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Dark Encounters: A Collection of Ghost Stories
First published in 1963 by Harvill Press, Dark Encounters is an elegantly spine-tingling collection of ghost stories set in the brooding landscape of Scotland and often referring to real people, places and objects.
From a demonic book that brings its readers to an early death to the murderous spectre of a feudal baron, these tales are a welcome addition to the long and distinguished canon of Scottish ghost stories.
For those who seek the unnerving and the inexplicable, Dark Encounters is guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck.
From a demonic book that brings its readers to an early death to the murderous spectre of a feudal baron, these tales are a welcome addition to the long and distinguished canon of Scottish ghost stories.
For those who seek the unnerving and the inexplicable, Dark Encounters is guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1963
48 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
William Croft Dickinson
36 books5 followersWilliam Croft Dickinson (1897 ~ 1963) was an English historian and writer. He was one of the foremost experts in the history of early modern Scotland (his first scholarly work appeared in The Scottish Historical Review in 1922) and the author of both fiction for children and ghost stories for adults.
Dickinson's first volume of supernatural stories, The Sweet Singers, and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents, was published by Oliver and Boyd in 1953. The four stories that book contained (The Sweet Singers, Can These Stones Speak?, The Eve of St. Botulph, and Return at Dusk) were later republished, along with nine other tales, in Dark Encounters, by Harvill Press in 1963. A second edition of Dark Encounters, with identical contents aside from the addition of an introduction by Susan Dickinson, the author's daughter, was published by John Goodchild in 1984 (see the image below). Written in the tradition of M.R. James, his stories have been referred to as Ghost Stories of a Scottish Antiquary.
Dickinson's first volume of supernatural stories, The Sweet Singers, and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents, was published by Oliver and Boyd in 1953. The four stories that book contained (The Sweet Singers, Can These Stones Speak?, The Eve of St. Botulph, and Return at Dusk) were later republished, along with nine other tales, in Dark Encounters, by Harvill Press in 1963. A second edition of Dark Encounters, with identical contents aside from the addition of an introduction by Susan Dickinson, the author's daughter, was published by John Goodchild in 1984 (see the image below). Written in the tradition of M.R. James, his stories have been referred to as Ghost Stories of a Scottish Antiquary.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 21, 2024
Perfect way to welcome the longer nights of Autumn. A collection of tales written in the 1950/60s but have the feel of earlier times. Subtle spooks rather than full on horror, creepy atmosphere and unexplained happenings, all framed by university heads sitting round the fire in a drawing room somewhere in Scotland.
March 3, 2018
Biographical Note: William Croft Dickinson (1897-1963)
‘Dark Encounters’ consists of thirteen Ghost Stories written by William Croft Dickinson at various times in his life and which were collected together and published in 1963. Dickinson achieved a hitherto unprecedented feat when in 1940 he was appointed Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography at the University of Edinburgh, becoming the first English-born occupant of this Chair, the oldest and most distinguished Scottish History professorship in the world. Sadly, he died shortly after correcting the proofs for this book.
Review: ‘Dark Encounters’
The Ghost Story has always been a reminder of the limitations of reason. It represents the manifestation of the deep frustration that haunts all seekers after truth, because it offers an alternative, chaotic view of the world. There are literary precedents for this disenchantment; Poe, having created the modern detective story, abandoned it after just three attempts. There had been much trumpeting of his exposition of the powers of ratiocination at the beginning of ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’ but Poe soon realised the inherent flaws in a system which tries to reduce rather than amplify. Detectives remain prisoners, brilliant technicians who can only go on repeating what they already do well – the logical extension of which is a world that quite literally becomes a slave to the rigidity of reason and nothing else.
