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A Warning to the Curious
The story of Paxton, an antiquarian and archaeologist who holidays in "Seaburgh" and inadvertently stumbles across one of the lost crowns of Anglia, which legendarily protect the country from invasion.
30 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1925
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323 people want to read
About the author
M.R. James
1,378 books895 followersMontague Rhodes James, who used the publication name M.R. James, was a noted English mediaeval scholar & provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–18) & of Eton College (1918–36). He's best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. One of James' most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by dispensing with many of the formal Gothic trappings of his predecessors, replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
M.R.^James
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
M.R.^James
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
June 8, 2025
The short story, A Warning to the Curious was first published in 1925. Written just a few years after the end of the First World War it is a tale redolent with implied threat and deadly caution. M.R. James uses a favourite device of his; a story within a story.
It begins with a cheerful section about a seaside resort, "Seaburgh" which is a thinly disguised description of Aldeburgh, in Suffolk. M.R. James often used to visit his grandmother, who lived there, so the town was familiar to him. In this story we have a strong sense that the narrator is the author. We are lulled by a sense of cosiness; the narrator might be sitting by your side telling you a story. He says that he likes to hear stories about the area, because of his happy memories of the area from childhood, and recounts one such.
This is the cue for the second narrator, who has offered to tell the author a true story. The second narrator reminisces about the last time he met an old friend, Henry Long, at the pub in Seaburgh where he was staying. The author also knows Henry Long "slightly". From now on the commonplace tale loses its familiar reassuring "holiday" feel, and takes on an edgier tone.
The second narrator and his friend Long are approached by "rather a rabbity anaemic subject…but not unpleasing." This young man, Paxton, seems to be looking for company, so the two invite him to join them. After a while they notice how fidgety and nervous he seems to be, and when he asks their advice they agree as a polite matter of course.
Paxton, who it turns out is interested in history and archaeology, then begins his own tale. By now the layers of story have begun to unfurl, and the reader has been prepared to settle down for something intriguing and dramatic.
Paxton recounts that he visited the nearby village of "Froston" (in actuality, Friston) which had a medieval church he was interested in. There in the churchyard, he was told a tale by an old man about the lost crowns of Anglia which legendarily protected the country from invasion. The tale is confirmed by the rector, who tells him that two crowns had already been discovered, one in 1687, but that there was thought to be a third Anglo-Saxon crown still buried somewhere on the coast. The last crown was reputed to have been guarded for centuries by a family called "Ager", the last representative of whom, a strange character named William, died recently.
The ending is a controlled mastery of terror and shock. The sense of guilt, a common theme in M.R. James, has been there throughout. But the strength of this story lies mainly in its evocative quality and sense of place. The reader feels the area is very familiar by the time the events take a supernatural turn, and then the ghastliness begins.
As well as being one of M.R. James's most well-known stories, A Warning to the Curious is one of his bleakest. The author uses the multiple layered structure to great effect. It reminds us of centuries of folk tales, the oral tradition, where events are heightened for effect, where nothing is set in stone. It also lulls us into listening mode (even on the page) and allows for a slow-burning tale of menace and terror, which only builds properly in the second half. But the chill factor stays with the reader:
"He was never in front of me. I always saw him with the tail of my eye on the left or the right, and he was never there when I looked straight for him."
Remember that if you dare when you switch off the light tonight!
It begins with a cheerful section about a seaside resort, "Seaburgh" which is a thinly disguised description of Aldeburgh, in Suffolk. M.R. James often used to visit his grandmother, who lived there, so the town was familiar to him. In this story we have a strong sense that the narrator is the author. We are lulled by a sense of cosiness; the narrator might be sitting by your side telling you a story. He says that he likes to hear stories about the area, because of his happy memories of the area from childhood, and recounts one such.
This is the cue for the second narrator, who has offered to tell the author a true story. The second narrator reminisces about the last time he met an old friend, Henry Long, at the pub in Seaburgh where he was staying. The author also knows Henry Long "slightly". From now on the commonplace tale loses its familiar reassuring "holiday" feel, and takes on an edgier tone.
The second narrator and his friend Long are approached by "rather a rabbity anaemic subject…but not unpleasing." This young man, Paxton, seems to be looking for company, so the two invite him to join them. After a while they notice how fidgety and nervous he seems to be, and when he asks their advice they agree as a polite matter of course.
Paxton, who it turns out is interested in history and archaeology, then begins his own tale. By now the layers of story have begun to unfurl, and the reader has been prepared to settle down for something intriguing and dramatic.
