Il libro delle storie di fantasmi

by Roald Dahl (Editor)

Elusivi e imprevedibili appaiono i fantasmi tratteggiati in questi racconti. Per Mary Treadgold sono uno squillo del telefono, per Rosemary Timperley un bagliore di capelli rossi in un cespuglio di rose bianche, per Cynthia Asquithuna una vecchia voce polverosa tra le cianfrusaglie di un negozio e una mano che striscia carezzevole sui vetri per Sheridan Le Fanu. Ma forse la verità è rivelata da Hartley: siamo noi stessi a creare i fantasmi che ci perseguitano.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Halloween, Ghost Stories, Ghosts

269 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Roald Dahl was a beloved British author, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot, best known for his enchanting and often darkly humorous children's books that have captivated generations of readers around the world. Born in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl led a life marked by adventure, tragedy, creativity, and enduring literary success. His vivid imagination and distinctive storytelling style have made him one of the most celebrated children's authors in modern literature.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection and one I reread all the time as I own it. Some of the best ghost stories I've ever read are here. If you don't want to be unduly alarmed and chagrined, do not read Dahl's preface. In it he details how he went about finding all these great stories, which is interesting until he gets to the fun part in which he denigrates women writers. He is surprised to find that women do ghosts well. He also gives them a shout out for writing great children's books, but seems to think that is about all they do well. Ugh!

[Julie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every year on Halloween night, I permit myself one Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. It is a great indulgence for me, an annual event, and I savor the moment, taking very small bites to prolong the experience.

This collection of ghost stories, that I bought last year after the creepy season ended, felt like a similar indulgence to me. I was going to savor Roald Dahls' writing one story at a time, one story for 14 nights of October, leading up to Halloween night. . .

But, as soon as I opened it up, I experienced problem #1. . . these ghost stories were NOT written by Mr. Dahl, they were COLLECTED by him, originally in 1958.

In his excellent Introduction, Dahl explains that “good ghost stories. . . are damnably difficult to write,” and admits that he himself had never been able to accomplish a good one, but after reading through 749 ghost stories written by other people, he chose 24 of the best for a series he was promoting. He then narrowed that down to 14, for this particular collection.

The first ghost story, “W.S.,” written in 1954 by L.P. Hartley (who obviously likes initials), was succinct, successful at making the hairs creep up on the back of my neck. . . and I was able to overlook the disappointment of missing out on Roald Dahl's actual writing, but then. . .

Most of the remaining stories in the collection felt dull, dated and fairly predictable. The ghost in each story was creepy (as most ghosts are), but the other essentials, like character development and setting (among the living), felt underdeveloped and shabby in most.

One story, “The Corner Shop,” published originally in 1951, was interesting. . . in that it involves the redemption of a soul and a shift in a ghost's status, and the prospect of it danced a little in the back of my mind.

For the most part. . . yawn. . . but, fortunately, no insomnia for me!

As a side note, for a woman who is currently obsessed with Shirley Jackson, it was serendipitous for me to find this in Mr. Dahl's 1983 Introduction:

Who can forget Shirley Jackson's marvellous story, “The Lottery?” Admittedly, it isn't a ghost story. But it deals with the same sort of eerie and unfathomable events and does it in a manner I have never seen matched by any male short story writer.

Having just reread Jackson's The Lottery last week, I can tell you, there isn't a short story out there that matches that one for brevity or the power to disturb your mind.

[Fiona MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was seriously impressed by this collection of ghost stories. I would estimate that 10 out of 14 were genuinely frightening and it took me a while to focus on the present day after being taken into the past. Also the calibre of these stories was exceptional (as Dahl states in his introduction) 'The Telephone', 'The Upper Berth' and 'The Ghost of a Hand' were particular favourites that really scared me. The wonderful introduction by Roald Dahl really accenuates each story and the history behind some of the authors. I will be buying this as a present for people who enjoy being scared!

