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Famous Modern Ghost Stories
15 stories and a commentary by Bennett Cerf
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1921
207 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Scarborough
83 books12 followersEmily Dorothy Scarborough was an American writer who wrote about Texas, folk culture, cotton farming, ghost stories and women's life in the Southwest.
Scarborough was born in Mount Carmel, Texas. At the age of four she moved to Sweetwater, Texas for her mother's health, as her mother needed the drier climate. The family soon left Sweetwater in 1887, so that the Scarborough children could get a good education at Baylor College.
Even though Scarborough's writings are identified with Texas, she studied at University of Chicago and Oxford University and beginning in 1916 taught literature at Columbia University.
While receiving her PhD from Columbia, she wrote a dissertation, "The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction (1917)". Sylvia Ann Grider writes in a critical introduction [1] the dissertation "was so widely acclaimed by her professors and colleagues that it was published and it has become a basic reference work."
Dorothy Scarborough came in contact with many writers in New York, including Edna Ferber and Vachel Lindsay. She taught creative writing classes at Columbia. Among her creative writing students were Eric Walrond, and Carson McCullers, who took her first college writing class from Scarborough.[1]
Her most critically acclaimed book, The Wind (first published anonymously in 1925), was later made into a film of the same name starring Lillian Gish.
Scarborough was born in Mount Carmel, Texas. At the age of four she moved to Sweetwater, Texas for her mother's health, as her mother needed the drier climate. The family soon left Sweetwater in 1887, so that the Scarborough children could get a good education at Baylor College.
Even though Scarborough's writings are identified with Texas, she studied at University of Chicago and Oxford University and beginning in 1916 taught literature at Columbia University.
While receiving her PhD from Columbia, she wrote a dissertation, "The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction (1917)". Sylvia Ann Grider writes in a critical introduction [1] the dissertation "was so widely acclaimed by her professors and colleagues that it was published and it has become a basic reference work."
Dorothy Scarborough came in contact with many writers in New York, including Edna Ferber and Vachel Lindsay. She taught creative writing classes at Columbia. Among her creative writing students were Eric Walrond, and Carson McCullers, who took her first college writing class from Scarborough.[1]
Her most critically acclaimed book, The Wind (first published anonymously in 1925), was later made into a film of the same name starring Lillian Gish.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
September 14, 2025
Ghostly Classicness.
A free-domain anthology with 15 famous ghost stories, written by some of the most renowned classical authors of all time.
To be honest I don’t know if they are that “famous”, or even the “best” really (the terms usually tend to be very subjective sometimes), but they are indeed good, very good; and I can vouch for at least half of them.
Several names in this list are new to me, which I’m grateful for, since it’s always nice to quickly sample new authors. Some that I already knew to be reliable sources of good horror/gothic include but is not limited to: Edgar Allan Poe, Fitz-James O'Brien, Ambrose Bierce, Algernon Blackwood and Guy de Maupassant. You can usually count on them for pretty cool stuff.
The rest, good, or ok, and even if not great, I’m still glad to have known, and looking forward to delve into more of their works in the future, someday.
Go for the Best, consider the Good, whatever the Meh.
The Best :
★★★★☆ "Lazarus", by Leonid Andreyev.
★★★★☆ "The Shell of Sense", by Olivia Howard Dunbar.
★★★★☆ "At the Gate", by Myla Jo Closser. [3.5]
★★★★☆ "What Was It?", by Fitz-James O'Brien. [3.5]
The Good :
★★★☆☆ "The Shadows on the Wall", by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “Ligeia”, by Edgar Allan Poe.
★★★☆☆ "The Woman at Seven Brothers", by Wilbur Daniel Steele.
★★★☆☆ "The Middle Toe of the Right Foot", by Ambrose Bierce. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ "The Willows", by Algernon Blackwood. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ "The Haunted Orchard", by Richard Le Gallienne. [2.5]
The Meh :
★★☆☆☆ "The Messenger", by Robert W. Chambers. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "A Ghost", by Guy de Maupassant. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "The Beast with Five Fingers", by W. F. Harvey. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "The Mass of Shadows", by Anatole France.
★☆☆☆☆ "The Bowmen", by Arthur Machen.
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1921] [396p] [Anthology] [Partly Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Clasicismo Fantasmal.
Una antología de dominio-libre con 15 de las más famosas historias de fantasmas, escritas por algunos de los autores clásicos más reconocidos de todos los tiempos.
Sinceramente no sé si son tan “famosas”, o incluso las “mejores” de verdad (los términos suelen ser muy subjetivos a veces), pero ciertamente son buenas, muy buenas; y puedo dar fe por al menos la mitad de ellas.
Varios nombres de esta lista son nuevos para mí, lo cual estoy agradecido, ya que siempre es agradable probar rápidamente nuevos autores. Algunos que ya sabía son fuentes confiables de buen horror/gótico incluyen pero no se limitan a: Edgar Allan Poe, Fitz-James O'Brien, Ambrose Bierce, Algernon Blackwood y Guy de Maupassant. En general, siempre podés contar con ellos para cosas bastante interesantes.
El resto, bueno, o aceptable, e incluso si no excelente, aún así me alegro de haberlos conocido, y espero investigar más de sus escritos algún día, en el futuro.
Ir por lo Mejor, considerar lo Bueno, loquesea lo Meh.
Lo Mejor :
★★★★☆ "Lázaro", de Leonid Andreyev.
★★★★☆ "El Caparazón del Sentido", de Olivia Howard Dunbar.
★★★★☆ "En la Puerta", de Myla Jo Closser. [3.5]
★★★★☆ "¿Qué Fue Eso?", de Fitz-James O'Brien. [3.5]
Lo Bueno :
★★★☆☆ "Las Sombras en el Muro", de Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “Ligeia”, de Edgar Allan Poe.
★★★☆☆ "La Mujer en los Siete Hermanos", de Wilbur Daniel Steele.
★★★☆☆ "El Dedo Medio del Pie Derecho", de Ambrose Bierce. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ "Los Sauces", de Algernon Blackwood. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ "El Huerto Encantado", de Richard Le Gallienne. [2.5]
Lo Meh :
★★☆☆☆ "El Mensajero", de Robert W. Chambers. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Un Fantasma", de Guy de Maupassant. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "La Bestia de Cinco Dedos", de W. F. Harvey. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "La Masa de las Sombras", de Anatole France.
★☆☆☆☆ "Los Arqueros", de Arthur Machen.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1921] [369p] [Antología] [Parcialmente Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
A free-domain anthology with 15 famous ghost stories, written by some of the most renowned classical authors of all time.
To be honest I don’t know if they are that “famous”, or even the “best” really (the terms usually tend to be very subjective sometimes), but they are indeed good, very good; and I can vouch for at least half of them.
Several names in this list are new to me, which I’m grateful for, since it’s always nice to quickly sample new authors. Some that I already knew to be reliable sources of good horror/gothic include but is not limited to: Edgar Allan Poe, Fitz-James O'Brien, Ambrose Bierce, Algernon Blackwood and Guy de Maupassant. You can usually count on them for pretty cool stuff.
The rest, good, or ok, and even if not great, I’m still glad to have known, and looking forward to delve into more of their works in the future, someday.
Go for the Best, consider the Good, whatever the Meh.
The Best :
★★★★☆ "Lazarus", by Leonid Andreyev.
★★★★☆ "The Shell of Sense", by Olivia Howard Dunbar.
