Jones, Stephen 1953–

(Steven Gregory)

PERSONAL: Born November 4, 1953, in London, England; son of James and Violet (Ireland) Jones.

ADDRESSES: Office—Stephen Jones Media, 130 Park View, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 6JU, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer, editor, anthologist, television producer, film director, actor, film publicist, consultant, and illustrator. Stephen Jones Media, Wembley, England, owner, 1987–. Publicist for numerous films in the horror genre, including Hellraiser, New World Pictures, 1987; Hellbound: Hellraiser II, New World Pictures, 1988; Night Life, Creative Movie Marketing, 1989; Nightbreed, Twentieth Century Fox, 1990; Split Second, Muse Productions, 1991; Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, Fifth Avenue Entertainment, 1991; Last Gasp, Warnervision Films, 1994; and Mind Ripper, Kushner-Locke Company, 1994.

MEMBER: Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians, Society of Authors.

AWARDS, HONORS: British Fantasy Award, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, and 1986, for "Fantasy Tales" series; British Fantasy Award, 1980, for Airgedlamh; World Fantasy Award, World Fantasy Convention, 1984, for Fantasy Tales; Bram Stoker Award, Horror Writers Association, 1990, for Horror: 100 Best Books; World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology, World Fantasy Convention, and British Fantasy Award, both 1991, both for The Best New Horror; Bram Stoker Award for Best Nonfiction, Horror Writers Association, 1992, for Clive Barker's Shadows in Eden; British Fantasy Award, 1994, for Dark Voices 5; International Horror Critics Guild Award, 1996, for The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 6; Bram Stoker Award, Horror Writers Association, 1998, for Exorcisms and Ecstasies; British Fantasy Award, 1998, for Dark Terrors 3; International Horror Guild Award and British Fantasy Award, both 1999, both for Dark Terrors 4; British Fantasy Award, 2000, for The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 10; World Fantasy Award, 2002, for editing; Bram Stoker Award nominee in anthology category, Horror Writers Association, 2002, for The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 13; International Horror Guild Award, 2003, for Dark Terrors 6; British Fantasy Award, 2004, for Keep Out the Night.

WRITINGS:

EDITOR

(With Kim Newman) Horror: 100 Best Books, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1988.

(With Jo Fletcher) Gaslight and Ghosts, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1988.

(With Clarence Paget) Dark Voices: The Best From the Pan Book of Horror Stories, Pan Books (London, England), 1990.

(With Ramsey Campbell) The Best New Horror, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1990.

Clive Barker's The Nightbreed Chronicles, Titan Books (London, England), 1990.

The Mammoth Book of Terror, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1991.

Clive Barker's Shadows in Eden, Underwood-Miller (Grass Valley, CA), 1991.

James Herbert: By Horror Haunted, New English Library (Sevenoaks, Kent), 1991.

(With Neil Gaiman) Now We Are Sick, DreamHaven Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1991.

(With Campbell) The Best New Horror 2, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1991.

The Best New Horror 3, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1992.

Mammoth Book of Zombies, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1993.

The Best New Horror 4, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1993.

The Mammoth Book of Frankenstein, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1994.

The Frankenstein Scrapbook: The Complete Movie Guide to the World's Most Famous Monster, introduction by Boris Karloff, Carol Publishing Group (Secaucus, NJ), 1995.

The Mammoth Book of Dracula: Vampire Tales for the New Millennium, foreword by Daniel Farson, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1997.

Clive Barker's A-Z of Horror, HarperPrism (New York, NY), 1997.

Dancing with the Dark: True Encounters with the Paranormal by Masters of the Macabre, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1999.

The Essential Monster Movie Guide: A Century of Creature Features on Film, introduction by Forrest J. Ackerman, Titan Books (London, England), 1999.

Dark Detectives: Adventures of the Supernatural Sleuths, illustrated by Randy Broecker, Fedogan & Bremer (Sauk City, WI), 1999.

Shadows over Innsmouth, illustrated by Dave Carson, Martin McKenna, and Jim Pitts, Del Rey (New York, NY) 2001.

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories By Women, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2001.

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 12, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2001.

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 13, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2002.

Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide, introduction by Mick Garris, Billboard Books (New York, NY), 2002.

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 14, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2003.

(With R. Chetwynd-Hayes) Great Ghost Stories: Tales Of Mystery And Madness, Cemetery Dance (Forest Hill, MD), 2004.

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 15, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2004.

The Mammoth Book of New Terror, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2004.

Mammoth Book of Vampires, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Kim Newman) Horror: Another 100 Best Books, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2005.

Weird Shadows over Innsmouth, Fedogan & Bremer (Sauk City, WI), 2005.

H.P. Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural, Pegasus Books (New York, NY), 2006.