Paxton recounts that he visited the nearby village of "Froston" (in actuality, Friston) which had a medieval church he was interested in. There in the churchyard, he was told a tale by an old man about the lost crowns of Anglia which legendarily protected the country from invasion. The tale is confirmed by the rector, who tells him that two crowns had already been discovered, one in 1687, but that there was thought to be a third Anglo-Saxon crown still buried somewhere on the coast. The last crown was reputed to have been guarded for centuries by a family called "Ager", the last representative of whom, a strange character named William, died recently.
The ending is a controlled mastery of terror and shock. The sense of guilt, a common theme in M.R. James, has been there throughout. But the strength of this story lies mainly in its evocative quality and sense of place. The reader feels the area is very familiar by the time the events take a supernatural turn, and then the ghastliness begins.
As well as being one of M.R. James's most well-known stories, A Warning to the Curious is one of his bleakest. The author uses the multiple layered structure to great effect. It reminds us of centuries of folk tales, the oral tradition, where events are heightened for effect, where nothing is set in stone. It also lulls us into listening mode (even on the page) and allows for a slow-burning tale of menace and terror, which only builds properly in the second half. But the chill factor stays with the reader:
"He was never in front of me. I always saw him with the tail of my eye on the left or the right, and he was never there when I looked straight for him."
Remember that if you dare when you switch off the light tonight!
September 25, 2024
Let It Be...
A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS
by M.R. James
No spoilers. 4 stars. Narrator, name never revealed, and his friend Henry Long made their annual trip to Seaborough on the east coast of England for some golf...
But...
Something happened on that, their last visit. A nervous and skittish stranger, Paxton, asked to join them in one of the hotel's public sitting rooms...
His tongue, loosened by drink...
He told the story of cycling a week prior to a church to look at its architecture. It was an old church in Froston six miles away...
There he met...
An old man, the churchyard caretaker, who told him the local lore of the coat of arms above the church's porch:...
The three crowns...
The local folklore said that three crowns were buried separately to protect their shores against foreign aggressors...
But...
One of the crowns had been unearthed and destroyed, another had been washed away by the erosion of the sea...
Paxton's curiosity regarding the third crown, still buried somewhere, led him eventually to an old bookstore where he later...
Wished he'd let it be...
This is an old ghost story and perhaps not up to today's instant gratification expectations, but like all good stories, it stays with the reader long after reading the last page.
There are some passages where I found myself uneasy and looking around at my surroundings while reading late into the night.
Great introduction into the ghost stories of M.R. James.
A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS
by M.R. James
No spoilers. 4 stars. Narrator, name never revealed, and his friend Henry Long made their annual trip to Seaborough on the east coast of England for some golf...
But...
Something happened on that, their last visit. A nervous and skittish stranger, Paxton, asked to join them in one of the hotel's public sitting rooms...
His tongue, loosened by drink...
He told the story of cycling a week prior to a church to look at its architecture. It was an old church in Froston six miles away...
There he met...
An old man, the churchyard caretaker, who told him the local lore of the coat of arms above the church's porch:...
The three crowns...
The local folklore said that three crowns were buried separately to protect their shores against foreign aggressors...
But...
One of the crowns had been unearthed and destroyed, another had been washed away by the erosion of the sea...
Paxton's curiosity regarding the third crown, still buried somewhere, led him eventually to an old bookstore where he later...
Wished he'd let it be...
This is an old ghost story and perhaps not up to today's instant gratification expectations, but like all good stories, it stays with the reader long after reading the last page.
There are some passages where I found myself uneasy and looking around at my surroundings while reading late into the night.
Great introduction into the ghost stories of M.R. James.
March 13, 2019
At the opening of this short story, M. R. James sets out a magnificent description of Seaburgh, a seaside village he sets before the reader with enough detail to make you feel you have been there and smelled the salt air.
Marshes intersected by dykes to the south, recalling the early chapters of Great Expectations; flat fields to the north, merging into heath; heath, fir woods, and, above all, gorse, inland. A long sea-front and a street: behind that a spacious church of flint, with a broad, solid western tower and a peal of six bells.
After setting his scene, there follows a story that is steeped in the ancient folklore of East Anglia and told with a mounting tension that is reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe. I hung on the edge of my chair, for sometimes I do believe in ghosts. Do you?
Marshes intersected by dykes to the south, recalling the early chapters of Great Expectations; flat fields to the north, merging into heath; heath, fir woods, and, above all, gorse, inland. A long sea-front and a street: behind that a spacious church of flint, with a broad, solid western tower and a peal of six bells.
