Haunters at the Hearth: Eerie Tales For Christmas Nights

by Tanya Kirk (Editor)

"But something odd does happen here at Christmas time. When I first heard the story, I thought it was an old wives' tale, but-well, these old houses-you hear strange things-" He lifted his shoulders and stared into the fire..." From the troves of the British Library collections comes a new volume for Christmas nights-when the boundary between the mundane and the unearthly is ever so thin-ushering in a new throng of revenants, demons, spectres and shades drawn to the glow of the hearth. Included within are eighteen classic stories ranging from 1864 to 1974, with vintage Victorian chillers nestled alongside unsettling modern pieces from L. P. Hartley and Mildred Clingerman; lost tales from rare anthologies and periodicals; weird episodes from unexpected authors such as Winston Graham and D. H. Lawrence; stories simmering with a twisted humour from Elizabeth Bowen and Celia Fremlin and many more haunting seasonal treats.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Christmas, Fiction, Gothic, Classics, Anthologies

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2022

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of the Tales of the Weird series is a seasonal collection. The stories date between 1864 and 1974. There are stories from Winston Graham (of Poldark fame), Amelia Edwards, Howard Spring, W W Jacobs, E G Swain, D H Lawrence, A M Burrage, E S Knights, Eleanor Smith, Margaret Irwin, Elizabeth Bowen, R H Malden, James Hadley Chase, W F Harvey, Mildred Clingerman, L P Hartley, George Denby and Celia Fremlin. Eighteen in all.
This is a good collection for cold winter nights by a fire (preferably with a glass of wine). The stories have a good deal of variety, there is even one where the haunting is done via the medium of books. L P Hartley’s contribution (The Waits) is chilling, but one of my favourites was the one by A M Burrage, Oberon Road. It is a sort of cross between A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life. Bowen’s story, written in 1942, is set in the war and pretty effective. There are also haunted mirrors, Satanic ritual, a couple of ghostly modes of transportation, a pantomime cat which is more than it seems, a group telling ghost stories, a walking trip where a honeymooning couple find an abandoned village, a sinister guest and much more.
A solid collection, some stronger than others and a few that are rather good.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

full post is here:
https://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/202...

It's been a while since I've been here -- vacation and then a subsequent case of covid have sucked up my time pretty much since Thanksgiving and I'm just now feeling up to posting again. I couldn't let the year go by without reading at least one volume of Christmas ghost stories, which, ever since Valancourt launched its first book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories has become a tradition I've followed as the holiday approaches. Sadly, they haven't published one in a while, but luckily for me, last year the British Library Tales of the Weird came up with Haunters at the Hearth: Eerie Tales for Christmas Nights, edited by Tanya Kirk. These stories are not limited to the Victorian era; in this volume there are actually only two in that particuar category, with the entries spanning a whopping 110- year range from 1864 to 1974. In my very humble reader's opinion, this is one of the best Christmas anthologies the British Library has to offer.

There are a few stories in this book I'd encountered before -- "The Phantom Coach," by Amelia B. Edwards (1864), "Bone to His Bone," by E.G. Swain (1912) "The Cheery Soul," by Elizabeth Bowen (1942) and Celia Fremlin's "Don't Tell Cissie" from 1974. As for the highlights here, the most unexpected story and hands-down winner of my own award for most disturbing comes from American writer Mildred Clingerman (1918-1997), an author whose name I'd not heard before. "The Wild Wood" (1957), which I had to read twice because I couldn't believe wtf I'd just read, is worth the entire price of this book and inspired me to buy a collection of this author's work called The Clingerman Files. Tanya Kirk notes in the brief introduction to this story that "The domestic horror of a seemingly wholesome 1950s scene can be likened to the work of Clingerman's contemporary, Shirley Jackson," but if you ask me, "The Wild Wood" is creepier than anything Jackson ever wrote in her short stories. Pardon the overused cliché here, but it is like reading Shirley Jackson on steroids ... jeez! It all begins when Margaret Abbott, a mom of two small children, decided that her young family needed to establish its own Christmas traditions, starting with buying a tree. By the time the kids had become teens, the tradition of buying the tree at Cravolini's which had started when her daughter was just four had "achieved sancrosanctity" over the years, but it is a family custom that Margaret does not look forward to at all. While "Wild Wood" begins on the mundane side, once the family walks into Cravolini's the first time, things start to take a strange turn as Margaret gets a serious case of déjà vu, knowing "this has happened before." To say any more would be absolutely criminal, but let me just say that it's been a while since a story has punched me in the gut like this one did.

