Robert Bloch

Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch is the writer of the Psycho novel
Date of Birth	April 5, 1917
Date of Death	September 23, 1994

"Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk."

---

Robert Bloch (born April 5, 1917 – died September 23, 1994) was a American fiction writer, primarily of crime, horror, fantasy and science fiction, from Wisconsin. He wrote Psycho (novel) in 1959. Robert Bloch was a contributor to pulp magazines in his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter and a major contributor to science fiction fandom.

Bibliography

Bloch has wrote number of novels, short-stories, etc... List below.

Novels

• In the Land of Sky-Blue Ointments (with Harold Gauer) (c. 1938) (unpublished, though characters and episodes from this book appear in later Bloch short stories, such as "The Travelling Salesman" and "The Strange Island of Dr Nork". The character Lefty Feep also appears for the first time in this work. . Bloch owned the complete manuscript of the novel, which he described as "never intended or submitted for publication.". Bloch's estate has blocked posthumous publication). Plot summary at http://mgpfeff.home.sprynet.com/gauer_sky-blue.html
• Nobody Else Laughed (with Harold Gauer) (1939) (unpublished)
• The Scarf (1947, rev. 1966)
• Spiderweb (1954)
• The Kidnapper (1954)
• The Will to Kill (1954)
• Shooting Star (1958) (note: published in a double volume with the ss collection Terror in the Night) No ISBN – identified only as Ace Double D-265
• This Crowded Earth (1958) (original magazine appearance; published as book in double format with Ladies Day 1968 – see below)
• Psycho (1959). UK: Robert Hale, April 1960. (adapted into the 1960 film, Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock; later remade in 1998 by Gus Van Sant)
• The Dead Beat (1960). No ISBN. An 'Inner Sanctum' Mystery. Library of Congress Card No 60-6100.
• Firebug (1961) Regency Books RB 101.
• The Couch (1962). Novelisation by Bloch of his screenplay for the previously filmed movie (see Movies section below).
• Terror (Belmont Books, 1962) No ISBN; Belmont L92-537 (Working title: Amok).
• Ladies Day / This Crowded Earth (1968) A Belmont Double. Belmont B60-080 Template:OCLC
• The Star Stalker (Pyramid Books, 1968). Pyramid T-1869.
• The Todd Dossier (1969, Delacorte US; Macmillan UK – no ISBN.)(as by Collier Young). Note: The byline on this book is not a Bloch pseudonym; Collier Young was a film producer who had secured a book deal with Bloch for his planned film called THE TODD DOSSIER. Bloch wrote the novel based on a story by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. The film was never made; Bloch, who had contracted for a paperback release, was shocked to learn that the producer had placed his own name on the book as author when it was published in hardcover editions.
• Sneak Preview (Paperback Library, 1971) Template:OCLC
• It's All in Your Mind (Curtis Books, 1971). Reprinted from its Imaginative Tales 1955 magazine appearance, where it was titled 'The Big Binge". "The Big Binge" can also be found in The Lost Bloch, Volume One (see below).
• Night World (Simon & Schuster, 1972). UK: Robert Hale, 1974. ISBN 0-7091-3805-9
• American Gothic (Simon & Schuster, 1974)ISBN 0-671-21691-0. Note: This novel was inspired by the true life story of mass murderer H.H. Holmes. Bloch also wrote a 40,000-word essay based on his research for the novel, "Dr Holmes' Murder Castle" (first published in Reader's Digest Tales of the Uncanny, 1977; since reprinted in Crimes and Punishments: The Lost Bloch, Vol 3", 2002).
• Strange Eons (Whispers Press, 1978) (a Cthulhu Mythos novel). ISBN 0-918372-30-5 (trade ed); 0-918372-29-1 (signed/boxed ed.)
• There Is a Serpent in Eden (1979). Reissued as The Cunning (Zebra Books, 1979). ISBN 0-89083-825-9
• Psycho II (Whispers Press, 1982). 0-91832-09-7 (trade ed); 0-918372-08-9 (signed/boxed ed, 750 copies). (Unrelated to the film of the same name)
• Twilight Zone: The Movie. (Warner Books, 1983). Novelisation of the Warner Bros movie, based on stories by John Landis, George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson, Josh Rogan, and Jerome Bixby. ISBN 0-446-30840-4
• Night of the Ripper (Doubleday,1984).ISBN 0-385-19422-6. Novel about Jack the Ripper.
• Unholy Trinity (collects The Scarf, The Couch and The Dead Beat(Scream/Press Press, 1986). ISBN 0-910489-09-2 (Trade edition and 350 copy boxed ed signed by author and artist bear the same ISBN)
• Lori (Tor, 1989) ISBN 0-312-93176-X.
• Screams: Three Novels of Suspense (collects The Will to Kill, Firebug and The Star Stalker)(Underwood-Miller, 1989) ISBN 0-88733-079-7 (trade edition); 0-88733-080-0 (signed edition, 300 numbered copies).
• Psycho House (Tor, 1990) ISBN 0-312-93217-0.(Unrelated to the films Psycho II, Psycho III or Psycho IV: The Beginning)
• The Jekyll Legacy (Tor, 1991) ISBN 0-312-85037-9.
• Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper (1991) (Pulphouse; a 100-copy hardbound signed edition of Bloch's famous short story) ISBN 1-56146-906-8
• The Thing (1993) (Pretentious Press; a limited edition of 85 copies, only 9 bound in cloth, of the author's first appearance in print – a parody of H.P. Lovecraft which originally appeared in the April 1932 issue of The Quill, his Lincoln High School literary magazine)
• Psycho – The 35th Anniversary Edition (Gauntlet Press, 1994). ISBN 0-9629659-9-5. Limited edition of 500 copies. The last work to be signed by Bloch before his death; includes a new intro by Richard Matheson and a new Afterword by Ray Bradbury)

