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The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories
With their evocative settings amid mists and shadows, in ruinous houses, on lonely roads and wild moorlands, in abandoned churches and over-grown gardens, ghost stories have long exercised a universal fascination. Responding to people's overwhelming attraction to anything frightening, this marvelous anthology of some of the very best English ghost stories combines a serious literary purpose with the simple intention of arousing a pleasurable fear of the doings of the dead.
As the first volume to present the full range and vitality of the ghost fiction tradition, this selection of forty-two stories, written between 1829 and 1968, demonstrates the tradition's historical development, as well as its major themes and characteristics. Though the genre reached its peak in the nineteenth century, it enjoyed a second flowering between the two World Wars and even now still attracts dedicated practitioners and readers. The anthology includes stories by Walter Scott, M. R. James, Bram Stoker, Rudyard Kipling, Edith Wharton, Somerset Maugham, T. H. White, and many others.
According to Edith Wharton, we can judge the success of a story by what she called its "thermometrical quality; if it sends a cold shiver down the spine, it has done its job and done it well." A host of writers have taken up the challenge of succeeding at this most demanding form of literary art, including both "specialists" such as J.S. Le Fanu and Algernon Blackwood, and other writers such as Henry James and H.G. Wells, for whom ghost stories constituted only a portion of their literary output. Stressing the important contribution women writers have made to the genre, the collection also offers eight stories by women, ranging from Amelia Edward's "The Phantom Ghost" (1864) to Elizabeth Bowen's "Hand in Glove" (1952).
The tapestried chamber / Walter Scott --
The phantom coach / Amelia B. Edwards --
Squire Toby's will / J.S. Le Fanu --
The shadow in the corner / M.E. Braddon --
The upper berth / F. Marion Crawford --
A wicked voice / Vernon Lee --
The judge's house / Bram Stoker --
Man-size in marble / E. Nesbit --
The roll-call of the reef / Arthur Quiller-Couch --
The friends of the friends / Henry James --
The red room / H.G. Wells --
The monkey's paw / W.W. Jacobs --
The lost ghost / Mary E. Wilkins --
"Oh, whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad" / M.R. James --
The empty house / Algernon Blackwood --
The cigarette case / Oliver Onions --
Rose Rose / Barry Pain --
The confession of Charles Linkworth / E.F. Benson --
On the Brighton Road / Richard Middleton --
Bone to his bone / E.G. Swain --
The true history of Anthony Ffryar / Arthur Gray --
The Taipan / W. Somerset Maugham --
The victim / May Sinclair --
A visitor from down under / L.P. Hartley --
Fullcircle / John Buchan --
The clock / W.F. Harvey --
Old man's beard / H. Russell Wakefield --
Mr Jones / Edith Wharton --
Smee / A.M. Burrage --
The little ghost / Hugh Walpole --
Ahoy, sailor boy! / A.E. Coppard --
The hollow man / Thomas Burke --
Et in sempiternum pereant / Charles Williams --
Bosworth summit pound / L.T.C. Rolt --
An encounter in the mist / A.N.L. Munby --
Hand in glove / Elizabeth Bowen --
A story of Don Juan / V.S. Pritchett --
Cushi / Charistopher Woodforde --
Bad company / Walter de la Mare --
The bottle of 1912 / Simon Raven --
The Cicerones / Robert Aickman --
Soft voices at Passenham / T.H. White
As the first volume to present the full range and vitality of the ghost fiction tradition, this selection of forty-two stories, written between 1829 and 1968, demonstrates the tradition's historical development, as well as its major themes and characteristics. Though the genre reached its peak in the nineteenth century, it enjoyed a second flowering between the two World Wars and even now still attracts dedicated practitioners and readers. The anthology includes stories by Walter Scott, M. R. James, Bram Stoker, Rudyard Kipling, Edith Wharton, Somerset Maugham, T. H. White, and many others.
According to Edith Wharton, we can judge the success of a story by what she called its "thermometrical quality; if it sends a cold shiver down the spine, it has done its job and done it well." A host of writers have taken up the challenge of succeeding at this most demanding form of literary art, including both "specialists" such as J.S. Le Fanu and Algernon Blackwood, and other writers such as Henry James and H.G. Wells, for whom ghost stories constituted only a portion of their literary output. Stressing the important contribution women writers have made to the genre, the collection also offers eight stories by women, ranging from Amelia Edward's "The Phantom Ghost" (1864) to Elizabeth Bowen's "Hand in Glove" (1952).
The tapestried chamber / Walter Scott --
The phantom coach / Amelia B. Edwards --
Squire Toby's will / J.S. Le Fanu --
The shadow in the corner / M.E. Braddon --
The upper berth / F. Marion Crawford --
A wicked voice / Vernon Lee --
The judge's house / Bram Stoker --
Man-size in marble / E. Nesbit --
The roll-call of the reef / Arthur Quiller-Couch --
The friends of the friends / Henry James --
The red room / H.G. Wells --
The monkey's paw / W.W. Jacobs --
The lost ghost / Mary E. Wilkins --
"Oh, whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad" / M.R. James --
The empty house / Algernon Blackwood --
The cigarette case / Oliver Onions --
Rose Rose / Barry Pain --
The confession of Charles Linkworth / E.F. Benson --
On the Brighton Road / Richard Middleton --
Bone to his bone / E.G. Swain --
The true history of Anthony Ffryar / Arthur Gray --
The Taipan / W. Somerset Maugham --
The victim / May Sinclair --
A visitor from down under / L.P. Hartley --
Fullcircle / John Buchan --
The clock / W.F. Harvey --
Old man's beard / H. Russell Wakefield --
Mr Jones / Edith Wharton --
Smee / A.M. Burrage --
The little ghost / Hugh Walpole --
Ahoy, sailor boy! / A.E. Coppard --
The hollow man / Thomas Burke --
Et in sempiternum pereant / Charles Williams --
Bosworth summit pound / L.T.C. Rolt --
An encounter in the mist / A.N.L. Munby --
Hand in glove / Elizabeth Bowen --
A story of Don Juan / V.S. Pritchett --
Cushi / Charistopher Woodforde --
Bad company / Walter de la Mare --
The bottle of 1912 / Simon Raven --
The Cicerones / Robert Aickman --
Soft voices at Passenham / T.H. White
504 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1918
About the author
Michael Cox
229 books235 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
This is Michael^Cox, where ^=space. (default profile)
About the Author:
Michael Andrew Cox was an English biographer, novelist and musician.
He also held the position of Senior Commissioning Editor of reference books for Oxford University Press.
This is Michael^Cox, where ^=space. (default profile)
About the Author:
Michael Andrew Cox was an English biographer, novelist and musician.
He also held the position of Senior Commissioning Editor of reference books for Oxford University Press.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
May 30, 2010
Note, May 4, 2020: When I read short story collections intermittently over a long period of time, my reactions are similarly written piecemeal, while they're fresh in my mind. That gives the reviews a choppy, and often repetitive, quality. Recently, I had to condense and rearrange one of these into a unified whole because of Goodreads' length limit; and I was so pleased with the result that I decided to give every one of these a similar edit! Accordingly, I've now edited this one.
