, ▁material . ▁ ▁He ▁later ▁re called ▁talking ▁to ▁three ▁well - known ▁Chicago ▁writers , ▁Ham lin ▁Gar land , ▁Em erson ▁H ough , ▁and ▁Ben ▁He cht , ▁each ▁of ▁whom ▁had ▁said ▁they ▁avoided ▁writing ▁stories ▁of ▁" f ant asy , ▁the ▁b izar re , ▁and ▁the ▁out ré " ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁lik elihood ▁of ▁re jection ▁by ▁existing ▁mark ets . ▁He ▁added ▁" I ▁must ▁conf ess ▁that ▁the ▁main ▁mot ive ▁in ▁establish ing ▁We ird ▁T ales ▁was ▁to ▁give ▁the ▁writer ▁free ▁rein ▁to ▁express ▁his ▁inn erm ost ▁feelings ▁in ▁a ▁manner ▁bef itting ▁great ▁literature ". ▁ ▁Ed win ▁B air d ▁▁ ▁Ed win ▁B air d , ▁the ▁first ▁editor ▁of ▁We ird ▁T ales , ▁was ▁not ▁an ▁ideal ▁choice ▁for ▁the ▁job ▁as ▁he ▁dis lik ed ▁horror ▁stories ; ▁his ▁expert ise ▁was ▁in ▁crime ▁fiction , ▁and ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁material ▁he ▁acquired ▁was ▁bland ▁and ▁un original . ▁ ▁The ▁writers ▁Hen ne berger ▁had ▁been ▁hoping ▁to ▁publish , ▁such ▁as ▁Gar land ▁and ▁H ough , ▁failed ▁to ▁submit ▁anything ▁to ▁B air d , ▁and ▁the ▁magazine ▁published ▁mostly ▁traditional ▁g host ▁fiction , ▁with ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁stories ▁narr ated ▁by ▁characters ▁in ▁lun atic ▁as yl ums , ▁or ▁told ▁in ▁di ary ▁format . ▁ ▁The ▁cover ▁story ▁for ▁the ▁first ▁issue ▁was ▁" O o ze ", ▁by ▁Anthony ▁M . ▁Rud ; ▁there