Daphne du Maurier has a rare gift for dragging up those irrational fears that lurk just behind the smooth plaster of existence. In “The Birds” she somehow lends probability to an impossibility which is nearly too fearful to imagine. United by mad hatred the birds – the gulls, finches, crows, and tits – have combined to wipe out humanity. This strange, haunting fantasy has been chosen by Alfred Hitchcock for the making of a horror film.

There is also a supernatural element in “The Apple Tree”, but “The Little Photographer” and “Kiss Me Again, Stranger” reach their macabre climaxes by way of a natural and even humorous realism. In addition to the long mystery story, “Monte Verità”, which recalls the mood of her great novel, Rebecca, this volume also contains a surprise in “The Old Man”.

Contents:

• The Birds
• Monte Verità
• The Apple Tree
• The Little Photographer
• Kiss Me Again, Stranger
• The Old Man