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Ghost Stories: Chilling Tales of the Supernatural
This handsome anthology brings together 60 of the greatest ghost stories ever written, presented in a beautiful hardback edition with silver blocking on the cover and wonderfully gothic endpaper illustrations.
Featuring silent spectres, petrifying phantoms and all manner of ghastly ghosts, these tales will terrify and entertain in equal measure. Whether the apparitions are discovered by intrepid adventurers, solemn priests or mild-mannered academics, the haunted must reconsider their most basic assumptions and work out how best to respond to these supernatural assaults.
Authors
• Guy de Maupassant
• E.F. Benson
• Hope Hodgson
• M.R. James
• Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
These uncanny tales will haunt you long after the book is closed...
Featuring silent spectres, petrifying phantoms and all manner of ghastly ghosts, these tales will terrify and entertain in equal measure. Whether the apparitions are discovered by intrepid adventurers, solemn priests or mild-mannered academics, the haunted must reconsider their most basic assumptions and work out how best to respond to these supernatural assaults.
Authors
• Guy de Maupassant
• E.F. Benson
• Hope Hodgson
• M.R. James
• Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
These uncanny tales will haunt you long after the book is closed...
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
304 pages, Hardcover
Published July 2, 2024
10 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Guy de Maupassant
7,489 books3,050 followersHenri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. A protege of Flaubert, Maupassant's short stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient effortless dénouement. He also wrote six short novels. A number of his stories often denote the futility of war and the innocent civilians who get crushed in it - many are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 28, 2024
Uh, yeah this book sucked. The first 3/4 of this book I’m pretty sure was just AI garage (I have no proof of that but it certainly read like it). This book gets 1 star purely on how pretty it is and that’s it.
I basically have bird brain and thought if it looks pretty it must be good! I was wrong. I have learned from my mistakes.
I basically have bird brain and thought if it looks pretty it must be good! I was wrong. I have learned from my mistakes.
November 12, 2025
I bought this gorgeous, gilt-edged volume so I could continue reading classic horror stories once I'd finished Classic Tales of Horror (Canterbury Classics, 2015; review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
Edgar Allen Poe, "The Oval Portrait" (1842)
An injured man takes shelter in an abandoned mansion, where he discovers a lifelike portrait of a young girl. He learns the girl was painted by her husband, an artist so consumed by his work, he neglected his wife even as she posed for him. There are no ghosts in this tiny tale, and while the central idea of art equating to death is intriguing, it wasn't explored sufficiently. Note: the original, longer version of this story, Life in Death explained how the narrator had been injured, and that he had consumed opium to relieve the pain. Could the whole story have been an hallucination? 2/5
E. F. Benson, "The Bus Conductor" (1906)
While discussing hauntings, the narrator's friend recounts his experience of seeing a mysterious hearse driver in the middle of the night, and the tragedy that followed a month later. Reminiscent of Dickens's The Signal-Man. Notable for having been filmed as The Hearse Driver, part of the horror movie anthology Dead of Night. 3/5
Rudyard Kipling, "At the End of the Passage" (1890)
India. Four friends gather to play Whist. They talk about the unbearable heat, the pressures of work, and a subcontractor who took his own life. One of them is suffering from sleep loss. Is that an apparition, or delirium? This tale, told mostly through dialogue, was gruelling. The pace was so slow. Nothing happened, and when it did, we weren't there to see it. Sadly, it hasn't aged well. 2/5
M. R. James, "Wailing Well" (1928)
James wrote this tale of two halves about a group of Eton boy scouts camping in (probably) Dorset to read to a group of Eton boy scouts camping in (actually) Dorset. For the intended audience, the first half must have been hilarious, while the second half was probably quite terrifying. For this audience (who isn't camping in Dorset), neither half quite hits the mark. 2/5
Ralph Adams Cram, "The White Villa" (1895)
Two travellers miss the last train and are forced to spend the night in a haunted villa in southern Italy. I've never come across Cram before, but he does a great job of bringing the location and subsidiary characters to life, and I enjoyed the spooky elements. Luckily the station-master was on hand to explain it all at the end. Phew. 4/5
Thomas Hardy, "The Withered Arm" (1888)
A new bride. A visitation in a dream. A mysterious ailment that withers the arm. The lives of the characters in Hardy's tale are all intertwined, but not necessarily in ways they could have foreseen or would have wanted, right up to the ending. Coincidence, or evidence of darker forces at work? 4/5
John Kendrick Bangs, "Ghosts That Have Haunted Me" (1898)
