Classic Ghost Stories by Wilkie Collins, M.R. James, Charles Dickens and Others

by John Grafton (Editor), Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens

Assembled from the works of the finest masters of the genre, these compelling narratives promise to raise gooseflesh and accelerate pulses with their supernatural scenarios.
Featured stories include J. S. LeFanu's "An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street," with a mysterious old mansion as the focal point; Mary E. Wilkins' "The Lost Ghost," in which a strange child's disturbing presence instills fear and foreboding in all those she encounters; Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Body-Snatchers"; "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost," by Wilkie Collins; and other gripping works by Charles Dickens, Henry James, Ralph Cram, Mrs. Henry Wood, Amelia B. Edwards, Fitz-James O'Brien, and M. R. James.
Rich in detail and ghoulish incidents, this modestly priced collection will thrill readers who appreciate tales of terror as well as devotees of well-crafted literature.

Genres: Horror, Classics, Ghosts, Fiction, Short Stories, Ghost Stories, Anthologies

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1930

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dover Publication has published numerous collections of short ghost stories, so many, in fact, that I always read two or three of them as Halloween approaches. Classic Ghost Stories by Wilkie Collins, M.R. James, Charles Dickens and Others has eleven gems, the best of which are Sheridan LeFanu's "An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street"; Wilkie Collins's "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost"; Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Body Snatcher"; and M. R. James's "Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come to You, My Lad."

John Grafton has edited this collection. It would have been nice to have an introduction to inroduce some of the lesser-known authors, such as Amelia B. Edwards, FitzJames O'Brien, and Mary E. Wilkins. GBut then, this book is in Dover's Thrift Editions series and theeby doesn't get the full editorial treatment.

[Pia Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I once got this book from my aunt and gave it a mere 2-star rating when I first read it. I couldn’t remember a single story I read, though, so I decided to pick it up again. 

J.S. Le Fanu - An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street (1853)
Tom and his cousin Dick move in to an old mansion Tom's father bought them. Little do they know that the mansion is in fact haunted by a judge who hung himself...
This story is a classic 19th century read. Even though it's a ghost story, it's still reserved. It's creepy, but not too much. The use of language is delicate and clean. This story is also a little bit predictable. But I don't really feel fair saying that, since we're living two centuries later and this might have been modern back when it got published. I did enjoy reading it, though. It's a decent one! 2,5/5

Charles Dickens - No. 1 Branch Line, The Signalman (1866)
A spooky story about a railway signal-man warning the narrator for a terrible accident that's about to happen... But who will be the victim?
God, yes! This story creeped me out right at the end. Just the way I like it. This was a good one, for sure. 3,5/5

Wilkie Collins - Mrs. Zant and the Ghost (1887)
A strange, mysterious lady is scaring Mr. Rayburn's little daughter, Lucy. The lady happens to be Mrs. Zant, a recently widowed woman whose deceased husband keeps her company. The story takes numerous twists and turns, will Mrs. Zant live to experience a happy ending?
I liked the build-up of this story, a lot! There was just so much to go with, especially in the beginning of the story. Although it didn't feel so much as a ghost story, more than a love story in itself, it sure was an enjoyable read. As the story went on, it became less clear as to what exactly happened and at the end I felt I missed something and had to look up the story (to find out I didn't miss anything and that was just how the story was). 3/5

Mrs. Henry Wood - Reality or Delusion? (1874)
Maria, a woman engaged to Daniel Ferrar, wanders around on All Soul's Day when she sees someone dear to her heart. It might so happen to be not them, but a ghost that crossed her path. 
A classic. Enjoyable read. What made me like it more was the little introduction in which it is stated that this is in fact A Very True Ghost Story. The last paragraph or so concludes the story and gives a little zest to the otherwise somewhat predictable telling. 3/5

Amelia B. Edwards - The New Pass (1873)
Francis Legrice is a skeptic man, as he tells us in the beginning of our story. What happened to him we must therefore believe, as it happened in broad daylight and he is not one to tell lies. Francis escapes a horrid fate when he goes to Switzerland with his friend. But nothing can convince him that ghosts really do exist. 
A nice story, but it felt a little rushed. The ending was quite disappointing. Where is the action? This could have gone a more interesting way... 2,5/5

Robert Louis Stevenson - The Body-Snatcher (1884)
Fettes studies medicine and is in an anatomy class given by Mr. K-. Fettes finds out the bodies are come by foul play and confronts the class assistant. When he gets a strange task, things go terribly wrong... 
Yes! This is the thing! Scary, creepy, unbelieveable. This is the stuff. 4/5

Fitz-James O'Brien - What Was It? (1859)
Harry tells us a story of what happened to him in his haunted house. Filled with action and terror, he tells us about the night he got attacked by an invisible Enigma. 
The story builds up nicely, flows just like it should and has a twist-ending. 3,5/5

Henry James - The Real Right Thing (1900)
Ashton Doyne leaves his wife a widow. She decides to write down his biography. But is that the right thing to do? 
This was just decent. A little boring even. I didn't get captivated, I even had to try my very best to keep reading. It's a no for me. 1/5

