FFB: Helen Hoke anthologies

If anyone gave Robert Arthur a run for the prize of most eclectic anthologist of the macabre for young readers, it was Helen Hoke...other editors produced a number of anthologies, but I don't think anyone was more prolific in this way than Hoke, whose editorial career spanned from the 1930s through the mid-1980s, and I mostly enjoyed her volumes published in the mid '70s...and she drew on a fine mix of chestnuts and more obscure selections...and she was unafraid to draw on all sorts of sources, rather than hewing exclusively to the magazines and collections devoted primarily to fantasy and horror fiction. (Certainly Peter Haining and Hugh Lamb were highly productive and wide-ranging, among others, but not aiming their books expressly at younger readers.) She released her first YA horror anthology in 1958, but became hugely productive in this wise in the latter '70s.

Take a look on the remit of these volumes, among her later entries:

• Terrors, Torments and Traumas ed. Helen Hoke (Nashville: Thomas Nelson 0-8407-6600-9, 1978, $6.95, 160pp, hc)  Anthology of horror stories for young adults. British edition: NEL 1978.
• 9 · About This Book · Helen Hoke · in
• 11 · Green Fingers · R. C. Cook · ss The 3rd Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories, ed. Christine Bernard, Fontana 1968
• 26 · Keeping His Promise · Algernon Blackwood · ss The Empty House, Eveleigh Nash 1906
• 40 · The Voyage of the Deborah Pratt · Miriam Allen deFord · ss F&SF Apr 1963
• 49 · Earth to Earth · Robert Graves · ss Punch Feb 1955
• 53 · “Dear Ghost...” · Fielden Hughes · ss The Fourth Ghost Book, ed. James Turner, Barrie & Rockliff 1965
• 69 · Mrs. Amworth · E. F. Benson · ss Hutchinson’s Magazine Jun 1922
• 83 · On the Brighton Road · Richard Middleton · ss The Ghost Ship, Unwin 1912
• 87 · The CRIB Circuit · Miriam Allen deFord · ss F&SF Nov 1969
• 104 · Changeling · Ray Bradbury · ss Super Science Stories Jul 1949
• 112 · The Man Who Liked Dickens · Evelyn Waugh · ss Hearst’s International Sep 1933
• 124 · Robert · Stanley Ellin · ss Sleuth Mystery Magazine Oct 1958
• 139 · The Knock at the Manor Gate · Franz Kafka · vi The Great Wall of China 1946
• 141 · Message for Margie · Christine Campbell Thomson · ss The Fifth Pan Book of Horror Stories, ed. Herbert van Thal, London: Pan 1964
• 150 · W.S. · L. P. Hartley · ss World Review Jan 1952

