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13th out of 174 books
—
299 voters
Collected Ghost Stories
by
M.R. James
M. R. James is widely regarded as the father of the modern ghost story, and his tales have influenced horror writers from H. P. Lovecraft to Stephen King. First published in the early 1900s, they have never been out of print, and are recognized as classics of the genre. This collection contains some of his most chilling tales, including A View from a Hill, Rats, A School S
...moreHardcover, 368 pages
Published
November 28th 1994
by Wordsworth Editions Ltd
(first published January 1st 1931)
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Montague Rhodes James brings the classic British understatement to the field of horror stories and makes them terrifying beyond imagination. His writing is without any frills; there is very little by the way of atmosphere-building; and the stories themselves seem to be an odd form of reportage. By going against convention, M. R. James creates a nightmare world which is more frightening than that of any of his more traditional contemporaries. He is helped in this by his encyclopaedic knowledge of...more
I had hoped that I would be scared. I really like to scare myself and laugh about it. When I saw the Orphanage, I couldn't open the bathroom door because I was frozen wondering what was on the other side. After watching Alien at home in the dark, my husband kidded me that they had just landed in our backyard as a roll of thunder broke out. I couldn't move!! And I loved it!
But these are Victorian stories and I guess I've never really been scared by a story. They are written in a Victorian fashion...more
But these are Victorian stories and I guess I've never really been scared by a story. They are written in a Victorian fashion...more
M.R. James can be difficult for the modern reader, but his stories are worth the effort for the atmosphere alone. "Whistle and I'll Come to you My Lad" is probably my favorite, and I'm far from alone. This creepy story involves old ruins, a found whistle with a strange inscription, and an unused bed that is suddenly no longer empty. "An Episode of Cathedral History" Is what a vampire story shoudl be. This one does not glitter. Stephen King once wrote that James' ghosts were harmless; I wonder if...more
Born in 1862, M. R. James was a Victorian with a love of ghost stories. Many of the tales in this collection were meant to be read aloud a Christmas or New Year gatherings; it shows in their conversational tone. There are 33 stories in over 400 pages- with 48 pages of notes. I’ve never before seen endnotes in fiction, but I found them helpful. The author makes many references to places and events in England that an American would likely not understand, and the many colloquialisms of the time som...more
Apr 02, 2012
^
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those of an especially nervous disposition
Utterly superb, especially so when read aloud. M.R. James’ language is as precise and economical as his plots. He clearly knew exactly what to leave of the page and up to the imagination of his reader / listener. These are absolutely first class performance pieces. “Economical horror” is, I believe, the applicable and appropriate term. The 1968 BBC adaptation for TV (by Jonathan Miller) of "Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad" is almost as good as James’ text. The nearest modern tale I’ve...more
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There are classics that deserve no separate review apart from mere stating of the fact that these stories have been shaping the contours of horror fiction for the past century, and since 1931 (when these stories were brought out together, except 3 stories that were later collected) they have remained continuously in-print. However, this book was special in the sense that the stories often mention certain details that require gentle ministrations in the shape of annotations & explanations for...more
Since it was his birthday recently, I decided to re-read the ghost stories of M.R. James, and I learned a few things. First, that I had not, apparently, read all the stories in this volume previously, like I thought I had, because there were some I didn't remember. Second, that even among the stories I had read there were parts that I had forgotten. And third, that M.R. James is King Shit of Space-Cat Mountain even more amazing than I had remembered.
Widely regarded as maybe the best ghost story...more
Widely regarded as maybe the best ghost story...more
I find James's tales deeply compelling, yet at times unsatisfying. He is unmatched in my experience at providing atmosphere and 'setting a stage'. With most of the works included here I was quickly drawn into a delicious world of Victorian academics and antiquaries afield in remote, small towns; along lonely seashores; or about routine pursuits -- all of which were overhung by exquisite melancholy and an expectation of the strange or the perilous. Too often, however, the denouement proved awkwar...more
I often take Montague on holiday with me. He doesn't take up much room and he doesn't eat all the Baby Bells. I'm talking about Montague Rhodes James - my favourite writer of ghost stories. This time Montague is telling me the stories that didn't get printed in his four haunting anthologies. I prefer the individual publications to the doorstop collection here. It's pretty evident why these six stories didn't make it into the original publications.
