Studies in Darkness: Best Weird Stories

Carl Jacobi was a veteran writer of pulp fiction whose many stories enlivened the pages of Weird Tales and many other magazines of the 1930s and 1940s. “Mive,” an early tale, won him praise from H. P. Lovecraft, while “Revelations in Black” is an atmospheric tale of vampirism. “The Satanic Piano” is one of several Jacobi tales that probe the weirdness inherent in music. A number of his stories are set in the Far East, whose exoticism Jacobi brings out in deft touches of local color. The Caribbean is also a setting for several tales, drawing upon the voodoo legends of the area. He also ventured into the “weird menace” genre, where supernaturalism is suggested but explained away as the product of evil machinations from all too human sources. Throughout his work, Carl Jacobi exhibits fine craftsmanship and a keen awareness of the psychological roots of fear, terror, and dread. CONTENTS Introduction by S. T. Joshi 1. Mive • (1928) • short story 2. The Masked Orange • (2021) • short story 3. Moss Island • (1930) • short story 4. The Coach on the Ring • (1931) • short story (vt The Haunted Ring) 5. Revelations in Black • (1933) • novelette 6. The Last Drive • (1933) • short story 7. A Pair of Swords • (1933) • short story 8. The Tomb from Beyond • (1932) • short story 9. Smoke of the Snake • (1934) • short story 10. The Cane • (1934) • short story 11. The Satanic Piano • (1934) • novelette 12. Phantom Brass • (1934) • short story 13. The Face in the Wind • (1936) • novelette 14. The King and the Knave • (1938) • short story 15. Sagasta's Last • (1939) • short story 16. A Study in Darkness • (1939) • short story 17. The Spectral Pistol • (1947) • short story (vt The Phantom Pistol 1941) 18. Carnaby's Fish • (1945) • short story 19. The Corbie Door • (1947) • novelette 20. The Digging at Pistol Key • (1947) • short story 21. Portrait in Moonlight • (1947) • short story 22. The Lorenzo Watch • (1948) • short story 23. The La Prello Paper • (1948) • short story 24. Incident at the Galloping Horse • (1948) • short story 25. Matthew South and Company • (1949) • short story 26. The Spanish Camera • (1950) • short story 27. Witches in the Cornfield • (1964) • short story (vt The Dangerous Scarecrow 1954) 28. The Aquarium • (1962) • short story 29. Kincaid's Car • (1964) • short story 30. The Unpleasantness at Carver House • (1967) • short story 31. The Singleton Barrier • (1971) • short story 32. The Music Lover • (1974) • short story 33. Hamadryad • (1975) • short story 34. Chameleon Town • (1975) • short story 35. The Elcar Special • (1979) • short story * Edited & Introduction by S. T. Joshi Cover art by Allen Koszowski First published by Weird House Press in two volumes as: Best Weird Fiction of Carl Jacobi I. Mive and Others (zb 2021, 17) Weird House Press, 252pp 2. Witches in the Cornfield (zb 2021, 18) Weird House Press, 268pp