The Oxford Book of Ghost Stories

by Michael Cox, R.A. Gilbert

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Paranormal, Supernatural, Ghost Stories

504 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

This is Michael^Cox, where ^=space. (default profile)

About the Author:
Michael Andrew Cox was an English biographer, novelist and musician.
He also held the position of Senior Commissioning Editor of reference books for Oxford University Press.

Reviews

[KeenReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought there was a good selection of stories in this anthology. There were a few of the famous writers/stories that enthusiasts of ghost stories will have come across before e.g. "Oh, whistle and I'll come to you, my lad" and a nice mix of lesser known stories (at least, they were stories or authors new to me). This included a few that were not intended to be scary, which was a clever move, because it meant you never knew what to expect. I definitely want to follow up some of the authors I had not come across before and thanks to the extensive bibliography that should not be too hard (provided the authors are still in print of course).

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book that I dipped in and out of over a couple of years. It's an excellent collection of classic short ghost stories, mostly from the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

In many ways it presents the classic ghost story as a period-specific genre, i.e. typically Victorian/pre-war stories about the protagonist experiencing (and surviving) ghostly goings-on, often at the home of a friend or colleague (who's recently moved into a house that is CLEARLY haunted).

Susan Hill's The Woman in Black and The Mist in the Mirror seem to pay a great deal of homage to many of the stories in this collection, many of which are genuinely very spooky.

Highly recommended reading, this is a genuinely enjoyable and well put-together collection - something to dip into on a dark and stormy night (and other ghostly cliches).

[J. Agombar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me a long time for read for various reasons, one reason was the quantity of stories. It's definitely good value and there are some real classics in here that provide you a good insight into how old ghost stories were crafted. I even managed to craft one of my own from being inspired by these creepy tales.
Another reason was that some of the stories, particularly those in the middle of the book, were arduous to get through, some from language too fancy, some from badly ages narratives, and some were actually quite unreadable to the point where I skipped them halfway through.

However, I'd still recommend this title as there are some captivating stories in there which send genuine chills. Surprisingly I found some of the oldest ones some of the best, the later ones seemed to had developed some totally unnecessary passages that did not help the suspense.

I'm glad to say I've now read a fair few classics due to this book, some of which will stick with me due to the masters that paved the way for these types of stories.

[Lucius Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend saving these for a rainy afternoon or the early night of winter! A decent compilation with some recognisable authors, suitable for someone new to the genre or looking for inspiration.

[Yasmin]

It's hard to rate this book; I may attempt to do so at a later date. If one can get past the racism and xenophobia, starting with Somerset Maugham, that is to finish the book. The first publication was in 1986 and unfortunately allowing for derogatory language wasn't unheard of, but one would think in the subsequent publications in the 21st century a new prologue would alert readers to the rather sickening language used in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries--unfortunately there are none. Well forewarned is forearmed. If a reader is not familiar with nineteenth and twentieth century language there is within this book scattered words and language that makes for uncomfortable reading. There is also a matter of the stories themselves and other type of language that doesn't involve other countries, cultures and races. A word of advice: don't read H.G. Wells The Red Room while listening to Rag time music. I did that and it turned the whole story into slapstick! Or rather you can read the story while listening to Rag time and you may have a far better and enjoyable experience. Henry James Friends of Friends was difficult to follow at the best of times. To me it was unclear whether the first paragraph was meant to be read as a letter or a diary or even if the narration was in any way related to the other narration. The overall narration was confusing to me as there at least could have been name initials or partial names. I couldn't understand how in the story The Bottle of 1912 how the main protagonist couldn't have stayed in touch with the the headquarters in Delhi? It was not made clear said it was like coming back from the dead, but that was never fully explained how that was. It was only 1943, not 1843! I wonder if the author knew anything of India? Otherwise the stories were a mix of sad, theatrically dramatic and just a little disturbing.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant collection: well chosen and the decision to arrange chronologically works really well (and shows how little has changed in the genre really over the centuries). Two, perhaps surprising, facts are revealed through reading the anthology:

1) Ghosts themselves aren't terribly interesting at all.

Ghosts don't actually do much at all. They don't have corporeal form and, with one exception in this collection, they don't really interact much with the living beyond ambiguous pronouncements and their mere fact of existence. Vampires can be erotic; werewolves can rend your flesh but ghost just kind of.... exist. The real interest, in most of these stories, comes from the interaction between two stock characters: the believer and the skeptic (usually, not always, the narrator). These two characters will cross swords about the existence of the ghosts and it is this conflict that creates the interest rather than the ghosts themselves. Which leads to:

2) Ghosts aren't scary and neither are ghost stories.

Ghost stories can sometimes start off as being scary: the uncertainty and the dread are terrifying. Do the dead walk amongst us or not? But as the story progresses the uncertainty and the terror are resolved: yes, the dead do walk amongst us. On this particular night. Or for this particular reason. In very few instances will they actually intend you any harm. The ambiguity and uncertainty are resolved and the terror evaporates, ironically, with the full reveal of the ghost. This isn't a bad thing: it's quite comforting and comfortable to read a story where you know within the first page what the payoff will be and then you're pleased and satisfied when the resolution comes.

So: ghosts are neither interesting nor scary but ghost stories themselves can be great reads and this is a very nicely anthologised collection of them. Highly recommended.

[Deanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love ghost stories and fell in love with M.R.James when I was about 12 and read Oh whistle and I'll come to you my lad. Saw a recent television production of this with John Hurt and had to hide behind a cushion. I'm not in to gory horror, which is probably why I like the more classic ghost stories.

[Teàrlach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edith Wharton's Mr Jones was the best in this collection. Other standout (or decent) stories: A.M. Burrage's Smee, E. Nesbit's Man-Size in Marble, Henry James's The Friends of the Friends, E.G. Swain's Bone to his Bone, Simon Raven's The Bottle of 1912.

Ghost stories aren't really my thing. I enjoy the conventions of the gothic more.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bit adult for what I was looking for.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat interesting collection of ghost stories. It seemed to me the stories had a similar style and you couldn't really tell much difference in the authors.