This anthology collects 42 stories, written between 1829 and 1968. (Where stories by American writers are included, they mostly have British settings/characters, and all follow the formal features of the English tradition.) Oxford Univ. Press, of course, is noted for the literary quality of its anthologies, and this one didn't disappoint on that score! In keeping with the scholarly bent of the publisher, the editors provide a good short introduction to the fictional ghost story, with particular reference to the British Isles --where, as they note, this sub-genre has flowered more fully than in any other country. Not surprisingly, the roster of contributors reads like a roll call of significant writers active in this area over a 140-year span. Individual stories were selected with an eye to the needs both of the seasoned fan and the reader new to ghostly fiction; so both some familiar (to the former) classics and many less widely known works were included. Almost all of them are set in England (including one by an American, Edith Wharton's really outstanding "Mr. Jones"), though Oliver Onions' "The Cigarette Case" is set in Provence. (That one is a very different type of story than his better-known "The Beckoning Fair One," but in its different way, equally effective.) Quality writing, however, was a must for inclusion. While the editors had a preference for malevolent ghosts, not all the stories feature these, and the endings may be happy or tragic (or may feature a grim kind of poetic justice, where vengeful spirits are involved). Where lethal effects are involved, they tend to be from fear or suicide; grisly gore and violence isn't characteristic of this tradition. ("The Victim" has a gory part, but there it's the description of a human murderer disposing of his victim's body that's grisly.) Ghostly manifestations in these stories range from an unnatural inability of candles to stay lit in a particular room to much more overt phenomena.
Sir Walter Scott's "The Tapestried Chamber" is the first selection here (the arrangement is chronological, except for T. H. White's story, which was written in the 1930s but is arranged by the 1981 date of its posthumous publication), as the first example of the kind of story, in style and substance, that shaped the tradition which followed. (The editors mentioned Daniel Defoe's much earlier "True Relation of the Apparition of One Mrs. Veal" --which I've read-- in the introduction, but had good reason not to include it: a didactic, unemotional discussion of the afterlife in good Neoclassical style, it's not what the modern reader is typically looking for in this medium, outside of historical interest.) Like many of the other classics here, I'd read this one elsewhere. Other old acquaintances are Francis Marion Crawford's "The Upper Berth," Stoker's "The Judge's House" --not a place you'd want to visit, except in a story!-- W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," "The Lost Ghost" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (identified here as Mary E. Wilkins), M. R. James' "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad," and Richard Middleton's "On the Brighton Road." Most of these I think I've already commented on or at least mentioned in reviews of the anthologies where I first read them.
My reading here was strictly of tales I hadn't already read. Some of these were by authors I've read before (though sometimes not much of) and others I was encountering for the first time, like Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (whose "The Roll-Call of the Reef" was excellent!). To comment closely on most of the stories would require spoilers, since the effect of many of them depends heavily on the surprise of the denouement. Most of them were at least good and enjoyable, and some especially stood out as polished gems, great stories of their type; others in the latter group include Le Fanu's "Squire Toby's Will," "The Empty House" by Algernon Blackwood (who's a writer I usually think is overrated, but this is one of his better works, an outstanding study of fear), E. Nesbit's "Man-Size in Marble," A. N. L. Munby's "An Encounter in the Mist," E. F. Benson's "The Confession of Charles Linkworth;" Walter De La Mare's "Bad Company;" L. P. Hartley's "A Visitor From Down Under;" A. M. Burrage's "Smee;" H. Russell Wakefield's "Old Man's Beard." and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's "The Shadow in the Corner." Elizabeth Bowen's "Hand in Glove" (which has certain affinities to Henry James' "A Romance of Certain Old Clothes," one of his better works) and Simon Raven's "The Bottle of 1912" were also eminently satisfying --though each in a very different way! E. G. Swain's "Bone to His Bone" and Arthur Gray's "The True History of Anthony Ffryar" show the felicitous influence of M. R. James, with their references to old books and records and antiquarian flavor.
The casual use of the n-word for blacks at one point by a character in Thomas Burke's "The Hollow Man" (1935), a story where the animation of the revenant is due to African tribal magic, is irritating; but as in the works of Twain and Faulkner, it realistically represents the actual speech of the time and place, and that story is one of the most original in the book. Others that are particularly original are May Sinclair's "The Victim" and A. E. Coppard's "Ahoy, Sailor Boy!" (both of which use unorthodox theological premises, but which are nevertheless well-written and manage to make some good points).
IMO, not all of the selections are clearly identifiable as a ghost story as such; Maugham's "The Taipan," set in China, seems to be more a tale about a grim precognition, and the uncanny events of William Fryer Harvey's "The Clock" aren't explained as caused by a ghost (nor explained at all, which is the source of the effect here). But they're both good stories nonetheless!
Robert Aickman's "The Cicerones" didn't work for me; it effectively built an atmosphere of unexplained menace and creepiness, but here the lack of explanation made it to hard for me to suspend disbelief or find any real meaning or satisfaction in the story. IMO, "Ringing the Changes" would have been a better choice for a story to represent this author. The other three stories I didn't get into were all by writers new to me. I was disappointed with Charles Williams' "Et in Sempiternum Pereant;" knowing of his status as an Inkling, I expected much from it, but the premise did not, for me, achieve a suspension of disbelief, and the extreme "interiority" of the style I found reminiscent of Henry James at his worst. (Not being able to read Latin, I got nothing out of the title or the concluding lines in Latin; Williams would no doubt say, with some justification, that this only reflects a lamentable gap in my education, but it's a gap shared by a lot of modern readers, who no longer have the classical background writers of his generation could presuppose.) "A Wicked Voice" by Vernon Lee (whose real name was Violet Paget), a tale of one composer haunted by the malevolent ghost of another, is technically well-crafted; but the intense focus on music and the narrator's musical likes and dislikes lost a lot for me, as a tone deaf person. Readers who aren't tone deaf might well like it, if they can tolerate Lee's fulsome, verbose style here; the latter isn't usually a problem for me, but even I found this one a bit heavy sledding. And I personally didn't care for V. S. Pritchett's "A Story of Don Juan."
After setting this book aside as finished, I realized I never did read the Henry James selection, "The Friends of the Friends." That's a consequence of reading stories in an anthology out of order! However, it's not a terrible consequence; my past experience with James' work leads me suspect that I may not have missed much, and I feel that I did certainly read enough of the book to review and rate it, and to classify it as "read." And virtually all the tales here are well worthwhile for ghost story fans!
This anthology collects 42 stories, written between 1829 and 1968. (Where stories by American writers are included, they mostly have British settings/characters, and all follow the formal features of the English tradition.) Oxford Univ. Press, of course, is noted for the literary quality of its anthologies, and this one didn't disappoint on that score! In keeping with the scholarly bent of the publisher, the editors provide a good short introduction to the fictional ghost story, with particular reference to the British Isles --where, as they note, this sub-genre has flowered more fully than in any other country. Not surprisingly, the roster of contributors reads like a roll call of significant writers active in this area over a 140-year span. Individual stories were selected with an eye to the needs both of the seasoned fan and the reader new to ghostly fiction; so both some familiar (to the former) classics and many less widely known works were included. Almost all of them are set in England (including one by an American, Edith Wharton's really outstanding "Mr. Jones"), though Oliver Onions' "The Cigarette Case" is set in Provence. (That one is a very different type of story than his better-known "The Beckoning Fair One," but in its different way, equally effective.) Quality writing, however, was a must for inclusion. While the editors had a preference for malevolent ghosts, not all the stories feature these, and the endings may be happy or tragic (or may feature a grim kind of poetic justice, where vengeful spirits are involved). Where lethal effects are involved, they tend to be from fear or suicide; grisly gore and violence isn't characteristic of this tradition. ("The Victim" has a gory part, but there it's the description of a human murderer disposing of his victim's body that's grisly.) Ghostly manifestations in these stories range from an unnatural inability of candles to stay lit in a particular room to much more overt phenomena.
