20th Century Ghosts

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20th Century Ghosts
Image:20cgHill.jpg
Cover of limited edition
Author Joe Hill
Cover artist Vincent Chong
Country United Kingdom
Publisher PS Publishing
Publication date October 2005
Pages 304
ISBN Slipcased 1904619487

Hardcover 1904619479

Paperback 1904619460
Followed by Heart-Shaped Box

[edit] Publication

20th Century Ghosts is the first publication made by American author Joe Hill in October 2005 by PS Publishing which is based in the United Kingdom. The original release was available for pre-sale only through the publishers website.

The collection has won several awards including the Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection, as well as the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection and Best Short Story for "Best New Horror." The hardcover editions are collectable, especially the signed slipcased edition that had a print run of only 200 copies and scarce to find on the open market.

In October 2007, HarperCollins Publishers released the first public edition of Hill's collection. This edition also contains the short story "Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead," which was not previously published in the UK edition. Also in October, Apple Inc.'s USA iTunes Store released audiobook versions of the stories in this edition, at US$0.95 per short story, through 29 October.

[edit] Stories included:

  • Introduction (by Christopher Golden)
  • Acknowledgements
  • Best New Horror
  • 20th Century Ghost
  • Pop Art
  • You Will Hear The Locust Sing
  • Abraham's Boys
  • Better Than Home
  • The Black Phone
  • In The Rundown
  • The Cape
  • Last Breath
  • Dead-Wood
  • The Widow's Breakfast
  • My Father's Mask
  • Voluntary Committal
  • Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead^
  • The Saved*
  • The Black Phone: the missing chapter*
  • Story Notes*

* only included in deluxe limited edition and not available on iTunes version; ^ only available in US edition.

[edit] Limited editions

Released in October 2005, this short story collection was released in a limited edition format only. The three formats available before publication were:

  • Deluxe slipcased signed limited hardcover edition signed by Joe Hill and Christopher Golden (introduction author) and numbered 1-200
  • Signed limited edition hardcover signed by Joe Hill and numbered 1-500
  • Trade paperback unsigned at 1,000 copies printed