[Kathryn McCary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny, although ten out of the 14 stories in this book are ones I like, at least to some degree, I'd really rather read them in some other collection. I think it may be Dahl's rambling, discursive and inconclusive introduction. He rides an utterly irrelevant hobby horse (children's writers don't get no respect) and indulges in a peculiar--and not well supported--comparison of the merit of men and women both as writers in general (men are better) and as ghost story writers (women are better). His own selection doesn't even support his thesis (of 13 writers, only 4 are women).

All the same, I'm keeping the book--it does have Cynthia Asquith's "The Corner Shop" and A.M. Burrage's "Playmates."

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roald Dahl spent years reading over 700 ghost stories to put together material to make a TV show with. I would think it would've been like the Twilight Zone. The pilot did not get picked up, so Roald put the stories together in this little book.

The ranger from the late 1890s to the 1970s is the lates one I saw, while the majority are from the 50s. The authors vary as well and some of them are very British, some are told with purple prose. It is a collection of all kinds of short stories and some of them are a bit spooky. Most of them are around 15 pages, some are longer. I think young kids might find them spooky if they are short enough, but they might get bored also.

I did enjoy reading this collection. My favorite story of the collection was 'Playmates' by A. M. Burrage. It was good. My least favorite was a story by Edith Wharton and it was like she was trying to prove how awesome a writer she is by sounding writerly and using the most obscure words. The story was boring and her writing style got on my nerves. I'm someone who enjoyed Ethan Frome in school, but I didn't like this story.

I think a good experiment would be to read this when there are different generations around, kids, parents, grandparents, and see what the people think.

It's too bad that Roald Dahl didn't try his hand at at least one scary story. I would like for one of his stories to be in here.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novelist receives strange and disturbing post cards from an unknown fan ; lonely children speak to and about what their parents or guardians dismiss as imaginary friends until contrary evidence materializes ; an impoverished writer visits an antique shop finding different surroundings and tenants at night to those during the daytime ; a strange hand haunts a mansion and it's inhabitants ; strange telephone calls from the dead ; a mystery figure sweeps up leaves at night ; all who sleep on cabin 105 on the ship Kamschatka go mad and throw themselves overboard. All of these happenings have only the explanation of the supernatural: Strange encounters with phantoms, ghosts , ghouls and the undead.

Roald Dahl puts together a charming anthology of eerie old-fashioned ghost stories from various different authors, with all the right touches, where the twists in the tale all have a supernatural flavour. These stories will chill your spine and stay in your mind long after you have read them.

My personal favourites are Harry, Playmates, Ringing the Changes, The Ghost of a Hand, The Sweeper and On the Brighton Road.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been sitting on my TBR since 2011. Yes, I have finally gotten around to it. It was full of creepers by plenty of forgotten authors such as A.M. Barrage, F. Marion Crawford, And Rosemary Timperley.

Dahl did a wonderful job selecting these stories.

If you can, find a copy and savour the scare.

[Mells · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a really depressing book. In his weirdly sexist preface, an author I greatly respect says that he has read through 749 ghost stories to select these 14 as the very pinnacle of the genre. And, let's ruin all the intrigue from the start, they kinda suck. So either these 14 really are the best stories the genre has to offer, which is at least as depressing as your girlfriend breaking up with you on your anniversary to date Roald Dahl's son, or one really good writer, who succeeded in creating so many unexpected peculiar endings, had no taste, which, let's face it, is a far more realistic option.

There're 14 stories in this book (oh come on, couldn't you do 13? And print it in 36 bold, so they would take up 666 pages? MWAHAHAHAHA), but they only have in common a certain accessibility - they're quite easy and fairly pleasant to read. Also, in most of these the ghosts are benevolent, which is cool - in a perfect ghost story ghosts are just sad remnants of the sad times, not good people turned into homicidal maniacs after death.

But of these fourteen only two are worth mentioning.

Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie sucks, and the coolness of the author's surname doesn't help much. It's a very silly tale with characters that evoke zero sympathy, and an absolutely demented plot. I get it, it's supposed to be read as a dark fairy tale made peculiar by its Norse theme, but it doesn't even try to be a good story. And that is downright offensive.

Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman is everything a ghost story should be... until about the middle of it. The first half succeeds at being the noble kind of horror - it dips you into the eerie atmosphere and continuously throws unsettling events and phrases in your direction, but doesn't go overboard with it, like everybody in David Lynch's movies, so it stays believable, yet very strange and creepy, and makes you anticipate the ending thrice more zealously. But then it loses it's appeal by smacking you in the face with very literal things, and ends in a very vague cryptic remark, that makes you regret a lot of the life choices you've made, including buying this book and that incident with a cactus and a pack of diapers neither of you will ever mention or ever forget.

The rest of the stories are pretty universally ok. They're not really spooky, and the big reveal in the end is usually 'and it was actually a ghost!'. Come on, I'm reading a book of ghost stories, I've kinda figured already. But on the other hand, they're at least pleasant, not boring, and, most importantly, fairly short.

So you know, whatever. Just don't believe anybody who says you should absolutely read this. The chances are, they're a ghost, and will disappear in a few minutes, and you'll be stuck with this book for hours. Which is not really the worst fate as things go, but hey, you could've been reading Chris Priestley the whole time instead.

P.S. I liked how Penguin deemed necessary to include the ad of this book into this very book, so you could think about buying this book all the while you're reading this book. But the cover is pretty stylish, so you didn't hear me complain.

[merina rey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I’m desensitized... but wow this sucked 😱
I would say no fault to Roald Dahl because he obviously didn’t write any of these but I mean he compiled them in a book and just wow. I came so close to DNFing this. It was torture. I tortured myself.
Torture.
The only thing scary in regards to this book was the feeling like I wasn’t going to make it out alive. I was for sure I would succumb to terriblebookitis.

[Juan Manuel Sarmiento]

Como ocurre con todas las antologías de relatos, siempre hay algunos que destacan más que otros y que perduran más en la memoria. Uno de mis favoritos es el de "Harry", escrito por Rosemary Timperley, que trata sobre una niña adoptada que parece tener un amigo imaginario muy interesado en protegerla y enseñarle cosas.
No quisiera contaros nada más sobre los relatos que contiene, ya que en estas situaciones es mejor que cada uno los descubra por sí mismos. Pero asegúrate de tener las luces encendidas si estás solo.

Reseña completa el 12 Noviembre en THE BEST READ YET BLOG

[Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

To elaborate on the background given in the description above, Dahl's extensive reading of ghost stories in the late 1950s and early 60s was originally undertaken to select quality specimens for adaptation in a projected TV series (which was never made). He was previously unread in this type of literature, and found that most of it failed to deliver the genuinely scary quality he expected; but some stories made the grade with him, and here he collects 14 of the best of these. Despite his avowed taste for the creepy and disturbing in his ghostly reading, however, not all these selections feature malevolent ghosts; the book also presents tales of redemption, forgiveness, and healing friendship from beyond the grave. Not all of the stories here are technically ghost stories, either; one story deals with a temporal slip rather than an actually deceased ghost, and the supernatural nemesis who appears in "Elias and the Draug" by Jonas Lie [pronounced "Lee"] is a spirit-being drawn from Norse folklore, not the shade of a departed person. (And the one in L. P. Hartley's "W. S." is an author's worst nightmare, one of his imaginary villains somehow brought to actual life --the progression from unease to menace here is gripping enough that the reader swallows the implausible premise.) All of the selections do feature imagination and good, effective writing, however, and all of them make the supernatural seem real; this is one of the best collections of supernatural stories that I've encountered.