★★★★☆ "At the Gate", by Myla Jo Closser. [3.5]
★★★★☆ "What Was It?", by Fitz-James O'Brien. [3.5]
The Good :
★★★☆☆ "The Shadows on the Wall", by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “Ligeia”, by Edgar Allan Poe.
★★★☆☆ "The Woman at Seven Brothers", by Wilbur Daniel Steele.
★★★☆☆ "The Middle Toe of the Right Foot", by Ambrose Bierce. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ "The Willows", by Algernon Blackwood. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ "The Haunted Orchard", by Richard Le Gallienne. [2.5]
The Meh :
★★☆☆☆ "The Messenger", by Robert W. Chambers. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "A Ghost", by Guy de Maupassant. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "The Beast with Five Fingers", by W. F. Harvey. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "The Mass of Shadows", by Anatole France.
★☆☆☆☆ "The Bowmen", by Arthur Machen.
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1921] [396p] [Anthology] [Partly Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Clasicismo Fantasmal.
Una antología de dominio-libre con 15 de las más famosas historias de fantasmas, escritas por algunos de los autores clásicos más reconocidos de todos los tiempos.
Sinceramente no sé si son tan “famosas”, o incluso las “mejores” de verdad (los términos suelen ser muy subjetivos a veces), pero ciertamente son buenas, muy buenas; y puedo dar fe por al menos la mitad de ellas.
Varios nombres de esta lista son nuevos para mí, lo cual estoy agradecido, ya que siempre es agradable probar rápidamente nuevos autores. Algunos que ya sabía son fuentes confiables de buen horror/gótico incluyen pero no se limitan a: Edgar Allan Poe, Fitz-James O'Brien, Ambrose Bierce, Algernon Blackwood y Guy de Maupassant. En general, siempre podés contar con ellos para cosas bastante interesantes.
El resto, bueno, o aceptable, e incluso si no excelente, aún así me alegro de haberlos conocido, y espero investigar más de sus escritos algún día, en el futuro.
Ir por lo Mejor, considerar lo Bueno, loquesea lo Meh.
Lo Mejor :
★★★★☆ "Lázaro", de Leonid Andreyev.
★★★★☆ "El Caparazón del Sentido", de Olivia Howard Dunbar.
★★★★☆ "En la Puerta", de Myla Jo Closser. [3.5]
★★★★☆ "¿Qué Fue Eso?", de Fitz-James O'Brien. [3.5]
Lo Bueno :
★★★☆☆ "Las Sombras en el Muro", de Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “Ligeia”, de Edgar Allan Poe.
★★★☆☆ "La Mujer en los Siete Hermanos", de Wilbur Daniel Steele.
★★★☆☆ "El Dedo Medio del Pie Derecho", de Ambrose Bierce. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ "Los Sauces", de Algernon Blackwood. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ "El Huerto Encantado", de Richard Le Gallienne. [2.5]
Lo Meh :
★★☆☆☆ "El Mensajero", de Robert W. Chambers. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Un Fantasma", de Guy de Maupassant. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "La Bestia de Cinco Dedos", de W. F. Harvey. [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "La Masa de las Sombras", de Anatole France.
★☆☆☆☆ "Los Arqueros", de Arthur Machen.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1921] [369p] [Antología] [Parcialmente Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
November 9, 2018
this collection was first published in 1921, so keep that in mind when considering the word "modern" in its title.
two classics I enjoyed revisiting, one excellent find, a handful of okay, a handful of uninteresting, one execrable, and one superlative find.
☀
"The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood.
4 stars. reviewed elsewhere.
"The Shadows on the Wall" by Mary Wilkins Freeman.
2 stars. except for how it is primarily dialogue, this is an uninteresting story of, well, shadows on a wall. if that's the best haunting a ghost of a recently dead brother can come up with, he really should turn in his ghost card.
"The Messenger" by Robert W. Chambers.
4 stars. the Black Priest's skull is unearthed - a signal of his return. set in 1896 Finistere. the narrative itself is nothing remarkable, however I just find Chambers' writing style to be enchanting. whether he's describing passionate love, condescension towards a cowardly bulldog, a death's head moth squirming on a carpet, or a masked priest slipping through a window... his touch is so light and charming, his prose so elegant. I must read more by him! apparently the story is drawn from a collection of tales featuring the same characters in this Breton setting, The Mystery of Choice.
"Lazarus" by Leonid Andreyev
5 stars. reviewed elsewhere.
"The Beast with Five Fingers" by W.F. Harvey
3 stars. amusing, well-written, utterly absurd. a hand removed from a recently deceased old man stalks and torments that man's nephew. the first half, detailing the extraordinary old man and then the messages his right hand writes as he sleeps unawares... quite absorbing and not a little chilling. but when the old man dies and the hand becomes a little monster, hurtling around a mansion, killing a parrot, etc, all of which the nephew and his secretary react to with dry amusement and then increasing anxiety... a little too farcical for my tastes.
"The Mass of Shadows" by Anatole France
2 stars. rather lovely but very, very slight story of an elderly woman meeting her first love at a spectral mass, and the judgmental spirits in attendance.
"What Was It?" by Fitz-James O'Brien
3 stars. odd and fun. residents of a boarding house move into a haunted house as a lark, two of them poetical opium-smokers, one of thse two encountering a ghost - maybe? encountering a something. a small, man-shaped something, dropping from the ceiling to grapple and throttle. an invisible something, captured. what was it? the light of day reveals nothing; it remains invisible. this presents... difficulties. O'Brien's story was a minor but still unique experience for me. nicely descriptive, light in tone, and a unique creature. I also enjoyed our protagonist's open delight about being in an opium daze - that was unusual.
"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot" by Ambrose Bierce
1 star. cranky Bierce puts together an off-kilter story of vengeance from beyond the grave. unfortunately, I just don't enjoy it when rich young assholes get away with being rich young assholes. and the long description of the murderer was weird, as if Bierce was agreeing with the assholes that a misshapen appearance means something is wrong inside too. I'm surprised at you Bierce, you're better than that.
"The Shell of Sense" by Olivia Howard Dunbar
3 stars. another unique experience for me. Dunbar's tale is told from the perspective of a freshly dead ghost, watching aghast as her mourning husband and quiet sister find solace in each other's arms. the ghost turns jealous, then contrite. rather overwritten but still enjoyable. nice bits about how Mrs. Ghost finds she no longer appreciates the strong sunlight of daytime.
"The Woman at Seven Brothers" by Wilbur Daniel Steele
2 stars. a bored young bride of a boring old lighthouse keeper imagines, in her boredom, the deaths of others on the rocks below. once dead, she returns to flirt and to moan and to act quite sinister. a minor tale told with unbecoming hysteria by the lighthouse keeper's assistant. off to the madhouse with you, young man! maybe you shouldn't be so judgy about a bored young bride's plight.
"At the Gate" by Myla Jo Closser
3 stars. probably deserves a lower rating, but I am a soft-hearted fool when it comes to animals, especially dogs (and I suppose cats). anyway, this cute little bit of treacle is about dogs waiting for their masters at the Pearly Gates. aww.
"Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe
5 stars, of course. it was pure pleasure rereading this gorgeous, necrophilic classic.
"The Haunted Orchard" by Richard Le Gallienne
2 stars. lovely but extremely mawkish tale of a man briefly haunted by the ghost of a lovelorn teenage girl. the most interesting part of the story - the idea that the girl was possibly a reincarnated Frenchwoman, thus explaining her wayward interests (lol?) - was unfortunately only briefly touched upon. prose was quite pleasant though.
