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Collected Ghost Stories
Collected Ghost Stories | M. R. James
33 posts | 19 read | 33 to read
'I was conscious of a most horrible smell of mould, and of a cold kind of face pressed against my own...' Considered by many to be the most terrifying writer in English, M. R. James was an eminent scholar who spent his entire adult life in the academic surroundings of Eton and Cambridge. His classic supernatural tales draw on the terrors of the everyday, in which documents and objects unleash terrible forces, often in closed rooms and night-time settings where imagination runs riot. Lonely country houses, remote inns, ancient churches or the manuscript collections of great libraries provide settings for unbearable menace, from creatures seeking retribution and harm. These stories have lost none of their power to unsettle and disturb. This edition presents all of James's published ghost stories, including the unforgettable 'Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad' and 'Casting the Runes', and an appendix of James's writings on the ghost story. Darryl Jones's introduction and notes provide a fascinating insight into James's background and his mastery of the genre he made his own. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

A collection of short ghost stories all written by the author. Like many collections, it's a mixed bag - some of the stories are really quite effective with the ambience & creeping sense of menace, whereas others either wander off into too much extraneous detail or frustratingly fizzle out just as they're getting good. Given James's background, it shouldn't come as a surprise that so many of the stories are based around religion & the Church.

DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 3d
BookmarkTavern Love reading ghost stories for this season! ❤️ 2d
Andrew65 Excellent 🎄🎄🎄 2d
31 likes4 comments
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StaceGhost
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Pickpick

Reading this again even though my Literary Ghosts class has drawn to a close 💀🧛🏻‍♂️🐦‍⬛👻 #hyggehour very cozy cleaning out the fridge 😂🎉 still counts as self care even if it isn‘t pretty or luxurious

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Astroneman
Collected Ghost Stories | Montague Rhodes James
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Pickpick

Do you like ghost's stories? This is YOUR BOOK!
Short stories but really scared and true (maybe) stories...

#bookopoly #book #books #bookworm #bookshelf #bookstagram #goodreads #litsy #litsybook #readingchallenge2024 #libro #libri #leggere #bookly #montaguerhodesjames #skira #ghost #ghoststories

Ruthiella I‘ve never tried MR James but I‘ve heard a lot of good things! Classic ghost stories. 👻 6mo
28 likes1 comment
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Emilymdxn
Ghost Stories | M. R. James
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Some of my absolute favourite ghost stories for today‘s #scarathlonphotochallenge 👻

#skeletoncrew @Clwojick @StayCurious

Clwojick 🖤👻🖤 1y
51 likes1 comment
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abookdragonsretreat
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abookdragonsretreat
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Mehso-so

This collection of short ghost stories is great for fans of classic literature or fans of H.P. Lovecraft. Personally I found quite a few to me anticlimactic and not entirely spooky, though most did have a dark and gothic atmosphere with tension until the end. Due to the writing and historical context I did get confused at times, so my enjoyment may differ to others. The ones I did enjoy, I loved. They were dark, slightly eerie and spine chilling.

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Yuki_Onna
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What a fun question! 😊
A ghost/creepy story book for sure - the tagged one is the first that came to mind. 🔥🍂
Reading this one atm,which would also fit perfectly:
Strange tales from Japan: 99 chilling stories of yokai, ghosts, demons and the supernatural by Keisuke Nishimoto

#SundayFunday #campfirereading #autumnreading #ghoststories #horrorstories
@ozma.of.oz
Feel like playing? @hannah-leeloo @enchanted_bibliophile ?

hannah-leeloo I have that book! I'm joining you lol 😆 2y
Yuki_Onna @hannah-leeloo You're in the group of friends anyway - so of course you're joining in!😆 2y
BookmarkTavern That sounds like such a cool collection! Thank you for sharing! 2y
Palimpsest Oh my, before I read the tagged book title this is exactly what book I was thinking! I listened to quite a few of his stories on audible last year and then bought Collected Ghost Stories. 2y
14 likes4 comments
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Yuki_Onna
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#HauntedHollowSwap #HHS #HHS2021 #Halloween #HalloweenSwap #ghosts #AllHallowsEve