The dozen authors included here (Timperley and Burrage are each represented twice) are, except for Lie, all British or American, mostly the former; and Le Fanu's "The Ghost of a Hand" --which is definitely one of the world's more original ghostly tales-- is the only story here written before 1900. Crawford's "The Upper Berth" is perhaps the most horrific selection, but none of them disappoint --it's hard to pick a single favorite!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing read. I grabbed the book at a book trade thinking it had been written by Dahl, which it hadn't. Rather, it was a compilation of 20-some "horror" stories which he considered the best of the best.

Unfortunately, in this case I'm inclined to respectfully disagree with Mr. Dahl. Only a small handful of the short stories were of any interest, and not one left me with the disturbed or off feeling a really good spooky story brings. Most were happily and fully resolved without any need to think or question. Worse, they were utterly predictable. The same pattern of person moves/travels/goes somewhere new and meets someone else who turns out to be a ghost, which they only realize later, was done so many times in this book alone I had trouble finishing it.

I haven't read many of the authors published in this book before, so I can't vouch for the quality of them in general, but I can absolutely say I've read better horror stories in my lifetime. I have a feeling Dahl was going for the "hidden treasures" approach of compiling mostly little known authors, but in this case perhaps he should have thrown in one or two from the big guns who are known to please the masses- there is a reason many of the best horror story writers are known for such.

[Lucía Cafeína · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 en realidad
Lo cierto es que no se me da demasiado bien puntuar las antologías, porque siempre hay unos relatos que gustan más que otros, y en esta ocasión no ha sido diferente; de todas formas, todos tienen en común ese aire fantasmal, ese "mejor no lo leo cuando es de noche y no hay nadie en casa", a pesar de que en general no hay nada realmente terrorífico, sí que consiguen causar escalofríos.
Mi favorito ha sido, sin duda, el primero, W. S., con semejanzas a Niebla, de Unamuno, pero mucho más turbio, y el que menos, Elias y el Draug, tal vez porque no he acabado de entenderlo...
Pero en general, ha resultado una antología de lo más entretenida.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

1990 Aug 18
2000 Apr 18
2008 November 11
2011 August 09


I've read the introduction, which has an interesting digression into authors and other kinds of artists and gender, as well as a further digression on writing for children. Good stuff. The first story, "W.S." by L.P. Hartley is all kinds of creepy good.

The second story, "Harry" deals with a mother creeped out by her daughter's imaginary friend.
A firm grounding in the mundane and the familiar so far mark Dahl's choices. And he stated up front that the ghost is best when not viewed full on.

I wonder why few women these days are writing horror, or, why more women these days are writing romantic horror.

I've just now finished "The Corner Shop" by Cynthia Asquith. Very well done, I was quite pleasantly mislead along with her protagonist. Brava. And kudos to Dahl for his selections.

"In the Tube" by E. F. Benson and "Christmas Meeting" by Rosemary Timperley make an excellent pairing, both dealing with temporal disturbances. The Benson contains no golf or house-hunting, but the room in which the story is told is well-described. Timperley, on the other hand eschews much description at all. Amazingly concise."

Elias and the Draug" I think Dahl picked this out of sentiment. It's a good ghost story, but not a great one. "Playmates" is really very creepy. The creepiest stories have kids in them, I think. "Ringing the Changes" is one I've read before, and oh, my, is it a good pick for this collection. "The Ghost of a Hand" was new to me, and is outstanding for unseen menace. "The Sweeper" is good, and particularly evocative of the sound of a broom sweeping leaves (actually, I imagined a rake, but still, it works).

"Afterward" by Edith Wharton is a good one, particularly as it seems to be a humorous story at first, as the couple specify their dream house in England. "On the Brighton Road" is a sad story, and reminds me of Orwell's marvelous Down and Out in Paris and London. "The Upper Birth" is one of the few really manly sorts of ghost stories, very active on the part of the protagonist.

All in all, an awesome collection.

