Charles Birkin

Sir Charles Lloyd Birkin, 5th Baronet was an English writer of horror short stories and the editor of the Creeps Library of anthologies. Typically working under the pseudonym Charles Lloyd, Birkin's tales tended towards the conte cruels rather than supernatural fiction, although he did write some ghost stories. For any queries regarding publishing his work, please contact his grandson Luke Toyne via LinkedIn.

Biography

Birkin was the son of Colonel Charles Wilfred Birkin and Claire Howe, the daughter of Alexander Howe. Freda Dudley Ward was a sister. He was educated at Eton College and was later employed by the publisher Philip Allan to anonymously edit the Creeps horror story anthologies, the first which appeared in 1932. Authors anthologized in the Creeps series included H. Russell Wakefield, Tod Robbins, H. D. Everett and Elliott O'Donnell. Birkin included stories of his own in most of these volumes, these being later collected as Devil's Spawn. According to E.F. Bleiler, in the Creeps series "editorial stress was on fairly low-brow stories of horror and sadism, although stories by H. Russell Wakefield helped to raise the level of individual volumes." He succeeded his uncle as 5th Baronet Birkin in 1942. During the Second World War he served in the Sherwood Foresters. The first telegraphed report of the D-Day landings in Normandy, sent by Roger Greene of the Associated press, was received in New York June 8, 1944.
Greene wrote: "My escorting officer, Sir Charles Birkin, was slightly wounded three times in the first 15 minutes ashore and three men were killed within five feet of me...."
After a long hiatus, Birkin resumed writing in 1960, following a return to London, and two new stories appeared in Dennis Wheatley's anthologies Quiver of Horror and Shafts of Fear. This was followed by eight collections of original Birkin stories, beginning with The Kiss of Death and ending with Spawn of Satan. This last volume was published in the US only. Birkin's work is much in the tradition of the conte cruel and the grand guignol.
From 1970 to 1974 he lived in Cyprus which he fled after getting caught up in the violence following the Turkish invasion. His short story A Low Profile reflects his experiences there. He married Australian actress Janet Ramsey Johnson, the daughter of Peter Johnson, and had a two daughters and a son, John Birkin. John Birkin became known as a director of many notable British television comedies including Mr. Bean, French and Saunders, and Harry Enfield's Television Programme. He and his wife spent their later years in Sulby, Isle of Man. Birkin died in 1985.
Birkin's short stories have been estimated as numbering over one hundred.

