The title story completely terrified me, even though I’ve read it before and seen the movie! I’m putting du Maurier with Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith in the dread-filled short story hall of fame.

This edition also has an introduction by the wonderful Patrick McGrath, as well as the stories The Birds (very different from the Hitchcock movie based upon it) and The Blue Lenses.

May I also take this opportunity to shower praise upon the New York Review Books Classics imprint?  NYRB Classics brings forgotten treasures back into print, with introductions by perfectly matched contemporary authors, and has led to some of my favorite reading experiences of the past few years.

As a review on the NYRB website says,

“Once you have discovered the series it’s as if you’ve just gained an incredibly well-read friend who consistently lends you obscure yet highly enjoyable books.”