Woohoo! Thank you so much, Jenny! 🖖
👻👻👻 I have only now found time to open your parcel - thank you!!! 👻👻👻
I really really enjoy it! And the socks... Spot on! 👌😊

@jenniferw88 @wanderinglynn
👻 Thank you again for organising everything, Lynn! Awesome! 👻

jenniferw88 You seemed rather excited about Halloween socks when you posted the swap surveys @wanderinglynn shared 😂 Glad you like everything! 3y
Yuki_Onna @jenniferw88 We don't get many cool Halloween-themed socks here in Germany, so these are just 👌! !!
The same with pumpkin spice - we don't get it here. Thank you for trying to find sth flavoured... It's a pity Europe doesn't seem to like pumpkin spice... 🤔🎃
Happy Halloween!
3y
wanderinglynn Yay! 🎃🧡 Japan isn‘t big on pumpkin spice either. This is the first year that Starbucks here actually had pumpkin spice lattes. 3y
21 likes3 comments
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Palimpsest
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Pickpick

Fantastic narration by Derek Jacobi perfectly situated me into these chilling ghost stories. I like ghost stories around Christmas and these have just the right amount of creepiness without becoming disturbing. These stories usually surround antiquated objects which drew me in. I‘ve fallen in love with this style of ghost story. I finished the first volume as my last book of 2020 and this is my first book of 2021.

Tamra Jacobi! 4y
44 likes1 comment
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Booksnchill
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#HappyHalloween #GhostStories Happy Halloween all you Ghouls and Goblins! Here‘s wishing you a Spooky and healthy All Souls Day!

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Emilymdxn
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Spent most of this evening having some quality time with my MR James complete supernatural stories book, but I thought I‘d review as a group so I don‘t clog everyone‘s feed too much! I enjoyed all of these but I think the shorter stories are my favourites, they feel so much more focused and they hit me harder.

@StayCurious #scarathlon2020 #teamharkness +105 for the stories +1 participation

StayCurious Amazing! 4y
52 likes1 comment
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Boooooks
Ghost Stories | M. R. James
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Torn between Halloween and buying new summer clothes 🎃😰

Sace The pumpkins are so cute!! 4y
Boooooks @Sace thank you 😊 4y
rockpools Your garlands are just lovely! 4y
Boooooks @rockpools Thank you, I love making them ☺️ 4y
28 likes1 stack add4 comments
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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

Another low Pick. The writing style can get a bit heavy, and some stories are on the long side, but when I was in the right mood for them, these were really good. Creepy without necessarily being gory.

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rabbitprincess
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"Hardly anything to my mind can compare with a good hour's reading after a hard day's work; far better than wasting the whole evening at a friend's house"

As much as I like my friends, I agree ? with this statement.

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rabbitprincess
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"His interrupter was one of those intelligent men with a pointed beard and a flannel shirt, of whom the last quarter of the 19th century was, it seemed to me, very prolific."

I'd argue the past decade or so of the 21st century hasn't been short of bearded, flannel-shirted dudes either ?

rwmg But are they intelligent? 5y
rabbitprincess @rwmg Inconclusive 😆 5y
15 likes2 comments
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veritysalter
Ghost Stories | M. R. James
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#NamasteNovember Today‘s prompt is #Haunting, this book is a collection of my favourite ghost stories.

Eggs Great cover! 5y
31 likes1 stack add1 comment
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veritysalter
Ghost Stories | M. R. James
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#FALLISBOOKED - Day Thirty-One - #HALLOWEEN wishing everyone a wonderful Halloween whatever their plans.

