Fear Today, Gone Tomorrow

New York: Award Books, 1971. Presumed First U. S. Edition/First Printing. Mass market paperback. Fair. 159, [1] pages. Cover has some wear and soiling. Some page discoloration. Robert Albert Bloch (April 5, 1917 - September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote science fiction. His writing career lasted 60 years, including more than 30 years in television and film. He began his professional writing career immediately after graduation, aged 17. Best known as the writer of Psycho (1959), the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock, Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over 30 novels. He was a protégé of H. P. Lovecraft, who was the first to seriously encourage his talent. However, while he started emulating Lovecraft and his brand of cosmic horror, he later specialized in crime and horror stories working with a more psychological approach. Bloch was a contributor to pulp magazines such as Weird Tales in his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter and a major contributor to science fiction fanzines and fandom in general. He won the Hugo Award (for "That Hell-Bound Train"), the Bram Stoker Award, and the World Fantasy Award. He served as president of the Mystery Writers of America (1970) and was a member of that organization and of Science Fiction Writers of America, the Writers Guild of America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Count Dracula Society. In 2008, The Library of America selected Bloch's essay "The Shambles of Ed Gein" (1962) for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American true crime. This is a collection of stories. The Contents are: The Hungry Eye; The Old College Try; The World-Timer; F.O.B. Venus; The Gods Are Not Mocked; The Goddess of Wisdom; Sales of a Deathman; Crime Machine; The Funnel of God; A Toy For Juliette; Report on Sol III; and The Bald-Headed Mirage.