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Psycho: A Novel Paperback – May 25, 2010

by Robert Bloch (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,619 ratings
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"“Icily terrifying!” —New York Times
“Psycho all came from Robert Bloch’s book.” —Alfred Hitchcock
“Robert Bloch is one of the all-time masters.” —Peter Straub

If you love to be scared, or are a fan of classic movies, then you know the story of Norman Bates, his mother, and the dark and frightening Bates Motel. Alfred Hitchcock’s taut, shocking scare-fest starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh is a classic movie, as scary today as it was in 1960 when it was first released. The shower scene may be the most famous scene in movie history.

Here is the 1959 novel upon which the movie is based. Robert Bloch based his taut psychological thriller on the all-too-real story of Ed Gein, a psychotic murderer who led a dual life. It was here that the legend of the Bates Motel was born.

Norman Bates loved his mother, though she has been dead for the past twenty years. Or is she dead? Norman knows better. He has lived with Mother ever since leaving the hospital in the old house up on the hill above the rundown Bates Motel. One night Norman welcomes a beautiful woman who checks into the motel, and spies on her as she undresses. Norman can’t help himself. Mother is there, though. She is there to protect Norman from his filthy thoughts. She is there to protect him with her butcher knife!

The story of Norman Bates and his mother has become one of the best known in the annals of horror. But if you only know the Hitchcock movie or The Bates Motel prequel television series starring Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates and Vera Farmiga as his mother, then you don’t know the whole story, because it was Robert Block who first brought their story to the world.

Prepare to be terrified all over again!"
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harry N. Abrams
  4. Publication date
    May 25, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.65 x 8.1 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1590203356
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1590203354
  8. See all details
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All the Little Raindrops: A Novel
"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

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Popular Highlights in this book
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Previous page
  1. Mothers sometimes are overly possessive, but not all children allow themselves to be possessed.
    Highlighted by 121 Kindle readers
  2. “Why, when he said he was going up to see Norman Bates’s mother. Norman Bates has no mother.”
    Highlighted by 83 Kindle readers
  3. “You hate people. Because, really, you’re afraid of them, aren’t you? Always have been, ever since you were a little tyke. Rather snuggle up in a chair under the lamp and read. You did it thirty years ago, and you’re still doing it now. Hiding away under the covers of a book.”
    Highlighted by 82 Kindle readers
  4. There was Norman, the little boy who needed his mother and hated anything or anyone who came between him and her. Then, Norma, the mother, who could not be allowed to die. The third aspect might be called Normal—the adult Norman Bates, who had to go through the daily routine of living, and conceal the existence of the other personalities from the world.
    Highlighted by 80 Kindle readers
  5. Lila closed her mouth, but the scream continued. It was the insane scream of an hysterical woman, and it came from the throat of Norman Bates.
    Highlighted by 73 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Psycho all came from Robert Bloch's book." -Alfred Hitchcock

"Icily terrifying!" -The New York Times

"Robert Bloch is one of the all-time masters." -Peter Straub

About the Author

Robert Bloch(1917-1994) is the author of the classic horror novel, Psycho, which served as the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's thrilling film of the same name. At the urging of H. P. Lovecraft, Bloch began writing short fiction in the 1930s; his first short novel, The Scarf, was published in 1947. In 1959, the year Psycho was published, Bloch won the Hugo Award for a short story and began to write for television and film, starting with "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"-a job he earned before the film version of Psycho had completed shooting!

Robert Bloch (1917–1994) was a horror, suspense, and science-fiction writer and screenwriter best known for the novel Psycho. Altogether, he wrote over 220 stories collected in over two dozen collections, two dozen novels, screenplays for a dozen movies, and three Star Trek episodes. His many awards include the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Awards (including Lifetime Achievement), and five Bram Stoker Awards. Once Around the Bloch: An Unauthorized Autobiography, published in 1993, was his last major work.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harry N. Abrams; 1st edition (May 25, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1590203356
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1590203354
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.65 x 8.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,619 ratings

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Robert Bloch

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
3,619 global ratings
My new favorite book!!!
5 Stars
My new favorite book!!!
I love the movie Psycho and I love the TV show Bates Motel they did a couple years ago.I just finished to read the book and it was better than I expected! It’s definitely my new favorite book, it’s only 17 chapters and if you you’re a reader I bet you can finished in 2/3 days like me 😂.I hope I can find the other books (:
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Top reviews from the United States

john
5.0 out of 5 stars The motel is open and mother is off her rocker
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
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First off Alfred Hitchcock did an amazing job doing the novel justice there is slight changes which I won’t spoil just read it the cool thing is though you get a little bit more of a backstory on Norman on how he came to be
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Krystal
4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting - in a good way!
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024
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I've watched the movie (the original mind you not that remake nonsense). I've watched the sequels. I've even watched the show. And I enjoyed them all. However, I did not realize that the book was available (at all much less on Kindle) until recently, and when I did, I knew I had to have it.

