The Century's Best Horror Fiction [Artist Edition, Signed, Numbered]

Baltimore, MD: Cemetery Dance, 2011. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine/Near fine. The little known, super-deluxe version of this massive anthology of English-language horror stories, published in two volumes of 706 and 866 pages. The editor selected one story from each year of the century.

This version, limited to 25 copies, has black leather spines, French marbled endpapers, and silvered page edges. The books are housed in a custom poplar-wood box with an etched door and a metal clasp. Each book comes with an original Glenn Chadbourne painting, matted and framed by the publisher.

As with the lettered issue (of 52 copies), the artist edition is signed by 14 of the living contributors, including Stephen King (the selection for 1981), Stephen Laws (1997), Brian Hodge (1998), Thomas Ligotti (1991), Dennis Etchison (1976), Joe R. Lansdale (1988), Michael Shea (1980), Ian Watson (1987), Joel Lane (1989), and a couple of others I couldn't make out.

Some of the authors included are Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, H. G. Wells, Algernon Blackwood, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Stephen King, Robert Bloch, Joe R. Lansdale, Thomas Ligotti and several dozen others. Organized chronologically; each story with a brief introduction. First editions (first printings). Both volumes fine in fine dust jackets. In a fine box. Signed by Stephen King and others on a tipped in sheet. Chadbourne painting also fine; frame with minor wear and a small crack in the plastic glazing. A very scarce edition and small Stephen King limitation.