1. The Uncommon Prayer-Book
2. A Neighbour's Lan...more
Jun 26, 2010
Dasha
added it
Among the towns of Jutland, Viborg justly holds a high place. It is the seat of a bishopric; it has a handsome but almost entirely new cathedral, a charming garden, a lake of great beauty, and many storks. Near it is Hald, accounted one of the prettiest things in Denmark; and hard by is Finderup, where Marsk Stig murdered King Erik Glipping on St Cecilia's Day, in the year 1286. Fifty-six blows of square-headed iron maces were traced on Erik's skull when his tomb was opened in the seventeenth ce...more
Fabulous! James notes that--per Shakespeare (kind of)--ghost stories are meant to be read in the winter, and so it should be. The chill of the air and the early dark all lend a hand in creating the perfect atmosphere in which to allow oneself to be scared (even nowadays, when these stories must be considered quite "tame").
My favorites:
Canon Alberic's Scrap Book (the first of the collection) -- a typical, spooky sight story.
The Mezzotint -- a creepy moving picture. Cool.
The Story of a Disappea...more
My favorites:
Canon Alberic's Scrap Book (the first of the collection) -- a typical, spooky sight story.
The Mezzotint -- a creepy moving picture. Cool.
The Story of a Disappea...more
If Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft had a child, then raised him on a diet of T.S. Eliot and Oscar Wilde...well, they'd be on the front page of the National Enquirer. And probably Science magazine, because they'd need a time machine and a lot of genetic manipulation since they were both guys, and...
...Anyway, they would also end up with the quirky macabre sensibilities of M.R. James. Given the difficulties mentioned above, maybe we'll just stick with the original.
James' prose can be slow at ti...more
...Anyway, they would also end up with the quirky macabre sensibilities of M.R. James. Given the difficulties mentioned above, maybe we'll just stick with the original.
James' prose can be slow at ti...more
Oh, what can I say? It was not as I expected, but when I read this collection, I was too young and unexperienced, so I did not know what to expect. Viewing M.R.James's stories from my present standpoint, I'd say they are typical late-Victorian stuff. A lot of story, great details, too much musing and explanation - you know. It all means that there is some tediousness, the plots are heavyish, the dramatic flavours tend to get overdone. Some of the stories are really frightening, yet some are simp...more
I recently had my first ghostly encounter with the illustrious M R James whose collection of creepy tales has been lingering on my shelves waiting to pounce for several years now... James is considered to be the master ghost story teller and he really has a deft hand when it comes to creating suspenseful scenarios which can scare the wits out of the reader by suggestion rather than in your face gore.
I read all of the tales in a couple of sittings but it would probably be a more satisfying readi...more
I read all of the tales in a couple of sittings but it would probably be a more satisfying readi...more
I was a little reluctant to get this book because it's got "ghost stories" in the title, and I usually don't care about ghosts because I don't see why people are scared of them when they usually can't physically kill you. BUT, most of the baddies in this book aren't actually ghosts, but demons, monsters, skeletons, almost Lovecraft-esque creatures. And the ones that are ghosts are still way better than I would have thought. It was never just a spectral woman floating down a staircase, there were...more
I was not too sure what to expect from this book at first but I really did enjoy it. It's a collection of 30 short stories by the man who is considered by many to be the original (and the best) ghost writer and, on the whole, it does not disappoint.
The stories were written getting on for 100 years ago and as a result, are written in the 'antiquarian' style that was popular at the time which I thought worked really well, particulary when you consider the historical settings of many of the stories...more
The stories were written getting on for 100 years ago and as a result, are written in the 'antiquarian' style that was popular at the time which I thought worked really well, particulary when you consider the historical settings of many of the stories...more
This book is an anthology of 30 stories by M.R. James, who is considered one of top ghost story writers ever. The omnibus covers majority of James's published stories; there are only several that have been omitted.
The stories look short (about 15 pages per each), but horrid typesetting (that could as well stem from the very character of the stories themselves) makes them feel as if they were at least twice longer. The pages contain basically wall of text - the longest paragraph I've encountered...more
The stories look short (about 15 pages per each), but horrid typesetting (that could as well stem from the very character of the stories themselves) makes them feel as if they were at least twice longer. The pages contain basically wall of text - the longest paragraph I've encountered...more
Montague Rhodes James' collections are - to me - always an enjoyable read. This collected edition has most of his works; possibly 95%. There are stories here I've never encountered before, and I'm glad to have read them for the first time.
