The Monster Museum

I took me ages to get hold of this little book again

I've got a stack of post-Christmas reading to get through but this slim volume is what is currently receiving my attention at the moment.

I first encountered Alfred Hitchcock's The Monster Museum in the library of Goonhavern County Primary school. I would have been no more than eleven. However, some of the short stories have stayed with me over the years and while I was researching something else on Amazon, I stumbled across this little beauty for sale at a penny. How can they trade at that sort of price?

So here it is, in my hands again, after all this time. My favourites still are (in order of merit) The Microscopic Giants by Paul Ernst, Slime by Joseph Payne Brennan, The Day of the Dragon by Guy Endore and The King of the Cats by Stephen Vincent Benet.

I was searching for The King of the Cats and although the King of the Cats is not really a monster it's a good yarn. I was interested to see that a children's story of this title has been produced by one Aaron Shepard who turned out to be THE Aaron Shepard the self-publishing guru. He obviously practises what he preaches - except that he doesn't preach it's all bloody good advice.

But the reason I bought The Monster Museum was to get close again to The Microscopic Giants. Then, as now, the imagination behind The Microscopic Giants blew my mind. I'm surprised how precisely I can remember this little gem. It's already influenced me and, now that I've re-acquainted myself with it, I'm certain it will continue to do so.