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The April witch and other strange tales
Fourteen tales about strange beings and events by English and American authors.
**The April Witch And Other Strange Tales was first published in 1977 under the title: FANTASY TALES.**
OF POLYMUF STOCK by John Christopher
OBSTINATE UNCLE OTIS by Robert Arthur
THE TOWER by Marghanita Laski
THE CORK ELEPHANT by Ian Serraillier
THE INNER ROOM by Robert Aickman
THE NEVER-ENDING PENNY by Bernard Wolfe
THE NEW SUN by J.S. Fletcher
THE STAR BEAST by Nicholas Stuart Gray
THE MAN WHO COULD WORK MIRACLES by H.G. Wells
THE APRIL WITCH by Ray Bradbury
STRANGE FISH by Leon Garfield
THE RIDDLE by Walter de la Mare
THE TUBE THAT STUCK by Claire Creswell
THE BOTTLE IMP by Robert Louis Stevenson
**The April Witch And Other Strange Tales was first published in 1977 under the title: FANTASY TALES.**
OF POLYMUF STOCK by John Christopher
OBSTINATE UNCLE OTIS by Robert Arthur
THE TOWER by Marghanita Laski
THE CORK ELEPHANT by Ian Serraillier
THE INNER ROOM by Robert Aickman
THE NEVER-ENDING PENNY by Bernard Wolfe
THE NEW SUN by J.S. Fletcher
THE STAR BEAST by Nicholas Stuart Gray
THE MAN WHO COULD WORK MIRACLES by H.G. Wells
THE APRIL WITCH by Ray Bradbury
STRANGE FISH by Leon Garfield
THE RIDDLE by Walter de la Mare
THE TUBE THAT STUCK by Claire Creswell
THE BOTTLE IMP by Robert Louis Stevenson
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
238 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 1977
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About the author
Barbara Ireson
69 booksBarbara Ireson grew up on the South Coast, took a degree in Economics at Nottingham, and then worked in Paris at the British Embassy and UNESCO. She married a university lecturer, and his career took her to several university towns, where she become intensely interested in conservation and the restoration of old buildings. Her three children have inherited this enthusiasm, and her two sons run an antiques business at Tours in France. She and her husband also live in Tours, and she is able to lend a hand in the business whilst continuing with her own writing.
She is particularly well known for her work on children's anthologies, both poetry and prose, and she has edited a number of highly praised and popular collections.
1987
She is particularly well known for her work on children's anthologies, both poetry and prose, and she has edited a number of highly praised and popular collections.
1987
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 10, 2014
Goodreads doesn't seem to have too much information on this ratty old paperback speculative fiction anthology I read as a teenager and recently unearthed once more -- no sign of even the lurid and very cheesy cover.
It's a collection of short stories by authors both known (including HG Wells and Ray Bradbury) and obscure. Barbara Ireson is only the editor. Despite what the reader may project onto the title "Fantasy Tales", the genres in this anthology range from science fiction to horror, with a bit of fantasy of the fairytale/magical realism kind. They are as follows:
* "Of Polymuf Stock" by John Christopher
* "The Tower" by Marghanita Lasky
* "The Cork Elephant" by Ian Serraillier
* "The Inner Room" by Robert Aickman
* "The Never-ending Penny" by Bernard Wolfe
* "The New Sun" by JS Fletcher
* "The Star Beast" by Nicholas Stuart Gray
* "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" by HG Wells
* "The April Witch" by Ray Bradbury
* "Strange Fish" by Leon Garfield
* "The Riddle" by Walter de la Mare
* "The Tube that Stuck" by Claire Creswell
My most vivid recollections are of "The Star Beast", a sad tale of a misunderstood alien, "The Inner Room", a story about a dollhouse and probably the first written fiction to actively scare me into not wanting to finish it and "The Riddle", a haunting fairy tale about disappearing children. "The Tower" and "The Tube that Stuck" were also quite frightening stories, leading me to think that this might have been better termed "Horror Tales".
But there's also classic sci-fi in "The New Sun" (although that's about as scientifically sound as Melancholia and has a similar premise), a heartwarming story about an impoverished farm labourer in "The Never-ending Penny" and an amusing HG Wells story, among others. It's a varied collection of good quality throughout (though I'll admit to having a nostalgic bias).
It's a collection of short stories by authors both known (including HG Wells and Ray Bradbury) and obscure. Barbara Ireson is only the editor. Despite what the reader may project onto the title "Fantasy Tales", the genres in this anthology range from science fiction to horror, with a bit of fantasy of the fairytale/magical realism kind. They are as follows:
* "Of Polymuf Stock" by John Christopher
* "The Tower" by Marghanita Lasky
* "The Cork Elephant" by Ian Serraillier
* "The Inner Room" by Robert Aickman
* "The Never-ending Penny" by Bernard Wolfe
* "The New Sun" by JS Fletcher
* "The Star Beast" by Nicholas Stuart Gray
* "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" by HG Wells
* "The April Witch" by Ray Bradbury
* "Strange Fish" by Leon Garfield
* "The Riddle" by Walter de la Mare
* "The Tube that Stuck" by Claire Creswell
My most vivid recollections are of "The Star Beast", a sad tale of a misunderstood alien, "The Inner Room", a story about a dollhouse and probably the first written fiction to actively scare me into not wanting to finish it and "The Riddle", a haunting fairy tale about disappearing children. "The Tower" and "The Tube that Stuck" were also quite frightening stories, leading me to think that this might have been better termed "Horror Tales".
But there's also classic sci-fi in "The New Sun" (although that's about as scientifically sound as Melancholia and has a similar premise), a heartwarming story about an impoverished farm labourer in "The Never-ending Penny" and an amusing HG Wells story, among others. It's a varied collection of good quality throughout (though I'll admit to having a nostalgic bias).
June 5, 2025
Another book not for kids but sold to spooky children, "The April Witch" is a collection of Playboy and literary magazine era tales of the uncanny. It may be a bit of a knockoff of Helen Hoke's "Terrific Triple Titles" anthologies, but this one leans more towards the surreal and unsettling, tone pieces of varying genres, as opposed to Hoke's focus on classic horror, thriller and ghost story modes. Like the Hoke anthologies, this book is material written for adults but suitable for children, so any fan of the strange in fiction will find something to enjoy here.
October 30, 2023
I read this book as a child and enough of the stories stayed with me that as an adult I decided to track it down. I thought of this book every time I climbed a tower of some old building on a day trip. Some of the stories are not quite as I remember (for some reason a minor mention of a character with a double row of teeth stayed with me) but I still find them interesting and a bit scary. I think this is the book that got me into science-fiction in the beginning and for that I am grateful to have stumbled across it in the school library many years ago!
November 1, 2017
This collection of stories has stayed with me, and I haven't seen a copy in decades.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews