Horror Various Authors: Good Dolls and Bad. v1. 28 May 2026

[GrannyGrump]

Friendly dolls, fairytale dolls … haunted dolls, evil dolls … All manner of dolls, puppets, and other simulacra, as chronicled in twenty-one short works and a novel by such masterful writers as A. Merritt, F. Anstey, Nathanial Hawthorne, Hans Christian Andersen, Vernon Lee, Algernon Blackwood, and M. R. James. Read on for some chills and thrills, with a few chuckles along the way.

Compiled by ECM.

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A list of the titles:

Spoiler:

The Scarecrow– 1918

by G. Ranger Wormser
(1893–1953)

Feathertop– 1852

by Nathaniel Hawthorne
(1804–1864)

A Doll’s Diary– 1897

by F. Anstey
(1856–1934)

Ely’s Automatic Housemaid– 1899

by Elizabeth W. Bellamy
(1837–1900)

The Proud Doll– 1905

by Max Nordau
(1849–1923)
tr. by Mary J. Safford
(1834–1891)

The Enchanted Doll– 1849

by Mark Lemon
(1809–1870)

The Steadfast Tin Soldier– 1838

by Hans Christian Andersen
(1805–1875)

The Puppet-Show Man– 1851

by Hans Christian Andersen
(1805–1875)

The Puppets– 1905

by J. H. Pearce
(1856–1938)

The Toys of Fate– 1921

by Tod Robbins
(1888–1949)

The Sandman– 1816

by E.T.A. Hoffmann
(1766–1822)
tr. by John Oxenford
(1812–1877)

The Haunted Automaton– 1885

by W. C. Morrow
(1854–1923)

The Dancing Partner– 1893

by Jerome K. Jerome
(1859–1927)

The Manikin– 1924

by John D. Swain
(1870–1952)

Murder Puppet– 1939

by Gabriel Wilson
(?–?)

The Haunted Doll’s House– 1923

by M. R. James
(1862–1936)

The Doll– 1946

by Algernon Blackwood
(1869–1951)

The Doll– 1896

by “Vernon Lee”
(Violet Paget)
(1856–1935)

The Doll’s Ghost– 1896

by F. Marion Crawford
(1854–1909)

The Wondersmith– 1859

by Fitz-James O’Brien
(1828–1862)

Sambo– 1910

by W. F. Harvey
(1885–1937)

Burn Witch Burn!– 1933

[ NOVEL ]
by A. Merritt
(1884–1943)

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Contents were originally published 1816 ~ 1946. This book is in the public domain where copyright is “Life+70” or less.
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