***

Some days you just feel like reading ghost stories, and this is such a strong collection. Right up there with Gorey's The Haunted Looking Glass: Ghost Stories

***

2013 July 12

Repeated readings of the stories has only increased my agreement with Dahl that these are particularly good ghost stories. If anything, they've gone higher in my estimation.

But repeated readings of Dahl's introduction have the opposite effect. He describes a project he was working on, and the results of his search to read all the ghost stories. And then how amazed he is that so many of the best were written by women. (His final tally is thirteen great male-written stories to eleven great female-written ones.) He goes on to expound on great art produced by women versus that produced by men, noting that while women have written great novels from the beginning, they haven't managed to produce great visual art (painting, or sculpture), nor to compose great music.

And you know, I've now seen about a billion versions of the same comments made all over the internets by a vast number of people. The specific forms of great art vary (although dance is usually left out), the defining characteristics of "greatness" vary, often, as here, with the writer specifically excluding one area that would cast doubt on the theory. (Here Dahl says women write great ghost stories, and great novels, but not great short stories, then goes on to acknowledge that his selected ghost stories are both great and short, but they don't count. And the writer is more than willing to point to one field where women (or people of color, or certain ethnicities, or whatever subset of inferior beings are being remarked upon), one field where the group unarguably excels (Dahl mentions writing for children), and the proponent of the comment is always so proud of himself for noticing this failure, and for being all even-handed about the thing.

You know. You've seen it a billion times yourself: women can write mysteries just fine, but not history, or poetry, sure, but not rock songs; blacks can play football and basketball but not tennis; latin@s can write magical realism, but not journalism; blah, blah, blah ad infinitum.

And what none of these people ever see is the connection between deliberately keeping a group of people out of [something] and the failure of that excluded group to produce what the supposed arbiters consider masterworks. "I don't think a woman has ever written a classic play" writes Dahl. I wish I could point out to him that Christie's The Mousetrap: A Play has been running continuously for 61 years in the West End (31 when he published the intro). Not that it matters. If your starting point is that a group of people is inherently inferior, then no argument is going to change your mind, not a list of brilliant works by that group, or the observation that they are systemically excluded. Although for them, some version of a blinded audition will work, which is why I will never give a woman a hard time for publishing under neutral initials.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever had tea at a fancy hotel? The waiter serves you these beautiful little scones, miniature sandwiches, tiny, tiny biscuits, and chocolate-covered strawberries on a gorgeous tiered tray, with pots of lemon curd and strawberry jam and pats of butter on the side, and a hot pot of tea. If you're lucky, there's a cellist in the corner of the room and a beautiful garden outside the window.

I have only had this experience twice, but both times I adored how the atmosphere felt so distinguished, refined, and old-fashioned (even though I was probably wearing Converse sneakers and jeans). Reading Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories is like that. Roald Dahl sets you up to feel that way, because he spends the introduction explaining how he once embarked on a mission to read every ghost story he could get his hands on--which came to about 750 stories--to assist with creating a ghost story TV series. The series never worked out, but Dahl wanted to pass on his favorite stories, and so he created this anthology.

So when you start reading the first story, you're already thinking, "Wow, these are the best dozen or so stories, hand-selected by Roald Dahl, from a wide, deep pool of stories!" And they are all, indeed, very good--creepy, suspenseful, and wonderfully well-written. Reading them is like taking the world's spookiest and yet most relaxing hot bath. Does that make sense? My favorite tales were The Corner Curio Shop, The Upper Berth, In The Tube, and Ringing the Changes.

An excellent book to curl up with when you have a mug of tea, a cat, a quilt, and, if you can arrange it, a thunderstorm outside.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edith Wharton writes a damn good ghost story.

[skein · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the introduction (where Dahl is shocked - shocked - to find that women write better ghost stories than men, and spends another page ruminating why would this be? when women fail at every other form of art (painting, sculpting, music) - after that charming introduction, the stories begin. (The title is misleading: Dahl is not the author.)