Sir Walter Scott's "The Tapestried Chamber" is the first selection here (the arrangement is chronological, except for T. H. White's story, which was written in the 1930s but is arranged by the 1981 date of its posthumous publication), as the first example of the kind of story, in style and substance, that shaped the tradition which followed. (The editors mentioned Daniel Defoe's much earlier "True Relation of the Apparition of One Mrs. Veal" --which I've read-- in the introduction, but had good reason not to include it: a didactic, unemotional discussion of the afterlife in good Neoclassical style, it's not what the modern reader is typically looking for in this medium, outside of historical interest.) Like many of the other classics here, I'd read this one elsewhere. Other old acquaintances are Francis Marion Crawford's "The Upper Berth," Stoker's "The Judge's House" --not a place you'd want to visit, except in a story!-- W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," "The Lost Ghost" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (identified here as Mary E. Wilkins), M. R. James' "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad," and Richard Middleton's "On the Brighton Road." Most of these I think I've already commented on or at least mentioned in reviews of the anthologies where I first read them.
My reading here was strictly of tales I hadn't already read. Some of these were by authors I've read before (though sometimes not much of) and others I was encountering for the first time, like Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (whose "The Roll-Call of the Reef" was excellent!). To comment closely on most of the stories would require spoilers, since the effect of many of them depends heavily on the surprise of the denouement. Most of them were at least good and enjoyable, and some especially stood out as polished gems, great stories of their type; others in the latter group include Le Fanu's "Squire Toby's Will," "The Empty House" by Algernon Blackwood (who's a writer I usually think is overrated, but this is one of his better works, an outstanding study of fear), E. Nesbit's "Man-Size in Marble," A. N. L. Munby's "An Encounter in the Mist," E. F. Benson's "The Confession of Charles Linkworth;" Walter De La Mare's "Bad Company;" L. P. Hartley's "A Visitor From Down Under;" A. M. Burrage's "Smee;" H. Russell Wakefield's "Old Man's Beard." and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's "The Shadow in the Corner." Elizabeth Bowen's "Hand in Glove" (which has certain affinities to Henry James' "A Romance of Certain Old Clothes," one of his better works) and Simon Raven's "The Bottle of 1912" were also eminently satisfying --though each in a very different way! E. G. Swain's "Bone to His Bone" and Arthur Gray's "The True History of Anthony Ffryar" show the felicitous influence of M. R. James, with their references to old books and records and antiquarian flavor.
The casual use of the n-word for blacks at one point by a character in Thomas Burke's "The Hollow Man" (1935), a story where the animation of the revenant is due to African tribal magic, is irritating; but as in the works of Twain and Faulkner, it realistically represents the actual speech of the time and place, and that story is one of the most original in the book. Others that are particularly original are May Sinclair's "The Victim" and A. E. Coppard's "Ahoy, Sailor Boy!" (both of which use unorthodox theological premises, but which are nevertheless well-written and manage to make some good points).
IMO, not all of the selections are clearly identifiable as a ghost story as such; Maugham's "The Taipan," set in China, seems to be more a tale about a grim precognition, and the uncanny events of William Fryer Harvey's "The Clock" aren't explained as caused by a ghost (nor explained at all, which is the source of the effect here). But they're both good stories nonetheless!
Robert Aickman's "The Cicerones" didn't work for me; it effectively built an atmosphere of unexplained menace and creepiness, but here the lack of explanation made it to hard for me to suspend disbelief or find any real meaning or satisfaction in the story. IMO, "Ringing the Changes" would have been a better choice for a story to represent this author. The other three stories I didn't get into were all by writers new to me. I was disappointed with Charles Williams' "Et in Sempiternum Pereant;" knowing of his status as an Inkling, I expected much from it, but the premise did not, for me, achieve a suspension of disbelief, and the extreme "interiority" of the style I found reminiscent of Henry James at his worst. (Not being able to read Latin, I got nothing out of the title or the concluding lines in Latin; Williams would no doubt say, with some justification, that this only reflects a lamentable gap in my education, but it's a gap shared by a lot of modern readers, who no longer have the classical background writers of his generation could presuppose.) "A Wicked Voice" by Vernon Lee (whose real name was Violet Paget), a tale of one composer haunted by the malevolent ghost of another, is technically well-crafted; but the intense focus on music and the narrator's musical likes and dislikes lost a lot for me, as a tone deaf person. Readers who aren't tone deaf might well like it, if they can tolerate Lee's fulsome, verbose style here; the latter isn't usually a problem for me, but even I found this one a bit heavy sledding. And I personally didn't care for V. S. Pritchett's "A Story of Don Juan."
After setting this book aside as finished, I realized I never did read the Henry James selection, "The Friends of the Friends." That's a consequence of reading stories in an anthology out of order! However, it's not a terrible consequence; my past experience with James' work leads me suspect that I may not have missed much, and I feel that I did certainly read enough of the book to review and rate it, and to classify it as "read." And virtually all the tales here are well worthwhile for ghost story fans!
October 31, 2017
Beautiful collection. Contains ghost stories of a lot of good known writers, not only of the well known ghost story writers.
September 28, 2026
The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories is a selection of 42 supernatural stories, written between 1829 and 1968. Telling ghost stories has been a part of many cultures for time immemorial; they seem to have a universal appeal. However the literary ghost story, as opposed to the tales of oral tradition, is of relatively recent origin. This collection attempts to present the full range of the English tradition by demonstrating its historical development, as well as its major themes and characteristics.
Even though these are written tales, I am listening to them on audio. The readers are Alan Gilchrist, Christopher Scott, Frances Jeater, Kate Binchy, Patrick Romer, Micheal Tudor Barnes, John Chancer and Marie McCarthy, and the recording is 24 hours 56 minutes.
So far I have reviewed each story separately, so this is what could be called an orientation post, in which I link to each review. I do not know if the later stories will each be listed on the Goodreads database, nor whether I shall review them if they are, since my interest is primarily in the earlier classic ghost stories. However now that I am half way through the collection, this ongoing review may be helpful for navigating.
The Tapestried Chamber / (Sir) Walter Scott -- my review
The Phantom Coach / Amelia B. Edwards -- my review
Squire Toby's Will / J.Sheridan Le Fanu -- my review
The Shadow in the Corner / Mary Elizabeth Braddon -- my review
The Upper Berth / F. Marion Crawford -- my review
A Wicked Voice / Vernon Lee -- my review
The Judge's House / Bram Stoker -- my review
Man-size in Marble / E. Nesbit -- my review
The Roll-Call of the Reef / Arthur Quiller-Couch -- my review
The Friends of the Friends / Henry James -- my review
The Red Room / H.G. Wells -- my review
The Monkey's Paw / W.W. Jacobs -- my review
The Lost Ghost / Mary E. Wilkins Freeman - my review
"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" / M.R. James -- my review
The Empty House / Algernon Blackwood -- my review
The Cigarette Case / Oliver Onions -- my review
Rose Rose / Barry Pain -- my review
The Confession of Charles Linkworth / E.F. Benson -- my review
On the Brighton Road / Richard Middleton -- my review
Bone to his bone / E.G. Swain -- to do
The true history of Anthony Ffryar / Arthur Gray --
The Taipan / W. Somerset Maugham --
The victim / May Sinclair --
A visitor from down under / L.P. Hartley --
Fullcircle / John Buchan --
The clock / W.F. Harvey --
Old man's beard / H. Russell Wakefield --
Mr Jones / Edith Wharton --
Smee / A.M. Burrage --
The little ghost / Hugh Walpole --
Ahoy, sailor boy! / A.E. Coppard --
The hollow man / Thomas Burke --
Et in sempiternum pereant / Charles Williams --
Bosworth summit pound / L.T.C. Rolt --
An encounter in the mist / A.N.L. Munby --
Hand in glove / Elizabeth Bowen --
A story of Don Juan / V.S. Pritchett --
Cushi / Charistopher Woodforde --
Bad company / Walter de la Mare --
The bottle of 1912 / Simon Raven --
The Cicerones / Robert Aickman --
Soft voices at Passenham / T.H. White
Even though these are written tales, I am listening to them on audio. The readers are Alan Gilchrist, Christopher Scott, Frances Jeater, Kate Binchy, Patrick Romer, Micheal Tudor Barnes, John Chancer and Marie McCarthy, and the recording is 24 hours 56 minutes.