Short story collections

Devil's Spawn. Contains:
*"Old Mrs. Strathers"
*"Shelter"
*"The Cockroach"
*"The Terror on Tobit"
*"The Last Night"
*"An Eye for an Eye"
*"Henri Larne"
*"Havelock's Farm"
*"The Harlem Horror"
*"A Poem and a Bunch of Roses"
*"Obsession"
*"The Happy Dancers"
*"The Actor's Story"
*"Special Diet"
*"Premiere"
*"Angela"
The Kiss of Death and Other Horror Stories. Introduction by Dennis Wheatley. Contains:
*"The Kiss of Death"
*"The Hens"
*"Les Belles Dames Sans Merci"
*" "The New Ones" "
*"The Mouse Hole"
*"Fairy Dust"
*" "Some New Pleasures Prove" "
*"The Kennel"
*"Mon Ami, Pierrot"
*"The Mutation"
*"Fine Needlework"
*"The Hitch"
*"The Three Monkeys"
*"Malleus Maleficarum"
The Smell of Evil. Introduction by Dennis Wheatley. Contains:
*"The Smell of Evil"
*"Text for Today"
*"The Godmothers"
*"Green Fingers"
*"Ballet Nègre"
*"The Lesson"
* " "Is Anyone There?" "
*"The Serum of Doctor White"
*" "Dance, Little Lady" "
*"Little Boy Blue"
*"The Cornered Beast"
*"The Interloper"
*"The Cross"
Where Terror Stalked and Other Horror Stories. Contains:
*"Where Terror Stalked"
*"Old Mrs. Strathers"
*"New Faces"
*"Paris Pilgrimage"
*"Obsession"
*"The Harlem Horror"
*" "Bring Back My Bonny" "
*"Softly...Softly"
*"The Belt"
*"Shelter"
*"The Orphanage"
*" "Gran" "
*"No More for Mary"
My Name Is Death and Other New Tales of Horror. Contains:
*"My Name is Death"
*"Kitty Fisher"
*"King of the Castle"
*"Parlez Moi d'Amour"
*"Who's Your Lady Friend?"
*"The Finger of Fear"
*"Hosanna!"
*"Hard to Get"
Dark Menace. Contains:
*"The Jungle"
*"S.O.S."
*"Happy As Larry"
*"Dark Menace"
*"T-I-M"
*"The Life Giver"
*"Don't Ever Leave Me"
*"The Yellow Dressing Gown"
*"Waiting for Trains"
*"The Lord God Made Them All"
*"The Accessory"
*"Simple Simon"
*"Siren Song"
So Pale, So Cold, So Fair. Contains:
*" "So Pale, So Cold, So Fair" "
*"The Godsend"
*"Rover"
*"Circle of Children"
*"Lot's Wife"
*"Gideon"
*"The Road"
*"A Haunting Beauty"
*"Lords of the Refuge"
Spawn of Satan
*"Spawn of Satan"
*"Wedding Presents"
*"Traces of Lipstick"
*"A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts"
*"Soeur Celeste"
*"A Right to Know"
*"The New Dress"
*"The Beautiful People"
*"Child's Play"
A Haunting Beauty Introduction - Mike Ashley. Contains:
*"Little Boy Blue"
*"The Mousehole"
*"Some New Pleasures Prove"
*"King Of The Castle"
*"Waiting For Trains"
*"Lords Of The Refuge"
*"Ballet Nègre"
*"The Smell of Evil"
*"Text For Today"
*"A Right To Know"
*"Fairy Dust"
*"Hosanna!"
*"The Horror On Tobit"
*"A Haunting Beauty."
The Harlem Horror Introduction - John Pelan. Contains:
*"The Harlem Horror"
*"A Poem And A Bunch of Roses"
*"Don't Ever Leave Me"
*"The Godsend"
*"A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts"
*"The Kiss Of Death"
*"The Belt"
*"Dance Little Lady"
*"Old Mrs. Strathers"
*"The Beautiful People"
*"T-I-M"
*"The Hitch"
*"Green Fingers"
*"Special Diet"
*"Shelter"
"Ballet Nègre" published in Zombies! Zombies! Zombies!
"A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" published in The Century's Best Horror Fiction to represent the best horror short story of 1964.
The Smell of Evil. Introduction by John Llewellyn Probert. Contains:
*"The Smell of Evil"
*"Text for Today"
*"The Godmothers"
*"Green Fingers"
*"Ballet Nègre"
*"The Lesson"
* " "Is Anyone There?" "
*"The Serum of Doctor White"
*" "Dance, Little Lady" "
*"Little Boy Blue"
*"The Cornered Beast"
*"The Interloper"
*"The Cross"
Devil's Spawn. Contains:
*"Old Mrs. Strathers"
*"Shelter"
*"The Cockroach"
*"The Terror on Tobit"
*"The Last Night"
*"An Eye for an Eye"
*"Henri Larne"
*"Havelock's Farm"
*"The Harlem Horror"
*"A Poem and a Bunch of Roses"
*"Obsession"
*"The Happy Dancers"
*"The Actor's Story"
*"Special Diet"
*"Premiere"
*"Angela"
“Meeting in Athens” - a dramatisation of “So Pale, So Cold, So Fair” - broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Vintage Horror Series - The Price of Fear. Box set. First broadcast by BBC World Service, 22 September 1973.
"The Terror on Tobit" published in The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories ''Vol. 1
"A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" published in Fears
“The Harlem Horror” published in All The Fear of the Fair''

Anthologies edited

Creeps Philip Allan,
Shudders Philip Allan,
Shivers Philip Allan,
Horrors Philip Allan,
Terrors Philip Allan,
Quakes Philip Allan,
Nightmares Philip Allan,
Monsters
Panics Philip Allan,
Powers of Darkness Philip Allan,
Thrills Philip Allan,
Tales of Fear Philip Allan,
The Creeps Omnibus Philip Allan,
Tales of Death Philip Allan],
Tales of Dread Philip Allan,
The Tandem Book of Ghost Stories rpt. as The Haunted Dancers
The Tandem Book of Horror Stories rpt. as ''The Witch-Baiter''

Uncollected short stories

In December 2017, editor and genre historian Johnny Mains, revealed the existence of 13 'new' Birkin tales.

"Insult to Injury"
"Enterprise"
"Reprise"
"Déjeuner"
"Psychical Research"
"Paul Saltpeter’s Party"
"Faites Vos Jeux"
"Happy Christmas"
"Morning Shopping"
"The Stricken Heart"
"Point of View"
"She Was That Sort of Lady"
"Wrong Number"

It is Mains' aim to have these published in a standalone collection.