Manly Wade Wellman is one of my favorite authors. He writes atmospheric fantasy/horror stories set in the North Carolina mountains, among other things, and this book is a collection of his stories of John the Balladeer, a folksy fellow who wanders the hills with his silver-stringed guitar, searching for folksongs and battling evil. Wellman's style is lyrical and atmospheric; his characters speak with an old-fashioned folk-charm that is very appealing, and when the subject is horror, it seems more dreadful when it rises from such beauty.

[Another collection of "Silver John" stories, including a few extra tales, is published as "John the Balladeer", and there's a volume of Wellman's other horror fiction called "Worse Things Waiting". All are recommended.]

Released on Thursday, October 31, 2002 at Country Tavern Restaurant, 452 Amherst St. in Nashua, New Hampshire USA.

Suitable for a Halloween release, this restaurant is said to be haunted. (See more at their web site Country Tavern.)

I left the book on a bench in the lower lobby, near the rest rooms.