How long he fought with them in the darkness he could not tell, but at last
the beating of the wings about him lessened and then withdrew . . . ' A
classic of alienation and horror, 'The Birds' was immortalised by Hitchcock
in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection
echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's sense of dominance over the
natural world. The mountain paradise of 'Monte Verità' promises
immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband
in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from
behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema
usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a
remedy when three's a crowd . . .