"The Bowmen" by Arthur Machen
2 stars. apparently Machen himself was embarrassed by this sentimental war fantasy, in which knights of St. George come to the rescue of English soldiers during the Great War, harried as they are by the "heathen" German army. he was right to be embarrassed.
"A Ghost" by Guy De Maupassant
2 stars. man meets old friend and is given assignment. assignment involves going to old mansion. in old mansion is found a ghostly lady. the lady needs her hair to be combed. not exactly the most compelling story to round out this collection.
read this book for free via Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15143
two classics I enjoyed revisiting, one excellent find, a handful of okay, a handful of uninteresting, one execrable, and one superlative find.
☀
"The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood.
4 stars. reviewed elsewhere.
"The Shadows on the Wall" by Mary Wilkins Freeman.
2 stars. except for how it is primarily dialogue, this is an uninteresting story of, well, shadows on a wall. if that's the best haunting a ghost of a recently dead brother can come up with, he really should turn in his ghost card.
"The Messenger" by Robert W. Chambers.
4 stars. the Black Priest's skull is unearthed - a signal of his return. set in 1896 Finistere. the narrative itself is nothing remarkable, however I just find Chambers' writing style to be enchanting. whether he's describing passionate love, condescension towards a cowardly bulldog, a death's head moth squirming on a carpet, or a masked priest slipping through a window... his touch is so light and charming, his prose so elegant. I must read more by him! apparently the story is drawn from a collection of tales featuring the same characters in this Breton setting, The Mystery of Choice.
"Lazarus" by Leonid Andreyev
5 stars. reviewed elsewhere.
"The Beast with Five Fingers" by W.F. Harvey
3 stars. amusing, well-written, utterly absurd. a hand removed from a recently deceased old man stalks and torments that man's nephew. the first half, detailing the extraordinary old man and then the messages his right hand writes as he sleeps unawares... quite absorbing and not a little chilling. but when the old man dies and the hand becomes a little monster, hurtling around a mansion, killing a parrot, etc, all of which the nephew and his secretary react to with dry amusement and then increasing anxiety... a little too farcical for my tastes.
"The Mass of Shadows" by Anatole France
2 stars. rather lovely but very, very slight story of an elderly woman meeting her first love at a spectral mass, and the judgmental spirits in attendance.
"What Was It?" by Fitz-James O'Brien
3 stars. odd and fun. residents of a boarding house move into a haunted house as a lark, two of them poetical opium-smokers, one of thse two encountering a ghost - maybe? encountering a something. a small, man-shaped something, dropping from the ceiling to grapple and throttle. an invisible something, captured. what was it? the light of day reveals nothing; it remains invisible. this presents... difficulties. O'Brien's story was a minor but still unique experience for me. nicely descriptive, light in tone, and a unique creature. I also enjoyed our protagonist's open delight about being in an opium daze - that was unusual.
"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot" by Ambrose Bierce
1 star. cranky Bierce puts together an off-kilter story of vengeance from beyond the grave. unfortunately, I just don't enjoy it when rich young assholes get away with being rich young assholes. and the long description of the murderer was weird, as if Bierce was agreeing with the assholes that a misshapen appearance means something is wrong inside too. I'm surprised at you Bierce, you're better than that.
"The Shell of Sense" by Olivia Howard Dunbar
3 stars. another unique experience for me. Dunbar's tale is told from the perspective of a freshly dead ghost, watching aghast as her mourning husband and quiet sister find solace in each other's arms. the ghost turns jealous, then contrite. rather overwritten but still enjoyable. nice bits about how Mrs. Ghost finds she no longer appreciates the strong sunlight of daytime.
"The Woman at Seven Brothers" by Wilbur Daniel Steele
2 stars. a bored young bride of a boring old lighthouse keeper imagines, in her boredom, the deaths of others on the rocks below. once dead, she returns to flirt and to moan and to act quite sinister. a minor tale told with unbecoming hysteria by the lighthouse keeper's assistant. off to the madhouse with you, young man! maybe you shouldn't be so judgy about a bored young bride's plight.
"At the Gate" by Myla Jo Closser
3 stars. probably deserves a lower rating, but I am a soft-hearted fool when it comes to animals, especially dogs (and I suppose cats). anyway, this cute little bit of treacle is about dogs waiting for their masters at the Pearly Gates. aww.
"Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe
5 stars, of course. it was pure pleasure rereading this gorgeous, necrophilic classic.
"The Haunted Orchard" by Richard Le Gallienne
2 stars. lovely but extremely mawkish tale of a man briefly haunted by the ghost of a lovelorn teenage girl. the most interesting part of the story - the idea that the girl was possibly a reincarnated Frenchwoman, thus explaining her wayward interests (lol?) - was unfortunately only briefly touched upon. prose was quite pleasant though.
"The Bowmen" by Arthur Machen
2 stars. apparently Machen himself was embarrassed by this sentimental war fantasy, in which knights of St. George come to the rescue of English soldiers during the Great War, harried as they are by the "heathen" German army. he was right to be embarrassed.
"A Ghost" by Guy De Maupassant
2 stars. man meets old friend and is given assignment. assignment involves going to old mansion. in old mansion is found a ghostly lady. the lady needs her hair to be combed. not exactly the most compelling story to round out this collection.
read this book for free via Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15143
July 29, 2011
From my review at Badelynge
This collection of fifteen famous ghost stories edited by Dorothy Scarborough was first published in 1921. Only about half of the stories have survived the past century with any notoriety intact. Scarborough's selection process was quite wide and loose with the term ghost. Most of the stories are drawn from American publications of the time, the Harper brothers gaining the biggest slice of the publishing credits. Gems for me are:
* The Willows by Algernon Blackwood, more a novella than a short story but one of the great horror stories of the 20th Century.
* The Beast With Five Fingers by W.F. Harvey - A very creepy story about a possessed severed hand. This story spawned two feature films.
* The Woman at Seven Brothers by Wilbur Daniel Steele - Very atmospheric ghost story set on a remote lighthouse. I admit I have a love of lighthouses and relish any story well told from its windy staircases, lamp-rooms and common rooms. This story is a little traditional but still well told.
* Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe - Poe shows off his sumptuous use of the English language, penning on the layers of creepiness with aplomb. Some of Poe's stories are worth reading just for the use of language alone: e.g. 'blacker than the raven wings of midnight'. Brilliant.
The rest of the stories range from quite good to quite trite. None of them are particularly bad but some seem to have been added to raise the story count. There are also a few oddities worth a read like Myla Jo Closser's At the Gate. The image of all the faithful dogs waiting patiently at the gates of Heaven for their owners to arrive is quite moving. None of the dogs will go through without their owners.
This collection of fifteen famous ghost stories edited by Dorothy Scarborough was first published in 1921. Only about half of the stories have survived the past century with any notoriety intact. Scarborough's selection process was quite wide and loose with the term ghost. Most of the stories are drawn from American publications of the time, the Harper brothers gaining the biggest slice of the publishing credits. Gems for me are:
* The Willows by Algernon Blackwood, more a novella than a short story but one of the great horror stories of the 20th Century.
* The Beast With Five Fingers by W.F. Harvey - A very creepy story about a possessed severed hand. This story spawned two feature films.
