Songs of a Dead Dreamer


Songs of a Dead Dreamer is a 1985 horror short story collection by American writer Thomas Ligotti. It has been acknowledged as one of the seminal collections of modern weird horror fiction by Ligotti's peers, such as Ramsey Campbell. Many of its stories show the influence of Ligotti's literary idols of horror such as H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe.

Editorial history

The first edition of Ligotti's book was produced in paperback by Silver Scarab Press, limited to 300 copies. It was re-released in an expanded and revised edition in 1989 by Carroll and Graf. Both editions of the book contain an introduction by Ramsey Campbell. In 2010, Subterranean Press republished the book with author revisions, making it the definitive edition.

Film

The serial killer story "The Frolic" was filmed in 2007. Wonder Entertainment has released The Frolic Collector's Edition DVD and Book set, which contains the short film adaptation of the story, and also commentary tracks and behind-the-scenes by Cooney, producer Jane Kelly Kosek, and actor Maury Sterling; a new interview with screenwriters Ligotti and Trenz; a newly revised version of the short story, with a new introduction by Ligotti; and the screenplay, with a new introduction by Trenz. Only 1,000 copies of the collector's edition were released. The book containing the revised text of "The Frolic," was exclusive to this set.

In popular culture

1. Dreams for Sleepwalkers
2. Dreams for Insomniacs
3. Dreams for the Dead