Cunning Murrell

by Morrison Arthur

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

298 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

Reviews

[Steven Kay]

I rate this highly. So much so in fact that I published a version of it alongside the Strand Magazine article where Morrison talks about his research for the novel and his meeting with people who knew James Murrell. I have also included an extract from a history book that may have been the original material that set Morrison on his quest and sparked his interest. The collection goes under the name of Spirit of Old Essex.

[Andy Chew]

This isn't for everyone, but if you have an interest in the occult and want to delve deeper into some folk stories that are certainly embellished by the author, then go for it!

[Trunatrschild]

This book is difficult to describe. Apparently it was written around the turn of the 1900's by a man who actually got to read some of Cunning Murrell's papers, but it's fiction too, fiction with some fact.
At first I was bored to tears with only the well written accent of the speakers to entertain me, but then it grew on me. It's like a little slice of life in the mid 1800's in small town southern England.
Cunning Murrell is either the bases for other knowledge of Cunningfolk or he's a typical specimen, difficult to know.
The story is well written and lyrical, enjoyable in a soothing way, till the end where it started to verge on being a 'thriller'. It could have been longer with more in depth character building, but that really wasn't the point, it's just a window into the past. I'd recommend it, but don't expect a lot of information, just an enjoyable story.