* The Woman at Seven Brothers by Wilbur Daniel Steele - Very atmospheric ghost story set on a remote lighthouse. I admit I have a love of lighthouses and relish any story well told from its windy staircases, lamp-rooms and common rooms. This story is a little traditional but still well told.
* Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe - Poe shows off his sumptuous use of the English language, penning on the layers of creepiness with aplomb. Some of Poe's stories are worth reading just for the use of language alone: e.g. 'blacker than the raven wings of midnight'. Brilliant.
The rest of the stories range from quite good to quite trite. None of them are particularly bad but some seem to have been added to raise the story count. There are also a few oddities worth a read like Myla Jo Closser's At the Gate. The image of all the faithful dogs waiting patiently at the gates of Heaven for their owners to arrive is quite moving. None of the dogs will go through without their owners.
June 23, 2012
Famous Modern Ghost Stories, edited by Dorothy Scarborough and published in 1921, is a diverse collection of tales that could, very loosely, be called “ghost stories”. The fact is, a good number of the stories are not about ghosts at all. Nonetheless, this foray into the supernatural offers some fun times for those who, like me, enjoy a good scare. Since the stories are so varied and different, I’m going to briefly review each one and give ratings for each story rather than for the book as a whole.
“The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood
This story was terrifying. Two friends trekking down the Danube River together end up camping one night on a tiny lonely island populated only by a grove of willow trees. As they witness bizarre visions and sink deeper into denial, it becomes clear that some force is keeping them on the island. A force beyond their human reckoning. This story rivaled anything ever written by H.P. Lovecraft, and it is easy to see why Lovecraft named Blackwood as one of his influences. 5/5 stars
“The Shadows on the Wall” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
While a woman with her sister mourns her dead husband, the two ladies begin to wonder if their abusive brother of had something to do with the death. When the shadow of the dead man begins appearing on the wall it’s only a matter of time until the truth comes out. 3/5 stars
“The Messenger” by Robert W. Chambers
In France, some working men uncover a pile of 38 skulls buried with a list of names. The skulls are those of English soldiers who were killed invading France in 1760. Interestingly the list mentions 39 skulls, and even more interestingly, the list is written in Breton, a language that has not been used for hundreds of years with the exception of one man. The Black Priest, an unorthodox holy man, betrayed his countrymen and was branded on the forehead and put to death, supposedly buried along with the English soldiers. Now Dick, an American and husband of a French noblewoman, is faced with unraveling an old family curse before it is too late. This was a very scary and extremely well-written story that should be made into a movie. 5/5 stars
“Lazarus” by Leonid Andreyev
Wait; wait. A Russian author writing a depressing story? Who would have guessed? This is one of the weaker stories in the collection. It’s not particularly a ghost story at all. It’s about Lazarus, the same one Jesus raised from the dead. Apparently after his resuscitation, he became a morose and creepy man, plagued by the curse of death. People who met him became depressed for the rest of their lives because life is depressing and death is worse. Suffer, suffer, suffer. Pain, pain, pain. Am I being deep and meaningful yet? Okay, so I should probably appreciate Russian literature more. However, since this wasn’t a particularly engaging or interesting story, I’m giving it 2/5 stars
“The Beast with Five Fingers” by W. F. Harvey
This was probably really fresh when it was written, but since then it has been driven into the ground by Hollywood B-Movies. A young man visiting his ailing grandfather finds out that granddad has a bad case of alien hand syndrome. His hand writes notes to the young man while the old man is asleep. Soon after the old man dies, a package arrives at the young man’s house. Apparently a note was found by the dead man’s bedside in his own handwriting requesting that upon his death, his hand be cut off and mailed to his grandson. What happens next is not for those with weak stomachs. 3/5 stars
"The Mass of Shadows" by Anatole France
A lady goes to Mass in her local church with a bunch of dead people! This is a light story, not scary but strangely beautiful and like a real folk tale. It reminds me of stories my granddad tells. 4/5 stars
"What Was It?" by Fitz-James O'Brien
This was an interesting idea. A ghost that is totally corporeal but completely invisible haunts a group of supernatural enthusiasts in an old ramshackle apartment building. The idea seems interesting, but the ending is weak. 3/5 stars
"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot" by Ambrose Bierce
This story is wonderful. It’s not really scary, but it’s very fun and clever. I can’t say too much about the plot without giving the whole thing away; the plot is rather short. However, this seems like a real folk ghost tale that may spring up in a small town, and sounds like some of the old folk tales that did exist in the town where I grew up. 4/5 stars
"The Shell of Sense" by Olivia Howard Dunbar
This was good but not great. The entire story is told from the perspective of a ghost who has left behind a grieving husband. Unfortunately the grieving husband finds comfort in his dead wife’s best friend. And, of course, his dead wife is not very happy about this turn of events. It’s not often that the story of a haunting is told from a ghost’s perspective and the author does a good job of making the reader identify with the ghost. ? 4/5 stars
"The Woman at Seven Brothers" by Wilbur Daniel Steele
The claustrophobic atmosphere in this story was absolutely oppressive. The author is an expert at building a certain mood and straining it to the breaking point. A youngish man comes to work as an assistant to a lighthouse operator. The lighthouse is in the middle of a bay, and due to the location, the residents rarely leave the lighthouse to go to the mainland. The younger wife of the lighthouse operator takes a fancy to our protagonist, a fancy which he does not return. However, there is something distinctly odd about the woman. 5/5 stars
"At the Gate" by Myla Jo Closser
This was a sweet story about dead dogs going to heaven. That’s really it. It sounds like a silly premise for a story, but is turns out to be really good. It reminds me a bit of the film Dean Spanley, which you should definitely see if you haven’t. 5/5 stars
"Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe
What can I say about this absolute masterpiece of gothic fiction? It’s Poe, so you know it’s good, and if you haven’t read it then go do so right now! This instant; you hear me?! 5/5 stars
"The Haunted Orchard" by Richard Le Gallienne
This story had so much promise. A man from the city in New England finds a charming abandoned house and manages to convince the reluctant owners to rent it to him for the summer. However, there is a reason the owners were reluctant to rent the house, and ghostly things ensue. There was little character development in the story and I couldn’t muster enough feeling to care for the protagonist or the unfortunate ghost. 2/5 stars
"The Bowmen" by Arthur Machen
Medieval English bowmen show up in World War I to help their descendants fight the Germans. This was an okay story. It was still pretty ho-hum. If I knew this were based on a real legend and not one invented just for this story it would be be more interesting. 3/5 stars
"A Ghost" by Guy de Maupassant
Such a simple little story. A man meets a friend he hasn’t seen in years and finds his health ruined his wife dead. He agrees to return to the man’s manor house to retrieve some personal papers, as the man says the place holds too many sad memories for him to return himself. Guess who our protagonist meets in the man’s bedroom? You guessed it. This story is subdued and quiet in its telling. But it is also creepy as all get-out because it seems so real. No explanation is ever given. Nothing is neatly tied up. It just happens in a very naturalistic setting and leaves your skin crawling. This was a great story to end the collection. 5/5 stars
“The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood
This story was terrifying. Two friends trekking down the Danube River together end up camping one night on a tiny lonely island populated only by a grove of willow trees. As they witness bizarre visions and sink deeper into denial, it becomes clear that some force is keeping them on the island. A force beyond their human reckoning. This story rivaled anything ever written by H.P. Lovecraft, and it is easy to see why Lovecraft named Blackwood as one of his influences. 5/5 stars
“The Shadows on the Wall” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