This challenge to logic meets its apogee in the antiquarian ghost story. Where eminent academics, ostensibly models of objectivity, are confronted by forces that take them beyond their sphere of factual discourse. Dickinson’s tales are not ground-breaking, in fact they are entirely derivative and conform to this model. They are specifically derivative in the sense that they follow the template created by M R James whose now familiar protagonists, lone, male antiquarians, discover that delving into the past risks untold perils. Thus, in Dickinson’s stories bemused, enquiring characters encounter: claustrophobic nightmares, books that kill, houses that disappear, ancient voices and even a vengeful witch. Dickinson’s principal characters belong to the higher echelons of a venerable Scottish University (one assumes based on Edinburgh itself) and most are eminent in their field. You would be forgiven for thinking that I make it sound rather stylised and hackneyed. But Dickinson refreshes this archetype by dint of eloquence, inherent knowledge and careful construction. Each story is carefully crafted to balance the impact of the supernatural with the lucid backdrop of academe. In only a couple of cases was I unsurprised at the denouement; this is a particularly important criterion for the Ghost Story or, for that matter any short story. The more a writer can make the last sentence something of a ‘volte face’ the more effective the narrative becomes. In a number of cases Dickinson does just that.
The more I thought about it as I read these tales the more they seem to conform to our whole experience of ‘knowledge’. By this I mean that despite the huge advances of science and discovery, which of course have brought great benefits, we are nonetheless, invariably experience a deficit of understanding. Put crudely the more we discover, the less we seem to know. In the fields of quantum physics, medicine and natural sciences advancement inevitably gives rise to more questions. Relating this to the Ghost Story, it seems that our psyche is therefore conditioned to look beyond our current field of perception to a metaphysical void, a lacuna where knowledge ends. One such innate anxiety, outside our present conscious state, is, of course, death; indeed, many critics have argued that the Ghost Story is itself an articulation of the fear that we shall all face one day. It succeeds in frightening us precisely because it reminds us of both our mortality and our own vulnerability. So, in this sense it is largely irrelevant to consider whether one ‘believes’ in ghosts, because to imagine the supernatural is enough to ‘know’ our shortcomings. To read a Ghost Story, therefore, is to acquaint ourselves with our own destiny. This I think is what Dickinson and all great Ghost Story writers create, a seamless transition from the limit of comprehension and the security that goes with it and the beginning of imagination, where misrule holds sway. The very fact that in these tales such ‘encounters’ are experienced by human beings of outstanding intelligence, and presumed scepticism, lends much credence to this premise.
In summary, we can place ‘Dark Encounters’ in the pantheon of the outstanding antiquarian Ghost Story, alongside James, of course, but his most distinguished followers too, writers such as Malden, Wakefield, Munby and others. In that company I would place Dickinson’s work at the very highest level.
‘Dark Encounters’ consists of thirteen Ghost Stories written by William Croft Dickinson at various times in his life and which were collected together and published in 1963. Dickinson achieved a hitherto unprecedented feat when in 1940 he was appointed Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography at the University of Edinburgh, becoming the first English-born occupant of this Chair, the oldest and most distinguished Scottish History professorship in the world. Sadly, he died shortly after correcting the proofs for this book.
Review: ‘Dark Encounters’
The Ghost Story has always been a reminder of the limitations of reason. It represents the manifestation of the deep frustration that haunts all seekers after truth, because it offers an alternative, chaotic view of the world. There are literary precedents for this disenchantment; Poe, having created the modern detective story, abandoned it after just three attempts. There had been much trumpeting of his exposition of the powers of ratiocination at the beginning of ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’ but Poe soon realised the inherent flaws in a system which tries to reduce rather than amplify. Detectives remain prisoners, brilliant technicians who can only go on repeating what they already do well – the logical extension of which is a world that quite literally becomes a slave to the rigidity of reason and nothing else.