"If we could only get used to the idea that ghosts are perfectly harmless...we should enjoy the supernatural exceedingly." So starts Bangs' entertainingly weird, tongue-in-cheek tale. What is the appropriate way to respond to a ghostly visitation? With fear or curiosity? No doubt the narrators' fascination with spirits will be his undoing. 4/5
Ambrose Bierce, "The Boarded Window" (1891)
A remote cabin in Ohio. A dying wife, and the husband she leaves behind. This tale is full of surprises, right up to the final sentence. 3/5
Thomas Ingoldsby (Rev. Richard Harris Barham), “The Spectre of Tappington” (1837)
A comedy of sorts where the author finds the word ‘breeches’ hilarious, assumes everyone else will too, and uses it as often as possible. This was a tough read. “Rat-catching!” ejaculated the squire, pausing abruptly in the mastication of a drumstick. Notable for being first published in Bentley’s Miscellany, which was edited by Charles Dickens. 1/5
Mary Louise Molesworth, “The Story of the Rippling Train” (1887)
Following a disfiguring accident, a married woman visits a former friend for whom she had feelings, in spirit form. 2/5
Sheridan Le Fanu, “An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street” (1851)
It's no secret that Bram Stoker's Dracula borrowed from Le Fanu's Camilla. Similarly Stoker's ghost story The Judge's House owes an obvious debt to this fantastic tale of weird happenings on Aungier Street. This is exactly the kind of tale I was hoping to read when I started this collection. Rats, disturbed nights, and the lingering presence of a hanging judge. Chilling. 4/5
Mary Cholmondeley, “Let Loose” (1890)
A ghost story in the Jamesian tradition, although it pre-dates Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book by half a decade. The main story concerns a frescoed crypt wall in the unlikely town of Wet Waste-on-the-Wolds, Yorkshire. The clergyman doesn't want to lend the visitor the keys to the spooky crypt, but eventually gives in on the condition the visitor locks both doors behind him. This atmospheric tale has plenty of nice touches - the toad, the skulls, the rabid dog and a preference for high collars. 4/5
Edith Wharton, "Afterward" (1910)*
This was my second visit to the rundown house known as 'Lyng' and I enjoyed it just as much, if not more. The central concept is fantastic, and the story itself is intriguing, leaving a good few questions unanswered. Well worth the return visit. 4/5
Guy de Maupassant, "A Ghost" (1867)*
I think I'm missing something with this story. I've read it twice now, and while it was scarier second time around, it also seemed more ridiculous. ('After a year of unalloyed bliss and unexhausted passion, she had died suddenly of heart disease, no doubt killed by love itself.') I guess it comes down to the age in which it was written, and who am I to argue with that? 3/5
Thomas Hardy, "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" (1868)
Two sisters, one suitor and a whole lot of trouble. This Gothic tale of jealousy and revenge didn't need the supernatural aspect to be an engaging read. For the most part it wasn't a horror story, and then it was. A great note on which to end the anthology. 4/5
Overall, this anthology was a mixed bag, which is disappointing given the volume of excellent material available. I shall probably read others in the series at some point as there were just enough quality stories to make it worthwhile. I'm giving it 3.5 stars overall, and will round it up to 4 based on the presentation.
Edgar Allen Poe, "The Oval Portrait" (1842)
An injured man takes shelter in an abandoned mansion, where he discovers a lifelike portrait of a young girl. He learns the girl was painted by her husband, an artist so consumed by his work, he neglected his wife even as she posed for him. There are no ghosts in this tiny tale, and while the central idea of art equating to death is intriguing, it wasn't explored sufficiently. Note: the original, longer version of this story, Life in Death explained how the narrator had been injured, and that he had consumed opium to relieve the pain. Could the whole story have been an hallucination? 2/5
E. F. Benson, "The Bus Conductor" (1906)
While discussing hauntings, the narrator's friend recounts his experience of seeing a mysterious hearse driver in the middle of the night, and the tragedy that followed a month later. Reminiscent of Dickens's The Signal-Man. Notable for having been filmed as The Hearse Driver, part of the horror movie anthology Dead of Night. 3/5
Rudyard Kipling, "At the End of the Passage" (1890)
India. Four friends gather to play Whist. They talk about the unbearable heat, the pressures of work, and a subcontractor who took his own life. One of them is suffering from sleep loss. Is that an apparition, or delirium? This tale, told mostly through dialogue, was gruelling. The pace was so slow. Nothing happened, and when it did, we weren't there to see it. Sadly, it hasn't aged well. 2/5
M. R. James, "Wailing Well" (1928)
James wrote this tale of two halves about a group of Eton boy scouts camping in (probably) Dorset to read to a group of Eton boy scouts camping in (actually) Dorset. For the intended audience, the first half must have been hilarious, while the second half was probably quite terrifying. For this audience (who isn't camping in Dorset), neither half quite hits the mark. 2/5