While a woman with her sister mourns her dead husband, the two ladies begin to wonder if their abusive brother of had something to do with the death. When the shadow of the dead man begins appearing on the wall it’s only a matter of time until the truth comes out. 3/5 stars
“The Messenger” by Robert W. Chambers
In France, some working men uncover a pile of 38 skulls buried with a list of names. The skulls are those of English soldiers who were killed invading France in 1760. Interestingly the list mentions 39 skulls, and even more interestingly, the list is written in Breton, a language that has not been used for hundreds of years with the exception of one man. The Black Priest, an unorthodox holy man, betrayed his countrymen and was branded on the forehead and put to death, supposedly buried along with the English soldiers. Now Dick, an American and husband of a French noblewoman, is faced with unraveling an old family curse before it is too late. This was a very scary and extremely well-written story that should be made into a movie. 5/5 stars
“Lazarus” by Leonid Andreyev
Wait; wait. A Russian author writing a depressing story? Who would have guessed? This is one of the weaker stories in the collection. It’s not particularly a ghost story at all. It’s about Lazarus, the same one Jesus raised from the dead. Apparently after his resuscitation, he became a morose and creepy man, plagued by the curse of death. People who met him became depressed for the rest of their lives because life is depressing and death is worse. Suffer, suffer, suffer. Pain, pain, pain. Am I being deep and meaningful yet? Okay, so I should probably appreciate Russian literature more. However, since this wasn’t a particularly engaging or interesting story, I’m giving it 2/5 stars
“The Beast with Five Fingers” by W. F. Harvey
This was probably really fresh when it was written, but since then it has been driven into the ground by Hollywood B-Movies. A young man visiting his ailing grandfather finds out that granddad has a bad case of alien hand syndrome. His hand writes notes to the young man while the old man is asleep. Soon after the old man dies, a package arrives at the young man’s house. Apparently a note was found by the dead man’s bedside in his own handwriting requesting that upon his death, his hand be cut off and mailed to his grandson. What happens next is not for those with weak stomachs. 3/5 stars
"The Mass of Shadows" by Anatole France
A lady goes to Mass in her local church with a bunch of dead people! This is a light story, not scary but strangely beautiful and like a real folk tale. It reminds me of stories my granddad tells. 4/5 stars
"What Was It?" by Fitz-James O'Brien
This was an interesting idea. A ghost that is totally corporeal but completely invisible haunts a group of supernatural enthusiasts in an old ramshackle apartment building. The idea seems interesting, but the ending is weak. 3/5 stars
"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot" by Ambrose Bierce
This story is wonderful. It’s not really scary, but it’s very fun and clever. I can’t say too much about the plot without giving the whole thing away; the plot is rather short. However, this seems like a real folk ghost tale that may spring up in a small town, and sounds like some of the old folk tales that did exist in the town where I grew up. 4/5 stars
"The Shell of Sense" by Olivia Howard Dunbar
This was good but not great. The entire story is told from the perspective of a ghost who has left behind a grieving husband. Unfortunately the grieving husband finds comfort in his dead wife’s best friend. And, of course, his dead wife is not very happy about this turn of events. It’s not often that the story of a haunting is told from a ghost’s perspective and the author does a good job of making the reader identify with the ghost. ? 4/5 stars
"The Woman at Seven Brothers" by Wilbur Daniel Steele
The claustrophobic atmosphere in this story was absolutely oppressive. The author is an expert at building a certain mood and straining it to the breaking point. A youngish man comes to work as an assistant to a lighthouse operator. The lighthouse is in the middle of a bay, and due to the location, the residents rarely leave the lighthouse to go to the mainland. The younger wife of the lighthouse operator takes a fancy to our protagonist, a fancy which he does not return. However, there is something distinctly odd about the woman. 5/5 stars
"At the Gate" by Myla Jo Closser
This was a sweet story about dead dogs going to heaven. That’s really it. It sounds like a silly premise for a story, but is turns out to be really good. It reminds me a bit of the film Dean Spanley, which you should definitely see if you haven’t. 5/5 stars
"Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe
What can I say about this absolute masterpiece of gothic fiction? It’s Poe, so you know it’s good, and if you haven’t read it then go do so right now! This instant; you hear me?! 5/5 stars
"The Haunted Orchard" by Richard Le Gallienne
This story had so much promise. A man from the city in New England finds a charming abandoned house and manages to convince the reluctant owners to rent it to him for the summer. However, there is a reason the owners were reluctant to rent the house, and ghostly things ensue. There was little character development in the story and I couldn’t muster enough feeling to care for the protagonist or the unfortunate ghost. 2/5 stars
"The Bowmen" by Arthur Machen
Medieval English bowmen show up in World War I to help their descendants fight the Germans. This was an okay story. It was still pretty ho-hum. If I knew this were based on a real legend and not one invented just for this story it would be be more interesting. 3/5 stars
"A Ghost" by Guy de Maupassant
Such a simple little story. A man meets a friend he hasn’t seen in years and finds his health ruined his wife dead. He agrees to return to the man’s manor house to retrieve some personal papers, as the man says the place holds too many sad memories for him to return himself. Guess who our protagonist meets in the man’s bedroom? You guessed it. This story is subdued and quiet in its telling. But it is also creepy as all get-out because it seems so real. No explanation is ever given. Nothing is neatly tied up. It just happens in a very naturalistic setting and leaves your skin crawling. This was a great story to end the collection. 5/5 stars
May 28, 2014
It's sometimes both awesome and awful to return to the classics and see where the roots of horror lie, and this anthology is no exception. Since we live in an age where we suffer from an overabundance of information, it is far easier for authors to gain an understanding of the trends within particular genres.
Having read this collection of short fiction, I can clearly judge how the genre has grown in depth and, also, has devolved. That which is it's boon in contemporary times is also its curse. Not all stories that are released onto today's market are ready for publication.
And, likewise, looking back at the stories in this volume, not all of the tales are paragons of literary greatness. That being said, I do believe it important for us to be able to look backward and see how far we have come. The short story, as a form, is so vital to fiction, since it creates a literary snapshot of a time and place. And especially so to those who're interested in a particular era.
So, Famous Modern Ghost Stories is a bit of a mixed bag. If I'm going to be objective, I'll state flat out that some of the authors come across like people I probably wouldn't want to hang out with in present times. There were, however, a number of stories that did stand out from the pack.
"The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood deserves its place in the classics section. What starts out as a travelogue in the spirit of high adventure, quickly decays into a tense and decidedly weird and frightening dilemma. The creeping horror is not so much the supernatural phenomena, but rather Blackwood's fantastic evocation of the environment. His world building is masterful, and I got sweaty palms at the parts where the characters were in a race against nature's inexorable flow. It's man versus environment, and the realisation that there is little to separate us from complete catastrophe.
"Lazarus" by Leonid Andreyev is unrelenting in its crushing misery. To be honest, I was startled by the choice in subject matter, of taking a biblical story and subverting it so. Therein lay the horror. Sometimes the dead should remain dead.
"Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe, of course, is a treat in all his wonderful wordiness, followed closely by another favourite (and highly underrated) Guy de Maupassant, whose "A Ghost" is suitably atmospheric.
The majority of the other stories didn't really grab me by my short and curlies. There were even a few where I sat back and asked, "What's the point?" We really have come far with the short story as a form.
So, my advice—this slim tome will interest those who would like to dip into vintage horror for the first time or who would like to lay hands on a particular story. I certainly enjoyed this collection and feel it's a keeper that has pointed me in the direction of further reading.
