Who better to investigate the literary spirit world than that supreme connoisseur of the unexpected, Roald Dahl? Of the many permutations of the macabre or bizarre, Dahl was always especially fascinated by the classic ghost story. As he realtes in the erudite introduction to this volume, he read some 749 supernatural tales at the British Museum Library before selecting the 14 that comprise this anthology. "Spookiness is, after all, the real purpose of the ghost story," Dahl writes. "It should give you the creeps and disturb your thoughts." For this superbly disquieting collection, Dahl offers favorite tales by such masterful storytellers as E. F. Benson, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Rosemary Timperley, and Edith Wharton.
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Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a prickly, colorful character who wrote maliciously funny short stories for adults (The Best of Roald Dahl) as well as better-known works for children (James and the Giant Peach). As he relates in the introduction, he started the research for this book by making a call to the celebrated ghost-story anthologist/writer, Lady Cynthia Asquith. He then went to the British Museum Library, and read a total of 749 tales before selecting 14 for this anthology. His criterion: "Spookiness is, after all, the real purpose of the ghost story. It should give you the creeps and disturb your thoughts." Included here are not only acknowledged classics by Robert Aickman, Edith Wharton, J. S. Le Fanu, and F. Marion Crawford, but also tales by lesser-known writers such as L. P. Hartley, Rosemary Timperley, Jonas Lie, Mary Treadgold, and A. M. Burrage. The Washington Post writes, "Dahl's taste, it will surprise no one, is impeccable."
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Roald Dahl has selected fourteen of his favorite ghost stories that will deliver chills and goose bumps. "This is the best book of its kind in years."-The Washington Post Book World
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best anthology of literary ghost stories I've ever read.,
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This review is from: Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories (Paperback)
And I've read most ghost story anthologies in print. However, I don't agree that the recommended reading level should be young adult and I can't help but wonder if this classification was made hastily because Dahl is best known as a writer of children's books. Most of these stories may be too dense, too subtle for readers used to graphic horror. Readers who are used to so-called "told for the truth" ghost tales will see how much more chilling and "true" a literary ghost story, well-told can be. "Suddenly something dark and shapeless with its arm seeming to hold a black vesture over its head, flitted, all sharp angles like a bat down the narrow ill-lighted street, the sound of its passage audible to none." --from Robert Aickman's "Ringing the Changes," my favorite story in the collection. For readers who like this kind of literary heft in their ghost stories, I also recommend THE GHOST STORIES OF EDITH WHARTON and VICTORIAN GHOST STORIES BY NOTED WOMEN WRITERS.
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good Collection!,
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This review is from: Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories (Paperback)
Contents: ***Introduction by Roald Dahl......11 ***W.S by L.P. Hartley......21 ***Harry by Rosemary Timperley......33 ***The Corner Shop by Cynthia Asquith......47 ***In the Tube by E.F. Benson......63 ***Christmas Meeting by Rosemary Timperley......78 ***Elias and the Draug by Jonas Lie......81 ***Playmates by A.M. Burrage......90 ***Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman......115 ***The Telephone by Mary Treadgold......146 ***The Ghost of a Hand by J. Sheridan Le Fanu......154 ***The Sweeper by A.M. Burrage (Ex-Private X)......162 ***Afterward by Edith Wharton......179 ***On the Brighton Road by Richard Middleton......210 ***The Upper Birth by F. Marion Crawford......214 __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ _________ A great collection of very interesting ghost stories to be read and then re-read again and again! It seems to me a better recommended reading age would be something like 13 yrs and above. Originally, I thought that this was a book of stories all written by Roald Dahl himself... that was the impression I got from the title. Anyway, I recommend this to you!
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great And Little Known Horror Gem,
This review is from: Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories (Paperback)
A ghost story should first and foremost be about atmosphere, and this collection of subtle, beautifully written ghost stories is a must-have. The stories range from the classic Victorian style to more bizarre stories such as the brilliant "Ringing the Changes." In addition, Dahl has selected works that are not usually included in the horror cannon. There is no Poe, no "Monkey's Paw." Instead, Dahl chose to emphasize more subtle and lesser-known works. And his introduction about the importance of women writers is also not to be missed. This is a brilliant anthology.
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