EDITOR; WITH DAVID SUTTON

Fantasy Tales 1, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1988.

The Best Horror From Fantasy Tales, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1988.

Fantasy Tales 2, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1989.

Fantasy Tales 3, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1989.

Fantasy Tales 4, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1990.

Dark Voices 2: Thè Pan Book of Horror, Pan Books (London, England), 1990.

Fantasy Tales 1, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1990, published in England as Fantasy Tales 4, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1990.

Fantasy Tales 2, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1990, published in England as Fantasy Tales 5, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1990.

Fantasy Tales 3, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1991, published in England as Fantasy Tales 6, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1991.

Fantasy Tales 4, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1991, published in England as Fantasy Tales 7, Robinson Publishing (London, England), 1991.

Dark Voices 3: The Pan Book of Horror, Pan Books (London, England), 1991.

Dark Voices 4: The Pan Book of Horror, Pan Books (London, England), 1992.

Dark Voices 5: The Pan Book of Horror, Pan Books (London, England), 1992.

Dark Voices 6: The Pan Book of Horror, Pan Books (London, England), 1994.

Dark Terrors: The Gollancz Book of Horror, Gollancz (London, England), 1995.

The Gollancz Book of Horror, Gollancz (London, England), 2002.

The Best Horror from Fantasy Tales, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2003.

Coeditor of "Fantasy Tales" series, 1977–87, and of Air-gedlamh (periodical). Contributor to periodicals, including Science Fiction Chronicle, Weird Tales, Locus, Fear, British Fantasy Newsletter, and Shock Express. Author of introduction, David A. Sutton, Clinically Dead & Other Tales of the Supernatural, Crowswing Books (Norfolk, England), 2006. Author of verse under pseudonym Steven Gregory.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Editor and author of afterword, Robert E. Howard, The Complete Chronicles of Conan, for Gollancz; editor (with R. Chetwynd-Hayes) and author of foreword, More Great Ghost Stories, for Carroll & Graf; further volumes of the Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Series, for Carroll & Graf; editor and author of afterword, Rudyard Kipling, The Mark of the Beast and Other Fantastical Tales, for Pegasus Books; editor and author of introduction, The Best Short Stories of R. Chetwynd-Hayes: Ghosts and Ghouls; A Working Bibliography of Basil Copper, for PS Publishing; and a fourth "Not at Night" title for PS Publishing.

SIDELIGHTS: Stephen Jones is a prolific and multiple-award-winning editor and writer in the horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres. His yearly anthology, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, gathers together the best and most literate horror stories and weird tales of the year, showcasing work by the genre's practicing masters as well as by emerging new voices and developing talents. Early in the series' run, Jones "set the standard in horror anthologies," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer. In The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 12, for example, Jones "has assembled a formidable lineup of must-read creepers whose merits are indisputable even to entrenched enthusiasts of the genre," commented a reviewer in Publishers Weekly. The volume's stories encompass such genres as urban horror, physical horror, dark fantasy, and vampire stories. Contributors include Ramsey Campbell, Steve Rasnic Tem, Mick Garris, and Kim Newman. As in most volumes, Jones also includes an in-depth analysis of the year's developments in the horror genre as seen in print, film, and other media, an introduction that a Kirkus Reviews critic called "astounding."

Other volumes in the series earned similar praise from reviewers. Booklist reviewer Kristine Huntley called the series "a yearly treat for fans." In another Booklist review, Huntley said of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 13, that it was, "as always, a delight for horror aficionados." Also speaking of the thirteenth volume, a Publishers Weekly critic observed that Jones's "eloquent reflection on horror fiction's importance in the wake of the international events of 2001 make this volume one of horror's best." Another Publishers Weekly reviewer called the eleventh volume in the series "a worthy reflection of the diversity and high quality of contemporary horror and dark fantasy." Some critics have stated that Jones tends to favor more British writers than American. However, whatever the national origin of the series' writers, the anthologies have consistently served a higher purpose for the genre, identified in a Publishers Weekly review of the tenth volume. There, the critic zeroed in on one of the series' major accomplishments, stating that "this anthology and its predecessors must also be credited with having a hand in keeping horror itself alive."

Jones has also assembled other volumes under Carroll & Graf's the "Mammoth Book" heading, including anthologies focusing on vampires, zombies, Frankenstein's monster, vampire stories by women, and more. He is the editor of The Essential Monster Movie Guide: A Century of Creature Features on Film, a book which a Tangled Web UK Review Web site reviewer called "a useful, encyclopedic, entertaining, occasionally frustrating, opinionated, funny, and just plain indispensable contribution to the field." Similarly, Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide, is a "fantastic, one-of-a-kind resource" for fans of King's numerous film adaptations, noted a reviewer on the Monsters in Motion Web site.