So far I have reviewed each story separately, so this is what could be called an orientation post, in which I link to each review. I do not know if the later stories will each be listed on the Goodreads database, nor whether I shall review them if they are, since my interest is primarily in the earlier classic ghost stories. However now that I am half way through the collection, this ongoing review may be helpful for navigating.
The Tapestried Chamber / (Sir) Walter Scott -- my review
The Phantom Coach / Amelia B. Edwards -- my review
Squire Toby's Will / J.Sheridan Le Fanu -- my review
The Shadow in the Corner / Mary Elizabeth Braddon -- my review
The Upper Berth / F. Marion Crawford -- my review
A Wicked Voice / Vernon Lee -- my review
The Judge's House / Bram Stoker -- my review
Man-size in Marble / E. Nesbit -- my review
The Roll-Call of the Reef / Arthur Quiller-Couch -- my review
The Friends of the Friends / Henry James -- my review
The Red Room / H.G. Wells -- my review
The Monkey's Paw / W.W. Jacobs -- my review
The Lost Ghost / Mary E. Wilkins Freeman - my review
"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" / M.R. James -- my review
The Empty House / Algernon Blackwood -- my review
The Cigarette Case / Oliver Onions -- my review
Rose Rose / Barry Pain -- my review
The Confession of Charles Linkworth / E.F. Benson -- my review
On the Brighton Road / Richard Middleton -- my review
Bone to his bone / E.G. Swain -- to do
The true history of Anthony Ffryar / Arthur Gray --
The Taipan / W. Somerset Maugham --
The victim / May Sinclair --
A visitor from down under / L.P. Hartley --
Fullcircle / John Buchan --
The clock / W.F. Harvey --
Old man's beard / H. Russell Wakefield --
Mr Jones / Edith Wharton --
Smee / A.M. Burrage --
The little ghost / Hugh Walpole --
Ahoy, sailor boy! / A.E. Coppard --
The hollow man / Thomas Burke --
Et in sempiternum pereant / Charles Williams --
Bosworth summit pound / L.T.C. Rolt --
An encounter in the mist / A.N.L. Munby --
Hand in glove / Elizabeth Bowen --
A story of Don Juan / V.S. Pritchett --
Cushi / Charistopher Woodforde --
Bad company / Walter de la Mare --
The bottle of 1912 / Simon Raven --
The Cicerones / Robert Aickman --
Soft voices at Passenham / T.H. White
April 26, 2009
Ok, confession: I read a majority of this book in the stacks while working at the library. Don't judge me--if you had to shelf-read for hours on end, you would take the occasional break to. But anyway, I loved the stories in this book. They're the old-fashioned, downright creepy stories that are, unfortunately, seldom seen nowadays. My favorites were The Monkey's Paw and this story about a creepy bird-like creature that I can't remember the title of (it was the simplest story yet I can't help but think about it whenever I'm in a empty house). If you're ever in the mood for something scary, check this book out.
August 29, 2015
This one had quite a few good stories in it. :)
July 5, 2022
3.75|5
A very fun collection of old school horror stories. Even if every one of them contains a trope I’ve already encounter at least once before, I’ve enjoyed the reading experience a lot. This would be a cool book to read during October, every day two, three stories. I will for sure look into another anthology from “The Oxford Book of English” collection since I don’t really like short stories but this one worked great for me.
A very fun collection of old school horror stories. Even if every one of them contains a trope I’ve already encounter at least once before, I’ve enjoyed the reading experience a lot. This would be a cool book to read during October, every day two, three stories. I will for sure look into another anthology from “The Oxford Book of English” collection since I don’t really like short stories but this one worked great for me.
March 20, 2016
I enjoyed 90% of these stories. Smee and On The Brighton Road I never tire of rereading.
March 23, 2009
The English really do excel at writing ghost stories. I can honestly say that I didn't regret reading one of these stories in this book. I actually read it in a very short amount of time, which is impressive for an anthology that is sizable. There is just something about the English setting for a ghost story that resonates with me. I also believe that the menace of what is unseen is much more impressive when the narrator of the story is a dignified sort not given to believe in such things. Probably the scariest story in this book was by H. Russell Wakefield, about the ghost of an old man that was stalking the fiancee of a man who had wronged him. His long, gray hair would wind around her, and he'd try to steal her away. It gave me the creeps just to think about. MR James, "Oh Whistle to Me Lad and I'll Come to You" is another story written to send several chills down your spine. Another really horrifying story has a poor maid that has a very malevolent presence in her room, the only physical sign is a dark stain in the corner of the walls. That story left me with a lingering sense of sadness. The Judge's House by Bram Stoker (an Irish writer) is so intensely menacing that you will think about it for some time afterwards. I can honestly say that no two ghost stories are exactly alike, despite the fact that this volume spans the late 1800s and goes up to the mid 20th century, demonstrating the enduring nature of a really well-told ghost story.
January 4, 2020
I thought there was a good selection of stories in this anthology. There were a few of the famous writers/stories that enthusiasts of ghost stories will have come across before e.g. "Oh, whistle and I'll come to you, my lad" and a nice mix of lesser known stories (at least, they were stories or authors new to me). This included a few that were not intended to be scary, which was a clever move, because it meant you never knew what to expect. I definitely want to follow up some of the authors I had not come across before and thanks to the extensive bibliography that should not be too hard (provided the authors are still in print of course).
June 3, 2012
A pleasent enough read, but really a mixed bag overall. The further in the book I went, the stories seemed to get longer and less entertaining, though there were an exceptional few. Notable stories include The Tapistried Chamber; The Phantom Coach; The Judge's House; The Red Room; The Monkey's Paw; and The Clock (my personal fave) and a few other, lesser ones.. Sadly, many of the other stories are skipable. I would recomend borrowing this book or buying it second-hand. If you can find most of the listed stories in another compilation, go for it. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm crazy about the stories I thought were good, but the collection as a whole was not so great overall.
3* = "I liked it"; It could have been a better collection than it was, but the good stories redeemed it.
3* = "I liked it"; It could have been a better collection than it was, but the good stories redeemed it.
Read
November 10, 2019PLACEHOLDER REVIEW: Read something from here in another collection, so thought I'd throw the review in for the time being.
