The Collected Ghost Stories of M R James edition by M R James Literature Fiction eBooks
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The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James is a collection of M. R. James' ghost stories, bringing together all but one of his ghost stories.
Considered by many to be the most terrifying writer in English, M. R. James was an eminent scholar who spent his entire adult life in the academic surroundings of Eton and Cambridge. His classic supernatural tales draw on the terrors of the everyday, in which documents and objects unleash terrible forces, often in closed rooms and night-time settings where imagination runs riot. Lonely country houses, remote inns, ancient churches or the manuscript collections of great libraries provide settings for unbearable menace, from creatures seeking retribution and harm. These stories have lost none of their power to unsettle and disturb.
The Collected Ghost Stories of M.R. James includes an interactive table of contents.
The Collected Ghost Stories of M R James edition by M R James Literature Fiction eBooks
Collected Ghost StoriesThis book, by the master of ghost stories, is essential for anyone interested in that genre. I did note, however, one major example of editorial conclusion-jumping and one major error in the "Explanatory Notes." For the first, the editor concludes that James was (subconsciously?) homosexual but presents no adequate evidence for that conclusion. For the second, an editorial note for page 305 of "The Uncommon Prayer-Book" (the note itself is on page 457) states that this Book of Common Prayer had the title page date of 1563; hence it was published surreptitiously when Mary I temporarily restored Catholicism in England. But James says on page 305 says that the date was 1653; hence it was published surreptitiously during Oliver Cromwell's Puritan Commonwealth, a hundred years later than the reign of "Bloody Mary." One can understand such an editorial error, but surely someone at Oxford University Press should have caught it.
But get this book anyway. James is always worth reading!
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The Collected Ghost Stories of M R James edition by M R James Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
Buying this book used for $.01 + $3.99 shipping was perhaps the most fun I've ever squeezed out of four bucks. I took my time reading this book over several months, and James kept my interest in coming back for more. Horror in the writing of M R James is subtle, his prose is a bit academic and he makes you wait for that kernel of horror, but he's able to imply so much in so few words. In that way he's the opposite of H. P. Lovecraft (whom I love) in his use of adjectives about the "unutterable eldritch cyclopean explosions of tentacles."
For example, in "Number 13" a man in a hotel suspects something bad is going on in room 13 next to his. One night looking out the window he sees his image projected onto the opposite wall, and further down, that of the occupant of 13 as well. All James has to say is that the occupant "must be possessed of a red lamp shade and the lamp must be flickering very much." We know exactly what's going on. His tales are filled with touches such as this, and they're often more subtle, giving you that fearful moment of realization.
The settings in the stories of James are often "cozy" - remote villages, manor houses, desolate moors and perhaps his favorite of all; old cathedrals. His favorite evils are cloaked figures, demons and spiders. The idea of eternal evil forces that are shut up and unwittingly released appears over and over again; similar to Lovecraft's writing on "forbidden knowledge." This is also a bit like Arthur Machen's works that make folklore absolutely terrifying. Tension is built slowly with atmosphere, and when that hint of the horror is given it's unexpected.
James didn't write one story that would be considered "epic" in the way that fellow English ghost story writer Algernon Blackwood did with "The Willows" or "The Windigo." Neither is he as intense as Machen or Lovecraft. However, the overall quality is better than Blackwood, who has a lot of "misses" in my opinion - if you like James' style, there's very few misses to be found here. Whereas Blackwood (and many other writers) often put you into the mind of the protagonist who senses something wrong, James just gives you the facts and makes YOU sense something is wrong.
Some of the best stories here are "Canon Alberic's Scrapbook," "The Ash Tree," "Number 13," "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" and "A View From a Hill" just to name a few. Some I would skip starting out are "Two Doctors" and "The Uncommon Prayer-Book."
M.R. James is singularly responsible for my lifelong interest in ghost stories, and he is a true master of the genre. His antiquarian tastes are reflected in many of his ghost stories with the result that these stories are imbued with a high sense of atmosphere and creepiness.
I had worn out my old copy of his collected stories so I decided to splurge and got this handsome 2011 OUP edition. It is a sturdy hardcover edition with a beautiful grey ribbon marker. The cover is suitably Gothic with an angel statue portrayed glaring downwards. This edition features all of James' published ghost stories, as well as an appendix of James' writings on the ghost story. This edition has been edited with an introduction and notes by Darryl Jones and also contains a select bibliography as well as a chronology of M.R. James. There are also some explanatory notes on each of the stories at the end of the book. The select bibliography may not be extensive but has several gems, including The Lore of the Land A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-Heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboys which I promptly purchased for my reading pleasure.
In his Introduction, Darryl Jones wisely advises, "Readers who are unfamiliar with the stories may prefer to treat the Introduction as an Afterword." Indeed, loyal fans of M.R. James will be acquainted with some of the matters brought up in the Introduction, such as James' famed ghost story readings at Christmastime in Cambridge, the basis for TV productions such as BBC's Ghost Stories for Christmas (available at 's UK website) and Ghost Stories from the BBC Lost Hearts / The Treasure of Abbot Thomas / The Ash Tree (Brand New & Sealed DVD). Even the issue of M.R. James' sexuality is briefly touched upon here. The Introduction is predictably brief, and a deeper insight into James' life and influences can perhaps be found in M.R.James An Informal Portrait.
This volume collects all of MR James' ghost stories except for "A Night In King's College Chapel", and "The Fenstanton Witch", as well as Monty's unfinished ghost stories all of which are found in one complete volume, in A PLEASING TERROR The Complete Supernatural Writings. To conclude, this Collected Ghost Stories of M.R. James is a handsome edition which is bound to please loyal fans and readers new to this master of the supernatural tale.
Collected Ghost Stories
This book, by the master of ghost stories, is essential for anyone interested in that genre. I did note, however, one major example of editorial conclusion-jumping and one major error in the "Explanatory Notes." For the first, the editor concludes that James was (subconsciously?) homosexual but presents no adequate evidence for that conclusion. For the second, an editorial note for page 305 of "The Uncommon Prayer-Book" (the note itself is on page 457) states that this Book of Common Prayer had the title page date of 1563; hence it was published surreptitiously when Mary I temporarily restored Catholicism in England. But James says on page 305 says that the date was 1653; hence it was published surreptitiously during Oliver Cromwell's Puritan Commonwealth, a hundred years later than the reign of "Bloody Mary." One can understand such an editorial error, but surely someone at Oxford University Press should have caught it.
But get this book anyway. James is always worth reading!
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