Other of Jones's work pays tribute to one of horror's most enduring masters while helping to keep that writer's work and creations alive. Shadows over Inns-mouth includes the noted story by H.P. Lovecraft as well as a number of new stories that take place within the Innsmouth setting created by Lovecraft. The fictional Innsmouth is a degenerate town on America's eastern coast, cut off from the rest of the world by wide salt marshes and the looming ocean. Even in its isolation, Innsmouth was found by a race of sea-dwelling humanoid creatures known as the Deep Ones, who began associating with the town in the nineteenth century. In exchange for gold and fish, the members of the town have struck a deal with the Deep Ones, allowing interbreeding between them and humans, and mandating worship of their god, Dagon. In Lovecraft's story, the narrator finds himself inexplicably drawn to Innsmouth, until he discovers that a female ancestor passed down to him the tainted blood of the human/Deep One mix, and that he is the descendant of one of those unholy unions. Other writers in the anthology use Lovecraft's tale as a stepping-off point for their own interpretations of the past and present of Innsmouth and its residents. In "The Big Fish," Jack Yeovil tells a Chandleresque tale about a private investigator's search for a missing man and child who may have fallen under the Innsmouth influence. Brian Stableford, in "The Inns-mouth Heritage," updates the story of the town's corrupted heritage to the DNA age and the unpleasant discovery made by the genetics researcher who samples the DNA of an Innsmouth woman he plans to marry. A second volume of Innsmouth stories, Weird Shadows over Innsmouth, stands as "a fine follow-up" to the first book, noted a Publishers Weekly contributor.

In addition to his work with the printed word, Jones is also a multifaceted professional in horror film and video. He has served as a publicist for a number of horror films, including such popular movies as Nightbreed and the Hellraiser series. He has provided critical audio commentary for several DVD releases, including I Walked With a Zombie, Halloween II, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Amityville 3-D, and Amityville II: The Possession. He has been director of several films and creative consultant for the television pilot Rough Magic and for DVD releases of Hellraiser and Hell-bound Hellraiser II.

Jones told CA: "I attempt to promote the fantasy/horror genre as an important area of fiction and film. In 1987 I began Stephen Jones Media, a media company specializing in all aspects of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, especially in the United Kingdom."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 1992, Elliott Swanson, review of The Best New Horror 3, p. 30; October 15, 1993, Elliot Swanson, review of The Best New Horror 4, p. 417; October 15, 1993, Ray Olson, review of The Mammoth Book of Zombies, p. 418; November 14, 1994, review of The Mammoth Book of Frankenstein, p. 582; December 15, 1994, Ray Olson, review of Shadows over Innsmouth, p. 734; May 1, 1997, Ray Olson, review of The Mammoth Book of Dracula: Vampire Tales for the New Millennium, p. 1480; December 15, 2000, Mary Ellen Quinn, review of The Essential Monster Movie Guide: A Century of Creature Features on Film, p. 845; December 15, 2002, Kristine Huntley, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 13, p. 740; November 1, 2003, Kristine Huntley, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 14, p. 486; September 15, 2005, Ray Olson, review of Horror: Another 100 Best Books, p. 20.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, March, 2001, A. Ellis, review of The Essential Monster Movie Guide, p. 1244.

Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2001, review of The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women, p. 1162; September 15, 2001, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 12, p. 1316.

Library Journal, November 15, 1997, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 8, p. 79.

Publishers Weekly, October 18, 1993, review of The Best New Horror 4, p. 64; September 29, 1997, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 8, p. 66; March 15, 1999, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 9, p. 51; October 11, 1999, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 10, p. 60; October 30, 2000, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 11, p. 52; September 10, 2001, review of The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women, p. 66; October 22, 2001, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 12, p. 52; November 11, 2002, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 13, p. 45; October 13, 2003, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 14, p. 62; December 19, 2005, review of Weird Shadows over Innsmouth, p. 47.

School Library Journal, October, 1992, review of The Best New Horror 2, p. 155.

ONLINE

DarkEcho/Horror Online Web site, http://www.darkecho.com/ (February 6, 2006), Paula Guran, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 9; Paula Guran, review of The Essential Monster Movie Guide.

Monsters in Motion Web site, http://www.monstersinmotion.com/ (February 6, 2006), review of Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide.

SF Site Web site, http://www.sfsite.com/ (February 6, 2006), review of Shadows over Innsmouth.

Stephen Jones Home Page, http://www.herebedragons.co.uk/jones (February 6, 2006).

Tangled Web UK Review Web site, http://www.twbooks.co.uk/ (February 6, 2006), review of The Essential Monster Movie Guide.

Terror Tales Web site, http://www.terrortales.org/ (February 6, 2006), Paul Kane, review of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume 11.