Uncharacteristically shorter than his usual work, Robert Aickman's "The Cicerones" is a solid condensation of his general approaches - growing unease, abstract details, a feeling of vague threat, and psychological complexity. Trant, a single, middle-aged man who prides himself on his travels, is off to Belgium to visit a cathedral with some infamously grotesque paintings. But he arrives with only a half-hour to peruse the premises before the traditional afternoon lunch shuttering. Running into a selection of odd individuals, disturbing images and strange sights, he finally finds himself in the crypt, stymied. As always with Aickman, the actual intent of the story is gnomic - are we supposed to read the character's lack of a love life, and his interaction with the "American" visitor, as indicative of a smothered homosexuality, or just a lack of passion in the first place? There seems to be a definite theme that weighty religious matters, symbolized by artworks and crypts, are not meant to be treated merely as spectacles to be "seen" and then rushed past without contemplation, especially as "closing time" nears, even if your watch is broken.... Good stuff.
"The Clock" by William Fryer Harvey - A friend is asked to stop at a friend's summer home, Ash Grove House, while he is in the town, to grab a traveling clock they left behind 12 days ago. And when he unlocks the empty house, he finds it... but it is ticking.... This is actually a fine, creepy miniature, concise and effective!
Uncharacteristically shorter than his usual work, Robert Aickman's "The Cicerones" is a solid condensation of his general approaches - growing unease, abstract details, a feeling of vague threat, and psychological complexity. Trant, a single, middle-aged man who prides himself on his travels, is off to Belgium to visit a cathedral with some infamously grotesque paintings. But he arrives with only a half-hour to peruse the premises before the traditional afternoon lunch shuttering. Running into a selection of odd individuals, disturbing images and strange sights, he finally finds himself in the crypt, stymied. As always with Aickman, the actual intent of the story is gnomic - are we supposed to read the character's lack of a love life, and his interaction with the "American" visitor, as indicative of a smothered homosexuality, or just a lack of passion in the first place? There seems to be a definite theme that weighty religious matters, symbolized by artworks and crypts, are not meant to be treated merely as spectacles to be "seen" and then rushed past without contemplation, especially as "closing time" nears, even if your watch is broken.... Good stuff.
"The Clock" by William Fryer Harvey - A friend is asked to stop at a friend's summer home, Ash Grove House, while he is in the town, to grab a traveling clock they left behind 12 days ago. And when he unlocks the empty house, he finds it... but it is ticking.... This is actually a fine, creepy miniature, concise and effective!
December 6, 2009
As well-written as all of these stories are, as bona-fide classic as many are judged to be, I couldn't help but often feel a sense of Been There Done That as I trudged through this volume. Maybe I've been reading too many classic ghost story/gothic horror collections over the past couple of years and I'm a bit burned out, but I found a lot of this stuff frankly hasn't aged particularly well. Still, there were some stellar pieces in here that I'd never heard of before, including W.F. Harvey's short, genuinely spooky "The Clock," and Robert Aickman's ambiguous "The Cicerones," with its mysterious, unforgettable final imagery; there are also plenty of always reliably re-readable greats like M.R. James's dryly frightening "Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad," and Bram Stoker's sinister "The Judge's House" to offset snoozers like Henry James's "The Friends of the Friends" (sorry, but James's literary rep aside, I find his ghost stories ponderous, dull, and not scary in the least) and the tortured prose of Vernon Lee's "A Wicked Voice." Overall, a nice collection best recommended to folks newly exploring the genre, especially those with an interest in Victorian age gothic lit.
March 28, 2017
A quintessestial compilation that leaves no one behind. Of course, this is just one volume, and there are many more wonderful ghost stories, but here, we can use this book as a guide to start searching for them. Awesome.
November 1, 2018
Great collection of ghost stories, some well known, some not.
December 24, 2015
This anthology, superbly edited and introduced by Michael Cox and R.A. Gilbert, is a great way to begin your library of supernatural fiction. Even the connoisseur will find some rare gems. From the first of the chronologically arranged stories, "The Tapestry Room" by Sir Walter Scott, you'll be intrigued by the incredible variety. Whether you enjoy the swooning Romanticism of Vernon Lee's "A Wicked Voice," the dry restraint of M.R. James "Oh, Whistle," or the naturalistic American dialogue of Mary Wilkins-Freeman's "The Lost Ghost," you'll find stories that will linger in your mind. Almost every story is of high literary quality as well as great entertainment. The anthology also shows how differently good writers can handle the stringent requirements of good supernatural tales. These tales are on the surface escapist fiction, but on closer study prove to address themes of life after death, guilt, fear, love, the effect of inner states on outward perception, and the struggles of the individual within society. Not every story will appeal to every reader, because there's such a wide range of styles. But I think every reader will find many to savor time and again.
November 2, 2019
2019: Started this for Halloween, but I'm stopping for the season about eight stories in. Most of these are familiar in a good way, and at least three (the Nesbit, Crawford, and Stoker stories) are favorites of mine. Great cover.
April 11, 2017
I love this book and have read it several times! I think my favorite story in this anthology is "The Empty House" but there are few that disappoint! A good spooky book!
October 19, 2021
Homes with character
lovers meant but never met
ghosts that do dishes.
lovers meant but never met
ghosts that do dishes.
January 7, 2019
An intriguing collection.
Some were good, some very good, and some so indifferent that I honestly wondered why they had been included; still, I know everyone's idea of a good ghost story varies.
My favourites will always be the classic Victorian ones, like Sheridan le Fanu's 'Squire Toby's Will' and Elizabeth Gaskell's 'The Old Nurse's Tale.'
The 'traditional' English ghost story is really not very old, dating largely from the middle of the last century, influenced by the Gothic stories of the previous age.
In this collection, there is one by Sir Walter Scott dating from circa 1818- so, while written in English and set in France, it presumably counts as Scottish. It isn't that good, sadly; nice and atmospheric, but the ending is an ante climax. There is also a US one, and of course, no anthology of English ghost stories would be complete without 'Mr Jones' by the US born Edith Wharton. That really is a spine-chilling tale.
I really liked the idea of a forgiving and magnanimous ghost depicted in May Sinclair's 1922 'The Victim'. This story, as with so many in this anthology, illustrates old, middle-class notions of 'the lower classes' but is nevertheless, transformative in its own way.
There was one about a haunted alrm clock, or anyway, an alarm clock in a haunted house. It is one of the old mechanical, wind-up ones, the story being set in the period between World War I and World War II, and is still going when it should have run down. Perhaps the ghost the male protagonist is terrified to hear pacing about wound it up? I found it frankly bathetic.
However, that the protagonist would have no better sense than to jump out of a first floor window rather than face the ghost, is unfortunately realistic. He is unhurt, but I'm pretty sure that is why haunted houses have reputations for having murderous ghosts. People lose their nerve at unaccountable and unnerving sights and sounds and do reckless things in their rush to get away.
Some were good, some very good, and some so indifferent that I honestly wondered why they had been included; still, I know everyone's idea of a good ghost story varies.
My favourites will always be the classic Victorian ones, like Sheridan le Fanu's 'Squire Toby's Will' and Elizabeth Gaskell's 'The Old Nurse's Tale.'
The 'traditional' English ghost story is really not very old, dating largely from the middle of the last century, influenced by the Gothic stories of the previous age.
In this collection, there is one by Sir Walter Scott dating from circa 1818- so, while written in English and set in France, it presumably counts as Scottish. It isn't that good, sadly; nice and atmospheric, but the ending is an ante climax. There is also a US one, and of course, no anthology of English ghost stories would be complete without 'Mr Jones' by the US born Edith Wharton. That really is a spine-chilling tale.
I really liked the idea of a forgiving and magnanimous ghost depicted in May Sinclair's 1922 'The Victim'. This story, as with so many in this anthology, illustrates old, middle-class notions of 'the lower classes' but is nevertheless, transformative in its own way.
