Monster 1 sets up the series with essays on the nature of monster stories, what they are, why we write them, then goes on to look at vampire stories featuring Japanese snow ghosts, Pulp vampires in Weird Tales and the occult detectives who chase them. Next are tales of slime monsters, bug-eyed monsters, vampires in space, ape monsters, vampires in Fantasy stories, and finally, the little people. The appendixes to the book include writer's advice on how to create your own monsters using examples from H. G. Wells and Daphne Du Maurier. The final essay looks at false monsters in the tradition of Scooby-Doo. Authors whose works are examined include Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Seabury Quinn, Dick Donovan, Edmond Hamilton, Otis Adelbert Kline, Thorp McClusky, Joseph Payne Brennan, Fredric Brown, Arthur J. Burks, J. R. R. Tolkien and others.
