Hugh Lamb

I was sorry to hear that Hugh Lamb has passed away. He was one of the leading anthologists of ghost stories and related fiction for many years. You can read a lot more about him here, and buy some of the books he edited. There is also a moving tribute by his son Richard.

At a time when it was not easy to obtain ghost stories outside a few much-reprinted classics, Hugh Lamb sought out lesser-known tales of quality. He helped revive interest in the macabre tales of E. Nesbit and Jerome K. Jerome, and also brought almost forgotten authors like Barry Pain and Bernard Capes to readers like me.

Using the inter-library loan service and the Joint-Fiction Reserve of London libraries, Hugh had accumulated an impressive collection of tales. In fact, this turned out to be an inspired method for searching old editions and unearthing rare treasures ripe for republishing. He estimates that around 5,000 books crossed his path this way.

That's dedication.