There was one about a haunted alrm clock, or anyway, an alarm clock in a haunted house. It is one of the old mechanical, wind-up ones, the story being set in the period between World War I and World War II, and is still going when it should have run down. Perhaps the ghost the male protagonist is terrified to hear pacing about wound it up? I found it frankly bathetic.
However, that the protagonist would have no better sense than to jump out of a first floor window rather than face the ghost, is unfortunately realistic. He is unhurt, but I'm pretty sure that is why haunted houses have reputations for having murderous ghosts. People lose their nerve at unaccountable and unnerving sights and sounds and do reckless things in their rush to get away.
February 9, 2009
This British book was originally published in 1986. There are some good tales in it- I've always loved "The Monkey's Paw" and read it to students at Halloween (The Simpsons did a nice "TreeHouse of Horror" episode with it), and I also enjoyed "The Upper Berth," "The Judge's House," "Man-Size in Marble," "The Red Room," and "The Lost Ghost," among others. Several authors are also well-known, such as Sir Walter Scott, HG Wells, and Henry James.
However, there are some flaws. Many of these stories are very old, so they can be a little hard to understand to the average reader. They also are a little repetitive - many haunted houses and rooms. The tales are more mysterious than spooky, with lines like "It was a lonely house on a lonely road." The stories do involve "the beyond" but are tame in comparison to ghost/horror stories of today. But it would be an interesting read for fans of Brit Lit and ghost tales.
However, there are some flaws. Many of these stories are very old, so they can be a little hard to understand to the average reader. They also are a little repetitive - many haunted houses and rooms. The tales are more mysterious than spooky, with lines like "It was a lonely house on a lonely road." The stories do involve "the beyond" but are tame in comparison to ghost/horror stories of today. But it would be an interesting read for fans of Brit Lit and ghost tales.
June 21, 2012
This was a book that I dipped in and out of over a couple of years. It's an excellent collection of classic short ghost stories, mostly from the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
In many ways it presents the classic ghost story as a period-specific genre, i.e. typically Victorian/pre-war stories about the protagonist experiencing (and surviving) ghostly goings-on, often at the home of a friend or colleague (who's recently moved into a house that is CLEARLY haunted).
Susan Hill's The Woman in Black and The Mist in the Mirror seem to pay a great deal of homage to many of the stories in this collection, many of which are genuinely very spooky.
Highly recommended reading, this is a genuinely enjoyable and well put-together collection - something to dip into on a dark and stormy night (and other ghostly cliches).
In many ways it presents the classic ghost story as a period-specific genre, i.e. typically Victorian/pre-war stories about the protagonist experiencing (and surviving) ghostly goings-on, often at the home of a friend or colleague (who's recently moved into a house that is CLEARLY haunted).
Susan Hill's The Woman in Black and The Mist in the Mirror seem to pay a great deal of homage to many of the stories in this collection, many of which are genuinely very spooky.
Highly recommended reading, this is a genuinely enjoyable and well put-together collection - something to dip into on a dark and stormy night (and other ghostly cliches).
January 18, 2016
Fun, though when you read so many ghost stories together like this, you realize how the basic plots show up over and over again. 1. Someone encounters an evil ghost and flees in horror. 2. Someone sees a loved one acting strange; realizes later that the loved one was ALREADY DEAD. Et cetera. But there are enough variations to make it enjoyable. Some are genuinely original and wonderfully creepy.
December 31, 2019
I stole this book from my college, don’t worry I did pay for it, because I fell in love with the multitude of stories contained within. This book ended up inspiring me as a horror writer in my own right and gave me many hours of intense reading. If you can find this book it is worth not just the read but worth owning.
January 12, 2019
A great collection of stories of mixed styles, themes and emotions; most scary but one of my favourites is 'A Story of Don Juan' by V.S. Prichett.
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March 9, 2019
I have always liked the genre of the so-called classical ghost story, and so this collection was of particular interest to me. Although many of the stories in here are quite well known, there are still some hard to find stories in this book that make it worth reading. Before I get to the individual stories, I must complain about a detail in the introduction, namely the editor's attempts at separating the ghost story genre from the horror genre. It may be that not all ghost stories are horror stories, but most are, and the two genres are in my view, inextricable from each other. Also, I would have liked to have seen a contribution from Ramsey Campbell, I feel that no other writer has had as great a role in bringing the classical ghost story fully into the modern (late 20th/early 21st century) world as he has. Now onto the stories.
The Tapestried Chamber
A man, visiting an acquaintance of his, stays in the titular room, and sees a ghost. Not much to this story, but certainly of historical significance and still worth reading.
The Phantom Coach
Another fairly simple story, a lost traveler stops at a strange old house, and then gets on a coach that seems somehow off. The description of the house is quite memorable.
Squire Toby's Will
A ghost torments a man who attempts to interfere with the ghosts will.
The Shadow In The Corner
A satisfyingly unnerving story concerning an old house with a bad reputation and the new housekeeper who has to stay in a room where the former owner killed himself. Superb atmosphere.
The Upper Berth
Another good story, this one about a passenger on a ship who stays in a haunted room. One scene, where the protagonist reaches into a dark part of the room and encounters a "Clammy, oozy mass" is one of the best parts of any story in the book.
A Wicked Voice
A composer in 19th century Italy is haunted by the ghost of another composer. Atmospheric and nicely written, but marred by an excess of references to 19th century classical music, which I know nothing about.
The Judge's House
A university student rents an old house with a sinister reputation and encounters large numbers of oddly behaved rats. Quite atmospheric.
Man Size In Marble
A young couple moves into a house in a quaint British village, but is warned not to stay in the house on all Hallows eve. Great piece of early folk horror.
The Roll Call of The Reef
Atmospheric, although not particularly frightening, story about a local legend of the ghosts of the victims of a shipwreck.
The Friends Of The Friends
Typically dull Henry James story, this one concerning the protagonist's two friends, neither of whom has met the other.
The Red Room
Although the previous story was awful, this story more than makes up for it. Specifically, it is about a man who stays in a supposedly haunted room and finds that the candles he lights go out remarkably fast. This, of course, is one of the best ghost stories of all time.
The Monkey's Paw
I'm sure you know what happens in this story.
The Lost Ghost
A house in New England is haunted by a ghost child. Quite well written, but not particularly frightening.
Oh, Whistle And I'll Come To You, My Lad
A scholar visiting a seaside town inadvertantly unleashes a malevolent being from an artifact he finds. M. R. James is undeniably the most important figure in the ghost story subgenre, and this is one of his best stories. One of the archetypal folk horror stories as well.
The Empty House
A pair of amateur ghost hunters examine an old house in London. Nicely atmospheric, although nothing particularly unusual.
The Cigarette Case
A man vacationing in France forgets his cigarette case in a strange house he visits. When he goes back to retrieve it, he finds something else as well.
Rose Rose
A story of an artist and his model. This one, like the previous one, relies on a twist ending; so I can't really say anything else.
The Confession Of Charles Linkworth
In this story, a doctor begins receiving telephone calls from a hanged man. E. F. Benson is one of the best writers in the ghost story genre, and all his stories are well worth reading.
On The Brighton Road
Very short story about a duo of homeless people who are traveling to the titular city. There isn't much else to say without giving away large parts of the story.
Bone To His Bone
A vicar begins finding that his books are being rearranged overnight. He suspects that the ghost of a previous vicar is trying to communicate with him. The writer was apparently friends with M. R. James.
The True History Of Anthony Ffryar
During the bubonic plague, an alchemist experiences a strange dream. Another story by an early Jamesian writer.
