SOLVED. Classic ghost story about an obsessive collector of rare books [s]

[[deleted user]]

This story was in an anthology that I borrowed from my school library mid 70's. A miserly bibliophile manages to get his hands on a rare copy of a book, possibly a grimoire, that he has been coveting for ever. When he takes the book home he is visited by Beelzebub who as far as I can remember, is for some reason, after the book himself. The name Beelzebub is definitely mentioned in this story. It was the first time I had heard the name. The story is set either in Edwardian or Victorian times. Other stories included were The Red Room, The Judge's House, The Monkey's Paw and W.S. The cover I think was hardback and black. The book was very thick and contained a lot of stories. I have been trying to find the title of this story for longer than I care to remember. Are there any fans of classic ghost stories out there who can help put me out of my misery. It isn't any of the following titles; Revelations in Black by Carl Jacobi, ‘Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook’, ‘The Diary of Mr Poynter’ ‘The Tractate Middoth’ by M R James or 'The Book' by Margaret Irwin. In the story I am looking for, the book collector acquires his ‘treasure’ for rather less than it is worth. Unlike Dennistoun in ‘Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook’ he keeps quiet about it’s true value ..though I'm pretty certain he gets his ‘comeuppance’ I just can’t remember what. It’s possible that he has to sell his soul to Beelzebub in order to keep the book. I think he actually considers this, such is his obsession. The character is a cross between Dicken's Scrooge and Fagin, except he lives only for books. I always imagine him as trawling the secondhand bookshops of Victorian London’s ‘Paternoster Row’ for rare books, always shunning the company of others so that he can be alone with his ‘treasures’

[bup]

That's a tough one. The stories you mention are all public domain, and so have been in tons of collections each.

The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories seems to have them all.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks for your interest bup. Unfortunately it isn't in that book. It doesn't contain W.S either, although it was very much like an Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories. Thanks anyway, I'll keep searching even though it's driving me mad.

[bup]

Oops - it has some other story by Hartley.

Do you remember any other 'less common' stories?

[[deleted user]]

Sorry, can't remember the others except the ones I've mentioned. I am driving everyone nuts with this. A lot of people want to read it now. I didn't think it would be this difficult. :(

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Duplicate thread:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...