M.R. James

M. R. James is widely regarded as the father of the modern ghost story, and his tales have influenced horror writers from H. P. Lovecraft to Stephen King. First published in the early 1900s, they have never been out of print, and are recognized as classics of the genre. This collection contains some of his most chilling tales, including A View from a Hill, Rats, A School Story, The Ash Tree, and The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance. Read by BAFTA and Emmy-award winning actor Derek Jacobi, and with haunting and evocative music, these tales cannot fail to send a shiver down your spine.

A vengeful phantom lurks in a country graveyard.A whaling crew becomes trapped on a haunted ship.A human skull is kept locked in a cupboard, butsometimes at night, it screams. . . .This collection of tales transports the reader to a time when staircases creaked in old manor houses, and a candle could be blown out by a gust of wind, or by a passing ghost. Penned by some of the greatest Victorian novelists and masters of the ghost story genre, each story is illustrated with exquisitely eerie artwork in this special gift edition featuring an embossed textured case and a ribbon marker. Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad - M.R. James The Old Nurse's Story - Elizabeth Gaskell The Signalman - Charles Dickens The Body-Snatcher - Robert Louis Stevenson The Captain of the Pole-Star - Arthur Conan Doyle The Phantom Coach - Amelia B. Edwards The Screaming Skull - Francis Marion Crawford

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary is the first Horror short-story collection by British writer M.R. James (AKA: Montague Rhodes James) published in 1904 (some had previously appeared in magazines). Some later editions under this title contain both the original collection and its successor, More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911), combined in one volume. This collection features some of M.R. James’ greatest tales of the supernatural world crossing over into our own. In Number 13, an inn that previously belonged to an alchemist changes dimensions in the night. The Mezzotint features a painting of a house reenacting a gruesome scene from the house’s history. In The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, an antiquary who has discovered the location of a treasure gets far more than he bargained for. There are eight classics by great Edwardian scholar and storyteller. "Number Thirteen," "The Mezzotint," "Canon Alberic's Scrapbook," and more. Renowned for their wit, erudition and suspense, these stories are each masterfully constructed and represent a high achievement in the ghost genre. Montague Rhodes James (1862–1936) was a medieval scholar; Provost of King's College, Cambridge. He wrote many of his ghost stories to be read aloud in the long tradition of spooky Christmas Eve tales. His stories often use rural settings, with a quiet, scholarly protagonist getting caught up in the activities of supernatural forces. The details of horror are almost never explicit, the stories relying on a gentle, bucolic background to emphasize the awfulness of the otherworldly intrusions. He is best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. One of James' most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by dispensing with many of the formal gothic trappings of his predecessors, and replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings.

'Still as the night was, the mysterious population of the distant moonlit woods was not yet lulled to rest' The aim of a good ghost story is to make the blood freeze, pleasurably, and this M. R. James achieves to perfection in these wonderful stories. His most atmospheric settings include English country houses and gardens, the north end of the churchyard, the yew-maze in 'Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance' and the unforgettable train journey in 'Casting the Runes'. To each of these stories he brings an eye for the telling detail, an imaginative twist and a narrative tone that is, at least to begin with, urbane and reassuring ...

Listening Length: 4 hours and 13 minutes An award-winning collection of four ghostly tales inspired by M. R. James. Casting the Runes, adapted by Stephen Gallagher When academic Jo Harrington (Anna Maxwell Martin) is sent a paper—The Truth of Alchemy, by Anton Karswell—for peer review, she pulls no punches. Jo writes that the paper has no place in a serious academic publication and that Karswell is a half-bright fool. When the editor writes a rejection note to Karswell, he inadvertently includes Jo’s entire email. Occultist Karswell (Reece Shearsmith) doesn’t take kindly to criticism. On the tube home with her partner Edward Dunning (Tom Burke), Jo spots a poster with her name on it. It reads: "In memory of Joanne Harrington, MLitt, PhD, died September eighteenth, three days were allowed." Is there anything that Edward can do to save Jo from this curse? Lost Hearts, adapted by A. K. Benedict Teenager Stephanie Elliot (Rosa Coduri) is taken to Aswarby House to be fostered by Mrs. Bunch (Susan Jameson). Stephanie strikes up a friendship with Ben (Bill Milner), the adopted son of charismatic community leader Mr. Abney (Jeff Rawle). He tells her that Mr. Abney is a good man—he even took in a child refugee last year, but she stole from him and ran away. Stephanie is troubled by voices and visions of a dead girl clutching at her chest, and when Ben disappears she begins to suspect that all is not right in Aswarby House. The Treasure of Abbot-Thomas, adapted by Jonathan Barnes When former Somerton school pupil Greg Parsbury (Robert Bathurst) meets history teacher Mika Chantry (Pearl Mackie) at a memorial service for schoolmaster Sam Abbot-Thomas, he begs for her help. Greg has been sent a postcard by the estate of the mysterious and charismatic Abbot-Thomas. On it is a strange inscription in Latin, which he believes to be an inaugural clue in a treasure hunt much like the elaborate treasure hunts Abbot-Thomas used to set back in the 1970s. There were rumors that Abbot-Thomas possessed a hidden fortune, and Parsbury and Chantry set out to find it. A View from a Hill, adapted by Mark Morris Comedian and podcaster Paul Fanshawe (Andy Nyman) and his wife, Sarah (Alice Lowe), visit the Cotswolds on holiday, trying to rebuild their lives after the death of their young son, Archie. While out walking, they spot a beautiful abbey across the valley on Gallows Hill, but when they reach it, they find the building is little more than rubble. While Sarah explores, Paul records commentary for his podcast. Sarah thinks she hears children’s laughter, but there’s no one there. Later that night, she listens to the recording and hears a child’s voice whisper, "Mummy." Sarah is convinced that Archie is trying to reach them and wants to return to the ruins. But something far worse is waiting for them on Gallows Hill.

