20th Century Ghosts

Joe Hill's first book-length publication was 20th Century Ghosts, a collection of his short stories. The small British press PS Publishing brought it out in October 2005 in a limited edition, and the original release could be pre-ordered only through the publisher's website.

Two years later HarperCollins released the first edition intended for the general public, in October 2007, and that version added one story, Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead, that had not been in the British printing. Several of the earlier states have become collectable, particularly a signed slipcased edition limited to two hundred copies, and the limited printing is the reason the book's first appearance is now much sought after.

The stories are ghost stories in a wide sense of the term, and the book has been recognised with a Bram Stoker Award for best fiction collection and British Fantasy Awards for best collection and for an individual story, Best New Horror. It was reissued as The Black Phone in 2021, ahead of the film made from the story of that name, and the collection now circulates under both titles.