The Taipan
A British merchant living in China witnesses something odd in the local cemetery. It seems an odd choice to include two consecutive stories about death omens.
The Victim
A man who murdered his employer begins seeing him around the house. This one had a twist ending that actually surprised me, which is a rare occurrence.
A Visitor From Down Under
Another story of a murderer haunted by his victim, this one has a great atmosphere, full of rain and fog; as well as a memorable incident on a London bus and sinister radio broadcasts, which are something I find interesting. It really captures the feel of a fog-shrouded 1920s London, which is a good setting for a ghost story.
Fullcircle
A couple who move into a haunted house seem to become more like the previous owner. I preferred the characters before they moved in. An interesting idea, and quite atmospheric, but I felt it could have been developed further.
The Clock
A man goes to an acquaintance's house to retrieve a clock that they left behind, and finds evidence of strange things going on inside (mysterious footsteps, a clock that seems to have wound itself, etc.). One of the best stories in the collection, it's impressive how the writer manages to generate so much fear in under four pages.
Old Man's Beard
A woman is haunted by the ghost of an elderly man. Not a very good story, made especially irritating by the fact that the writer also wrote the excellent story Blind Man's Bluff.
Mr. Jones
A woman inherits an old house, but is troubled by the fact that she never sees a person referred to by the staff as "mr. Jones". Suitably unnerving.
Smee
The guests at an old house find that an extra person seems to have joined in at their games. Great atmosphere.
The Little Ghost
Another ghost child story, this one having the twist of the ghost being frightened by the new owners of its house. Walpole is a writer who deserves to be rediscovered.
Ahoy, Sailor Boy
A sailor encounters an eccentric woman who claims to be a ghost and tells him about the odd afterlife she ended up in. I feel that this was allegorical, but I'm not sure what it meant.
The Hollow Man
A guy returns from the dead and sits around his murderer's business establishment. This one didn't quite work for me.
Et In Sempiternum Pereant
A traveler gets lost, goes to a strange cottage, and sees a ghost; and then the story is filled with confusing symbolism that I haven't worked out what it means yet.
Bosworth Summit Pound
An excellent story about a haunted canal tunnel. Rolt is one of the masters of folk horror, and this is one of his best.
An Encounter In The Mist
A man on a hiking trip meets an eccentric man in the fog. Another jamesian story, this one relying on a twist ending. The danger caused by a benign ghost is a rather interesting idea.
Hand In Glove
As one may expect from the name, this story concerns haunted gloves. One where the horror is all towards the end.
A Story Of Don Juan
A man stays the night in a haunted bed. Another one that didn't work for me, although reading it got the classic doowop song What's Your Name stuck in my head, which is fine with me, because I like the song, and the doowop genre as a whole.
Cushi
A story about the titular eccentric. This one is hard to summarize without giving away the ending.
Bad Company
The protagonist meets a strange man on a train, and then decides to follow him home. He finds something disturbing there.
The Bottle Of 1912
Another hard to summarize story.
The cicerones
A man visiting a cathedral is shown increasingly strange artwork by a child he meets there. Superbly atmospheric and very enigmatic, highly recommended.
Soft Voices At Passenham
A description of the various ghosts found in the titular village, and a particular encounter that the narrator had with them. Not so much a story as an exercise in atmosphere, at which it succeeds admirably. A good way to finish the collection.
The Tapestried Chamber
A man, visiting an acquaintance of his, stays in the titular room, and sees a ghost. Not much to this story, but certainly of historical significance and still worth reading.
The Phantom Coach
Another fairly simple story, a lost traveler stops at a strange old house, and then gets on a coach that seems somehow off. The description of the house is quite memorable.
Squire Toby's Will
A ghost torments a man who attempts to interfere with the ghosts will.
The Shadow In The Corner
A satisfyingly unnerving story concerning an old house with a bad reputation and the new housekeeper who has to stay in a room where the former owner killed himself. Superb atmosphere.
The Upper Berth
Another good story, this one about a passenger on a ship who stays in a haunted room. One scene, where the protagonist reaches into a dark part of the room and encounters a "Clammy, oozy mass" is one of the best parts of any story in the book.
A Wicked Voice
A composer in 19th century Italy is haunted by the ghost of another composer. Atmospheric and nicely written, but marred by an excess of references to 19th century classical music, which I know nothing about.
The Judge's House
A university student rents an old house with a sinister reputation and encounters large numbers of oddly behaved rats. Quite atmospheric.
Man Size In Marble
A young couple moves into a house in a quaint British village, but is warned not to stay in the house on all Hallows eve. Great piece of early folk horror.
The Roll Call of The Reef
Atmospheric, although not particularly frightening, story about a local legend of the ghosts of the victims of a shipwreck.
The Friends Of The Friends
Typically dull Henry James story, this one concerning the protagonist's two friends, neither of whom has met the other.
The Red Room
Although the previous story was awful, this story more than makes up for it. Specifically, it is about a man who stays in a supposedly haunted room and finds that the candles he lights go out remarkably fast. This, of course, is one of the best ghost stories of all time.
The Monkey's Paw
I'm sure you know what happens in this story.
The Lost Ghost
A house in New England is haunted by a ghost child. Quite well written, but not particularly frightening.
Oh, Whistle And I'll Come To You, My Lad
A scholar visiting a seaside town inadvertantly unleashes a malevolent being from an artifact he finds. M. R. James is undeniably the most important figure in the ghost story subgenre, and this is one of his best stories. One of the archetypal folk horror stories as well.
The Empty House
A pair of amateur ghost hunters examine an old house in London. Nicely atmospheric, although nothing particularly unusual.
The Cigarette Case
A man vacationing in France forgets his cigarette case in a strange house he visits. When he goes back to retrieve it, he finds something else as well.
Rose Rose
A story of an artist and his model. This one, like the previous one, relies on a twist ending; so I can't really say anything else.
The Confession Of Charles Linkworth
In this story, a doctor begins receiving telephone calls from a hanged man. E. F. Benson is one of the best writers in the ghost story genre, and all his stories are well worth reading.
On The Brighton Road
Very short story about a duo of homeless people who are traveling to the titular city. There isn't much else to say without giving away large parts of the story.
Bone To His Bone
A vicar begins finding that his books are being rearranged overnight. He suspects that the ghost of a previous vicar is trying to communicate with him. The writer was apparently friends with M. R. James.
The True History Of Anthony Ffryar
During the bubonic plague, an alchemist experiences a strange dream. Another story by an early Jamesian writer.
The Taipan
A British merchant living in China witnesses something odd in the local cemetery. It seems an odd choice to include two consecutive stories about death omens.
The Victim
A man who murdered his employer begins seeing him around the house. This one had a twist ending that actually surprised me, which is a rare occurrence.
A Visitor From Down Under
Another story of a murderer haunted by his victim, this one has a great atmosphere, full of rain and fog; as well as a memorable incident on a London bus and sinister radio broadcasts, which are something I find interesting. It really captures the feel of a fog-shrouded 1920s London, which is a good setting for a ghost story.
Fullcircle
A couple who move into a haunted house seem to become more like the previous owner. I preferred the characters before they moved in. An interesting idea, and quite atmospheric, but I felt it could have been developed further.
The Clock
A man goes to an acquaintance's house to retrieve a clock that they left behind, and finds evidence of strange things going on inside (mysterious footsteps, a clock that seems to have wound itself, etc.). One of the best stories in the collection, it's impressive how the writer manages to generate so much fear in under four pages.
Old Man's Beard
A woman is haunted by the ghost of an elderly man. Not a very good story, made especially irritating by the fact that the writer also wrote the excellent story Blind Man's Bluff.