It's a mixed bag. Some are coldly shocking ("Elias and the Draug", "Ringing the Changes"), some predictable ("Playmates"). Some are brilliant and cruel ("Afterward", "The Telephone").

The star rating seems a bit unfair in regards to anthologies.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stelle e mezzo.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting little collection, given to me by my grandad. I have some fond, vivid memories of visiting my grandparents as a kid, and sneaking off to read from the upstairs closet - Roald Dahl, Stephen King, stuff that scared me stiff in the best sort of way, while my grandad turned a blind eye approvingly. So, I had fairly high expectations when he gave me Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories, and I think the compendium largely met them. It's hard to be sure, because more than a decade on, I'm just not as easy to scare any more. But there were some good, well-written stories amongst the bunch.

The introduction by Dahl is bizarre and seems largely out of place. He uses it as a platform to meander on about how women are unsuccessful at pretty much everything, except for writing ghost stories. Er, okay then. Tone badly set, the first story, "W.S." is a bit of a loser, and a dull note to open on. Every twist and turn is laboriously sign-posted paragraphs in advance, and it left me feeling nonplussed. Rosemary Timperley's "Harry" is much more like it - a sharp and sudden reminder of how sinister ghosts can be. It helps that the stakes are naturally raised by placing a child in mortal peril, and I think this would have made a better opening tale.

"The Corner Shop" by Cynthia Asquith is quite atmospheric, though it doesn't really pull off its attempt at shocking through misdirection. E.F. Benson's "In The Tube" didn't do much for me at all - too much lengthy exposition, not enough fright. "Christmas Meeting", a second piece by Timperley, raises the bar, though I was disappointed at its bitesize length. I may have to search out some of her more substantial writing in future. "Elias and the Draug" by Jonas Lie is easily the worst in the collection. Dahl says in the introduction that it loses something in translation, and that definitely holds true. It's a bizarre tale completely devoid of emotion - a man loses his entire family during a vicious storm and just keeps on sailing. As you do.

A.M. Burrage's "Playmates" was something of an improvement, though I found it quite ponderous, and it doesn't even really try to be scary. It's followed by "Ringing the Changes" by Robert Aickman, which is absolutely terrifying in the build-up. The eventual "reveal" of the dead is a bit of an anti-climax, but up to that point, it's very well executed. Mary Treadgold's "The Telephone" has an interesting idea at its centre - a man who, upon dialling his old telephone number, can converse with his deceased wife. Told from the point of view of his current wife, however, the degree of detachment detracts from, rather than enhances the potentially chilling premise. "The Ghost of a Hand" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu is another dreadful one. It's apparently a snippet pulled from a longer story, and as far as I'm concerned, should have stayed there. The absolute lack of context translated into an absolute lack of caring. Burrage's second entry, "The Sweeper" has the same haunting atmosphere as "Playmates", but was more out-and-out scary in its execution, and definitely one that I enjoyed.

"Afterward" by Edith Wharton was probably my favourite of the whole collection. I felt for the protagonist, and the ghost was just so evil - none of the namby pamby Caspers of some of the other tales here. Richard Middleton's "On the Brighton Road" left very little impression on me. The closing story, "Marion Crawford's "The Upper Berth" was serviceable, but I think "Afterward" would have been a better note to close on.

It's one I enjoyed overall, uneven as the quality was in places. Lie and Le Fanu I wouldn't touch again, but Timperley, Burrage, Wharton and Aickman are by far the best of the bunch, and I'd be happy to read more by any of them in future.

[Melora · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine collection of ghost stories, and I enjoyed the chance to sample several authors I've heard of but never read before. As usual, some were just okay, some were good, and a couple were quite good. The first story, "W.S.," by L.P Hartley, "The Corner Shop," by Cynthia Asquith, and "Playmates" and "The Sweeper," by A.M. Burrage were my favorites. Dahl's introduction, in which he explains how he came to collect these stories and shares his ideas on the artistic abilities of women (they can't compose music or paint or write good short stories, but, surprisingly, they have an exceptional gift for ghost stories!) at rather more length than was necessary, is probably best ignored, but this is a nice and not-too-long collection of stories, most of which were published in the first half of the 20th century.