Short-story collections

• The Thing (1932) actually a single short story (parodying the style of H.P. Lovecraft), the author's first, but initially published in book form by The Pretentious Press in (1993)
• A Portfolio of Some Rare And Exquisite Poetry by the Bard of Bards (1937 or 1938) written under the pseudonym Sarcophagus W. Dribble. One page folded to make 4. Poetry.
• The Opener of the Way (Arkham House, 1945)
• Sea Kissed (London: Utopian, 1945)
• Terror in the Night (Ace Books, 1958) (note: published in a double volume with the novel Shooting Star) No ISBN – D-265 on spine.
• Pleasant Dreams: Nightmares (Arkham House,1960)
• Blood Runs Cold (1961). UK: Robert Hale, 1963. No ISBN.
• Nightmares (1961)
• More Nightmares (Belmont Books, 1961). No ISBN – Belmont #L92-530
• Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper (Belmont Books, 1962) No ISBN – L 92-527 on spine.
• Atoms and Evil (1962)
• Horror 7 (Belmont Books, 1963). No ISBN. Belmont #90–275. Australian edition: Horwitz, 1963.
• Bogey Men (Pyramid Books, March 1963) No ISBN; Pyramid F-839. Includes the essay "Psycho-Logical Bloch" by Sam Moskowitz.
• House of the Hatchet (Belmont Books, 1960). UK: Tandem Books, 1965. No ISBN – T19 on spine.
• The Skull of the Marquis de Sade (1965). UK: Robert Hale, 1975.
• Tales in a Jugular Vein (Pyramid Books, 1965) No ISBN – R-1130 on spine.
• Chamber of Horrors (Award Books, 1966) No ISBN; Award Books A187X.
• The Living Demons (Belmont Books, Sept 1967) No ISBN – Belmont B50-787.
• Dragons and Nightmares: Four Short Novels (Mirage, 1968) No ISBN . Voyager series V-102.
• Bloch and Bradbury: Whispers from Beyond (Peacock Press, 1969) No ISBN.
• Fear Today, Gone Tomorrow (Award Books/Tandem Books, 1971) No ISBN Award/Tandem 426 & A811S on spine; AQ 1469 on front cover.
• The King of Terrors: Tales of Madness and Death (The Mysterious Press, 1977) ISBN 0-89296-029-9 (trade ed); 0-89296-030-2 (limited ed).
• The Best of Robert Bloch (Del Rey/Ballantine, 1977). ISBN 0-345-25757-X. Introduction by Lester Del Rey.
• Cold Chills (Doubleday, 1977). ISBN 0-385-12421-X.
• Out of the Mouths of Graves (Mysterious Press, 1978) ISBN 0-89296-043-4 (trade ed); 0-89296-044-2 (limited ed).
• The Laughter of a Ghoul/What Every Young Ghoul Should Know (Necronomicon Press, 1978)
• Such Stuff as Screams Are Made Of (Ballantine Books, 1979) ISBN 0-345-27996-4.
• Mysteries of the Worm (Zebra Books, 1981). ISBN 0-89083-815-1. Introduction "Demon-Dreaded Lore" by Lin Carter. Afterword by Robert Bloch.
• Midnight Pleasures (Doubleday, 1987) ISBN 0-385-19439-0.
• Lost in Space and Time With Lefty Feep (Creatures at Large Press, 1987). ISBN 0-940064-03-0 (trade ed); 0-940064-01-4 (boxed/deluxe ed, 250 copies signed). Note: This book was designated "Volume One" but in fact no further volumes of the series were published, leaving a number of the Lefty Feep stories uncollected.
• Selected Stories of Robert Bloch (Underwood-Miller, 1987, 3 vols).