M.R. James - "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad!" (1904)
Parkins is on holiday when he finds a whistle. Little does he know that by blowing it, he invites a guest he will not soon forget about. 
This story was fun to read! It had some scary elements and was rather funny in the end. I liked it. 3,5/5

Ralph A. Cram - In Kropfsberg Keep (1895)
Rupert and Otto go on a ghost-hunting excursion in Germany. They learn about the horrors Kropfsberg Keep holds and experience those themselves... 
Gory, eerie, made me think Don't Do That, You Fools! Multiple times. 3,5/5

Mary E. Wilkins - The Lost Ghost (1903)
A little girl shows up again and again, looking for her mother. This story tells us what happened to her and why she is all alone. 
Yes! They saved the best for last! A sweet, sad ghost story that creeped me out. I could see the child right in front of me. Loved it. 4,5/5

Considering everything, I enjoyed reading these classic ghost stories. Some elements keep coming back (a skeptic main character, a reserved way of telling the story, abrupt endings,...) which is interesting to observe. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in literature and history itself, because a lot can be learned from the late 19th/early 20th century culture by reading these tales. Don't expect to be so creeped out you can't sleep, though, but you sure will be entertained. 3/5

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were great, some were chilling, some were boring and predictable, but there is a good balance in this collection. Most of them really are classic in their structure and themes. Some that were memorable are:
Charles Dickens' "No. 1 Branch Line: The Signalman";
Wilkie Collins' "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost";
Mrs. Henry Wood's "Reality or Delusion?".
Amelia B. Edwards' "The New Pass" is not so much a ghost story in my opinion but it is an interesting adventure story, while Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Body-Snatcher" reads more as a short anecdote told in musty pubs late at night.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghost stories from the turn of the century (1800-1900) so, yes, the wording and phrasing is in that Dickensian realm of things but they're glorious and layered and worth reading. Some of them especially are poignant - usually by authors I had never heard of - like The Lost Child.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collections of short stories whether they be by a single author or several are fun to read. One can complete a tale and muse about it before moving on to the next. I have some favorites in this grouping.

"Mrs. Zant and the Ghost" by Wilkie Collins was a good one and probably my favorite. So was "No. 1 Branch Line: The Signalman" by Charles Dickens. "The New Pass" Amelia B. Edwards was one of those tales that one wonders if it could be true. Almost as intriguing is "The Real Right Thing" by Henry James. To say much about why I like these tales would give them away. I can only suggest that this collection is enjoyable. Just a comment: There are good ghosts and bad ones in this series but you will have to discover them for yourself.

[Googoogjoob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent; this is effectively a sequel to Great Ghost Stories by the same editor and publisher, and similarly focuses on gently-spooky stories, rather than very scary or upsetting ones. As an anthology it's inevitably a little uneven, but it has some very strong stories- Robert Louis Stevenson's atmospheric "The Body-Snatcher," Fitz-James O'Brien's Poe-esque "What Was It?," M. R. James's best ghost story, "'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad,'" and Mary E. Wilkins's bittersweet "The Lost Ghost."

[angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

la que más me gusto fue la última historia,
el resto bastante sin más.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed some more than other but a good little collection.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Account of Stome Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street (J.S. Le Fanu): 2/5
No. 1 Branch Line: The Signalman (Charles Dickens): 5/5
Mrs Zant and the Ghost (Wilkie Collins): unread
Reality or Delusion? (Mrs. Henry Wood): 2/5
The new Pass (Amelia B. Edwards): 3/5
The Body-Snatcher (R.L. Stevenson): 4/5
What Was It? (Fitz-James O'Brien): 5/5
The Real Right Thing (Henry James): 3/5
"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad!" (M.R. James): unread
In Kropfsberg Keep (Ralph A. Cram): 4/5
The Lost Ghost (Mary E. Wilkins): 5/5

[Susan Jo Grassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories were all written by various classical authors between 1853 and 1904. The writing is very different from what we are used to in the 21st century but still hold your attention and provide the required shivers and chills. I dare you to read these at night especially "Oh, Whistle, and I Will Come to You, My Lad" by M. R. James. Go ahead, snuggle down between the sheets and read. Feel the sheets, warm and close and.........

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't be bothered giving the other stories individual reviews. I've been away and can't even rely remember what I thought about the others anyway. Overall this book is exactly what it should be, except to really stand out it could have contained some stronger stories. M.R. James and all that were fine. But there were some less than thrilling stories as well. Basically a fun but average read. But if you like ghost stories, then by all means give it a go.

[CV Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think that the writer's of yesteryear would be able to match the shock and gore that newer horror writers create in ghost stories, but I was very wrong. This collection was creepy and, to use a cliche - spine-tingling. I was gripped by every single story, but I have to say that Dickens was by far the most memorable, and the scariest.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listening to this on a Digital Audio Device--I love these.
I thought I might as well keep the theme going by reading Romantic authors from England, about England. These are fun and beautifully written.

[Martha Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice array of stories, most of which I'd never read before.

[Wendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite of the eleven classic ghost stories was Mary E. Wilkins' The Lost Ghost

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first one in the series was quite good. After that, they grow rather bland.

[Alison]

own

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Victorian ghost stories.