The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James is the title of M. R. James' omnibus collection of ghost stories, published in 1931, bringing together all but four of his ghost stories (which had yet to be published).Montague Rhodes James (1862–1936) was a medievalist scholar; Provost of King's College, Cambridge. He wrote many of his ghost stories to be read aloud in the long tradition of spooky Christmas Eve tales. His stories often use rural settings, with a quiet, scholarly protagonist getting caught up in the activities of supernatural forces. The details of horror are almost never explicit, the stories relying on a gentle, bucolic background to emphasize the awfulness of the otherworldly intrusions.Contents of the original edition:"Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book""Lost Hearts""The Mezzotint""The Ash Tree""Number 13""Count Magnus""'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'""The Treasure of Abbot Thomas""A School Story""The Rose Garden""The Tractate Middoth""Casting the Runes""The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral""Martin's Close""Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance""The Residence at Whitminster""The Diary of Mr Poynter""An Episode of Cathedral History""The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance""Two Doctors""The Haunted Dolls' House""The Uncommon Prayer-Book""A Neighbour's Landmark""A View from a Hill""A Warning to the Curious""An Evening's Entertainment""Wailing Well""There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard""Rats""After Dark in the Playing Fields"

Thirteen stories deal with mysterious disappearances, archaeological digs, an unlucky hotel room, a treasure hunt, and ghostly apparitions

Collected Ghost Stories by M. R. James. M.R. James is probably the finest ghost-story writer England has ever produced. These tales are not only classics of their genre, but are also superb examples of beautifully-paced understatement, convincing background and chilling terror. As well as the preface, there is a fascinating tail-piece by M.R. James, Stories I Have Tried To Write , which accompanies these thirty tales. Among them are 'Casting the Runes', 'Oh, Whistle and I'll come to you, My Lad', 'The Tractate Middoth', 'The Ash Tree' and 'Canon Alberic's Scrapbook'.

The only annotated edition of M. R. James's writings currently available, Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories contains the entire first two volumes of James's ghost stories, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary and More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. These volumes are both the culmination of the nineteenth-century ghost story tradition and the inspiration for much of the best twentieth-century work in this genre. Included in this collection are such landmark tales as "Count Magnus," set in the wilds of Sweden; "Number 13," a distinctive tale about a haunted hotel room; "Casting the Runes," a richly complex tale of sorcery that served as the basis for the classic horror film Curse of the Demon; and "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad," one of the most frightening tales in literature. The appendix includes several rare texts, including "A Night in King's College Chapel," James's first known ghost story.

Stories by a visionary master of supernatural fiction   In volume two of the only annotated edition of M. R. James's complete writings currently available, Penguin Classics brings together tales from James's final two works, A Thin Ghost and Others and A Warning to the Curious. In these stories, James continues his fearsome transformation of the ghost story from its nineteenth-century heritage, drawing upon his deep knowledge of medieval history and biblical curiosa. This edition features a number of little-known tales that have rarely been assembled, including “The Fenstation Witch,” presented here for the first time in a corrected text, a new translation of “Twelve Medieval Ghost Stories,” and a number of James’s essays.   Edited and with an introduction and notes by S. T. Joshi. Stories included: • The Residence at Whitminster • The Diary of Mr. Poynter • An Episode of Cathedral History • The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance • Two Doctors • The Haunted Dolls’ House • The Uncommon Prayer-book • A Neighbour’s Landmark • A View from a Hill • A Warning to the Curious • An Evening’s Entertainment • There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard • Rats • After Dark in the Playing Fields • Wailing Well • The Experiment • The Malice of Inanimate Objects • A Vignette • The Fenstanton Witch • Twelve Medieval Ghost-Stories

Selected from the books of M R James. VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS. A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human

M. R. James is the master of the English ghost story, whose tales are inhabited not by ethereal spirits, but by terrifying, palpable forces of evil. In these four stories figures appear in paintings, demonic voices are heard, books awaken ancient horrors - and ordinary objects and situations are transformed into inescapable nightmares. This book includes: • Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book • The Mezzotint • The Rose Garden • The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral

A traveller in Sweden stumbles upon the history of a mysterious and ominous figure, Count Magnus.