After setting his scene, there follows a story that is steeped in the ancient folklore of East Anglia and told with a mounting tension that is reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe. I hung on the edge of my chair, for sometimes I do believe in ghosts. Do you?
October 29, 2024
Having heard excellent things about this horror story I thought it might be a good choice for the spooky season. Bottom line: although the narration was by the talented David Suchet, I think it probably comes across better in print, where it can unfold at its own pace. I can see where all the elements of horror are there, but for some reason it all seemed predetermined, and thus not scary.
May 22, 2019
Shortly before his death, M.R. James was asked if he believed in ghosts. “We know such things exist,” he said. “But we don’t know the rules.”
Whatever those rules may be, they are certainly not ours. At least not in the tales of M.R. James. He who offends the spirits, although he may come to realize the gravity of his crime, experience heartfelt remorse, and do his best to make amends, may not necessarily be forgiven. So it is in the case of a man named Paxton.
The story unfolds in a “chinese box” structure of narrative within narrative, in which one narrator introduces us to another narrator who in turn meets Paxton who tells us most of his story himself. He relates how, during a holiday to East Anglia, he begins to suspect, from hints he has heard, that somewhere near the beach he may find one of the legendary three crowns of the region—each buried in a difference location to dispel foreign invasion. (Since James wrote this story in 1925, not long after the Great War, the thoughts of foreign invasion would not be far from his English readers’ minds.)
Of course Paxton locates the site, acquires the crown, and takes it back to his hotel. But what happens to him after that I’ll let you find out for yourself. Let’s just say the narrative concludes in a bleak but most satisfactory manner.
I’ll end with what Paxton has to say about the “always somebody—a man” who has haunted him ever since he began to dig up the crown:
”I had hours to get through before I could decently come back to the hotel. . . . Sometimes, you know, you see him, and sometimes you don’t, just as he pleases, I think: he’s there, but he has some power over your eyes. Well, I wasn’t off the spot very long before sunrise, and then I had to get to the junction for Seaburgh, and take a train back. And though it was daylight fairly soon, I don’t know if that made it much better. There were always hedges, or gorse-bushes, or park fences along the road — some sort of cover, I mean — and I was never easy for a second. And then when I began to meet people going to work, they always looked behind me very strangely: it might have been that they were surprised at seeing anyone so early; but I didn’t think it was only that, and I don’t now: they didn’t look exactly at me. And the porter at the train was like that too. And the guard held open the door after I’d got into the carriage — just as he would if there was somebody else coming, you know. Oh, you may be very sure it isn’t my fancy,’ he said with a dull sort of laugh. Then he went on: ‘And even if I do get it put back, he won’t forgive me . . . .
April 3, 2017
Deliciously creepy. A free listen on audible's channels.
This was so good! I listened twice while on a commute in the car. Audible channels has much to offer. The narrator was very good.
This was so good! I listened twice while on a commute in the car. Audible channels has much to offer. The narrator was very good.
March 12, 2019
"A Warning to the Curious" is a short story that starts with the narrator giving a pleasant description of a lovely seaside town in Suffolk. But his memories soon turn to more disturbing events. The narrator and Henry Long were relaxing in a pub when a jittery young man, Paxton, approached them looking for company. He had an upsetting experience and felt nervous about being alone.
November 16, 2021
Why do I read M.R. James at night? What compels me to hold off on the reading until the lights are dim and the moon is out? I do this every single time, without purposely planning for it. Reaching for a particular book, I will think about James and then divert my attention in that direction instead. Given his spookiness and his unique outlook on the supernatural ways of the environment, I should save his works for the blinding light of day. Alas, I never do. So then I will read M.R. James and then I will stay awake instead of sleeping because every sound I hear will cause me hesitation in the safety of my own home.
This story takes place by the sea. It’s not a crowded season, so the area is only inhabited by the locals and a few visitors at the inn. Humans feel greater safety in numbers, so the fact that the environs are almost bare of human activity leads to uneasiness for the reader. The main character is the narrator, but really, it’s the story of Paxton, a young man who has accidentally stumbled upon the secret of the three crowns of East Anglia. Once aware of the story, he becomes obsessed with finding them. One crown was lost to the sea long ago, when erosion and subsistence ate away at its hiding place. Another crown was found and melted down, also long ago. Only one crown is thought to remain.
But as the story unfolds, we learn that one family, through the centuries, has been assigned to guard the location of the missing crown. Each male heir defends the finding of the diadem, so woe to those who seek the treasure! And so the M.R. James touch comes into play, as the dunes and trees become part of the other and suddenly a tourist becomes the enemy. And something isn’t right as Paxton can sense he is being followed, even though he cannot see anyone. But others can.