Having read this collection of short fiction, I can clearly judge how the genre has grown in depth and, also, has devolved. That which is it's boon in contemporary times is also its curse. Not all stories that are released onto today's market are ready for publication.
And, likewise, looking back at the stories in this volume, not all of the tales are paragons of literary greatness. That being said, I do believe it important for us to be able to look backward and see how far we have come. The short story, as a form, is so vital to fiction, since it creates a literary snapshot of a time and place. And especially so to those who're interested in a particular era.
So, Famous Modern Ghost Stories is a bit of a mixed bag. If I'm going to be objective, I'll state flat out that some of the authors come across like people I probably wouldn't want to hang out with in present times. There were, however, a number of stories that did stand out from the pack.
"The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood deserves its place in the classics section. What starts out as a travelogue in the spirit of high adventure, quickly decays into a tense and decidedly weird and frightening dilemma. The creeping horror is not so much the supernatural phenomena, but rather Blackwood's fantastic evocation of the environment. His world building is masterful, and I got sweaty palms at the parts where the characters were in a race against nature's inexorable flow. It's man versus environment, and the realisation that there is little to separate us from complete catastrophe.
"Lazarus" by Leonid Andreyev is unrelenting in its crushing misery. To be honest, I was startled by the choice in subject matter, of taking a biblical story and subverting it so. Therein lay the horror. Sometimes the dead should remain dead.
"Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe, of course, is a treat in all his wonderful wordiness, followed closely by another favourite (and highly underrated) Guy de Maupassant, whose "A Ghost" is suitably atmospheric.
The majority of the other stories didn't really grab me by my short and curlies. There were even a few where I sat back and asked, "What's the point?" We really have come far with the short story as a form.
So, my advice—this slim tome will interest those who would like to dip into vintage horror for the first time or who would like to lay hands on a particular story. I certainly enjoyed this collection and feel it's a keeper that has pointed me in the direction of further reading.
March 22, 2018
3.5* review tomorrow
September 25, 2024
Introduction: The Imperishable Ghost • essay by Dorothy Scarborough 4⭐
The Willows • (1907) by Algernon Blackwood 5⭐
The Shadows on the Wall • (1903) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman 4.25⭐
The Messenger • [Dick Darrel • 3] • (1897) by Robert W. Chambers 3⭐
Lazarus • (1918) by Leonid Andreyev 4⭐
The Beast with Five Fingers • (1919) by William Fryer Harvey 4⭐
The Mass of Shadows • (1908) by Anatole France 4⭐
What Was It? • (1859) by Fitz-James O'Brien 4⭐
The Middle Toe of the Right Foot • (1890) by Ambrose Bierce 3.5⭐
The Shell of Sense • (1908) by Olivia Howard Dunbar 3.5⭐
The Woman at Seven Brothers • (1917) by Wilbur Daniel Steele 4.5⭐
At the Gate • (1917) by Myla Jo Closser 4⭐
Ligeia • (1838) by Edgar Allan Poe 5⭐
The Haunted Orchard • (1912) by Richard Le Gallienne 4⭐
The Bowmen • (1914) by Arthur Machen 3⭐
A Ghost by Guy de Maupassant (trans. of Apparition 1883) 4.25⭐
The Willows • (1907) by Algernon Blackwood 5⭐
The Shadows on the Wall • (1903) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman 4.25⭐
The Messenger • [Dick Darrel • 3] • (1897) by Robert W. Chambers 3⭐
Lazarus • (1918) by Leonid Andreyev 4⭐
The Beast with Five Fingers • (1919) by William Fryer Harvey 4⭐
The Mass of Shadows • (1908) by Anatole France 4⭐
What Was It? • (1859) by Fitz-James O'Brien 4⭐
The Middle Toe of the Right Foot • (1890) by Ambrose Bierce 3.5⭐
The Shell of Sense • (1908) by Olivia Howard Dunbar 3.5⭐
The Woman at Seven Brothers • (1917) by Wilbur Daniel Steele 4.5⭐
At the Gate • (1917) by Myla Jo Closser 4⭐
Ligeia • (1838) by Edgar Allan Poe 5⭐
The Haunted Orchard • (1912) by Richard Le Gallienne 4⭐
The Bowmen • (1914) by Arthur Machen 3⭐
A Ghost by Guy de Maupassant (trans. of Apparition 1883) 4.25⭐
February 6, 2014
This was actually really good. It's a free ebook with supernatural horror stories that's available for free from Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15143?
The title is a bit deceptive though. The stories date from 1900-1910 so they're not really modern. The first story is one of my favorites of all time, The Willows by Algernon Blackwood. Other favorites include What Was It?, The Messenger, and The Beast with Five Fingers.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15143?
The title is a bit deceptive though. The stories date from 1900-1910 so they're not really modern. The first story is one of my favorites of all time, The Willows by Algernon Blackwood. Other favorites include What Was It?, The Messenger, and The Beast with Five Fingers.
October 10, 2012
Some excellent public domain literary horror -- read it yourself, if you don't believe me!: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15143
And if you want something ghostly but sweet, start with this one that proves that all dogs really do go to heaven: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15143/...
And if you want something ghostly but sweet, start with this one that proves that all dogs really do go to heaven: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15143/...
January 4, 2019
Enjoyable short stories, but most of them are not scary at all! The first story gave me some delicious chills, and the rest while interesting and diverse, were not exactly of the mood I was seeking for.
My favorite is the ghost story about dog heaven. Aww! So adorable I wanted to cry. We don't deserve dogs 😭
My favorite is the ghost story about dog heaven. Aww! So adorable I wanted to cry. We don't deserve dogs 😭
July 20, 2009
Some of these stories chilled me to the bone, while others were slightly scary and a little confusing. Good book!
July 31, 2017
Excellent collection of creepy ghost stories from some of the most notable names of early horror fiction.
July 7, 2017
In continuing my search for readable Gothic tales for 10th graders, I came across this collection of short stories which is in the public domain.
Famous Modern Ghost Stories, is kind of a laugh as a title. Having been published in 1921, it's hardly modern, and I hadn't heard of any of the stories in the collection, though I was familiar with some of the authors, so I would hardly say they are famous.
Apparently there's a longer version of this collection with a few stories that didn't make it into the version I read; there's a Poe story called "Ligeia" that I was missing, and another called "The Beast With Five Fingers" - I don't know why the version I read didn't include these stories.
I used to love creepy collections like this when I was younger. I checked them out from our local library and read some of them over and over again. One of them in particular contained a story called "The Toy Killer", about a mother that would destroy her son's toys that always gave me the creeps (I think this story is the genesis of my obsession with stories about Munchausen's syndrome by proxy). I can't find the name or author of that collection, but I remember how much I loved reading horror stories, and how scared I used to be to go to the bathroom at night after reading them.
This particular collection was a little thin on real chills; there was a sweet little story about dogs waiting for their owner's at the gates of heaven ("At the Gate" by Myla Jo Closser), another kind of sweet one about a ghost letting go of her former husband, and giving her blessing to his marrying her sister ("The Shell of Sense" by Olivia Howard Dunbar), and a cute story where a man puts to rest the ghost of young lovers ("The Haunted Orchard" by Richard Le Gallienne).
