Eight Tales is a collection of stories by author Walter de la Mare

Walter de la Mare

Walter John de la Mare , OM CH was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, probably best remembered for his works for children and the poem "The Listeners"....

. It was released in 1971

1971 in literature

The year 1971 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Destiny Waltz by Gerda Charles wins the UK's first Whitbread Novel of the Year Award.-New books:*Hiroshi Aramata - Teito Monogatari...

 and was the author's first collection of stories published by Arkham House

Arkham House

Arkham House is a publishing house specializing in weird fiction founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to preserve in hardcover the best fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. The company's name is derived from Lovecraft's fictional New England city, Arkham. Arkham House...

. It was published in an edition of 2,992 copies. The stories were all written under de la Mare's pseudonym "Walter Ramal" and had not appeared previously in book form.

Contents

Eight Tales contains an introduction, by Edward Wagenknecht

Edward Wagenknecht

Edward Wagenknecht was an American literary critic and teacher, who specialized in 19th century American literature. He wrote and edited many books on literature and movies, and taught for many years at various universities, including the University of Chicago and Boston University...

, and the following stories:

1. "Kismet"
2. "The Hangman Luck"
3. "A Mote"
4. "The Village of Old Age"
5. "The Moon's Miracle"
6. "The Giant"
7. "De Mortuis"
8. "A:B:O."