Ghost Stories (Vintage Classics)

Classic Ghost Stories

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James is one of those. I will certainly be reading more M. James in the future. Feb 17, Tony rated it liked it Shelves: This is a reprint of an omnibus edition that James put together himself from his four previously published books of short stories. His answers were light and witty. His stories, in general, were well written, but followed the conventions of the classic ghost story rigorously. These kinds of things are not really to my taste, but I have to admit that these are a cut above those you will normally encounter.

Classic Ghost Stories book review - The Skinny

The author was an exceptionally gifted medievalist, and specialized in classical archaeology and palaeography. His preface lets you know that these stories were a side hobby of his. He is obviously disappointed that he will be remembered for them rather than any of the academic works he produced. The collection contains thirty-one stories, which vary widely in style and quality.

I found myself reading half-way through many of them and then skipping on to the next. Again, this is a result of my not really being able to get into this genre. View all 3 comments. Dec 27, Robert Spencer rated it liked it. There is a Monty Python sketch in which a chat show host interviews a man whose only claim to fame is that he says things in a very roundabout way. That man could have been MR James, who seemed to face an epic internal struggle every time he wanted to commence a new story. It became clear half way through this collection that I could probably skip the first two thirds of any story as unnecessarily detailed set-up.

How's this for an opening paragraph, from "Count Magnus"? But it is necessary to prefix to my extracts from them a statement of the form in which I possess them. Once he gets to the point, the magic happens. There is something truly startling in the way James describes the actual spooky happenings in his stories.

Many of them are genuinely frightening, and I really didn't expect to feel that little frisson in the middle of such an antiquated style of storytelling.

6 collections of ghost stories that will haunt you

There are some great little ideas among these stories. I would recommend this to any students of "eerie fiction", as it has become known. Apr 27, Kirsti rated it liked it Recommended to Kirsti by: Originally published in Quite spooky and very, very upper-class English. I love the little asides sprinkled throughout: A must read if you're into horror literature. The power of these stories lies in what they leave to the reader's imagination.

They usually start with a trip of some kind, some nights spent in a comfortable hotel room, and then the discovery of certain legend from that particular town, some superstition the villagers refuse to talk about A collection of ghost stories from classic writer M.

This year's best ghost and horror stories to read on Halloween

James, this is perfect for people who want some old-school suspense. They're quite formulaic - scholar discovers something abnormal and then gets a scare - so I wouldn't recommend reading it in one sitting. I read a few in a row one day and it just felt like different versions of the sa A collection of ghost stories from classic writer M. I read a few in a row one day and it just felt like different versions of the same story, so for that reason I think they'd be enjoyed more as the odd short story here and there in between other reads. Jun 19, Samuel rated it it was amazing Shelves: Classic ghost stories are generally fairly placid affairs by today's standards, but, not these ones!

James had a flair for them, he found the pattern, got the knack and fell into the rhythm, and as such wrote brilliantly and consistently.

You'll find better horror out there, sure, but you will not find better ghost stories, and certainly none that'll send a shiver down your spine like these will. More creepy than violent, tales which start off with fairly normal events and situations as told by someonelse. Then it starts to get strange and then downright creepy.

Sorry if I thought I heard rats in the room I was sleeping, I'd be out of bed, down the stairs looking for a number for rent-a-kill. Jun 26, Sonia Gensler added it.

Listened to the Derek Jacobi recording. Very atmospheric and eerie tales, but nothing terribly horrifying. Taken as an anthology of writing by James and his purported influences, the book mixes some truly fascinating material with such careless and misleading scholarship that it is difficult to take anything in it seriously. Enjoy the selections, but be wary of Haining's assertions. Aug 04, Sarb rated it it was amazing. I wasn't expecting much from this collection of short ghost stories. It was picked up in a rush on the way home from work. It's probably one of the most haunting collection of stories that I've read!

Oct 09, Ben rated it really liked it Shelves: MR James was a respected medievalist and biblical scholar at Cambridge but is best known for his short horror stories, written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Most adhere closely to a formula which seems to be of James's own devising. They usually involve a medievalist or biblical scholar who usually discovers something old, usually a text, which provokes a supernatural incident following a period of 'surveillance'.

They're usually set in rural England, typically East Anglia MR James was a respected medievalist and biblical scholar at Cambridge but is best known for his short horror stories, written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

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Learn More - opens in a new window or tab International postage and import charges paid to Pitney Bowes Inc. Learn More - opens in a new window or tab Any international postage and import charges are paid in part to Pitney Bowes Inc. These stories are well crafted classics and any afficionado of the genre should have the complete works in his or her collection.

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I have reread these with pleasure several times. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. There were some very scary, spooky stories in this collection that made me a little uneasy but sadly the majority were long winded tales that put me to sleep. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.

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