This challenge to logic meets its apogee in the antiquarian ghost story. Where eminent academics, ostensibly models of objectivity, are confronted by forces that take them beyond their sphere of factual discourse. Dickinson’s tales are not ground-breaking, in fact they are entirely derivative and conform to this model. They are specifically derivative in the sense that they follow the template created by M R James whose now familiar protagonists, lone, male antiquarians, discover that delving into the past risks untold perils. Thus, in Dickinson’s stories bemused, enquiring characters encounter: claustrophobic nightmares, books that kill, houses that disappear, ancient voices and even a vengeful witch. Dickinson’s principal characters belong to the higher echelons of a venerable Scottish University (one assumes based on Edinburgh itself) and most are eminent in their field. You would be forgiven for thinking that I make it sound rather stylised and hackneyed. But Dickinson refreshes this archetype by dint of eloquence, inherent knowledge and careful construction. Each story is carefully crafted to balance the impact of the supernatural with the lucid backdrop of academe. In only a couple of cases was I unsurprised at the denouement; this is a particularly important criterion for the Ghost Story or, for that matter any short story. The more a writer can make the last sentence something of a ‘volte face’ the more effective the narrative becomes. In a number of cases Dickinson does just that.
The more I thought about it as I read these tales the more they seem to conform to our whole experience of ‘knowledge’. By this I mean that despite the huge advances of science and discovery, which of course have brought great benefits, we are nonetheless, invariably experience a deficit of understanding. Put crudely the more we discover, the less we seem to know. In the fields of quantum physics, medicine and natural sciences advancement inevitably gives rise to more questions. Relating this to the Ghost Story, it seems that our psyche is therefore conditioned to look beyond our current field of perception to a metaphysical void, a lacuna where knowledge ends. One such innate anxiety, outside our present conscious state, is, of course, death; indeed, many critics have argued that the Ghost Story is itself an articulation of the fear that we shall all face one day. It succeeds in frightening us precisely because it reminds us of both our mortality and our own vulnerability. So, in this sense it is largely irrelevant to consider whether one ‘believes’ in ghosts, because to imagine the supernatural is enough to ‘know’ our shortcomings. To read a Ghost Story, therefore, is to acquaint ourselves with our own destiny. This I think is what Dickinson and all great Ghost Story writers create, a seamless transition from the limit of comprehension and the security that goes with it and the beginning of imagination, where misrule holds sway. The very fact that in these tales such ‘encounters’ are experienced by human beings of outstanding intelligence, and presumed scepticism, lends much credence to this premise.
In summary, we can place ‘Dark Encounters’ in the pantheon of the outstanding antiquarian Ghost Story, alongside James, of course, but his most distinguished followers too, writers such as Malden, Wakefield, Munby and others. In that company I would place Dickinson’s work at the very highest level.
January 26, 2018
William Croft Dickinson (1897 ~ 1963) was an English historian and writer. He was one of the foremost experts in the history of early modern Scotland (his first scholarly work appeared in The Scottish Historical Review in 1922) and the author of both fiction for children and ghost stories for adults. Dickinson loved a good story; one of his many accomplishments whilst at the University of St. Andrews, which he attended from 1915, 'is said to have been spinning impossible yarns to unwary visitors'.*
Dickinson's first volume of supernatural stories, The Sweet Singers, and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents, was published by Oliver and Boyd in 1953. The four stories that book contained ('The Sweet Singers', 'Can These Stones Speak?', 'The Eve of St. Botulph', and 'Return at Dusk') were later republished, along with nine other tales, in Dark Encounters, by Harvill Press in 1963. A second edition of Dark Encounters, with identical contents aside from the addition of an introduction by Susan Dickinson, the author's daughter, was published by John Goodchild in 1984 (see the image below). Written in the tradition of M. R. James, his stories have been referred to as 'Ghost Stories of a Scottish Antiquary'.
If you like tales about bookish scholars going poking around in ruined places that are best left unpoked, or uncovering dusty old manuscripts that are best left undiscovered and unread, then you're bound to like Dark Encounters. Of all the tales in the collection, to my mind the first five are the best. They will leave you in no doubt that scholarly curiosity is a dangerous thing!
Click here to read the rest of the review...
