A Descriptive Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Library of Eton College

by M.R. James

M. R. James (1862–1936) is probably best remembered as a writer of chilling ghost stories, but he was an outstanding scholar of medieval literature and palaeography, who served both as Provost of King's College, Cambridge, and as Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, and many of his stories reflect his academic background. His detailed descriptive catalogues of manuscripts owned by colleges, cathedrals and museums are still of value to scholars today. This volume, first published in 1895, contains James' catalogue of the manuscript holdings of Eton College, where he himself was educated. No catalogue had been published since 1697, when 115 manuscripts were briefly noted; by James' time the collection had grown to 193. James provides information on the donors and the library building before going on to describe the manuscripts and their contents. His book is still sought after and this reissue will be welcomed by librarians and researchers alike.

146 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2010

About the author

Montague Rhodes James, who used the publication name M.R. James, was a noted English mediaeval scholar & provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–18) & of Eton College (1918–36). He's 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 dispensing with many of the formal Gothic trappings of his predecessors, replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

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