Ralph Adams Cram, "The White Villa" (1895)
Two travellers miss the last train and are forced to spend the night in a haunted villa in southern Italy. I've never come across Cram before, but he does a great job of bringing the location and subsidiary characters to life, and I enjoyed the spooky elements. Luckily the station-master was on hand to explain it all at the end. Phew. 4/5
Thomas Hardy, "The Withered Arm" (1888)
A new bride. A visitation in a dream. A mysterious ailment that withers the arm. The lives of the characters in Hardy's tale are all intertwined, but not necessarily in ways they could have foreseen or would have wanted, right up to the ending. Coincidence, or evidence of darker forces at work? 4/5
John Kendrick Bangs, "Ghosts That Have Haunted Me" (1898)
"If we could only get used to the idea that ghosts are perfectly harmless...we should enjoy the supernatural exceedingly." So starts Bangs' entertainingly weird, tongue-in-cheek tale. What is the appropriate way to respond to a ghostly visitation? With fear or curiosity? No doubt the narrators' fascination with spirits will be his undoing. 4/5
Ambrose Bierce, "The Boarded Window" (1891)
A remote cabin in Ohio. A dying wife, and the husband she leaves behind. This tale is full of surprises, right up to the final sentence. 3/5
Thomas Ingoldsby (Rev. Richard Harris Barham), “The Spectre of Tappington” (1837)
A comedy of sorts where the author finds the word ‘breeches’ hilarious, assumes everyone else will too, and uses it as often as possible. This was a tough read. “Rat-catching!” ejaculated the squire, pausing abruptly in the mastication of a drumstick. Notable for being first published in Bentley’s Miscellany, which was edited by Charles Dickens. 1/5
Mary Louise Molesworth, “The Story of the Rippling Train” (1887)
Following a disfiguring accident, a married woman visits a former friend for whom she had feelings, in spirit form. 2/5
Sheridan Le Fanu, “An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street” (1851)
It's no secret that Bram Stoker's Dracula borrowed from Le Fanu's Camilla. Similarly Stoker's ghost story The Judge's House owes an obvious debt to this fantastic tale of weird happenings on Aungier Street. This is exactly the kind of tale I was hoping to read when I started this collection. Rats, disturbed nights, and the lingering presence of a hanging judge. Chilling. 4/5
Mary Cholmondeley, “Let Loose” (1890)
A ghost story in the Jamesian tradition, although it pre-dates Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book by half a decade. The main story concerns a frescoed crypt wall in the unlikely town of Wet Waste-on-the-Wolds, Yorkshire. The clergyman doesn't want to lend the visitor the keys to the spooky crypt, but eventually gives in on the condition the visitor locks both doors behind him. This atmospheric tale has plenty of nice touches - the toad, the skulls, the rabid dog and a preference for high collars. 4/5
Edith Wharton, "Afterward" (1910)*
This was my second visit to the rundown house known as 'Lyng' and I enjoyed it just as much, if not more. The central concept is fantastic, and the story itself is intriguing, leaving a good few questions unanswered. Well worth the return visit. 4/5
Guy de Maupassant, "A Ghost" (1867)*
I think I'm missing something with this story. I've read it twice now, and while it was scarier second time around, it also seemed more ridiculous. ('After a year of unalloyed bliss and unexhausted passion, she had died suddenly of heart disease, no doubt killed by love itself.') I guess it comes down to the age in which it was written, and who am I to argue with that? 3/5
Thomas Hardy, "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" (1868)
Two sisters, one suitor and a whole lot of trouble. This Gothic tale of jealousy and revenge didn't need the supernatural aspect to be an engaging read. For the most part it wasn't a horror story, and then it was. A great note on which to end the anthology. 4/5
Overall, this anthology was a mixed bag, which is disappointing given the volume of excellent material available. I shall probably read others in the series at some point as there were just enough quality stories to make it worthwhile. I'm giving it 3.5 stars overall, and will round it up to 4 based on the presentation.
January 18, 2025
More like 3,5 stars, but stupid GoodReads won't let you give half stars.
Like every collection of stories, this has some pretty good ones and some not so good. The archaic language of some of those old stories can be a bit of a challenge, but most were pretty easy to follow, except "The Spectre of Tappington" which was written with so many incomprehensible words that I had to abandon that particular story.
The book itself comes in a quite beautiful edition with some nice decorations.
Like every collection of stories, this has some pretty good ones and some not so good. The archaic language of some of those old stories can be a bit of a challenge, but most were pretty easy to follow, except "The Spectre of Tappington" which was written with so many incomprehensible words that I had to abandon that particular story.
The book itself comes in a quite beautiful edition with some nice decorations.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews