The Best of Robert Bloch

The book contains twenty-two short works of fiction and an afterword by the author, together with an introduction by Lester del Rey. ==Contents==

• "Robert Bloch: The Man Who Wrote Psycho" [introduction] (Lester del Rey) • "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" (from Weird Tales, Jul. 1943) • "Enoch" (from Weird Tales, Sep. 1946) • "Catnip" (from Weird Tales, Mar. 1948) • "The Hungry House" (from Imagination, Apr. 1951) • "The Man Who Collected Poe" (from Famous Fantastic Mysteries, Oct. 1951) • "Mr. Steinway" (from Fantastic, Apr. 1954) • "The Past Master" (from The Blue Book Magazine, Jan. 1955) • "I Like Blondes" (from Playboy, Jan. 1956) • "All on a Golden Afternoon" (from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jun. 1956) • "Broomstick Ride" (from Super-Science Fiction, Dec. 1957) • "Daybroke" (from Star Science Fiction, Jan. 1958) • "Sleeping Beauty" (from Swank, Mar. 1958) • "Word of Honor" (from Playboy, Aug. 1958) • "The World-Timer" (from Fantastic Science Fiction Stories, Aug. 1960) • "That Hell-Bound Train" (from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Sep. 1958) • "The Funnel of God" (from Fantastic Science Fiction Stories, Jan. 1960) • "Beelzebub" (from Playboy, Dec. 1963) • "The Plot is the Thing" (from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jul. 1966) • "How Like a God" (from Galaxy Magazine, Apr. 1969) • "The Movie People" (from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Oct. 1969) • "The Oracle" (from Penthouse, May 1971) • "The Learning Maze" (from The Learning Maze and Other Science Fiction, 1974) • "Author's Afterword: "Will the Real Robert Bloch Please Stand Up?" ==Reception==

Publishers Weekly characterizes Bloch as "about the most productively nasty-minded writer going, relishing his grue with an infectious delight," and the collection as "mostly fantasy, with some grim science fiction," noting that "[o]pening the book will be for most readers like opening a bag of potato chips—they'll be unlikely to close it until finished." "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper," "The Man Who Collected Poe," "That Hell-Bound Train," and "The Movie People" are singled out for comment. The book was also reviewed by Richard E. Geis in Science Fiction Review, February 1978, Philip Stephensen-Payne in Paperback Parlour, April 1978, and Uwe Anton in SF Perry Rhodan Magazin, 12/80. ==Awards==

"Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" was nominated for the 1944 Retro Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2019. "That Hell-Bound Train" won the 1959 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. "The Plot is the Thing" was a preliminary nominee for the 1967 Nebula Award for Best Short Story. ==Notes==