OriginalCyn620 Great pic! Happy Halloween! 🎃 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Happy Halloween 🎃🧙‍♀️🖤 5y
veritysalter @OriginalCyn620 and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you so much for the #fallisbooked challenge, I‘ve enjoyed participating so much. 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @veritysalter we have loved seeing your beautiful posts!! We hope you can join in November for #GratefulReads 🧡🧡🧡 5y
OriginalCyn620 Glad you enjoyed it! Hope to see more posts from you in November! 5y
26 likes1 stack add5 comments
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GypsyKat
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Pickpick

Another fun collection of short ghost stories. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Eyelit And read by Derek Jacobi! Awesome 😍 5y
45 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
Ghost Stories | M. R. James
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M R James was famous as a writer of ghost stories, so that makes him a #GhostWriter

#Spooktober @Eggs

Eggs ❤️📚👏🏻👻❤️ 5y
29 likes1 comment
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jenniferw88
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alisiakae Wow, I haven‘t heard of any on that list! My TBR keeps getting longer! 😂 5y
BeansPage @4thhouseontheleft IKR? Mine too LOL 😜 5y
Reggie Thanks for this Jen, I haven‘t heard of some of these! 5y
JacqMac Ooo I was just making a library list. This will help. 5y
70 likes4 comments
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rabbitprincess
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Nearly literally LOLd on the train at "a person not in the story" ?

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LeahBergen
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A ghost story by M.R. James, a master of the form.

#Thirteen
#NovemberByTheNumbers

BookBabe 👍🏻 7y
88 likes1 comment
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Curley_Bender
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Some classic chills at my library's adult story time this month.

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Kirstin
Collected Ghost Stories | Montague Rhodes James
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Pickpick

This is, by far, my favourite collection of short stories. M.R. James is a master storyteller. #shortstories #booktober

LeahBergen Yes! 8y
43 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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LeahBergen
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M.R. James is a master of the good, old-fashioned ghost story. Try "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad". #Scarybooks #SomethingforSept #FolioSociety

rubyslippersreads Beautiful copy, and doesn't L. M. Montgomery use that phrase in one of the Emily books? 8y
LibrarianRyan Love that cover. 8y
Merethebookgal Cool (and creepy) book cover! 8y
See All 10 Comments
quirkyreader Lucky you having a folio edition of this book. 🐸🐙 8y
LeahBergen @rubyslippersreads I think so! It's a Robbie Burns poem (and song). 😃 8y
LeahBergen @LibrarianRyan and @Merethebookgal Folio Society does really good covers, don't they? 8y
Linsy Love that cover!! 8y
elkeOriginal Gorgeous!! 8y
MrBook Gorgeous! 8y
67 likes6 stack adds10 comments
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brendanmleonard
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OTD in 1816, Byron challenged his four house guests to write a ghost story. The results - including Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Polidori's Vampyre - changed fiction forever. Here are some key works influenced by gothic fiction from the last 200 years - & I may do more! If you have reccs, share!

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled A really good recent gothic novel is The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. LOVE gothic novels!! 9y
Stephanie-Anne 😻😻😻Du Maurier! 9y
WordWaller 💖 9y
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erzascarletbookgasm The mysteries of Udolpho, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula..love them. And this I've heard much good things but yet to read - Mervyn Peake's epic trilogy set in the kingdom of Gormenghast :) 9y
brendanmleonard @erzascarletbookgasm I've only read part of the first Peake but man is it good. 9y
StephTKO Ugh. Stop giving me new things to read! 9y
brendanmleonard @StephTKO 😂😂😂 9y
44 likes7 comments
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joe_hill

Reading is the closest humans can come to having superpowers. Imagining your way into other rooms, other lands, other lives - basically, astral projection.

todd I really like thinking about books this way. 9y
SGJ No other word for it than magic, finally, this whole connecting at a meaningful level with someone hundreds of years away. Or, as a reader, connecting with Cervantes—FEELING what he felt when he wrote it. Amazing. Feels like cheating. 9y
Rio_Youers So true. A good book absorbs you absolutely. It's virtual reality. 9y
25 likes8 stack adds3 comments
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Harkaway
Pickpick

Several of these are ice-on-spine terrifying. James is the gold standard of ghost stories for me.

joe_hill Ooo me too. "Casting the Ruins" is classic. 9y
Harkaway For me it's "Whistle and I'll come to you." Brrrr. 9y
4 likes2 stack adds2 comments