Horrible Beginnings is an anthology of horror short stories edited by Steven H. Silver and Martin H. Greenberg, first published in paperback by DAW Books in March 2003. The cover art is based on Children of Bodom's debut album, Something Wild. It is a compilation of the first published stories of seventeen prominent authors in the genre, and features introductions to the stories provided (in most instances) by the authors of those stories. Horrible Beginnings was the third and last of three similarly-themed anthologies, its companions being Wondrous Beginnings and Magical Beginnings, compiling the first published stories of authors writing in the science fiction and fantasy genres, respectively. The series follows the example of the earlier First Flight: Maiden Voyages in Space and Time,