mr. Whitcomb's Genie" by Walter Brooks
"The Water Ghost" by John Kendrick Bangs
"Three Ghost Stories For Christmas Eve" by Jerome K. Jerome
A Compendium of Books and Anthologies for Robert Arthur Fans
For those of you looking for more good reading from the pen of Robert Arthur, here's a list to help you get started. Robert Arthur wrote hundreds of short stories which were published individually in pulp magazines over a forty year period. This makes it difficult and expensive to collect his complete works. With this in mind I've put together a list of books which, in most cases, contain more than one Robert Arthur story, are relatively easy to find and won't cost a fortune. A few of the books on this list (such as those with Arthur introductions only) are included with fellow Robert Arthur-ologists in mind.
Robert Arthur's only adult mystery novel - published under two different titles!
Epitaph For A Virgin
by Robert Arthur
Mercury Mystery Book-Magazine, September, 1956.
Max London was tough as they come but he wasn't smart enough to stay out of trouble. Of course, when "trouble" came wrapped in a package like Meg Philips, who can blame him? She was sexy and willing . . . and very dangerous, as Max found out too late . . . . About the setting, the author says: "All of the people and the places in this book are fictitious, except Hollywood and the State of California, both of which are real, improbable as they may seem."
This is the first version of this novel and it is the most difficult of the two to find. The magazine features several liner notes about the story and Robert Arthur. About 102 pages in length. Other stories in the magazine are:
"The Knockout Bullet" by Erle Stanley Gardner
"Memo from the Underground" by Andre Maurois
"Proof Negative" by Paul Steiner
"Once Aboard the Lugger" by Stuart Palmer
Somebody's Walking Over My Grave
by Robert Arthur
Ace Double Novel Books, 1961.
"Epitaph For A Virgin" was re-written and re-titled for it's second publication and clocks in at about 135 pages. The premise of the story is basically the same but has been fleshed out with an additional sub-plot and a slightly different ending. This book is much easier to find than the other and it contains the John Miles novel "Dally With A Deadly Doll".
Ghosts and More Ghosts
by Robert Arthur, illustrated by Irv Doktor.
Random House hardbound, 1963.
Windward Books paperback, 1972.
"This book is dedicated to Andrew and Elizabeth, just because."
Contains ten stories by Robert Arthur of ghosts, haunts, spooks, spells, and witchcraft for young people, this was a very popular book and was published in a number of formats. The very earliest hardbound printings (picture at left with owl) featured a dust jacket with a full-page "Note to the Reader from the Author" on the back. This note was not used on any of the later editions or printings. These very early printings with intact dust jackets are difficult to find and quite desirable to the collector of Robert Arthur books. Book measures 9-1/2" x 6-1/2". Later hardbound printings feature a picture cover with different cover art (a boy running through a ghostly graveyard) and are much more common.
The book was also issued as a Book Club Edition by Random House in the early 1970's. Slightly smaller in size(8-1/2" x 5-3/4"), it came with a dust jacket but no internal illustrations.
Finally, the book was published in a paperback edition by Random House's Windward Books in 1972. First Windward Printings have the same cover art as the hardback picture cover book. Second and Third Printings feature cover art by Walter Brooks. Second Printings have the "silverback" cover while the Third Printing has the white cover. The Windward books contain a very nice Robert Arthur biography at the end.
Stories (all by Robert Arthur):
Footsteps Invisible
Mr. Milton's Gift
The Rose-Crystal Bell
The Marvelous Stamps from El Dorado
The Wonderful Day
Don't Be a Goose
Do You Believe in Ghosts?
Obstinate Uncle Otis
Mr. Dexter's Dragon
Hank Garvey's Daytime Ghost
Mystery and More Mystery
by Robert Arthur, illustrated by Saul Lambert.
Random House hardbound picture cover, 1966.
Windward Books paperback, 1972.
Contains ten stories of Detection, Suspense, Mystery and Magic for young people by Robert Arthur. The Random House hardbound picture cover book is pictured at top left. Features a "Foreword" by Robert Arthur and a special chapter at the end where he tells how each story came to be written.
There were three paperback Windward printings. The First Printing features the same cover art as that found on the hardback book. The second and third printings are pictured below with cover art by Gil Cohen. Second Printings have the "silverback" cover while the Third Printing has the white cover. The Robert Arthur biography included in the back is shorter than that found in the other Windward titles.