There is not a bad story in this anthology, ranging from ghosts, possessions, hauntings and dark humor to other strangeness, so really, there is something for everyone to be found here. The book joins my highly-revered, personal collection of British Library Tales of the Weird volumes, to which I've just today added two more books (well, pre-ordered them anyway). I can't speak highly enough of Haunters at the Hearth, and once again Tanya Kirk has done a great job selecting terrific stories for the holiday season. Very highly recommended.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas is not just jingle bells and overladen tables, its close association with the Winter Solstice and the dark nights at this time of year means for some people that they are as happy with ghost stories as others are with Elf…

The thinning of this world and the other and the ghosts and other spectres that inhabit the liminal zones are included in this new collection of eighteen stories from the British Library They have gone further into L space in search of stories that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Of all of the authors that are in here, I had only heard of D. H. Lawrence so the rest were new to me. Judging by the small biography at the beginning of each story, some of these authors are new to the editor too as there was almost nothing known about them.

I must say that I didn’t find the stories overly terrifying, which I am a little relieved about, as I am not a huge fan of horror. Rather the themes are more eerie and unnerving stories with a seasonal or Christmas theme. As with every short story collection, it is a mixed bag with variation in the quality of stories, but there were a couple that I particularly liked, The Mirror in Room 22 by James Hadley Chase and The Wild Wood by Mildred Clingerman.

If you have their other collections, this is an excellent addition to the library and as with all the others, the covers are just great.

[Nina The Wandering Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Oh Heaven! How shall I describe what I saw? I saw that he was no living man—that none of them were living men, like myself! A pale phosphorescent light—the light of putrefaction—played upon their awful faces; upon their hair, dank with the dews of the grave; upon their clothes, earth-stained and dropping into pieces; upon their hands, which were as the hands of corpses long buried. Only their eyes, their terrible eyes, were living; and those eyes were all turned menacingly upon me!”

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading British Library ghost story collections out loud to my husband, and this was another winner. I was glad to see so many humorous entries, more than there were in the other collections I've read.
Here's the rundown.


The Phantom Coach, by Amelia B. Edwards
3.5 stars
I liked the narrator and the snowy setting. The title pretty much gives away what's going to happen, but I was surprised his time with the scholarly hermit didn't have more significance. I guess he was just there to point him toward the road?
Jerry Bundler, by W. W. Jacobs
4 stars
The group of men in this story getting freaked out by ghost stories and pairing off so they didn't have to sleep alone was so endearing, but the ending was a bummer. This is what comes of horseplay, people.
Bone to His Bone, by E.G. Swain
4 stars (I had already read this in a different collection--below is my previous summary)
Swain patterned his main character Mr. Batchel, after himself and wrote a series of ghost stories featuring him, which I think is fun. This one was atmospheric but not scary, I think because Batchel was never afraid of the ghost in the story.
Oberon Road, by A. M. Burrage
5 stars
A fantastical tale full of sweetness and light. The ghosts weren't mean, and I liked the gentle, humorous tone.
The Last Laugh, by D. H. Lawrence
1 star
Lame. I've never read Lawrence before now, but this unpleasant, inscrutable story doesn't make me want to read any more.
Dr. Browning’s bus, by E. S. Knights
3.5 stars
Nice stormy setting with vivid description. Very similar to The Phantom Coach, except I didn't like how this one ended. I loved the scene when the doctor found his housekeeper in a room with 7 lamps and 9 candles because she was freaked out.
Whittington’s Cat, by Eleanor Smith
4 stars
So creepy, extra strange, and original. I did not know where it was going, but I was glad about how it ended.
The Earlier Service, by Margaret Irwin
3 stars
Not as scary as her terrifying story "The Book," which I read in a different collection. She did a nice job building the fear and tension, only to end the thing very abruptly.
Christmas Honeymoon, by Howard Spring
5 stars
Romantic and spooky, with fantastic description and a humorously opinionated narrator. Loved it!
The Cheery Soul, by Elizabeth Bowen
3 stars
Not a whole lot to it, and not as funny as the introduction made me think it would be. It was still kind of cute.
Between Sunset and Moonrise, by R. H. Malden
5 stars
Nice, traditional ghost(ish) story that drew me in right away with its first-person narration and vivid description.
The Mirror in Room 22, by James Hadley Chase
5 stars
Sometimes the really short ones don't feel finished or developed enough, but this little ditty was perfect, with a funny twist at the end.
At the Chalet Lartrec, by Winston Graham
4 stars
Not really a ghost story, but it had a swell twist. I guessed there would be something, but I didn't guess what it was.
Account Rendered, by W. F. Harvey
4 stars
I liked the writing style, and I was intrigued by the mysterious request to be anesthetized at the exact time every year, but I'm not sure I got the final explanation.
The Wild Wood, by Mildred
3 stars
Not a ghost story, but it was super creepy and disturbing. I wasn't a fan of the ending, but points for the twist.
The Waits, by L. P. Hartley
3.5 stars
Ominous Christmas carolers and melodramatic exclamations! The fact that no one brought a buddy when they went to the door (after the first person to go got freaked out) struck me as a little silly.
Deadman’s Corner, by George Denby
4 stars
Traditional ghost story with lots of dialogue in dialect. It was short and had a nice rhythm to it.
Don’t Tell Cissie, by Celia Fremlin
I loved the breezy, sassy tone of the narrator, Lois. Great twist at the end.