James' works are not, for the most part, ghost stories as we imagine them to be. He takes a dash of victorian gothic mixes it with a spoonful of gloomy environment, a splash of characters and whips them up into a thick soup before baking. 30 pages later, the st...more
James' works are not, for the most part, ghost stories as we imagine them to be. He takes a dash of victorian gothic mixes it with a spoonful of gloomy environment, a splash of characters and whips them up into a thick soup before baking. 30 pages later, the st...more
Dec 29, 2011
Kip
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
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NOTES ON THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS EDITION 2011
Not a review on the tales, as M.R. James' tales are well known and if you don't know of them then there are many ways of reading individual stories either online or in anthologies that will be more enlightening than any reader review ever could. Needless to say that M.R. James' tales are unique and have remained so even after becoming the blueprint for almost all ghost stories written post-James' first collection 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary' in...more
Not a review on the tales, as M.R. James' tales are well known and if you don't know of them then there are many ways of reading individual stories either online or in anthologies that will be more enlightening than any reader review ever could. Needless to say that M.R. James' tales are unique and have remained so even after becoming the blueprint for almost all ghost stories written post-James' first collection 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary' in...more
M.R. James' fiction deceives with its genteel trappings. His stories are set in quaint countrysides and are populated with mild-mannered academics, librarians, doctors, and vicars. There's lots of fireside conversations, examinations of old maps and journals, and early bedtimes (though few people in these tales seem to have very demanding jobs they need to get up for). Then, more often than not, you come across a sentence describing something that seems out of place simply because it's so ghastl...more
Without a doubt my favorite ghost story writer and a collection that never tires upon re-read. I always pull out this book at Christmas and delve in for some spooky fare. Top of my list - Wailing Well (you just want that bad kid to realize sooner that he is surrounded), The Mezzotint (creepy skeleton action) and Casting the Runes (what is exactly that thing that turns up on the boat). Even though some of his stories I have not read for years, the images stay with you long after read. And it is o...more
Well, the show went on, and the stories kept on becoming a little more terrifying each time, and the children were mesmerized into complete silence. At last he produced a series which represented a little boy passing through his own park--Lufford, I mean--in the evening. Every child in the room could recognize the place from the pictures. And this poor boy was followed, and at last pursued and overtaken, and either torn to pieces or somehow made away with, by a horrible hopping creature in white...more
I recently read a magazine article about excellent ghost stories and James' 'The Haunted Dolls House' was mentioned. That is what prompted me to buy this collection. A lot of the language is somewhat old as James died in 1936. However the story telling is largely brilliant.
Whilst I enjoyed the Dolls House tale my favourite was '13' which is a real scary tale, just the sort to read around a camp fire in the fading light, perhaps on halloween.
The Mezzotint is also a remarkably good ghostly tale
If...more
Whilst I enjoyed the Dolls House tale my favourite was '13' which is a real scary tale, just the sort to read around a camp fire in the fading light, perhaps on halloween.
The Mezzotint is also a remarkably good ghostly tale
If...more
I've been interested in reading some of MR James ghost stories for ages; he is so often cited as being the master of, and an inspiration for newer writers of the genre. I also watched the TV version of 'Oh, Whistle and I'll come to you my Lad' recently.
I find the language fascinating given the stories were written and published so long ago. You can clearly see what was considered (new?) slang by the Cambridge Professor's use of inverted commas. 'Turn up' as in arrived, is so commonly used nowad...more
I find the language fascinating given the stories were written and published so long ago. You can clearly see what was considered (new?) slang by the Cambridge Professor's use of inverted commas. 'Turn up' as in arrived, is so commonly used nowad...more
M R James has a writing style that makes horror leap off the page. In an age where horror needs to conveyed via graphic images of blood and gore, James relies on his readers to use their imaginations. Darryl Jones' introduction puts James' stories into context. I could easily imagine James reading these stories aloud on a cold winter's night in a semi-darkened room. When his guests left for home in the dark, I'm sure many walked more quickly than usual with a heightened sense of the sights and s...more
Strangely compelling, heavily end noted to cover odd words, malapropisms, and the like. Deeply Victorian and academic in flavor. Not really very scary but might be if told aloud around a fire as they were intended. James was a serious academic but is described in the introduction like this: "His extraordinary intellectual capacities were matched by a commensurate anti-intellectualism which amounted, at times, to a genuine fear of ideas..." That intellectual tension seems to fuel the fear of hair...more
I don't usually find books scary, but M.R.James' books actually frighten me a little bit! Most of his stories unfold in the English countryside, the main character being a rather dull, academic, typical Englishman. A ghost or some form of otherworldly being is discovered, haunts the man and is either finally put to rest, or someone end up dying in order to portray the moral of the story (James was a Victorian after all). This collection of short tales includes my particular favourites Casting th...more
I read this book in English around the age of 18, when my mastering of the language was not so good. Yet, I remember being pinned to the couch, sweating and trembling, immersed in the gripping stories. I was in love with the cover, too; it was sort of magical and seemed to tell a story of its own. It's in fact a painting by John Atkinson Grimshaw, untitled Moonlight Walk (the original is not so magical as the cover, though).