And honestly? Even knowing what was going to happen, I still found myself glued to the pages. The Norman you see in the book is SO different from the one portrayed in the movie. For example, book Norman is not only overweight, but also drinks (notably while on the job). He definitely doesn't come across as the shy, but helpful young man from the movie. To be honest, I wouldn't have trusted book Norman at all if I were Mary. I would have maybe stopped long enough to stretch my legs and find directions to the nearest town.

I also found it interesting that on some level Norman IS self-aware. He knows that he has something wrong with him (and even tries at times to give it a name). Heck even the part of him that is "mother" alludes that she is "living" inside of him when he tells her she would be locked up from her crimes and she says that she wouldn't be alone if she were.

Is this book "tame" compared to things written nowadays? Yes. So I feel as though people who aren't big horror fans will enjoy this (yes people die, but for me at least, it's not written in the gruesome detail that I have seen other books employ).

I am also urging anyone who reads this novel NOW (meaning 2024 or above) to please remember that this book was written in 1959, so there will be words and phrases used that you may be "offended" by, but these were actually the words and phrases used back then.

All in all, I'm glad to have read it. And I see exactly why Hitchcock thought it would make for an intriguing movie. Now if they could just release the rest of the series on kindle so I could read that as well, I would appreciate it.
One person found this helpful
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Frank Errington
5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty perverse for it's day and reads like the best of today's horror
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2016
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5 of 5 Stars

Why did is take me nearly 57 years to get around to reading Robert Bloch's Psycho? Maybe it was because I was a mere seven years old when it was first published and I was still reading such classics as Fun With Dick and Jane and it would be a number of years before I learned of the fun to be had with a good horror book and by then it just became lost in the all the new material released in the intervening years.

So what made me decide to read this essential work now? Well, this Monday will see the release of Robert Bloch's Psycho: Sanitarium, a new novel written by Chet Williamson. Set in the years Norman Bates would spend in a mental institution following the events in Bloch's original Psycho. Thus, now seemed like an excellent time to catch up.

By now, everyone knows the story, even if they've never read the book or seen Alfred Hitchcock's film adaptation. So it's really not necessary to provide much of a synopsis here. Let's just say Psycho was pretty perverse for it's day and writer, Robert Bloch did a wonderful job in expressing the relationship between Norman and his mother Norma which lead to his being the person he is in the book.

Reading Psycho has even given me a new appreciation for the A&E series Bates Motel which I've enjoyed for four seasons now. While not exactly a retelling of the book or the movie, it certainly captures the underlying themes of the author's original story, particularly the way the Bates family put the "fun" in dysfunctional. Norman Bates is a wonderfully complex, broken man, and is one of my favorite flawed literary characters of all time.

As a result of reading Psycho I'm looking forward, more than ever, to Chet Williamson's new work of which Publisher's Weekly says, “Horror author Chet Williamson ably succeeds in the tough task of creating a sequel to Robert Bloch’s masterpiece, Psycho; a prequel to the less effective Psycho II; and a solid story in its own right…The novel shines. Whenever Norman gets the spotlight, the novel feels like a lost Bloch work.”

The original Psycho is available through The Overlook Press in every format imaginable.

Recommended.