And then when I began to meet people going to work, they always looked behind me very strangely: it might have been that they were surprised at seeing anyone so early; but I didn’t think it was only that, and I don’t now: they didn’t look exactly at me. And the porter at the train was like that too. And the guard held open the door after I’d got into the carriage—just as he would if there was somebody else coming, you know.
This is another wonderful tale from James, making one dread to enjoy oneself at seemingly innocent English sea towns. The BBC made a TV adaptation in 1972, which is a corker! It deviates somewhat from the short story and is, perhaps, even spookier, particularly the ending. Either way, it’s that time of year for a true ghost story.
Book Season = Autumn (clacking church bells)
This story takes place by the sea. It’s not a crowded season, so the area is only inhabited by the locals and a few visitors at the inn. Humans feel greater safety in numbers, so the fact that the environs are almost bare of human activity leads to uneasiness for the reader. The main character is the narrator, but really, it’s the story of Paxton, a young man who has accidentally stumbled upon the secret of the three crowns of East Anglia. Once aware of the story, he becomes obsessed with finding them. One crown was lost to the sea long ago, when erosion and subsistence ate away at its hiding place. Another crown was found and melted down, also long ago. Only one crown is thought to remain.
But as the story unfolds, we learn that one family, through the centuries, has been assigned to guard the location of the missing crown. Each male heir defends the finding of the diadem, so woe to those who seek the treasure! And so the M.R. James touch comes into play, as the dunes and trees become part of the other and suddenly a tourist becomes the enemy. And something isn’t right as Paxton can sense he is being followed, even though he cannot see anyone. But others can.
And then when I began to meet people going to work, they always looked behind me very strangely: it might have been that they were surprised at seeing anyone so early; but I didn’t think it was only that, and I don’t now: they didn’t look exactly at me. And the porter at the train was like that too. And the guard held open the door after I’d got into the carriage—just as he would if there was somebody else coming, you know.
This is another wonderful tale from James, making one dread to enjoy oneself at seemingly innocent English sea towns. The BBC made a TV adaptation in 1972, which is a corker! It deviates somewhat from the short story and is, perhaps, even spookier, particularly the ending. Either way, it’s that time of year for a true ghost story.
Book Season = Autumn (clacking church bells)
December 20, 2024
From what I understand this was one of James later stories. James was well known for certain settings, themes and tropes in his stories. The ghostly unseen presence, mythology and sea side locations bring to mind ‘oh Whistle and I will come to you, my lad’. It starts with a wonderful description of the setting of the story and again it is a story within a story. There is a sense of unease throughout with no real horror but perceived. For me it is doesn’t have the fear factor of his earlier works but does allude to M R James love of history and not to unsettle things that should be left.
Paxton, again is a nervous man, and this curiosity of the story and hunt for treasure leads to his downfall.
Paxton, again is a nervous man, and this curiosity of the story and hunt for treasure leads to his downfall.
August 27, 2016
review to come
October 15, 2023
This was more of a tragic story than a spooky tale
October 14, 2022
I love the fact that this is a story within a story.
Next, the excellent use of the 'invisible' element being the scariest of them all, leaving one's own imagination (along with that of the protagonist) conjuring what each may find the most disturbing.
Next, the excellent use of the 'invisible' element being the scariest of them all, leaving one's own imagination (along with that of the protagonist) conjuring what each may find the most disturbing.
March 16, 2017
A eerie little tale I found on Audible Channels.
Not the best or the creepiest that M.R. James wrote, but it entertained me well enough for an hour or so.
Not the best or the creepiest that M.R. James wrote, but it entertained me well enough for an hour or so.
January 7, 2021
"A Warning to the Curious" is a short horror story that revolves around Paxton, an archaeologist who holidays in "Seaburgh", inadvertently stumbles across one of the lost crowns of Anglia, which legendarily protect the country from invasion.
This is a pretty good story that leans heavy into creepy. It has an excellent atmospheric feel that adds greatly to the story. The story is a great reminder that somethings are not meant to be found or understood. It also has a much more disturbing message that just because you try to atone/make up for some wrong you have committed it in no way means you don't have to pay the Piper any longer.
At 32 pages this is an easy, quick and enjoyable read that will leave an impression on you.
This is a pretty good story that leans heavy into creepy. It has an excellent atmospheric feel that adds greatly to the story. The story is a great reminder that somethings are not meant to be found or understood. It also has a much more disturbing message that just because you try to atone/make up for some wrong you have committed it in no way means you don't have to pay the Piper any longer.
