Ghosts, Ghost, Ghosts

by Phyllis R. Fenner

Contributing Authors Include Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Quiller-Couch, Stephen Vincent Benet, And Many Others.

Genres: Short Stories, Ghosts

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1952

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read & reread this book from the time I was age 10 until the present. It's a fun read & the pictures it places in my mind have not changed after 45 years. I recommend this for children & adults alike.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the first books I ever remember checking out from the school library. I am so thrilled to finally own it!

[Valerie Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I read in 3rd or 4th grade. I loved it then & now.

[Rick Goralewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read and re-read this book several times from fourth thru sixth grade. A reliable companion for a lazy summer day or for getting into the spirit around Hallowe'en. Also great source for tales to be told round a campfire or Yule Log.

[Canavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

✭✭½

“Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons”, Walter R. Brooks (1950) ✭✭✭
“Spooks of the Valley”, Louis C. Jones (1948) ✭✭
“Not Quite Martin”, Leon Wilson (1950) ✭✭½
“Dead Men on Parade”, Irving Crump (1929) ✭½
“The House of Ocean Born Mary”, Marion Lowndes (1941) ✭½
“Fiddler, Play Fast, Play Faster”, Ruth Sawyer (1941) ✭✭✭
“The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall”, John Kendrick Bangs (1891) ✭✭✭✭½
“The Golden Pitcher”, Bertha L. Gunterman (1928) ✭✭
“Prince Godfrey Frees Mountain Dwellers and Little Shepherds from a Savage Werewolf and from Witches”, Halina Górska (1946) ✭✭
“Cobbler, Cobbler, Mend My Shoe”, Jan Struther (1925) ✭✭✭
“The Devil and Daniel Webster”, Stephen Vincent Benét (1936) ✭✭✭✭
“The Cobra’s Hood”, Rupert Sargent Holland (1931) ✭✭½

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good compilation tales of ghosts, hauntings, mysterious enchantments. The tales are spooky and chilling, but not gory or terribly scary. Due to the age of the stories and the resultant old-fashioned language and style, adults may enjoy these stories more than children would.


1. Walter R. Brooks “Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons” 1950 **** Jimmy has an unusual method of scaring off an inconvenient ghost.
2. Louis C. Jones “Spooks of the Valley” 1948 *** A ghost of a murdered man enlists two boys to put his bones to proper rest.
3. Leon Wilson “Not Quite Martin” 1950 ** Told in an annoying folklore style, a boy who gets stuck out in the woods overnight while foraging for his beloved huckleberries has an encounter with some talking animals.
4. Rudyard Kipling “My Own True Ghost Story” 1888 ** An Englishman in India spends a night listening to the sounds of ghost billiards.
5. Irving Crump “Dead Men on Parade” 1929 ***** A deep-sea diver goes on a mission to recover the bodies of a sunken ship, and almost joins them in the watery grave.
6. Marion Lowndes “The House of Ocean Born Mary” 1941 *** A pirate finds a soft spot for a newborn aboard a ship.
7. Ruth Sawyer “Fiddler, Play Fast, Play Faster” 1941 ** A fiddler makes a deal to play for the devil.
8. John Kendrick Bangs “The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall” 1894 *** A water ghost appears annually, soaking her hauntee and the entire room.
9. Bertha L. Gunterman “The Golden Pitcher” 1928 **** A young girl, sweet despite being raised by a wicked aunt, helps a cursed ghost.
10. Halina Gorska “Prince Godfrey Frees Mountain Dwellers and Little Shepherds from a Savage Werewolf and from Witches” 1946 **** A werewolf invites a talented fiddler to perform at his wedding- but who is playing who?
11. Joseph Jacobs “The Golden Arm” 1898 **** A man marries a woman for her golden arm.
12. Jan Struther “Cobbler, Cobbler, Mend My Shoe” 1946 **** After snooty uptown clerks refuse to help a weary traveler mend his shoe, the traveler finds a kind, genuine cobbler to help him.
13. Arthur Quiller-Couch “Roll Call of the Reef” 1895 ***** A trumpeter and a drummer each survive the sinking of the military ships they were on and form a forever friendship.
14. Stephen Vincent Benet “The Devil and Daniel Webster” 1936 *** An honest man on hard times makes a deal with the devil, but then hires lawyer Daniel Webster to defend his case.
15. Rupert Sargent Holland “The Cobra’s Hood” 1931 **** “Wherein a priest of Bengal takes an amazing revenge on the thieves of his temple’s ruby.”

I had two versions of this book. Both had stories #1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14. One version also had stories 4, 11, 13. The other had story 15.

[Louise Carlson Stowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child I read this book and it scared the crap out of me. I think I was 8 at the time. I remember reading "The Golden Hand" and couldn't sleep for nights without the light on in my bedroom. A great selection of spooky stories!

[Trena Pikyavit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was about 10 years old. I was never fond of reading but I read this book over and over again. Love the book.