Demons Within & Other Disturbing Tales ed. Helen Hoke (Taplinger 0-8008-2156-4, Feb ’78, $8.95, hc) 9 · About This Book · Helen Hoke · in 13 · George and Alice and Isabel · William Trevor · ss The Ninth Ghost Book, ed. Rosemary Timperley, Barrie & Rockliff 1973 29 · Gone Is Gone · Joan Fleming · ss The (London) Evening Standard Apr 23 1953 35 · The Margenes · Miriam Allen deFord · ss If Feb 1956 42 · Mummy to the Rescue · Angus Wilson · ss Such Darling Dodos and Other Stories, Secker & Warburg 1950 49 · Miss Cornelius · William F. Harvey · ss The Beast With Five Fingers, J.M. Dent 1928 69 · The Middle Toe of the Right Foot · Ambrose Bierce · ss San Francisco Examiner Aug 17 1890 78 · The Phantom of the Screen · Lawrie Wyman · ss The Fifth Ghost Book, ed. Rosemary Timperley, Barrie & Rockliff 1969 85 · The Book · Margaret Irwin · ss The London Mercury Sep 1930 102 · The Man Who Collected Poe · Robert Bloch · ss Famous Fantastic Mysteries Oct 1951 117 · The Squaw · Bram Stoker · ss Holly Leaves Dec 2 1893 130 · The Small World of Lewis Stillman · William F. Nolan · ss Fantastic Universe Aug 1957, as “Small World” 143 · The Attic Express · Alex Hamilton · ss The Fourth Pan Book of Horror Stories, ed. Herbert van Thal, London: Pan 1963 161 · Mr. George · August Derleth · nv Weird Tales Mar 1947, as by Stephen Grendon 188 · I Used to Live Here Once · Jean Rhys · vi Sleep It Off, Lady 1976 Mysterious, Menacing & Macabre ed. Helen Hoke (Elsvier 0-525-66753-9, 1981, $11.50, 148pp, hc) 1 · About This Book · Helen Hoke · in 3 · Side Bet · Will F. Jenkins · ss Collier’s Jul 31 1937 15 · “Happy Birthday, Dear Alexa” · John Keir Cross · ss Best Tales of Terror 2, ed. Edmund Crispin, London: Faber & Faber 1965 35 · The Tombling Day · Ray Bradbury · ss Shenandoah Fll 1952 45 · Head Man · Robert Bloch · ss 15 Mystery Stories Jun 1950 65 · The Demon Lover · Elizabeth Bowen · ss The Listener 1941 73 · The Shuttered Room · H. P. Lovecraft & August Derleth · nv The Shuttered Room and Other Pieces, Arkham House 1959 111 · Dark Dream · Elizabeth Fancett · ss The 9th Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories, ed. Mary Danby, Fontana 1975 121 · Two Spinsters [Nicholas Goade] · E. Phillips Oppenheim · ss The Grand Magazine Jun 1926, as “The Spinsters” 135 · The Way Up to Heaven · Roald Dahl · ss The New Yorker Feb 27 1954 Meanwhile, her first YA anthology was one of those I was very happy to discover: Publication: Witches! Witches! Witches!  Editors: Helen Hoke Year: 1958-00-00  Witches! Witches! Witches! • interior artwork by W. R. Lohse viii • Introduction: About This Book (Witches! Witches! Witches!) • essay by Helen Hoke 1 • The Horned Woman • shortfiction by Augusta Baker 5 • Ah Tcha the Sleeper • (1925) • shortstory by Arthur Bowie Chrisman 15 • Old Gally Mander • (1929) • shortstory by Rachel Field 19 • Baba Yaga and the Little Girl with the Kind Heart • shortstory by Arthur Ransome 31 • The Broomstick Train • poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes 32 • Buttercup • shortstory by Sigrid Undset 37 • The Enchanted Cow • (1931) • shortstory by Mary Gould Davis 45 • Blanche's High-Flying Halloween • shortstory by Margaret Embry 56 • The Magic Ball • (1924) • shortstory by Charles J. Finger 65 • The Old Hag of the Forest • (1899) • shortstory by Seumas MacManus 80 • The Old Witch • (1894) • shortstory by Joseph Jacobs 85 • Rapunzel • [KHM (Kinder und Hausmärchen) • 12] • shortstory by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm (trans. of Rapunzel 1812) 90 • The Hungry Old Witch • (1924) • shortstory by Charles J. Finger 101 • About the Good American Witch (excerpt) • (1957) • shortfiction by Peggy Bacon 112 • Peter and the Witch of the Wood • (1936) • shortstory by Anna Wahlenberg 125 • The Fisherman and His Soul • (1891) • novelette by Oscar Wilde 169 • The Witch! the Witch! • poem by Eleanor Farjeon 170 • Macbeth (excerpt) • shortfiction by William Shakespeare 172 • Which Was Witch? • shortstory by Eleanore M. Jewett 176 • The Swan Princess • shortstory by H. Herda 187 • The Haddam Witches • shortstory by Moritz Jagendorf [as by M. Jagendorf ] 192 • Witches' Song • (1948) • poem by Elizabeth Coatsworth 194 • The Black Cat of the Witch-Dance-Place • shortfiction by Frances Jenkins Olcott 197 • The Witch in the Stone Boat • (1894) • shortstory by Andrew Lang 205 • The Ride-By-Nights • poem by Walter de la Mare 206 • The Witch of Lok Island • shortstory by Elsie Masson 219 • The Witch's Shoes • shortfiction by Frances Jenkins Olcott 221 • Bergamot • (1919) • shortstory by Margery Bailey And her next would arrive eight years later...in plenty of time for me to discover it in the early/mid '70s:

