Books of Blood

Books of Blood

Books of Blood Omnibus, volumes 1–3
Author	Clive Barker
Cover artist	Clive Barker
Language	English
Series	Books of Blood
Genre	Horror
Publisher	Sphere Books (UK)
Publication date	1984–1985
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)

Books of Blood is a series of six horror fiction anthologies collecting original stories written by British author, playwright, and filmmaker Clive Barker in 1984 and 1985. Known primarily for writing stage plays beforehand, Barker gained a wider audience and fanbase through this anthology series, leading to a successful career as a novelist. Originally presented as six volumes, the anthologies were subsequently re-published in two omnibus editions containing three volumes each. Each volume contains four, five or six stories. The Volume 1–3 omnibus contained a foreword by Barker's fellow Liverpudlian horror writer Ramsey Campbell. Author Stephen King praised Books of Blood, leading to a quote from him appearing on the first US edition of the book: "I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker."

Books of Blood Volume 6 is significant for its story "The Last Illusion" which introduced Barker's occult detective character Harry D'Amour. The detective went on to appear in more of Barker's writings, the Hellraiser comic book series from Boom! Studios, and the 1995 movie Lord of Illusions (based on "The Last Illusion" and adapted by Barker himself).