Dickinson's first volume of supernatural stories, The Sweet Singers, and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents, was published by Oliver and Boyd in 1953. The four stories that book contained ('The Sweet Singers', 'Can These Stones Speak?', 'The Eve of St. Botulph', and 'Return at Dusk') were later republished, along with nine other tales, in Dark Encounters, by Harvill Press in 1963. A second edition of Dark Encounters, with identical contents aside from the addition of an introduction by Susan Dickinson, the author's daughter, was published by John Goodchild in 1984 (see the image below). Written in the tradition of M. R. James, his stories have been referred to as 'Ghost Stories of a Scottish Antiquary'.
If you like tales about bookish scholars going poking around in ruined places that are best left unpoked, or uncovering dusty old manuscripts that are best left undiscovered and unread, then you're bound to like Dark Encounters. Of all the tales in the collection, to my mind the first five are the best. They will leave you in no doubt that scholarly curiosity is a dangerous thing!
Click here to read the rest of the review...
April 24, 2011
This book is a collection of ghost stories of the kind which is often fashioned as 'Jamesian', i.e. in the tradition of the Doyen of English ghost stories, M.R. James. The first 8 stories were clearly author's favourites, since they involved a setting that must have been well-known to him personally & professionally, and through them he could infuse a sincerety into the traditional ghost stories at the centre of the each "event" under discussion. However, the final 5 stories drag the collection down, by trying to incorporate supernatural in things (& fields) that were beyond the ambit of the author, and thus losing that vital element of authenticity that had sparkled in the first batch of stories. Nevertheless, with a resurgence of interest in ghost stories (and stories involving all sorts of revenants in general) being seen now-a-days, this book, with its gentle tone and understated menace, is likely to be an entertaining read for the darkening evenings. Recommended.
September 9, 2020
Historian and archaeologist William Croft Dickinson (1897 – 1963) was born in Leicester and raised in Yorkshire. He had no Scottish antecedents yet developed an affinity and love for the culture of the country, becoming an expert in the early modern Scottish history and the Scottish Reformation. Dickinson himself made history when he was appointed Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography at the University of Edinburgh, the oldest and most distinguished professorship in the field, becoming the first English-born holder of this role, and occupying the chair for close to twenty years. Dickinson also served on the Scottish Records Office Advisory Council, as a Trustee of the National Library of Scotland, as a member of the former Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and on the Councils of the Scottish History Society and the Stair Society (which promotes knowledge of the history of Scots Law).
As one would expect, Dickinson’s writings are mainly of an academic nature, and in this regard, he is particularly known for his contributions to The Scottish Historical Review which he revived and refounded in 1947. However, Dickinson also wrote fiction. In 1944 he published his magical fantasy novel Borrobil, describing the adventures of two children, Donald and Jean, who meet a friendly magician named Borrobil and travel with him to a legendary Celtic past. The same characters visit medieval settings in two sequels – The Eildon Tree (1947) and The Flag from the Isles (1951).
Dickinson was surely aware of the rich tradition of Scottish supernatural legend which eventually inspired several authors of Gothic, ghost and horror fiction. Perhaps it was this which led him to try his hand also at ghost stories, starting with The Sweet Singers, first published in Blackwood’s magazine in 1947. This became the title work of The Sweet Singers and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents, a collection Dickinson published in 1953. When he died in 1963, Dickinson had just finished proofreading Dark Encounters, which brought together these four ghostly tales with nine others he had written over the previous decade. In 2017, Polygon, an imprint of Edinburgh-based publishers Birlinn, reissued Dark Encounters in an attractive yet good-value hardback edition, augmented with the posthumously published The MacGregor Skull, the final “annual Christmas ghost story” Dickinson wrote for The Scotsman.
