Collected Ghost Stories by M. R. James
M. R. James was an eminent scholar who spent his whole adult life in the academic settings of Eton and Cambridge. He is widely regarded as the most terrifying writer in English. His timeless spooky tales, which frequently take place in darkened spaces and at night when the imagination runs wild, are inspired by the commonplace terrors in which items and documents unleash terrible forces. Unbearable threats from animals looking for vengeance and harm can be found in isolated country homes, far-off inns, historic churches, or the manuscript collections of large libraries. These tales still retain all of their ability to upset and unnerve us.
Collected Ghost Stories by M. R. James
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The English ghost story’s finest master is undoubtedly M R James. The stories he tells are much darker and grislier than the ghost stories that have come before. The Victorian ghost stories, some of which are very good, tended to be ethereal and to represent the afterlife in some way, but James’ spectres are significantly less human—if they ever were human at all. I’m not disparaging or discounting the Victorian ghost stories in any way. It’s intriguing that he refers to his writing as ghost stories given that most of it have nothing to do with ghosts in the traditional sense.
I’ve had a lifetime fascination with ghost stories thanks to M.R. James, a great master of the subject. Many of his ghost stories are influenced by his antique hobbies, which gives them a strong feeling of atmosphere and creepiness.
My previous book of his collected stories was worn out, so I decided to treat myself to this attractive 2011 OUP version. It has a lovely grey ribbon marker and a hardback that is robust. The angel statue seen on the cover is gazing downward, making it appropriately Gothic.
In addition to an appendix with James’ thoughts on the ghost story, this volume includes all of his previously published ghost stories. This edition has been edited by Darryl Jones and includes an introduction, notes, a hand-picked bibliography, and a timeline of M.R. James. At the book’s conclusion, there are also some comments that provide clarification on each of the stories.