My hopes were high when I saw that Guy de Maupassant, author of the dark, ironic story "The Necklace", had a story in the collection. However, his story, "A Ghost", is one of the dumbest ghost stories I have ever read. Basically, the main character sees a ghost (so I guess it's aptly named) and then combs her hair. I feel like I missed something; perhaps it was written in French originally and something was lost in translation, because it seemed aimless to me.
"Lazarus" by Leonid Adreyev, is a creepy, atmospheric, zombie story that kind of touches on the same theme as Stephen King's Pet Sematary, namely, the sometimes death is better and more merciful than life. If you're familiar with the Bible, you will recognize Lazarus as the man Jesus raised from the dead in the book of John. This story is a meditation on what might have happened afterward. I personally thought it was a bit overlong, and it wasn't my cup of tea, but it did create a tense mood and atmosphere throughout.
The best of the collection is Algernon Blackwood's "The Willows." Although it too, suffers from being overly long (I actually skimmed the first 15-20 pages and basically missed NOTHING)- I started reading in earnest when the two main characters land on an island full of creepy willow trees and weird stuff starts to happen. If you're the type of reader who wants to know "what actually happened", (i.e., if you're the type of person who hates shows like Lost or The X-Files for not tying up all loose ends and answering all questions) then this is not the story for you. The willows are merely described as a place where the fabric between worlds/dimensions is thin and something - something malevolent - is trying to get through from the other side. It's also a great bottleneck story; the main characters are stuck on an island with a rising tide and are continually plagued by problems- losing their steering paddle, finding a hole in their canoe, etc., that keep them from leaving. This story is the longest of the collection and at 139 pages (at least in the digital version) it is really more of a novelette than a short story.
Overall, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to students who aren't experienced, high level readers. You need to be the type of reader who can expertly skim in order to get to the best parts, otherwise you will probably be bored as the pacing is certainly not ideal for modern readers.
Famous Modern Ghost Stories, is kind of a laugh as a title. Having been published in 1921, it's hardly modern, and I hadn't heard of any of the stories in the collection, though I was familiar with some of the authors, so I would hardly say they are famous.
Apparently there's a longer version of this collection with a few stories that didn't make it into the version I read; there's a Poe story called "Ligeia" that I was missing, and another called "The Beast With Five Fingers" - I don't know why the version I read didn't include these stories.
I used to love creepy collections like this when I was younger. I checked them out from our local library and read some of them over and over again. One of them in particular contained a story called "The Toy Killer", about a mother that would destroy her son's toys that always gave me the creeps (I think this story is the genesis of my obsession with stories about Munchausen's syndrome by proxy). I can't find the name or author of that collection, but I remember how much I loved reading horror stories, and how scared I used to be to go to the bathroom at night after reading them.
This particular collection was a little thin on real chills; there was a sweet little story about dogs waiting for their owner's at the gates of heaven ("At the Gate" by Myla Jo Closser), another kind of sweet one about a ghost letting go of her former husband, and giving her blessing to his marrying her sister ("The Shell of Sense" by Olivia Howard Dunbar), and a cute story where a man puts to rest the ghost of young lovers ("The Haunted Orchard" by Richard Le Gallienne).
My hopes were high when I saw that Guy de Maupassant, author of the dark, ironic story "The Necklace", had a story in the collection. However, his story, "A Ghost", is one of the dumbest ghost stories I have ever read. Basically, the main character sees a ghost (so I guess it's aptly named) and then combs her hair. I feel like I missed something; perhaps it was written in French originally and something was lost in translation, because it seemed aimless to me.
"Lazarus" by Leonid Adreyev, is a creepy, atmospheric, zombie story that kind of touches on the same theme as Stephen King's Pet Sematary, namely, the sometimes death is better and more merciful than life. If you're familiar with the Bible, you will recognize Lazarus as the man Jesus raised from the dead in the book of John. This story is a meditation on what might have happened afterward. I personally thought it was a bit overlong, and it wasn't my cup of tea, but it did create a tense mood and atmosphere throughout.
The best of the collection is Algernon Blackwood's "The Willows." Although it too, suffers from being overly long (I actually skimmed the first 15-20 pages and basically missed NOTHING)- I started reading in earnest when the two main characters land on an island full of creepy willow trees and weird stuff starts to happen. If you're the type of reader who wants to know "what actually happened", (i.e., if you're the type of person who hates shows like Lost or The X-Files for not tying up all loose ends and answering all questions) then this is not the story for you. The willows are merely described as a place where the fabric between worlds/dimensions is thin and something - something malevolent - is trying to get through from the other side. It's also a great bottleneck story; the main characters are stuck on an island with a rising tide and are continually plagued by problems- losing their steering paddle, finding a hole in their canoe, etc., that keep them from leaving. This story is the longest of the collection and at 139 pages (at least in the digital version) it is really more of a novelette than a short story.
Overall, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to students who aren't experienced, high level readers. You need to be the type of reader who can expertly skim in order to get to the best parts, otherwise you will probably be bored as the pacing is certainly not ideal for modern readers.
November 3, 2017
Compiled in the 20s and prefaced by a rambling introduction, it's hard to say just what constitutes "modern" here. Post-War perhaps? It may be that only a couple of the stories are traditional, romantic tales of lingering shades, while others take off from the concept of ghost to pursue wilder ends. I hadn't read "The Beast with Five Fingers" since I was a child and found it a really terrific story now -- the materiality of the marauding hand is deliberately comical and the story's tone razor sharp. I also appreciated revisitng Andreyev's "Lazarus," a telling of the oldest Walking Dead fable. On the whole, an amusing collection, about half of the stories commonly anthologized and the other half interesting if only for their inclusion.
September 11, 2025
I've read this collection multiple times - it's great. "Lazarus" is amazing, and so is the build up of "The Woman at Seven Brothers"...actually most of the stories are really engaging (I'm ignoring the shmaltzy dog story). I would have given it 5 stars, but I'm lukewarm on "The Willows" - I like the idea of an environment (and THEE environment) being the antagonist, but personally I don't find it very effective.
May 17, 2018
The problem with books that have multiple contributors is that I can't individually rate each one. Some of the stories (particularly the one by Ambrose Bierce) were phenomenal. Others, however, were pretty boring. Overall, I'd say it's an average collection.
February 13, 2026
This book suffers from language of the 19th century or it is my weak understanding of said words collected in suffering sentences and weakly woven paragraphs. Understanding what I read is my problem alone.
November 25, 2017
Good collection of a variety of old ghost stories. Liked some, wished others had been in it. Worth a read tho.
August 24, 2018
A good collection of short ghost stories. I especially loved "At the Gate", and "The Middle Toe of the Right Foot" is a classic.
December 9, 2018
Beyond the story "The Willows," the other stories were okay but not exceptional.
January 6, 2019
Some good stories in this one, including some which were new to me, and some old favourites. I think what sets this apart is Dorothy Scarborough's lovely introduction. Definitely worth a read.
May 25, 2020
The quality of the stories varies tremendously, leading to a bit of a hodgepodge. A shame to eclipse a bunch of great stories due to other lacklustre ones.
March 16, 2021
Classics all
These stories are written in a style of another time. The intricacies of their characters and endings are enjoyable. If your interests are for graphic violence you will be disappointed.
These stories are written in a style of another time. The intricacies of their characters and endings are enjoyable. If your interests are for graphic violence you will be disappointed.
October 27, 2021
Entertaining set of ghost stories. Some were familiar and some I got to read for the first time.
November 4, 2021
Very good selection of stories. Since "modern" meant 1920, many of these stories were not familiar to me.