Dickinson’s ghost stories have been compared to those of M.R. James and it is not difficult to see why. Dickinson writes of the academic circles he knows very well. Most of the stories start with a group of professors sitting around a fire in the Common Room or the Smoking Room of the University, with the talk invariably leading to discussions about strange and unusual occurrences. The protagonists of the story are, more often than not, scholarly types who, through carelessness, sheer bad luck or failure to heed friendly warnings, end up face to face with unearthly forces. As in M.R. James’ classic Oh, Whistle, And I’ll Come to You, My Lad, several of Dickinson’s tales involve spirits which have been disturbed. Inquisitiveness as to the contents of a sealed room in a ruined castle unleashes a spectral black dog (Quita Non Movere), the digging up of ancient grave sites spells bad news for the archaeologist concerned (Let the Dead Bury the Dead), and an ancient demonic book brings any curious readers to an early death (The Work of Evil).
Dickinson’s stories have an old-fashioned feel to them. In his specially written introduction to this collection, Alistair Kerr valiantly tries to portray Dickinson as a “moderniser” of Jamesean tropes and to position him as the bridger of “the gap between M.R. James and modern writers like Ray Russell and Stephen King”. I don’t really understand why Rusell and King, in particular, are mentioned as examples, as they are hardly best known for ghost stories in the mould of M.R. James. In any case, however, I don’t believe Dickinson’s strengths are as a “moderniser”. It is true that he is writing decades after James, and that this is reflected in the setting and in some of the plot details. (His Own Number even features an early “haunted computer”). However, Dickinson is ultimately happy to stick to old formulas and, frankly, I see nothing wrong with that when it’s done well.
The real distinguishing feature of Dickinson’s stories is their rich Scottish background. Unsurprisingly, given his academic interests, these are tales imbued with the history, legends and landscapes of the North of the Border. The ghosts which haunt these pages are inextricably linked to the land and its history, particularly the ancient rivalries between warring clans, as in Return at Dusk and The Return of the Native. These are also amongst the scariest of Dickinson’s creations, the weight of the centuries giving the baddies of the stories an extra aura of malevolence. Dickinson’s very first story, The Sweet Singers, is less scary than moving, and is inspired by the imprisonment of the Covenanters on the Bass Rock, an episode of the Reformation which the author knew very well. This background gives the collection a strong sense of authenticity. As regular visitor to Scotland, a country which I love, I also enjoyed the descriptions of the settings, most of which are either real, or closely based on actual places. The lonely expanse of Rannoch Moor, the hills and mountains of the Trossachs, ancient ruined castles, the seascape of North Berwick and the afore-mentioned Bass Rock (lately given a new lease of “literary” life by Evie Wyld) – all contribute to that rich atmosphere so necessary to a successful ghost story.
Some authors are called to be innovators. William Croft Dickinson is not one of these. However, the very “familiarity” and old-world frisson of this collection, reminiscent of the classic ghost stories of earlier decades, is what I enjoyed most about Dark Encounters.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
As one would expect, Dickinson’s writings are mainly of an academic nature, and in this regard, he is particularly known for his contributions to The Scottish Historical Review which he revived and refounded in 1947. However, Dickinson also wrote fiction. In 1944 he published his magical fantasy novel Borrobil, describing the adventures of two children, Donald and Jean, who meet a friendly magician named Borrobil and travel with him to a legendary Celtic past. The same characters visit medieval settings in two sequels – The Eildon Tree (1947) and The Flag from the Isles (1951).
Dickinson was surely aware of the rich tradition of Scottish supernatural legend which eventually inspired several authors of Gothic, ghost and horror fiction. Perhaps it was this which led him to try his hand also at ghost stories, starting with The Sweet Singers, first published in Blackwood’s magazine in 1947. This became the title work of The Sweet Singers and Three Other Remarkable Occurrents, a collection Dickinson published in 1953. When he died in 1963, Dickinson had just finished proofreading Dark Encounters, which brought together these four ghostly tales with nine others he had written over the previous decade. In 2017, Polygon, an imprint of Edinburgh-based publishers Birlinn, reissued Dark Encounters in an attractive yet good-value hardback edition, augmented with the posthumously published The MacGregor Skull, the final “annual Christmas ghost story” Dickinson wrote for The Scotsman.