Note: The following three entries represent paperback reprints of the Underwood Miller Selected Stories set. Complete Stories is a misnomer as these three volumes do not contain anywhere near the complete oeuvre of Bloch's short fiction.

• The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch: Volume 1: Final Reckonings (1987)
• The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch: Volume 2: Bitter Ends (1987)
• The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch: Volume 3: Last Rites (1987)
• Fear and Trembling (1989)
• Mysteries of the Worm (rev. 1993) from Chaosium books. Adds three additional stories not included in the first edition.
• The Early Fears (1994). Fedogan & Bremer. ISBN 1-878252-12-7 (trade ed); 1-878252-13-5 (limited ed).
• Flowers from the Moon and Other Lunacies (Arkham House, 1998) ISBN 0-87054-172-2. Introduction by Robert M. Price. Collects rarities from the Bloch canon, previously published in Weid Tales, Strange Stories and Rogue magazines; of its 20 stories, 15 are not readily obtainable outside the original pulps where they appeared.
• The Lost Bloch: Volume 1: The Devil With You! (Subterranean Press, 1999) ISBN 1-892284-19-7. (Limited ed of 724 numbered copies signed by editor/introducer David J. Schow and Foreword writer Stefan Dziemaniowicz). Includes interview with Bloch, 'An Hour with Robert Bloch" conducted by David J. Schow. One of the stories included is "The Big Binge" (originally in Imaginative Tales in 1955 and reprinted as the short novel It's All in Your Mind in 1971, see above). The Lost Bloch supplements Flowers from the Moon in reprinting rare and unreprinted Bloch stories; however at early 2011 around 50 Bloch stories remain uncollected
• The Lost Bloch: Volume 2: Hell on Earth (2000). ISBN 1-892284-63-4. (Limited ed of 1250 numbered copies signed by editor/introducer David J. Schow and Foreword writer Douglas E. Winter). Includes afterword by Schow and interview "Slightly More than Another Hour with Robert Bloch" by J. Michael Straczynski.
• The Lost Bloch: Volume 3: Crimes and Punishments (Subterranean Press, 2002) ISBN 1-931081-16-6. (Limited ed 750 numbered copies signed by editor/introducer David J. Schow). Includes introductory piece by Gahan Wilson, interview "Three Hours and Then Some with Robert Bloch" by Douglas E. Winter and "My Husband, Robert Bloch" by Eleanor Bloch.
• The Reader's Bloch: Volume 1: The Fear Planet and Other Unusual Destinations (Subterranean Press, 2005; limited ed, signed by editor, 750 numbered and 26 lettered copies). Edited by Stefan R. Dziemanowicz, who provides an introduction, "Future Imperfect". Collects more Bloch rarities; most of its 20 stories are science fiction, and are otherwise unobtainable outside their original magazine appearances.
• The Reader's Bloch: Volume 2: Skeleton in the Closet and Other Stories (Subterranean Press, 2008; 750 numbered copies signed by the editor). Edited by Stefan R. Dziemanowicz. No intro. An unthemed collection of Bloch rarities, most of whose 16 stories are otherwise unobtainable outside their original magazine appearances.
• Mysteries of the Worm (Chaosium, rev. 2009) ISBN 1-56882-176-X. Preface "De Vermis Mysteriis" by Robert M. Price. Includes original Introduction by Lin Carter and After Word by Robert Bloch. Adds four additional stories not included in the first two editions.