July 15, 2022
read some really creepy supernatural stories after a long time!
August 10, 2022
Stories you may have never heard before
I loved the story about the dog when retelling the story tou sister I cried. There were other good stories. That being mu favorite.
I loved the story about the dog when retelling the story tou sister I cried. There were other good stories. That being mu favorite.
August 15, 2024
A varied collection in quality - some good, some eh in my opinion. My favorites were The Mass of Shadows, At the Gate, The Beast with Five Fingers
Currently reading
October 19, 2024The Shadows on the Wall is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
The Shell of Sense is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
The Shell of Sense is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
December 26, 2015
These stories date from a century ago, and reflect the writing style of their time. They are wordy and slow-moving compared to our contemporary fiction, and often don't fit the narrative structures which modern readers expect. The typical story here takes at least half its length to introduce the characters and set up the situation, and may spend pages in plodding description. Poe's "Ligeia," for example, spends nearly 20% of its length merely describing the title character's appearance. The tools of popular fiction writers of 1890-1920 no longer produce the results they used to.
Despite the book's title, not all of these are ghost stories, although all could be classified as speculative fiction. A majority would be called horror. "The Willows," "Lazarus," "The Messenger," and "The Woman at Seven Brothers" are the best of the lot.
"The Willows," Algernon Blackwood. Psychological horror in a European wilderness, as close to science fiction as to the supernatural. Hints of Lovecraftian themes. Effective and intriguing, but a bit too long for its subject matter. H.P. Lovecraft himself praises this story in his essay, "Supernatural Horror in Literature."
"The Shadows on the Wall," Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. Interesting idea, and nice double twist at the end, but turgid prose and uninvolving characters.
"The Messenger," Robert W. Chambers. Feels like a chapter from a longer work. Engaging prose style, colorful Breton setting and cast, and a lively supporting female character in Lys. Although he dabbled in horror early in his career, Chambers made his fortune writing costume romances for women, and this story displays his skill at creating strong female characters.
"Lazarus," Leonid Andreyev. Powerful and disturbing, although it's more an idea than a story, and a deeply Lovecraftian idea, decades before Lovecraft wrote. Also reminiscent of the darker metaphysics of the Lost Generation, as in Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." I hadn't heard of Andreyev, and I was suprised to find a story displaying this level of nihilistic horror emerging from the Belle Époque, when the predominant mood was one of optimism, scientific rationalism, and confidence in human progress. In SHiL, Lovecraft doesn't mention Andreyev, which also surprises me.
"The Beast with Five Fingers," W.F. Harvey. Great idea, interesting characters (an obvious gay male couple, though never identified as such), effective narrative structure, but misses the mark because it can't decide whether to be humor or horror. This story has been the basis for four horror films.
"The Mass of Shadows," Anatole France. A pointless and formless mess, incapable of evoking emotion from the reader. One of several stories in this volume that left me thinking, "Why bother?"
"What Was It?" Fitz-James O'Brien. The writer never tells us what it was, and never tells us why we should care. It definitely wasn't a ghost. Incidentally, this is one three stories in this volume that mention opium-smoking, and one of two in which the main characters actually do it.
"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot," Ambrose Bierce. Strange narrative structure, with an extended flashback, and cheats the reader by concealing the identity of several characters. An unsatisfying mess.
"The Shell of Sense," Olivia Howard Dunbar. Overwritten married life melodrama that happens to include a ghost.
"The Woman at Seven Brothers," Wilbur Daniel Steele. First person narrator with an irritating 'aw shucks' speech pattern, but good pacing, insidiously rising tension, creepy/scary climax and conclusion.
"At the Gate," Myla Jo Closser. Dogs in heaven schmaltz.
"Ligeia," Edgar Allen Poe. A revered story, but I don't get it. No tension, flattened climax, no ideas about its ideas. Another opium-smoking protagonist.
"The Haunted Orchard," Richard Le Gallienne. Like "The Mass of Shadows," a plotless, pointless mess. There's a ghost. Okay, so what? The author has no idea.
"The Bowman," Arthur Machen. World War I fantasy wish-fufillment with ghosts.
"A Ghost," Guy de Maupassant. Another pointless mess. Maupassant has no idea how to end his story or resolve the mystery he's set up, so he doesn't do either. The story just stops. And so does the book.
Despite the book's title, not all of these are ghost stories, although all could be classified as speculative fiction. A majority would be called horror. "The Willows," "Lazarus," "The Messenger," and "The Woman at Seven Brothers" are the best of the lot.
"The Willows," Algernon Blackwood. Psychological horror in a European wilderness, as close to science fiction as to the supernatural. Hints of Lovecraftian themes. Effective and intriguing, but a bit too long for its subject matter. H.P. Lovecraft himself praises this story in his essay, "Supernatural Horror in Literature."
"The Shadows on the Wall," Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. Interesting idea, and nice double twist at the end, but turgid prose and uninvolving characters.
"The Messenger," Robert W. Chambers. Feels like a chapter from a longer work. Engaging prose style, colorful Breton setting and cast, and a lively supporting female character in Lys. Although he dabbled in horror early in his career, Chambers made his fortune writing costume romances for women, and this story displays his skill at creating strong female characters.
"Lazarus," Leonid Andreyev. Powerful and disturbing, although it's more an idea than a story, and a deeply Lovecraftian idea, decades before Lovecraft wrote. Also reminiscent of the darker metaphysics of the Lost Generation, as in Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." I hadn't heard of Andreyev, and I was suprised to find a story displaying this level of nihilistic horror emerging from the Belle Époque, when the predominant mood was one of optimism, scientific rationalism, and confidence in human progress. In SHiL, Lovecraft doesn't mention Andreyev, which also surprises me.
"The Beast with Five Fingers," W.F. Harvey. Great idea, interesting characters (an obvious gay male couple, though never identified as such), effective narrative structure, but misses the mark because it can't decide whether to be humor or horror. This story has been the basis for four horror films.
"The Mass of Shadows," Anatole France. A pointless and formless mess, incapable of evoking emotion from the reader. One of several stories in this volume that left me thinking, "Why bother?"
"What Was It?" Fitz-James O'Brien. The writer never tells us what it was, and never tells us why we should care. It definitely wasn't a ghost. Incidentally, this is one three stories in this volume that mention opium-smoking, and one of two in which the main characters actually do it.
"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot," Ambrose Bierce. Strange narrative structure, with an extended flashback, and cheats the reader by concealing the identity of several characters. An unsatisfying mess.
"The Shell of Sense," Olivia Howard Dunbar. Overwritten married life melodrama that happens to include a ghost.
"The Woman at Seven Brothers," Wilbur Daniel Steele. First person narrator with an irritating 'aw shucks' speech pattern, but good pacing, insidiously rising tension, creepy/scary climax and conclusion.
"At the Gate," Myla Jo Closser. Dogs in heaven schmaltz.
"Ligeia," Edgar Allen Poe. A revered story, but I don't get it. No tension, flattened climax, no ideas about its ideas. Another opium-smoking protagonist.
"The Haunted Orchard," Richard Le Gallienne. Like "The Mass of Shadows," a plotless, pointless mess. There's a ghost. Okay, so what? The author has no idea.
"The Bowman," Arthur Machen. World War I fantasy wish-fufillment with ghosts.
"A Ghost," Guy de Maupassant. Another pointless mess. Maupassant has no idea how to end his story or resolve the mystery he's set up, so he doesn't do either. The story just stops. And so does the book.
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