[Rissa (rissasreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - This was a pretty good read for the holidays. There were a few stories in here that didn't feel as though they necessarily fit, especially Bone To His Bone. However, the first few and the last few were the ones that stood out the most to me. I would definitely recommend these if you want some ghostly atmosphere during the holidays

[Alex Sarll]

A fourth volume of festive ghost stories from the British Library, and the only one here I knew I'd read before* is the opener, Amelia Edwards' The Phantom Coach; it's good, but it has been riffed on for a century and more (or at least, is a fine representative of elements which have), so I didn't flag it down again this year. Thereafter, a couple of perfectly serviceable ghost stories, but ones which happen to take place at Christmas rather than feeling integrally Christmassy, and honestly, if they'd been spread out I don't think I would have objected, it was just the concentration which made me itch. But then we have AM Burrage, author of classic Christmas chiller Smee, and if Oberon Road is a much more benign intrusion of the supernatural into the wintery everyday, well, it still got me, even if it might not have at another time of year. I could describe it as Arthur Machen's It's A Wonderful Life, and if it's not quite as good as that sounds, it still has the appropriate magic.

The quality back and forth continues, though even when a story doesn't quite land, it's rare that its inclusion feels utterly mysterious. DH Lawrence, for instance, does his usual thing in The Last Laugh, really catching something of his beloved life force, but then making sufficient queasy choices and repeating himself so much that the reader would be sore tempted to wring same out of him, had Time not beaten us to the mark. Whittington's Cat, by Eleanor Smith, suffers from the way in which the misdeeds of its feline haunter seem identical to the crimes of literally all cats. But then Margaret Irwin's The Earlier Service looms into view, its child protagonist and sinister church suggesting something whose fever dream screen version would make the perfect bridge between the BBC Box Of Delights or Green Knowe and their classic MR James adaptations.

As with Lawrence, not all of the writers are known for ghost stories; LP Hartley pops up, and Winston 'Poldark' Graham, the latter with something that's as much post-War espionage thriller as ghost story. And I think my favourite discovery was Celia Fremlin, who contributes the last and latest story here, but also worked with Mass Observation and wrote a memoir of her time in domestic service.

Even the collection's most howling dud is quite funny so long as you read against the grain. Howard Spring's Christmas Honeymoon follows one of the sort of Mancunians who give the place a bad name, who after being unimpressed with London (too fancy) and Cornwall (insufficiently fancy) ends up marooned with his new bride up on the moors, at night, in midwinter. Which feels about par for the course, given he's obviously one of the type who pride themselves on their 'common sense' when what they really mean is that they're very familiar with their rut, and absolutely useless outside it. Past halfway into the story, and there's no sign of anything supernatural, which left me chomping at the bit for the ravenous undead to appear and do something horrible to the deserving narrator. Instead, all that happens is the pair of them find their way to a village which, despite signs of recent occupation, is entirely deserted. A mystery the protagonist and his bride have never solved from that day to this, but which admits of easy solution to anyone who's been putting up with him for 20 pages by this point: having got wind that this prick was coming, they all very sensibly hid rather than have to deal with his self-satisfied grumping.