I've always had a strong curiosity towards ghosts, mixed with apprehensi...more
I've always had a strong curiosity towards ghosts, mixed with apprehensi...more
This was a treat to read. I'm primarily a science fiction reader, but Lovecraft's perfect combination of science fiction and horror sent me on a tangent towards the terror-inducing supernatural side of things, which is largely fresh territory for me.
This complete collection of James' ghostly tales is a must for anyone seeking to understand the evolution of horror and the ghost story in modern times. James (with other notable contemporaries) brought supernatural fiction to peak form, and is often...more
This complete collection of James' ghostly tales is a must for anyone seeking to understand the evolution of horror and the ghost story in modern times. James (with other notable contemporaries) brought supernatural fiction to peak form, and is often...more
Sep 06, 2011
La Stamberga dei Lettori
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
polyfilo
Premettiamo che il giudizio di chi scrive è parzialmente drogato dal fatto che questo ricchissimo campionario dell'orrore dal sapore goticheggiante è la sommatoria di materiale erudito - l'autore è un medievista di altissimo livello - e di un'ispirazione orrorifica, un connubio raro e perciò ancora più apprezzabile.
Si tratta di una raccolta completa di diverse raccolte di racconti a tema 'paura', tutti firmati da M.R. James tra il 1904 e il 1925: i 'Racconti di fantasmi di un antiquario', gli '...more
Si tratta di una raccolta completa di diverse raccolte di racconti a tema 'paura', tutti firmati da M.R. James tra il 1904 e il 1925: i 'Racconti di fantasmi di un antiquario', gli '...more
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Montague Rhodes James, who used the publication name M. R. James, was a noted British mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918) and of Eton College (1918–1936). He is best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. One of James' most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by...more
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“The door was opening again. The seer does not like to dwell upon what he saw
entering the room: he says it might be described as a frog - the size of a man - but it had scanty white hair about its head. It was busy about the truckle-beds, but not for long. The sound of cries - faint, as if coming out of a vast distance - but, even so, infinitely appalling, reached the ear. ("The Haunted Doll's House")”
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3 people liked it
entering the room: he says it might be described as a frog - the size of a man - but it had scanty white hair about its head. It was busy about the truckle-beds, but not for long. The sound of cries - faint, as if coming out of a vast distance - but, even so, infinitely appalling, reached the ear. ("The Haunted Doll's House")”
“But it was in the life-saving competition that Stanley Judkins's conduct was most blameable and had the most far-reaching effects. The practice, as you know, was to throw a selected lower boy, of suitable dimensions, fully dressed, with his hands and feet tied together, into the deepest part of Cuckoo Weir, and to time the Scout whose turn it was to rescue him. On every occasion when he was entered for this competition Stanley Judkins was seized, at the critical moment, with a severe fit of cramp, which caused him to roll on the ground and utter alarming cries. This naturally distracted the attention of those present from the boy in the water, and had it not been for the presence of Arthur Wilcox the death-roll would have been a heavy one. As it was, the Lower Master found it necessary to take a firm line and say that the competition must be discontinued. It was in vain that Mr. Beasley Robinson represented to him that in five competitions only four lower boys had actually succumbed. The Lower Master said that he would be the last to interfere in any way with the work of the Scouts; but that three of these boys had been valued members of his choir, and both he and Dr. Ley felt that the inconvenience caused by the losses outweighed the advantages of the competitions. Besides, the correspondence with the parents of these boys had become annoying, and even distressing: they were no longer satisfied with the printed form which he was in the habit of sending out, and more than one of them had actually visited Eton and taken up much of his valuable time with complaints. So the life-saving competition is now a thing of the past.”
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Oct 08, 2012 11:35am
M.R.James is definitely one of my favourite horror authors. Casting the Runes, along with How Love Came to Professor Guildeaby Robert S...more
Oct 08, 2012 11:34pm
Oct 09, 2012 05:14am