Stephen Jones

Stephen Jones is an English editor and writer known for influencing the horror genre in literature and film. His work includes editing major anthologies and producing detailed studies of horror culture. He is best known for The Mammoth Book of Vampires (1992), Best New Horror (1990–2019), and The Art of Horror (2015). He has received a Hugo Award and several Bram Stoker Awards for his editorial and critical achievements.

Stephen Jones was born in Pimlico, London, on 4 November 1953. His career began with a focus on genre fiction, particularly horror and fantasy. He soon became known for curating and editing anthologies featuring established and emerging writers. His Best New Horror series, launched in 1990 with co-editor Ramsey Campbell, became an important annual record of contemporary horror writing. Volume 29 of the series was published in 2019.

In collaboration with critic Kim Newman, Jones edited Horror: 100 Best Books (1988) and its sequel, Horror: Another 100 Best Books (2005). Each book featured essays by 100 horror writers, offering a unique perspective on the literature of fear. Both volumes won the Bram Stoker Award for best non-fiction.

Jones has edited many titles in The Mammoth Book series, including The Mammoth Book of Zombies, The Mammoth Book of Dracula and The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women. He also compiled Scream Quietly: The Best of Charles L. Grant and Dancing with the Dark, a collection of personal paranormal accounts by horror writers.

He also wrote critical works on horror cinema. Notable titles include The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide (1993), Creepshows: The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Guide (2001) and The Essential Monster Movie Guide (1998). Jones contributed to understanding horror in popular culture with Clive Barker's A-Z of Horror (1997).

Jones has produced lavishly illustrated histories of the art of horror. The Art of Horror (2015) and The Art of Horror Movies (2017) offer visual and textual studies of how fear has been depicted in books and films. The Art of Pulp Horror (2020) explores the cover art of vintage horror publications.

Photo credit: Catriona Sparks