Dickinson’s ghost stories have been compared to those of M.R. James and it is not difficult to see why. Dickinson writes of the academic circles he knows very well. Most of the stories start with a group of professors sitting around a fire in the Common Room or the Smoking Room of the University, with the talk invariably leading to discussions about strange and unusual occurrences. The protagonists of the story are, more often than not, scholarly types who, through carelessness, sheer bad luck or failure to heed friendly warnings, end up face to face with unearthly forces. As in M.R. James’ classic Oh, Whistle, And I’ll Come to You, My Lad, several of Dickinson’s tales involve spirits which have been disturbed. Inquisitiveness as to the contents of a sealed room in a ruined castle unleashes a spectral black dog (Quita Non Movere), the digging up of ancient grave sites spells bad news for the archaeologist concerned (Let the Dead Bury the Dead), and an ancient demonic book brings any curious readers to an early death (The Work of Evil).
Dickinson’s stories have an old-fashioned feel to them. In his specially written introduction to this collection, Alistair Kerr valiantly tries to portray Dickinson as a “moderniser” of Jamesean tropes and to position him as the bridger of “the gap between M.R. James and modern writers like Ray Russell and Stephen King”. I don’t really understand why Rusell and King, in particular, are mentioned as examples, as they are hardly best known for ghost stories in the mould of M.R. James. In any case, however, I don’t believe Dickinson’s strengths are as a “moderniser”. It is true that he is writing decades after James, and that this is reflected in the setting and in some of the plot details. (His Own Number even features an early “haunted computer”). However, Dickinson is ultimately happy to stick to old formulas and, frankly, I see nothing wrong with that when it’s done well.
The real distinguishing feature of Dickinson’s stories is their rich Scottish background. Unsurprisingly, given his academic interests, these are tales imbued with the history, legends and landscapes of the North of the Border. The ghosts which haunt these pages are inextricably linked to the land and its history, particularly the ancient rivalries between warring clans, as in Return at Dusk and The Return of the Native. These are also amongst the scariest of Dickinson’s creations, the weight of the centuries giving the baddies of the stories an extra aura of malevolence. Dickinson’s very first story, The Sweet Singers, is less scary than moving, and is inspired by the imprisonment of the Covenanters on the Bass Rock, an episode of the Reformation which the author knew very well. This background gives the collection a strong sense of authenticity. As regular visitor to Scotland, a country which I love, I also enjoyed the descriptions of the settings, most of which are either real, or closely based on actual places. The lonely expanse of Rannoch Moor, the hills and mountains of the Trossachs, ancient ruined castles, the seascape of North Berwick and the afore-mentioned Bass Rock (lately given a new lease of “literary” life by Evie Wyld) – all contribute to that rich atmosphere so necessary to a successful ghost story.
Some authors are called to be innovators. William Croft Dickinson is not one of these. However, the very “familiarity” and old-world frisson of this collection, reminiscent of the classic ghost stories of earlier decades, is what I enjoyed most about Dark Encounters.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
January 20, 2022
Nicely understated Scottish ghostliness in the academic/scholarly mould of M.R. James, albeit it with fewer pastiches of ancient documents and not so many genuinely scary incidents. The device of a tapping window blind in one tale had been used much better by Kipling in 'My Own True Ghost Story', but the collection as a whole is filled with interesting historical and folkloric touches - I especially liked the malign book in 'The Work of Evil'. The university common room discussions smell of damp tweed and pipe-smoke, which personally I see as a good thing. There's an impressively creepy archaeological excavation and a quirky engagement with the horror potential of the early days of computing (this story has an especially clever denouement).
Overall, I wouldn't say these were masterpieces of the genre, but they have their moments and make for a diverting read on a winter night. I originally gave this 3 stars but on reflection, I think the consistency and originality of the collection merits 4.