*I forgot about RH Malden, as Eminem has unaccountably never rapped.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A festive themed collection of mainly fairly 'cosy' ghost stories. I tend to prefer the macabre/bizarre end of the ghost story spectrum so this selection is quite tame. Lots of these were published in magazines and are by lesser-known or completely unknown authors, and in many cases it's quite clear why!

[Tvermar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great collection of ghost / eerie tales.
My favourite as the very disturbing The Wild Wood by Mildred Clingerman. Christmas honeymoon by Howard Spring,

A few of the stories had a humorous element, including then slightly odd/bonkers Whittington’s cat by Eleanor Smith.

Good stuff

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great wintry/Christmas-themed collection from British Library, Tales of the Weird series! This was my third Creepy Christmas read.

[Saklani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent selection of spooky stories for the holiday season. The British Library series is always good for some top notch reading, and this is another example.

[Nina Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I really enjoyed most stories, my favourites being:
-The phantom coach
-Oberon road
-Dr Browning's bus
-Whittington's cat
-Christmas honeymoon
-The Waits (this was my favourite!)

[Niki (nikilovestoread) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haunters at the Hearth is rather a poor short story collection, unfortunately. There are a handful of fantastic stories, but there are also a handful of stories that are just terrible, including one that was absolutely disgusting. I don't understand it being published in the first place, let alone included in this publication. My favorites were The Phantom Coach by Amelia B. Edwards, Jerry Bundler by W. W. Jacobs, Dr. Browning's Bus by E. S. Knights, At the Chalet Lartec by Winston Graham, Account Rendered by W. F. Harvey, and Don't Tell Cissie by Celia Fremlin.

[Gerry Grenfell-Walford · Rating 3 out of 5]

You never really know what you're going to get with these British Library - Tales of the Weird collections. I have read about five volumes to date, and if I were to add all the best stories of each together I'd probably have one reasonable sized book. But they do make fairly undemanding reading, and sometimes, just sometimes, you get an absolute banging tale in among the more pedestrian material!
Let's break this down, tale by tale:
-The Phantom Coach: *** a classical melodrama.
-Jerry Bundler: ** apparently they got a whole play out of this story.
-Bone to his bone: ** a gently atmospheric piece
-Oberon Road: *** one of the stronger tales, gives an intriguing exploration not just of the physical but also the spiritual landscape of inter-war London.
- The Last Laugh: **** beautiful, eerie.
-Dr Browning's Bus: *** predictable but not bad.
-Whittington's Cat: *** bizarre, and properly delivering on the 'weird'! But still well written and absorbing.
-The Earlier Service: *** these days the idea of murky ecclesiastic goings on tends to shock less than in previous times. What you have left is a moody, rather than shocking short story.
-Christmas Honeymoon: ***** and there it is! I live in Cornwall and stories like this explain why. The idea of the uncanny is never far away here. And it helps that the story is told in a lively way that easily pulls you in.
-The Cheery Soul: *** rather fun.
-Between sunset and moonrise: *** I found this story surprisingly visual, that elevated it above the rather hum-drum supernatural premise.
-The Mirror in Room 22: ** I mean, it's not bad, but I felt that more of a story could have been had here!
-At the Chalet Lartrec: *** I liked this. Actually I could imagine a pretty good film could have been made of this.
-Account rendered: *** a pretty intriguing idea of guilt and it's suppression by medical means. The ghost is really a mild old gentleman and I like the idea of such a one having the ability to unsettle steelier minds!
-The Wild Wood: *** I didn't 'like' this story. It's easily the most sleekly sinister of the bunch here. But that deserves credit, right?
-The Waits: *** not an obvious story, the finer details might (if you're like me) take a while to work through. What did Mr Marriner do?
-Deadman's Corner: **** a satisfying structure and rhythm, coupled with lively accentage made this a satisfying read for me! You can't go wrong with a pattern of three.
-Don't tell Cissie: *** a shrewd story with hidden layers. Ignore the shlocky twist, and you get a meditation on the dynamics within old friendships, for they had created the ghost, with their guilt. The last line is brilliant.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection didn't really work for me.

There were a couple of very good stories but the majority were rather meh!

