A Thin Ghost and Others [Paperback]

M. R. James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

Included in this volume of M.R. James's ghostly stories are "The Residence at Whitminster," "The Diary of Mr. Poynter," "An Episode of Cathedral History," "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance," and "Two Doctors."

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Aegypan (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598188372
• ISBN-13: 978-1598188370
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,839,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "IBI CUBAVIT LAMIA", December 21, 2003

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thin Ghost and Others (Short story index reprint series) (Hardcover)

"A Thin Ghost and others" (1919) is the slimmest of M. R. James's (MRJ's) supernatural publications. Instead of purchasing this volume, you might want to consider one of his more complete collections. Ash-Tree Press's "A Pleasing Terror" (2001), contains the complete and heavily annotated supernatural writings of MRJ, and no true Monty fan should be without it.

The next best collection, "Casting the Runes and Other Stories" edited by Michael Cox, contains most of MRJ's supernatural stories and is quite a bit cheaper than "A Pleasing Terror."

The following stories are included in "A Thin Ghost and others":

"The Residence at Whitminster"--Dr. Ashton, Dean of Whitminster, himself childless, attempts to raise his wife's sister's orphaned son. He also takes in the Viscount Saul, the Earl of Kildonan's heir, who is a youth of rather morbid disposition. As the story opens, the orphaned Frank is dying of what appears to be brain fever, brought on by a great fright. Lord Saul is overtaken by a fit of laughter when he hears that Frank is dying. However, he does not laugh for long. Many years after the sudden deaths of Frank and Lord Saul, a new family takes residence in the prebendal house at Whitminster. Miss Oldys, niece to the family, discovers a scrying glass that once belonged to the sinister Viscount Saul.

"The Diary of Mr Poynter"--A book collector finds a sample of fabric in an old diary and decides to have it reproduced as curtains for his bedroom.

"An Episode of Cathedral History"--Mr. Lake is deputed to examine the archives of the Cathedral of Southminster, and is curious to see what the ancient building looks like at night. He hears the tale of a rather plain altar-tomb and what transpired when a Victorian Dean attempted to move it.

"The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance"--This is the only one of MRJ's stories that was specifically set over the Christmas holiday, even though he wrote many of his stories to be read at Christmas. The sudden, mysterious disappearance of his uncle forces a young man to cancel his previous holiday engagements and join the search that is in progress for his relative, who was a rather unlikeable rector. This story features a rather grisly Punch and Judy show, and an equally horrible Christmas service in the Rector's former church.

"Two Doctors"--Dr. Abell and Dr. Quinn (think 'Abel and Cain') both live and practice in the same parish. Dr. Abell appears to be a dabbler in the supernatural, and blames Dr. Quinn for the loss of his patients. Dr. Quinn begins to have horrible nightmares about a man who is struggling to break free of a chrysalis. He believes that the nightmares are brought about by his old bed linen, so he buys new linen that is "marked in thread with a coronet and a bird." When Dr. Quinn is found smothered in his bed, the ghastly origin of the new linen comes to light.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Atmospheric pieces, July 28, 2011

By 

A. Feeney (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Thin Ghost and Others (Kindle Edition)

Modern readers generally expect more of an explanation with their spooky stories. Who or what was the creature, how did it come to haunt a place, and exactly what happened? These stories focus far more on creating a creepy atmosphere than on explanations.

At times I found this a little bit frustrating, a little "So what was the point?" but these are nonetheless strong atmospheric pieces and some are genuinely creepy.