▁super natural ▁fiction . ▁ ▁Qu otes ▁regarding ▁ ▁{{ c quote | What ▁most ▁marks ▁his ▁tales ▁is ▁the ▁predict able ▁nast iness ▁of ▁their ▁cons clus ions ... Do om ▁arriv es ▁with ▁monot on ous ▁regular ity ... For ▁many ▁readers , ▁this ▁g ente elly ▁trick ed - up ▁sad ism ▁was ▁what ▁horror ▁was ▁all ▁about . | author = T . E . D . ▁Klein | source = entry ▁on ▁B irk in ▁in ▁The ▁P engu in ▁Encyclopedia ▁of ▁Hor ror ▁and ▁the ▁Super natural ▁Vik ing ▁P engu in ▁ 1 9 8 6 }} ▁ ▁Biography ▁B irk in ▁was ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁Colonel ▁Charles ▁Wil fred ▁B irk in ▁and ▁Cla ire ▁How e , ▁the ▁daughter ▁of ▁Alexander ▁How e . ▁Fred a ▁D ud ley ▁Ward ▁was ▁a ▁sister . ▁He ▁was ▁educated ▁at ▁E ton ▁College ▁and ▁was ▁later ▁employed ▁by ▁the ▁publish er ▁Philip ▁All an ▁to ▁an onym ously ▁edit ▁the ▁C ree ps ▁horror ▁story ▁anth ologies , ▁the ▁first ▁which ▁appeared ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 2 . ▁Auth ors ▁anth olog ized ▁in ▁the ▁C ree ps ▁series ▁included ▁H . ▁Russell ▁W ake field , ▁Tod ▁Rob b ins , ▁H . ▁D . ▁Ever ett ▁and ▁Elli ott ▁O ' D onn ell . ▁B irk in ▁included ▁stories ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁in ▁most ▁of ▁these ▁volumes ▁( under ▁the ▁pseud onym ▁" Char les ▁Lloyd "), ▁these ▁being ▁later ▁collected ▁as