Interview for The Best Werewolf Transformation Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Werewolf Anthology

"The Best Werewolf Short Stories 1800-1849" Interview With

Andrew Barger

Q1: Why did you decide to edit a book of the best werewolf short stories from 1800-1849?

A1: I have never seen one that addresses a 50 year time period, especially this time period. I try to fill in the gaps in the literature when I find them. This is when werewolf transformation stories were in their infancy, yet they are very good.

Q2: Were there many werewolf short stories written before 1800?

A2: I have been unable to find any. Shapeshifters in the literature go as far back as the ancient Romans and Greeks. They moved forward through poetry and jumped to the short story form in the early nineteenth century.

Q3: How do the werewolf short stories of 1800-1849 compare to today's werewolf stories?

A3: They are not as graphic and some of the stories lack deep character development. Since werewolf short stories were an entirely new form of writing in this period, this is to be expected.

Q4: Did you include any lycan stories that have not been collected in an anthology before?

A4: I did. "The Man Wolf" by Leitch Ritchie and "A Story of a Weir-Wolf" by Catherine Crowe.

Q5: Which of the lycan stories is your favorite?

A5: "The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains" by Captain Frederick Marryat. The way the female werewolf is portrayed is haunting.

Q6: Can you give us a list of the stories contained in the book?

A6: Sure. "Hugues the Wer-Wolf: A Kentish Legend of the Middle Ages," "The Man-Wolf," "A Story of a Weir-Wolf," "The Wehr-Wolf: A Legend of the Limousin," and "The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains."

Q7: Where can a person buy this book?

A7: The best place to start is follow this werewolf transformation stories path to my Website where I provide links to buy the book (or ebook) online. It can be purchased at all major online retailers including Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Q8: Edgar Allan Poe wrote his short stories during this time period and you edited Edgar Allan Poe Annotated and Illustrated Entire Stories and Poems. Did he write any werewolf short stories?

A8: Not one, but he did have a furry cat named Caterina. (Laughs)