Robert Bloch was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, horror, fantasy and science fiction, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Best known as the author of Psycho. Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over 30 novels. He was one of the youngest members of the Lovecraft Circle. H. P. Lovecraft was Bloch's mentor and one of the first to seriously encourage his talent.
20 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun band quick read!
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
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I’m a slow reader, and even I burned through this book in a day. I personally enjoyed the book more than the movie. Norman Bates is a completely different character than the movie (in looks and personality). The relationship between him and “mother” is well define. Mary Crane (or Marion), also have better character development in the book. I love the book and the film alike, would recommend both.
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DFK
5.0 out of 5 stars Great inspiration for Hitchcock
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2024
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I loved the movie and was pleased to see how well it matched the book. Hitchcock really handled it beautifully.
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foresme
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2023
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This is a quick read and throws you into the mind of Norman Bates. The author did a brilliant job with the main character's internal dialogue. I can imagine how this must have shocked readers in the 60s!
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fastest Read Ever
Reviewed in Canada on May 23, 2021
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Absolutely amazing! Finished the book within a few hours of receiving it. I couldn’t look away for a second and before I knew it, the book was over. Although the movie does change things, the boom has a very cinematic feel to it. It moves along like a well-paced film, with hardly a moment’s rest from the action until the very end. Highly recommend.
One person found this helpful
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halley
5.0 out of 5 stars Leggere in poi.
Reviewed in Italy on August 27, 2022
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Libro che veramente aiuta il lettore,in ogni contesto.Consigliatissimo per l'utente delle letture medio.
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halley
5.0 out of 5 stars Leggere in poi.
Reviewed in Italy on August 27, 2022
Libro che veramente aiuta il lettore,in ogni contesto.Consigliatissimo per l'utente delle letture medio.
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Abhishek Mishra
5.0 out of 5 stars This is what a good suspense thriller looks like
Reviewed in India on March 23, 2021
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Alfred Hitchcock is one of my favourite directors. Of all the things he introduced to the art of filmmaking, the introduction of Slasher Horror genre would be the most prominent (In my opinion). He introduced this genre in the movie Psycho which was based on Robert Bloch novel of the same name. I never thought any story could top the Psycho movie but then I read the novel.
The Plot: Norman Bates runs Bates Motel with her controlling mother who forbids him to have any life of his own. Mary Crane arrives at the motel after stealing $40000 from her employer. While conversing with Norman she realises that his mother is mentally challenged and advises him to put her in an institution. The same night she is murdered by the Mother and now her boyfriend Sam and sister Lila have to find out behind the disappearance of Mary.
The novel is one of the greatest suspense thrillers I've read. It is also better than most of the horror novels out there. I see why Hitchcock chose this book and my only regret is that I watched the movie first, so all the twists were expected. The character of mother and Norman are more fleshed out than in the movie but still the movie did what it could without giving away spoilers. It is the only movie which is the most faithful adaptation of its source material.
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Abhishek Mishra
5.0 out of 5 stars This is what a good suspense thriller looks like
Reviewed in India on March 23, 2021
Alfred Hitchcock is one of my favourite directors. Of all the things he introduced to the art of filmmaking, the introduction of Slasher Horror genre would be the most prominent (In my opinion). He introduced this genre in the movie Psycho which was based on Robert Bloch novel of the same name. I never thought any story could top the Psycho movie but then I read the novel.
The Plot: Norman Bates runs Bates Motel with her controlling mother who forbids him to have any life of his own. Mary Crane arrives at the motel after stealing $40000 from her employer. While conversing with Norman she realises that his mother is mentally challenged and advises him to put her in an institution. The same night she is murdered by the Mother and now her boyfriend Sam and sister Lila have to find out behind the disappearance of Mary.
The novel is one of the greatest suspense thrillers I've read. It is also better than most of the horror novels out there. I see why Hitchcock chose this book and my only regret is that I watched the movie first, so all the twists were expected. The character of mother and Norman are more fleshed out than in the movie but still the movie did what it could without giving away spoilers. It is the only movie which is the most faithful adaptation of its source material.
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Sergio Navarrete
5.0 out of 5 stars De lo mejor que he leído
Reviewed in Mexico on December 20, 2018
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Un gran libro, no tiene ningun desperdicio, para aquellos que sean fanáticos del suspenso ¡no se lo pueden perder! Atrapante de principio a fin.
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Audrey B
5.0 out of 5 stars Norma? Norman?
Reviewed in France on November 11, 2018
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[lu en anglais] J'ai complètement fonctionné à l'envers pour cette œuvre.
Je n'ai jamais vu le film d'Hitchcock (pas encore en tout cas), j'ai commencé par la série Bates motel qui est très sympa,et enfin j'ai lu ce livre.
Je m'attendais à un livre classique, moyen, un peu roman de gare mais en fait wahou !!!!
Ce petit roman court est superbement bien écrit. Il y a du rythme, il y a du style, ça ne va ni trop vite ni trop lentement, bref, ce livre est juste excellent !
Il serait dommage de passer à côté !
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