Back in 1978, you could still publish books with covers like this and have them stocked by all major retailers. It goes without saying that this collection of Richard Matheson stories - first published in 1961 - doesn't contain anything that resembles this. Gorehounds would've felt cheated, and any new readers who might've been impressed by Matheson's subtle, creepy and dark short stories probably wouldn't get past the outrageous imagery.

Subsequent volumes were slightly more subtle...