William Pattrick
William Pattrick (Peter Alexander Haining) was born on April 2nd, 1940. William passed away November 19th, 2007 at 67 years old. William Pattrick was born in Enfield, Middlesex, England.
William Pattrick is the pen name of British author, editor, and journalist Peter Haining.
Haining was born in Enfield, Middlesex, England, and was later based in Suffolk. He began his career as a journalist in Essex before moving to London, where he worked for a trade magazine and developed a deep interest in popular and speculative fiction. Over time, Haining became one of Britain’s most prolific and respected anthologists, editing roughly 150 collections under his own name and several pseudonyms. His editorial work was characterized by his skill in rediscovering forgotten stories, preserving classic genre fiction, and curating works that reflected both literary quality and historical significance.
Under the pen name William Pattrick, Haining edited five anthologies between 1984 and 1987. Four of these -
Mysterious Railway Stories,
Mysterious Motoring Stories,
Mysterious Sea Stories, and
Mysterious Air Stories - form an informal series centered on travel and mystery. Each collection gathers eerie, suspenseful, and atmospheric tales by well-known and sometimes overlooked authors, unified by a fascination with journeys gone awry and encounters with the unknown.
The first,
Mysterious Railway Stories (1984), features thirteen chilling tales set on or around trains. Among its standout pieces are “The Ghost Train” by Arnold Ridley and Ruth Alexander, “That Hell-Bound Train” by Robert Bloch, “The Four-Fifteen Express” by Amelia Edwards and Charles Dickens, “The Lost Special” by Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Fisherman’s Special” by Hal Thompson, and “The Last Train” by Fredric Brown. The tone ranges from classic ghost stories to crime thrillers.
Mysterious Sea Stories (1985) explores nautical mysteries and the enduring fear of the deep. It includes tales of shipwrecks, ghost ships, and sailors confronting the supernatural - continuing Haining’s gift for combining traditional storytelling with evocative settings.
Mysterious Motoring Stories (1987) opens with William Le Queux’s “The Car with the Green Lights,” a striking hook story. Other selections include “How It Happened” by Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Hitchhiker” by Roald Dahl, “Auto Suggestion” by Charles Beaumont, and “Duel” by Richard Matheson. The anthology was later re-published as
Duel: Horror Stories of the Road, leveraging the popularity of Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Matheson’s story.
Mysterious Air Stories completes the transport-themed quartet, showcasing high-altitude suspense, wartime intrigue, and stories of pilots facing psychological or supernatural trials in the skies.
Under his real name, Peter Haining received the British Fantasy Award’s Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001, recognizing his lasting contributions to genre publishing and preservation. His meticulous research and deep respect for pulp and popular storytelling continue to inspire modern anthologists and collectors, ensuring that his influence endures across both literary and popular fiction circles.
Related Authors
Fans of William Pattrick also enjoy these authors:
- Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
- J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
- Charles Dickens, author of the novel: A Christmas Carol.
- Clive Cussler, author of the Dirk Pitt Series.
- John Grisham, author of the Jake Brigance Series.