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next Christmas-themed ghost anthology in the Tales of the Weird series, and it shows no signs of flagging at this stage. This one's a bumper collection of seasonal tales, some of them humorous, some of them traditional, and some of them scary, so there's something for everyone. Most are so rare that I'd only read three of them before: the well-worn PHANTOM COACH by Amelia Edwards, Margaret Irwin's THE EARLIER SERVICE, and L.P. Hartley's THE WAITS.

W.W. Jacobs' JERRY BUNDLER is a traditional one, although the climax is pretty violent, and it does the job well. E.G. Swain's BONE TO HIS BONE is something more genteel with a friendly ghost, but the Jamesian atmosphere is spot on. I was hoping for more from A.M. Burrage's OBERON ROAD, but it turns out to be rather sentimental which is something I shy away from. D.H. Lawrence's THE LAST LAUGH is totally obtuse – about a guy laughing in the bushes – and I had no idea what to make of it.

DR. BROWNING'S BUS sees E.S. Knights tackling a classic topic with a top spooky outcome, while WHITTINGTON'S CAT is a good psychological one from Eleanor Smith that has a proper creepy atmosphere. Howard Spring's CHRISTMAS HONEYMOON is another one with a good setting of a deserted village, and THE CHEERY SOUL sees Elizabeth Bowen delivering an enjoyably friendly spirit.

R.H. Malden's BETWEEN SUNSET AND MOONRISE harks back to the Knights tale to equally sinister effort, while James Hadley Chase's THE MIRROR IN ROOM 22 is a brief twist-in-the-tale yarn. AT THE CHALET LARTREE is by Winston Graham and offers a historical murder mystery with a chilling climax, and W.F. Harvey's ACCOUNT RENDERED is my favourite of the anthology, all about a strange man who enjoys being voluntarily anaesthetised.

Mildred Clingerman's THE WILD WOOD is harder work, but it does offer an unusual female-focused spin on the genre. George Denby's pseudonymous DEADMAN'S CORNER was apparently written by a journalist and thus feels quite cliched, although it doesn't do anything wrong. Finally, Celia Fremlin's DON'T TELL CISSIE offers a novel spin on a traditional haunted house story, with a delicately moving climax.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so impressed that the editors managed to find such a fun collection of stories! They were creepy and chilly and tragic and funny. Some were ghostly, some were thrillers and mystery, some were dark magic. All of the stories were well written and atmospheric. The book perfectly captured a cold winter night that pushes you to gather by a fire. But does the fireplace actually keep you safe from the early dark and delayed sunrise? I am having a very mild Texas winter, but the quick sunsets haunt me, too.

Another thing I enjoyed about this collection was the era the stories were written in. Many of the other anthologies I dive into seem to cease their golden age shortly after the end of the first World War. I think I assumed that the river of ghost stories slowed as electricity was installed in more places. Perhaps the English have us beat in some types of story telling because it seems like there were still plenty of places lacking in reliable lights in the UK as the 20th century marched. Or maybe, even like the warm hearth, bright holiday lights were still not enough to hold back the shadows.

[Shaay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb collection!

One of the best anthologies of the eerie and ghostly I've read in quite some time. This collection included authors not usually represented in this genre, such as D. H. Lawrence. It also includes some lesser known, less frequently anthologized, stories from authors we are used to seeing in ghost story collections, such as A. M. Burrage's "Oberon Road."

From the unusual, to classic ghost stories in the tradition of M. R. James, there's some little thing here for every taste.

There are quite a few stories written by women, which I appreciate as we are often under represented in anthologies in this genre: Mildred Clingerman, Amelia B. Edwards, Elizabeth Bowen, and Eleanor Smith, among others, are included here.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for holiday "spirits."

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories in a collection are printed in chronological order, and the shift of focus is clearly visible. If A.M. Burrage and W.W. Jacobs are the traditional type, who write about strange happenings on Christmas Eve, D.H. Lawrence and Daphne du Maurier use the happenings on Christmas Eve to pull the reader’s attention on the internal turmoil of the characters. Their stories are more about the characters and less about what’s happening. My preference lies more towards the second type.