At 32 pages this is an easy, quick and enjoyable read that will leave an impression on you.
September 9, 2014
Some of these stories had the same feel as Roald Dahl's works.
August 2, 2021
incredibly suspenseful
October 12, 2022
I'm honestly struggling to see the point.
February 1, 2019
"He was never in front of me. I always saw him with the tail of my eye on the left or the right, and he was never there when I looked straight for him."
Notes from a reading:
- the text lends itself to the textual analysis of what derrida calls "hauntology" - both literal and metaphorical, privileging absence through its style, sense of place and atmosphere.
-archeology seems to be at the center of the text - literal (the search and digging of a late antiquity anglo-saxon crown) and metaphorical (exploration of the historical and psychological layers of the small town)
- James is well known for transporting the victorian ghost story genre into a more modern setting - topologically if not stylistically. The horror, then, arises much more from the mood and atmosphere of the topoi, and much less from the titular ghost or the plot.
- absence, in keeping with derrida's hauntology, is very much at the center of the story. both authorial, with its layers of narration (the author hears the tale from the narrator who in turns tells it in place of Paxton's character) and spacial - empty spaces dominate the desolate coastal town the story is set in.
- there are texts that provide a very transformative reading - this one included - and leave the readers very much haunted, like the three friends in the story itself.
Notes from a reading:
- the text lends itself to the textual analysis of what derrida calls "hauntology" - both literal and metaphorical, privileging absence through its style, sense of place and atmosphere.
-archeology seems to be at the center of the text - literal (the search and digging of a late antiquity anglo-saxon crown) and metaphorical (exploration of the historical and psychological layers of the small town)
- James is well known for transporting the victorian ghost story genre into a more modern setting - topologically if not stylistically. The horror, then, arises much more from the mood and atmosphere of the topoi, and much less from the titular ghost or the plot.
- absence, in keeping with derrida's hauntology, is very much at the center of the story. both authorial, with its layers of narration (the author hears the tale from the narrator who in turns tells it in place of Paxton's character) and spacial - empty spaces dominate the desolate coastal town the story is set in.
- there are texts that provide a very transformative reading - this one included - and leave the readers very much haunted, like the three friends in the story itself.
October 23, 2020
I really liked this short story. It backs up the saying some things are better left alone. So many times we here about ancient artifacts that are cursed. Really makes you wonder. Good story.
November 26, 2024
Feels like a bit of a retreat of Oh, Whistle ..., and not a very satisfying one. Written with the usual flair, of course. Just lacking in any story that is particualrly original or engaging.
December 4, 2024
har set den her på film og synes egentlig den tager sig bedre ud der
December 26, 2024
Thanks to my good buddy Timbo for bringing to my attention a wonderful BBC production of this with Sir Christopher Lee.
James is such a wonderful writer and storyteller and Sir Lee is always exceptional. As well intended, this is a great Christmas Eve Ghost story treat.
James is such a wonderful writer and storyteller and Sir Lee is always exceptional. As well intended, this is a great Christmas Eve Ghost story treat.
November 18, 2023
November 2023
Audiobook edition
34m 45s (1.3x speed)
Tram ride under hour gacha list
I couldn't get into it. My attention kept wavering. I got the bones of the story but that was about it. The timings between each part of the main ghost story felt similar to a game as if you had to complete a puzzle before getting the next part. Not for me.
Audiobook edition
34m 45s (1.3x speed)
Tram ride under hour gacha list
I couldn't get into it. My attention kept wavering. I got the bones of the story but that was about it. The timings between each part of the main ghost story felt similar to a game as if you had to complete a puzzle before getting the next part. Not for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2024
It would be an utter injustice to partake in this macabre short story without the masterful narration of Sir Christopher Lee. His commanding voice imbues this eerie tale with a sharp edge, elevating an already captivating narrative to thrilling heights. Prepare to be ensnared by the gripping storyline and enthralled by the virtuoso performance.
November 3, 2017
Suchet and James, want more do you want? Nice and creepie.
March 7, 2023
Who doesn't love a great ghost story.
April 30, 2023
The reader, David Suchet, was very nice for the audiobook. The story was a bit less than I expected.
July 18, 2021
Read at: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0605...
Very British.
Very British.
April 2, 2023
I love a story about why you shouldn't dig up old stuff in the ground if there is lore about how important it is for it to stay in the ground. It also had cool not really creepy but like gothic descriptions.
September 15, 2025
quick little spooky historical tale while I clean the kitchen. interesting with the legend and history spread through, if ominous. based on the fact this is from inter war years that's even more interesting
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