• Publication: Spooks, Spooks, Spooks
• Editors: Helen Hoke
• Year: 1966-00-00

•  Spooks, Spooks, Spooks • interior artwork by W. R. Lohse
• viii • About This Book (Spooks, Spooks, Spooks) • essay by Helen Hoke
• 1 • The King and the Merman • (1956) • shortfiction by Thomas D. Leekley
• 11 • The Devil's Thoughts • (1799) • poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• 13 • Witch Wood • (1948) • shortstory by Anna Elizabeth Bennett
• 21 • Mungo • (1965) • shortstory by Geoffrey Palmer and Noel Lloyd
• 34 • The Hag • (1648) • poem by Robert Herrick
• 36 • The Spooky Thing • (1960) • shortstory by William O. Steele
• 51 • Jamie's Ghost Horse • (1963) • shortstory by Marion Garthwaite
• 59 • The Burning Ship • (1948) • shortstory by Moritz Jagendorf [as by M. Jagendorf ]
• 63 • The Black Thing • (1962) • shortstory by Madeleine L'Engle
• 81 • The Battle with the Bogles • (1960) • shortstory by Sorche Nic Leodhas
• 95 • The Ride-By-Nights • (1958) • poem by Walter de la Mare
• 97 • The Tinker of Tamlacht and His Bargains with the Devil • (1963) • shortstory by Seumas MacManus
• 112 • The Ghostly Hitchhikers • (1956) • shortstory by Maria Leach
• 116 • Caleb Thorne's Day • (1936) • shortstory by Elizabeth Coatsworth
• 128 • The Ghost Village (excerpt) • (1959) • shortfiction by Erick Berry
• 139 • The Shadow People • (1922) • poem by Frances Legwidge
• 141 • Sop Doll! • (1943) • shortstory by Richard Chase
• 147 • The First Spell • (1962) • shortstory by Josephine Lee
• 157 • The Conjure Wives • (1921) • shortstory by Frances G. Wickes
• 161 • Suppose You Met a Witch • (1952) • poem by Ian Serraillier
• 167 • The Ghosts of the Mohawk • (1953) • shortstory by Anna L. Curtis
• 175 • The King o' the Cats • (1894) • shortstory by Joseph Jacobs
• 178 • Demon at Green Knowe • (1964) • shortstory by L. M. Boston
• 206 • Witch Girl • (1948) • shortstory by Elizabeth Coatsworth

A rather slight gathering of nostalgia, for the Hallowe'en season, on this morning where I have some physical labor ahead, and treating with an ill pet over the last several days...and atop all else, my Apple laptop isn't playing nice with Blogger at the moment.  But Hoke did a fine job, and should be recalled, at very least in this season. 

For more of today's books, please see Patti Abbott's blog.

And, from an earlier consideration on this blog of Hoke's career:

Helen Hoke might've been the most prolific producer of anthologies, particularly for young readers, among this handful, but not by much. She did have a long (and trans-Atlantic) career as a writer and editor, as her 1990 New York Times obituary notes, 

In the late 1930's, Ms. Hoke inaugurated and managed children's book departments at several publishing houses, including Henry Holt, Reynal & Hitchcock and Julian Messer. In the 1940's, Ms. Hoke, whose first marriage, to John Hoke, had ended in divorce, married Franklin Watts, founder the New York publishing company that bears his name. She became the company's vice president and director of international projects.

She would go on to collaborate on at least one book each with one of her sons and one of her grandsons. And she didn't restrict herself too much...along with such titles as Monsters Monsters Monsters and Jokes Jokes Jokes, she also offered both Nurses Nurses Nurses and Doctors Doctors Doctors, which mixed short stories with essays and autobiographical excerpts.

But it was her horror and humor anthologies and compilations that I remember, particularly the former...she relied to some extent on chestnuts, but intelligently arrayed, and for young readers, this isn't the worst strategy. 

Anthologies

• Witches! Witches! Witches! (1958)
• Spooks, Spooks, Spooks (1966)
• Dragons, Dragons, Dragons (1972)
• Weirdies (1973)
• Monsters Monsters Monsters (1975)
• Ghostly, Grim and Gruesome (1976)
• Ghosts and Ghastlies (1976)
• Devils, Devils, Devils (1976)
• Creepies, Creepies, Creepies (1977) also appeared as:
  • Variant Title: Creepies: A Covey of Quiver-and-Quaver Tales (1978)
• Haunts! Haunts! Haunts! (1977)
• Spectres, Spooks and Shuddery Shades (1977)
• Eerie, Weird and Wicked (1977)
• Demons Within and Other Disturbing Tales (1978)
• Terrors, Torments and Traumas (1978)
• Horrors, Horrors, Horrors (1978)
• Terrors, Terrors, Terrors (1979)
• Thrillers, Chillers and Killers (1979)
• A Chilling Collection (1979)
• Fear! Fear! Fear! (1980)
• Giants! Giants! Giants! (1980)
• Sinister, Strange, and Supernatural (1980)
• Mysterious, Menacing & Macabre (1981)
• More Ghosts, Ghosts, Ghosts (1981)
• Tales of Fear & Frightening Phenomena (1982)
• Uncanny Tales of Unearthly and Unexpected Horrors (1983)
• Demonic, Dangerous & Deadly (1983)
• Ghastly, Ghoulish, Gripping Tales (1983)
• Spirits, Spooks and Other Sinister Creatures (1984)
• Venomous Tales of Villainy and Vengeance (1984)
• Horrifying and Hideous Hauntings (1986) with Franklin Hoke

...and so, I missed the preponderance of her work in the horror and fantasy fields, having left behind the younger-readers' sections of libraries by 1976, but I do remember the early volumes well, with their often rather uninspired covers, but usually interesting content...