Anthologies and collections edited by Bloch

• The Best of Fredric Brown (Nelson Doubleday, 1976). No ISBN. Book Club ed. 3180 on rear jacket flap.
• Psycho-Paths. (Tor, 1991). ISBN 0-312-85048-4.
• Monsters in Our Midst (Tor, 1993). ISBN 0-312-85049-2.
• Robert Bloch's Psychos (1997). ISBN 1-56865-637-8. This anthology was being edited by Robert Bloch until his death in 1994. Martin H. Greenberg completed the editorial work posthumously.

Non-fiction

• The Eighth Stage of Fandom (1962). Advent – no ISBN. Wildside Press reprint, 1992, with new intro by Wilson Tucker and new afterword by Harlan Ellison, ISBN 1-880448-16-5
• Out of My Head (1986) (essays). NESFA Press. ISBN 0-915368-30-7 (trade ed); 0-915368-87-0 (slipcased ed). Edition limited to 800 numbered copies, the first 200 being slipcased.
• Once Around the Bloch: An Unauthorized Autobiography (Tor, 1993).
• Robert Bloch: Appreciations of the Master (Tor, 1995). This volume is a tribute to Bloch collecting essays by many writers who knew or worked with him, together with reprints of several Bloch stories.

Awards

• 1959. "That Hell-Bound Train" Hugo Award for Best Short Story
• 1959: E. Everett Evans Memorial Award for Fantasy and Science Fiction Work
• 1960: Ann Radcliffe Award for Literature (Count Dracula Society) The Count Dracula Society was founded by Dr Donald A. Reed, who also founded the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.
• 1960: Edgar Allan Poe Award (Special Scroll) (for Psycho) Mystery Writers of America
• 1960: Screenwriter's Annual Award nominated by Screenwriter's Guild (for Psycho)
• 1964: Inkpot Award for Science Fiction
• 1965: Third Trieste Film Festival Award (for The Skull)
• 1966: Ann Radcliffe Award for Television (Count Dracula Society)
• 1973: First prize, La 2de Convention Du Cinema Fantastique De Paris (for Asylum)
• 1974: Award for Service to the Field of Science Fantasy Los Angeles Science Fiction Society
• 1975. World Fantasy Award, Life Achievement
• 1978: Fritz Lieber Fantasy Award
• 1979: Reims Festival Award
• 1984. Hugo Special Award for 50 years as a science fiction professional

See also 42nd World Science Fiction Convention

• 1984: Lifetime Career Award, Atlanta Fantasy Fair
• 1985: Twilight Zone Dimension Award
• 1989. Bram Stoker Award, Life Achievement
• 1993. Once Around the Bloch: An Unauthorized Autobiography Bram Stoker, Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction
• Special award at the first NecronomiCon. (After his death, this award was renamed in his honor).
• 1994. The Early Fears Bram Stoker, Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
• 1994. "The Scent of Vinegar" Bram Stoker, Superior Achievement in Long Fiction