Stories (all by Robert Arthur):
Mr. Manning's Money Tree
Larceny and Old Lace
The Midnight Visitor
The Blow from Heaven
The Glass Bridge
Change of Address
The Vanishing Passenger
Hard Case
The Adventure of the Single Footprint
The Mystery of the Three Blind Mice
Spies and More Spies
Stories selected by Robert Arthur., illustrated by Saul Lambert.
Random House hardbound picture cover, 1967.
Windward Books paperback, 1972.
Contains twelve great stories of spies, counterspies and spy-catchers selected by Robert Arthur. Random House hardbound picture cover book at left. Two of the stories are by Arthur, one under the pseudonym of John West. Unlike the other books in the ". . . and More . . ." series, this one has no foreword or dedication by Arthur.
There were two Windward paperback printings with cover art by Gil Cohen. The earlier printing has the "silverback" cover while the later printing has the white. Both contain the lengthier "About the Author" Robert Arthur bio at the end.
Stories:
"The People of the Peacock" by Edward D. Hoch
"The Case of XX-2" by Julian Symons
"The Future of the Service" by Michael Gilbert
"The Road Without Turning" by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
"Ladies With a Past" by Patricia McGerr
"The Proverbial Murder" by John Dickson Carr
"Adventure of the Four Quarters" by Robert Arthur
"Belgrade 1926" by Eric Ambler
"The Spy Who Did Nothing" by Edward D. Hoch
"Call For Help" by John West (Robert Arthur)
"Selena in Atlantic City" by Patricia McGerr
"The Three Good Witnesses" by Harold Lamb
Thrillers and More Thrillers
Stories selected by Robert Arthur, illustrated by Saul Lambert.
Random House hardbound, 1968.
Windward Books paperback, 1972.
Contains nine exciting stories of suspense and mystery, ghosts and the supernatural selected by Robert Arthur, one of which is by him under the pseudonym of John West. This book features an introduction by Robert Arthur in which he gives his definition of a thriller and pays homage to Edgar Allen Poe. It's interesting to note that Robert Arthur wrote a number of episodes for Boris Karloff's "Thriller" television show and I think that the cover art for the hardbound book (at left) bears something of a likeness to Mr. Karloff. This is the most difficult of the four books in the ". . . and More . . ." series to find.
Pictured below are the two Windward paperback printings with cover art by Robert J. Lee. The "silverback" is the earlier printing, the white cover is the later printing. Both books have the lengthier "About the Editor" biography at the end.
Stories:
"Mr. George" by August Derleth
"The Calamander Chest" by Joseph Payne Brennan
"The Poison Necklace" by Miriam Allen deFord
"The Bottle Imp" by Robert Louis Stevenson
"My Displaced Ghosts" by John West (R. Arthur)
"Faith, Hope and Charity" by Irvin S. Cobb
"Mrs. Manifold" by Stephen Grendon
"The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" by Thomas Burke
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe
Robert Arthur-ology, n. the study of Robert Arthur's life and writings.
Robert Arthur-ologist, n. a student of, or specialist in, the works of Robert Arthur.
Alfred Hitchcock's Solve-Them-Yourself-Mysteries
Ghost-Written by Robert Arthur, illustrated by Fred Banbery.
Random House hardbound with dust jacket, 1963.
Random House paperback, 1986. (Cover art by Tom Leonard)
All stories in this collection were written by Robert Arthur with the exception of 'The Mystery of the Five Sinister Thefts' which was adapted by Robert Arthur from the story 'The Case of the Stolen Snake' by Morris Hershman.
This particular book is a must-have for Three Investigators collectors as it, and one of the stories contained within, is referred to on page 133 of the Random House hardbound edition of "The Mystery of the Silver Spider".
Stories:
"The Mystery of the Five Sinister Thefts"
"The Mystery of the Seven Wrong Clocks"
"The Mystery of the Three Blind Mice"
"The Mystery of the Man Who Evaporated"
"The Mystery of the Four Quarters"
Above: The First Printing dust jacket circa 1963.
Below: Hardbound picture cover trade edition circa 1964 - mid 1970's.
Left: The Random House Book Club Edition. Hard-bound with dust jacket.
Right: The Second and Third printings of the Windward paperback edition. The silverback is the second and most common printing.
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