[Ameera · Rating 1 out of 5]

The stories weren't as scary as i thought they were to be, i found this to be more suitable for preteens rather than adults. There is an interesting intro where Dahl explains why women are better suited as writers for children books and his overall take on how difficult it is to write a book for children. Not my favourite book by him, but it was nice to see him do something different

[Zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had more campfire vibes to me. Enjoyed some of the stories, others we plain dull. I wouldn’t recommend it to others.

[Libros Prohibidos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Al sentir el entusiasmo del propio antólogo, enseguida viajé a ese tiempo paradisíaco de niño que se abre al mundo y descubre muchas cosas; como que la crueldad que se respiraba más allá de su ventana podía ser sublimada en unas cuanta páginas donde lo fantasmal sirve de gran contenedor para nuestros miedos ancestrales que han llegado hasta nuestros días transformados pero vivaces. Hoy el terror ha seguido evolucionando y me pregunto si Dahl hubiera elegido entre sus fantasmas favoritos los relatos más actuales y alejados de los parámetros que abundan en esta antología. Crítica completa: https://libros-prohibidos.com/vv-aa-l...

[Missy (myweereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The crazy eyes staring at me beneath the matted white fringe of hair frightened me. Mad people are terrifying. One can pity them, but one is still afraid.”

Roald Dahl’s Book Of Ghost Stories is a collection of what he thought were the best ghost stories written. It begins with an introduction on the art of writing a good ghost story. What I like about this collection is that it still manages to creep the reader out. Ive seen that some readers have found the tales to be dated however I think it’s that traditional ghost story telling which gives them that intensity.

Some of my favourites in this collection are:

W.S. by L.P. Hartley

Harry by Rosemary Timperley

The Corner Shop by Cynthia Asquith

In the Tube by E.F. Benson

Christmas Meeting by Rosemary Timperley
.
Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie

Playmates by A.M. Burrage

The Telephone by Mary Treadgold

The Ghost of a Hand by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

I found these particular stories to be spooky. I liked the range within them, how some were more in your face where as others were subtle with the eerie atmosphere. I think whilst reading these it’s easy to see how they may have influenced ghost stories of today as specific themes and characteristics are recognisable.

A fun wee collection of ghost stories picked out by an amazing author.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A creepy collection of old-fashioned stories that favours creaky old English houses and the as-told-to style common in the late 19th century.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roald Dahl's Book of Ghosts collects 14 shirt stories hand picked by Dahl himself including works from Rosemary Timperley, E.F. Benson, and Edith Wharton.

At one point in time, Roald Dahl had pitched an idea of a television show where each episode was a stand alone ghost story. Think "The Twilight Zone" but only ghosts. For his research, Dahl read through hundreds of ghost stories and selected his favorite works to be adapted for the show. The show ended up being scrapped but Dahl didn't want his research to go to water and put together a collection of his favorite ghost stories.

I wish the idea came to fruition because I feel like it could have been an amazing series. Even so, the collection of ghost stories is superb. When I saw this book at the book store, I instantly picked it up and bought it without reading the back cover to see what it was about. I love Roald Dahl's "adult" writing but then was surprised to see this was a collection of stories from other writers, not his own work. That is my fault. But I was quickly relieved to see these are some of the greatest ghost stories ever written. My personal favorites are The Corner Shop by Cynthia Asquith, Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman, and The Upper Bearth by F. Marion Crawford. Unfortunately, in Roald Dahl's introduction I learned he was a misogynistic POS. The intro is cringeworthy and I'm shocked it is still included. I don't know much about Dahl's life but after skimming some articles, I learned he was a pretty awful human. That is such a surprising shame coming from one of the greatest children's book authors of all time.