Mr. Jones
A woman inherits an old house, but is troubled by the fact that she never sees a person referred to by the staff as "mr. Jones". Suitably unnerving.
Smee
The guests at an old house find that an extra person seems to have joined in at their games. Great atmosphere.
The Little Ghost
Another ghost child story, this one having the twist of the ghost being frightened by the new owners of its house. Walpole is a writer who deserves to be rediscovered.
Ahoy, Sailor Boy
A sailor encounters an eccentric woman who claims to be a ghost and tells him about the odd afterlife she ended up in. I feel that this was allegorical, but I'm not sure what it meant.
The Hollow Man
A guy returns from the dead and sits around his murderer's business establishment. This one didn't quite work for me.
Et In Sempiternum Pereant
A traveler gets lost, goes to a strange cottage, and sees a ghost; and then the story is filled with confusing symbolism that I haven't worked out what it means yet.
Bosworth Summit Pound
An excellent story about a haunted canal tunnel. Rolt is one of the masters of folk horror, and this is one of his best.
An Encounter In The Mist
A man on a hiking trip meets an eccentric man in the fog. Another jamesian story, this one relying on a twist ending. The danger caused by a benign ghost is a rather interesting idea.
Hand In Glove
As one may expect from the name, this story concerns haunted gloves. One where the horror is all towards the end.
A Story Of Don Juan
A man stays the night in a haunted bed. Another one that didn't work for me, although reading it got the classic doowop song What's Your Name stuck in my head, which is fine with me, because I like the song, and the doowop genre as a whole.
Cushi
A story about the titular eccentric. This one is hard to summarize without giving away the ending.
Bad Company
The protagonist meets a strange man on a train, and then decides to follow him home. He finds something disturbing there.
The Bottle Of 1912
Another hard to summarize story.
The cicerones
A man visiting a cathedral is shown increasingly strange artwork by a child he meets there. Superbly atmospheric and very enigmatic, highly recommended.
Soft Voices At Passenham
A description of the various ghosts found in the titular village, and a particular encounter that the narrator had with them. Not so much a story as an exercise in atmosphere, at which it succeeds admirably. A good way to finish the collection.
February 11, 2019
Maybe I'm harsher on genre fiction collections than most... I think what happens is when you read enough of the genre, you become a master at guessing the ending. I didn't enjoy this as much as the Oxford Edition of Gothic Tales (that might be my creme de la creme), but, that doesn't mean I wasn't satisfied. These aren't the gory horror tales of today, but rather suspenseful/psychological stories of "did I imagine it all" or "take this as you will". Many of them are quite long, nearly novellas, (for me, this was a bit of deal breaker) and the English ghost story tends to be a bit on the dry side (setting descriptions, multiple character intros, many times the ghost bit doesn't really come into play until the very end), so be patient. That being said, when the chills came, they came in droves. As always, here are my favorites:
*"The Phantom Coach"-Amelia B. Edwards
*"Wicked Voice"-Vernon Lee
*"Man-Size in Marble"-E. Nesbit
*"'Oh Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'"-M.R. James
*"The Empty House"-Algernon Blackwood
*The Cigarette Case"-Oliver Onions
*"Rose Rose"-Barry Pain
*"The Confessions of Charles Linkworth"-E.F. Benson
*"On the Brighton Bridge"-Richard Middleton
*"The Clock"-W.F. Harvey
*"Mr. Jones"-Edith Wharton
*"Smee"-A.M. Burrage
*"The Little Ghost"-Hugh Walpole
*"An Encounter in the Mist"-A.N.L Munby
*"Hand in Glove"-Elizabeth Bowen
*"Soft Voices at Passenham"-T.H. White
*"The Phantom Coach"-Amelia B. Edwards
*"Wicked Voice"-Vernon Lee
*"Man-Size in Marble"-E. Nesbit
*"'Oh Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'"-M.R. James
*"The Empty House"-Algernon Blackwood
*The Cigarette Case"-Oliver Onions
*"Rose Rose"-Barry Pain
*"The Confessions of Charles Linkworth"-E.F. Benson
*"On the Brighton Bridge"-Richard Middleton
*"The Clock"-W.F. Harvey
*"Mr. Jones"-Edith Wharton
*"Smee"-A.M. Burrage
*"The Little Ghost"-Hugh Walpole
*"An Encounter in the Mist"-A.N.L Munby
*"Hand in Glove"-Elizabeth Bowen
*"Soft Voices at Passenham"-T.H. White
August 23, 2023
This is a fabulous collection of excellent ghost stories. Most of them were rereads for me - but definitely always worth it - and only a few of them were new. They are all beautifully written with some stand-out lines, such as "Mrs Clemm the housekeeper smiled a sharp little smile, like the scratch of a pin." (Mr Jones by Edith Wharton), and "I believe my late uncle Giles' monograph on the fossils of the Middle Chalk was a standard textbook in its day." (An Encounter in the Mist by A N L Munby) or (of two sisters who enjoy dancing with soldiers) "Ethel's and Elsie's names, it could be presumed, were murmured wherever the Union Jack flew." (Hand in Glove by Elizabeth Bowen). All gorgeously put!
Amongst the collection, my standout favourites were (of course) Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad, The Monkey's Paw (just perfect in its sudden surges of horror), The Upper Berth, and Man-Size in Marble. But, as I say, they are all very good indeed and this is an excellent collection.
Amongst the collection, my standout favourites were (of course) Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad, The Monkey's Paw (just perfect in its sudden surges of horror), The Upper Berth, and Man-Size in Marble. But, as I say, they are all very good indeed and this is an excellent collection.
January 17, 2023
There were some really good stories in this book. Reading it from cover-to-cover was interesting because the stories are published in order of when they were written so that you could see stories go from involving candlelight to electricity for example. It was also kind of cool to read so many stories and see the small number of details that seem to describe ghostly situations in every story (a chill in the air, shadows moving by flickering candle or firelight, etc.). Overall it was a bit of a slog to get through the whole thing. Not a lot happens. Mostly, "someone saw a ghost" is the whole story.
I really enjoyed:
The Upper Berth
The Judge's House
The Cigarette Case (was especially good)
Smee
And a few other ok stories include:
Man Size in Marble
The Red Room
The Monkey's Paw
My least favorites were:
A Wicked Voice
Friends of the Friends
I really enjoyed:
The Upper Berth
The Judge's House
The Cigarette Case (was especially good)
Smee
And a few other ok stories include:
Man Size in Marble
The Red Room
The Monkey's Paw
My least favorites were:
A Wicked Voice
Friends of the Friends
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August 30, 2026Solid collection of Ghost stories with a wonderfully written introductory essay on the form and key themes. Distinctive from other anthologies I’ve read in that the stories selected are arranged chronologically and there is good portion of post golden age (1920-present) stories to sink your teeth into. This was my introduction to a number of writers I’ve spent some time reading around through studies of the form such as Algernon Blackwood; Oliver Onions; Robert Aickman and Walter De La Mare amongst others. I know the British Library is doing a really good job at collating a lot of these writers fantastic/Gothic/weird works into anthologies atm and shall be very keen to cop some when I have the funds because they’re so difficult to find second hand
Would highly recommend as a starting point if you’re looking to get into the form and with the falling of the leaf soon upon us, well, now is as good a time as any…
👻👻👻👻
Would highly recommend as a starting point if you’re looking to get into the form and with the falling of the leaf soon upon us, well, now is as good a time as any…
👻👻👻👻
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