My favourite of the collection is ‘christmas honeymoon’ by howard spring. This is a one-of-a-kind Christmas ghost story by the simple fact that there are no ghosts present at all. There is a Christmas present and there is a story present, but the story encircles in its core a black hole of Nothing. The traditional haunted house we have come to expect takes us by surprise by the fact that it is actually not haunted – it holds no restless spirits, no eerie apparitions, no sinister past to uncover. Instead, it feels imbued with an absence, an almost palpable void that unsettles the couple. This void, this “Nothing,” becomes the story’s true specter: the things unsaid, the emotions suppressed, the lives that once were but are no longer.

https://leseriana.blog/2024/12/18/chr...

[Sophie Constable · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of Christmas ghost stories to dip in and out of over the Christmas period. Some stories definitely felt more Christmassy than others but I liked everything in this collection. I really liked the little introductions before each story and I definitely will be picking up more collections by The British Library in the future. My favourites in this collection were:
Oberon Road by A. M. Burrage
The Last Laugh by D. H. Lawrence
Whittington's Cat by Eleanor Smith
The Earlier Service by Margaret Irwin
The Mirror in Room 22 by James Hadley Chase
The Waits by L. P. Hartley
Don't Tell Cissie by Celia Fremlin

[p. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5☆

the british library tales of the weird christmas / winter collections have now become part of my christmas rituals. this issue was another excellent collection of cosy stories, varying from the funny to the horrifying, from the supernatural to the mysterious.

favourites: 'the phantom coach' by amelia b. edwards, 'oberon road' by a.m. burrage, 'dr. browning's bus' by e.s. knights, 'whittington's cat' by eleanor smith, 'the earlier service' by margaret irwin, 'christmas honeymoon' by howard spring, 'at the chalet lartrec' by winston graham, 'the wild wood' by mildred clingerman (proceed with caution with this one), 'the waits' by l.p. hartley and 'don't tell cissie' by celia fremlin

[George Kearse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a mega fan of classic horror and “weird” tales, having read some large volumes and anthologies from the likes of HP Lovecraft and MR James over the years. This volume definitely scratches the itch, containing a variety of stories written by some famous and some otherwise unknown authors who only had one or several credits to their name. A lot of different themes are explored that make these tales interesting, and in fact some of them read more in the vein of a mystery/thriller than outright ghost story, which was refreshing and keeps you guessing. I look forward to picking up some other volumes in this British Library Tales of the Weird collection!

[Catface · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a good all round collection of classic ghost stories (including a couple of different takes on the same basic storyline), this is a solid choice. There's a good range of spooky stories from a range of different authors and styles, and is perfect for settling down with on a cold, dark evening.

If this is your thing, the whole Tales of the Weird collection is worth a look - there's one on Botanical Gothic which is definitely worth tracking down (I found it in the Little Apple Bookshop on High Petergate, York).

[KeenReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of these, although as ever, some were more enjoyable than others. Three of the stories were humorous, which was a pleasant change. I don't think I've come across funny ghost stores before (apart from The Canterville Ghost). I do not understand why one, "At the Chalet Lartrec" was included as a ghost story. It didn't read like as one to me, more as a mystery/thriller. I enjoyed it though.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undoubtedly a fantastic book for the holiday season. There are quite a number of weird, creepy and spooky short stories that are my personal favorites. For certain scenes, I had to search on the internet and gather additional insightful information about the author and the story--such as The Wild Wood by Mildred Clingerman and At the Chalet Lartrec by Winston Graham.

[Myan]

Favourites:
- Jerry Bundler by W.W. Jacobs (1897)
- Bone to His Bone by E.G. Swain (1912)
- Christmas Honeymoon by Howard Spring (1939)
- The Mirror in Room 22 by James Hadley Chase (1944)
- The Wild Wood by Mildred Clingerman (1957)
- Don’t Tell Cissie by Celia Fremlin (1974)

[Jeff Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume of ghostly tales set around the festive season. I hoovered it up in just about one sitting. The quality of the stories is very high as is the creeping dread quotient. Perfect reading for these dark winter nights.

[Erica-Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent collection of Winter and Christmas-themed ghost stories over a wide range of time periods. All of them well written, most Id never read before (which is saying a lot as this is my favourite genre so I have read many).

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent dark, seasonal collection from an interesting range of authors e.g. Celia Fremlin, LP Hartley, DH Lawrence and many I'd never heard of. I'm going to have to look out for more in this British Library series.

[Alex Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the latest Christmas BL Tales of the Weird has become one of my favourite traditions to get me into the Yuletide spirit.

This one was great.