[Aletheiia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unos fantasmas entretenidos, pero no escalofriantes.👻

Me han gustado la mayoría de las historias y era sencillo sumergirse dentro de ellas. Presentan relatos curiosos con fastasmas que no dan miedo en sí, sino que más bien despiertan intriga sobre qué pasará. 🧐

Por otra parte, unos pocos relatos me han resultado tediosos y no conseguían atraparme.

En general, es una lectura amena para ir leyendo uno o dos relatos al día, y que presenta situaciones realistas que podrían suceder en verdad a cualquiera.🙂

Me hubiese agradado que fuesen más espeluznantes.

[Fiebre Lectora · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Recomiendo ir leyéndolos poco a poco, como yo he hecho, para luego volver a sumergirse en ese ambiente paranormal, y que a pesar de ser bastante miedica, ha sido una lectura que he disfrutado, con algunos cuentos realmente sorprendentes y turbios.
Reseña: https://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/20...

[Patt · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡Qué bien me lo he pasado leyendo estos relatos! Hacía años que miraba los libros de terror con rechazo y esta antología me ha reconciliado con el género (al menos en el plano literario). Roald Dahl hace una selección de 14 relatos de escritores que vivieron en los siglos XIX y XX que, aunque no nos lleguen a estremecer tanto como lo hicieran con el autor debido a la sobreexplotación de la temática en ese último siglo y debido a que hay relatos que nos parecerán mejores que otro, sí conseguiremos disfrutarlos y que nos recorra un escalofrío por la espalda de tanto en tanto.

Puedes leer la reseña completa pinchando aquí

[▫️Ron S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise sounds like one that could not possibly disappoint, but it is also not quite presented truthfully. The idea is that Dahl read 450 ghost stories in preparation for creating screenplays for a season's worth of them for an anthology TV show. The forward, and publishers, tell you that this book prints the best 14 stories out of those 450 - as chosen by Dahl. I think the dishonesty in that idea is that they were the best stories - - I think, rather, they were chosen by him as the best stories to create screenplays for and reformat for a visual medium.

Few of these stories could be thought of as the best out of 450 classic ghost stories. They aren't bad - *none* are "bad" - but a lot are mediocre. I started reading the book by doing a story-by-story review, then rating them by overall story and then how scary they are. The quality of the story almost universally outstripped the quality of the horror. The premise of the book relies on their having been scary. Few of them are scary enough that you will linger on frightening ideas. Most are formatted neatly to fit into a comparable presentation as The Twilight Zone. "Weird Tales", in other words - not horror.

Some of the stories don't even feature ghosts. The very first one, for instance (W.S. by Hartley). Some are more like folktales or legends, as is Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie. A lot of them will feel antiquated to a modern reader - and a lot of them are classic and influential enough to have inspired works that are more well known (Stephen King is a famous "miner of ideas" from classic roots - - and a couple here certainly influenced him, or the stories that later influenced him, like The Corner Shop, and W.S.).

Personal favorites in the bunch are: Harry (feels inspired by the anxiety of a child becoming school-age), Playmates (was truly moved by the ending), The Sweeper (has Tales From The Crypt written all over it), and The Upper Berth (no stranger to "best of" ghost anthologies - and just a wonderfully written short story).

I was somewhat disappointed. I thought I was being served a super-charged, concentrated, carefully selected bunch of ghost stories determined to have been the best of the best. It really isn't. A lot of the best of the best may have been overlooked for having been well enough known that Dahl couldn't present them and get a fresh reaction. A lot of the best of the best may have been unattainable properties for the project (too expensive).

I'm slightly on the fence over whether to keep the book. I like the idea of having a decent ghost story shelf in my library... and while I'm still arguing against this book fitting in as neatly as others (like a Henry James ghost story collection, or the two books created out of an essay by HP Lovecraft on what books inspired him most), or a complete Poe... it doesn't deserve a fate out in the cold.