![]() ![]() Instead, the narrator hears a metallic scratching that precedes the appearance of the spider, now grown to the size of a bear. He lies in the dark room with his window open (despite Titherington filling his head with Wilkie Collins visions of Oriental killers coming to claim the Asian treasure.) No knifeman shows. Titherington, the narrator’s friend, chides him for thinking supernaturally and explains away his reaction. He even outbids a mysterious dark man from the Orient. The purchaser finds himself in a hypnotic trance that will not allow him to walk way without the spider. Among these is a small golden spider with diamond eyes. The narrator buys a number of antiques from a recently deceased Sir Nicholas Goldeby. “The Spider” ( Weird Tales, November 1923) by Arthur Edwards Chapman was the second appearance, only a month later. ![]() ![]() When the feeding schedule goes off, the professor disappears. Doctor Carroll raises a giant spider in his lab. “The Hairy Monster” ( Weird Tales, October 1923) by Neil Miller is the first appearance of a giant spider in “The Unique Magazine”. That old Pulp offered up some classic giant spiders for Horror and Fantasy fans before the works of Tolkien became known. What I didn’t realize, or at least to what degree, the giant spider was an early Weird Tales thing. If you are an old Dungeons & Dragons player like me, then you will remember the variety of sizes and abilities these creatures have. Tolkien movies (as well as Harry Potter films) have made giant spiders quite well known. ![]()
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