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Psycho
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Psycho Hardcover - 1984

by Robert Bloch

The first title in ibooks' reissue program of classic thrillers by the Hugo, Edgar, and Bram Stoker Award-winning author is the chiller that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece--an unforgettable portrait of a young man who proves that evil lurks just beneath a smile.


About this book

One of the most famous horror novels in history, Robert Bloch's Psycho is a true classic for anyone who collects modern first editions. Bloch had already been an established science fiction writer, and was even a toastmaster for the famed Hugo Awards just a year before Psycho was published. Using a real life case of grisly murder in a small town in Wisconsin as inspiration, Bloch was truly able to tap into the minds of readers with Psycho. Not only is Psycho one of the foremost novels of modern horror fiction, it also continues the tradition of fiction based loosely on actual events, a tradition also shared by authors such as Truman Capote with his novel In Cold Blood.
Psycho was first published in 1959 by Simon and Schuster, and it became immensely popular after Hitchcock's famed film adaptation was released just a year later in 1960.

The first edition dust jacket is well known. It is relatively simple in design, with the title printed sideways featuring cracks through the letters. Because the dust jacket was printed on standard stock paper which was generally lacking in durability, the jacket should be expected to be browned or yellowed with age. The first UK edition of Psycho features a more colorful and detailed dust jacket, and the UK edition was published by Robert Hale in London in 1960.


If you are a collector of modern first editions, or if you collect horror literature, you will definitely want to search for that perfect copy of Psycho to add to your bookshelf. Truly, this book caused quite the stir when it was first published, and it continues to influence readers and writers alike today.

First line

NORMAN BATES heard the noise and a shock went through him.

Details

  • Title Psycho
  • Author Robert Bloch
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition REP
  • Pages 223
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Amereon Limited, Mattituck, New York
  • Date April 1984
  • ISBN 9780884110774 / 088411077X
  • Weight 0.9 lbs (0.41 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.9 in (22.10 x 14.48 x 2.29 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Psychological fiction, Horror tales
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 85673014
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC