Ghost Stories of an Antiquary [Paperback]

M. R. James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2011

Eight classics by great Edwardian scholar and storyteller. "Number Thirteen," "The Mezzotint," "Canon Alberic's Scrapbook," more. Renowned for their wit, erudition and suspense, these stories are each masterfully constructed and represent a high achievement in the ghost genre. New introduction by E. F. Bleiler. 4 plates by James McBride.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (November 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486227588
• ISBN-13: 978-0486227580
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,308,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read and must-have for serious ghost story aficionados, December 13, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (Paperback)

It would be tough to identify a writer whose ghost stories are more effective than those of Montague Rhodes James. Edith Wharton and Shirley Jackson are among the few whose work approaches that of James. If you are a connoisseur or collector, this title would be among the last you would part with as you sold your collection one volume at a time to buy life-sustaining soup. Atmosphere (both psychological and positional), character development, settings - all of these are handled with mastery. Buy this book, retreat to a quiet room lit by a single lamp (and, preferably, a sputtering fire), and enjoy!

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Content over Convenience, July 4, 2009

By 

TLG - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (Kindle Edition)

I love M.R. James! His work is fairly hard to find these days, so getting two full volumes of his stories for FREE is definitely exciting. My five-star rating of this book though, is geared toward the work itself-- this Kindle edition isn't very convenient...there is no interactive table of contents, so I went in and highlighted the title of each story and now use the "my notes and markings" menu as a table of contents. Pain in the butt, but works just fine. Despite all this, I would encourage anyone who likes a good spooky story to pick up this title and its second volume, which has my favorite, "O, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad".

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ghostly Tales from a Scholar of Medieval Manuscripts, December 1, 2003

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (Paperback)

Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936), Vice-Chancellor at Cambridge, Director of the prestigious Fitzwilliam Museum, and later Provost of Eton, was possibly the world's greatest authority on medieval manuscripts. He is thought to have studied nearly twenty thousand documents. He also wrote ghost stories.

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary was published in a limited edition in 1904 and reprinted nine times in the next decade. He subsequently published three other collections - More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911), A Thin Ghost and Others (1919), and A Warning to the Curious (1926). M. R. James greatly admired the supernatural fiction of J. Sheridan LeFanu and thought of himself as simply a follower in LeFanu's footsteps.

In the interesting introduction to this Dover edition E. F. Bleiler writes that the "evil that dieth not, but lieth in wait" is a common theme in these chilling stories. This evil that dieth not is best left undisturbed. The curious ones, those seekers of forgotten lore, often discover that knowledge comes at a high price. And the reader may find that sleep comes less easy.

I quite enjoyed this short collection and I am sure that it will appeal to any reader of Victorian ghost stories. A few may seem somewhat familiar as undoubtedly the tales of M. R. James have long served as a source of inspiration for later stories and screenplays.

The stories in this collection include 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, and The Treasure of Abbott Thomas.