Overall, I wouldn't say these were masterpieces of the genre, but they have their moments and make for a diverting read on a winter night. I originally gave this 3 stars but on reflection, I think the consistency and originality of the collection merits 4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2020
This book is actually the 2017 edition published by Polygon, and not the volume pictured...
I've always felt that the ghost story was perhaps the most pure form of short story.....and perhaps the hardest to write....especially as the ghost story, in one form or another - has been with us since the earliest days of man - huddled around a blazing fire....telling stories of things that go bump in the night.
The enclosed stories were written by Dr. Wm Croft Dickinson, a professor of Scottish history, and all the stories therein are set in Scotland. Although my ancestors were from Scotland generations ago, my sense of Scottish geography is limited, at best...which may have detracted from my enjoyment of the tales.
The stories were all enjoyable...but nothing I found to be especially unsettling or creepy. Most of the protagonists are single males, most of an academic persuasion. Certainly worth a look, but not, in my opinion, to the standards of M.r. James. Worth a read though.
Jeff McIntosh
I've always felt that the ghost story was perhaps the most pure form of short story.....and perhaps the hardest to write....especially as the ghost story, in one form or another - has been with us since the earliest days of man - huddled around a blazing fire....telling stories of things that go bump in the night.
The enclosed stories were written by Dr. Wm Croft Dickinson, a professor of Scottish history, and all the stories therein are set in Scotland. Although my ancestors were from Scotland generations ago, my sense of Scottish geography is limited, at best...which may have detracted from my enjoyment of the tales.
The stories were all enjoyable...but nothing I found to be especially unsettling or creepy. Most of the protagonists are single males, most of an academic persuasion. Certainly worth a look, but not, in my opinion, to the standards of M.r. James. Worth a read though.
Jeff McIntosh
November 6, 2017
✭✭
“The Keepers of the Wall” (c. 1957-1962) ✭✭✭
“Return at Dusk” (1953) ✭✭✭
“The Eve of St. Botulph” (1953) ✭✭✭½
“Can These Stones Speak?” (1953) ✭✭✭
“The Work of Evil” (1963) ✭½
“The Return of the Native” (c. 1957-1962) ✭✭
“Quieta non Movere” (c. 1957-1962) ✭½
“Let the Dead Bury the Dead” (c. 1957-1962) ✭✭
“The Castle Guide” (c. 1957-1962) ✭½
“The Witch’s Bone” (1963) ✭✭
“The Sweet Singers” (variant title: “A Professor’s Ghost Story”) (1947) ✭½
“The House of Balfother” (1963) ✭✭½
“His Own Number” (1963) ✭✭✭
“The MacGregor Skull” (1963) ✭½
“The Keepers of the Wall” (c. 1957-1962) ✭✭✭
“Return at Dusk” (1953) ✭✭✭
“The Eve of St. Botulph” (1953) ✭✭✭½
“Can These Stones Speak?” (1953) ✭✭✭
“The Work of Evil” (1963) ✭½
“The Return of the Native” (c. 1957-1962) ✭✭
“Quieta non Movere” (c. 1957-1962) ✭½
“Let the Dead Bury the Dead” (c. 1957-1962) ✭✭
“The Castle Guide” (c. 1957-1962) ✭½
“The Witch’s Bone” (1963) ✭✭
“The Sweet Singers” (variant title: “A Professor’s Ghost Story”) (1947) ✭½
“The House of Balfother” (1963) ✭✭½
“His Own Number” (1963) ✭✭✭
“The MacGregor Skull” (1963) ✭½
September 20, 2020
Great collections of Scottish ghost stories. Written of it's time.
October 16, 2022
Reading this as Halloween is approaching, I was hoping for a spooky, creepy book of short stories, perfect for the season. But that wasn’t what I got.
The stories are set in Scotland and as my knowledge of Scottish history is limited, that might have detracted me from fully enjoying them. But I didn’t find any of the stories particularly creepy or unsettling, and I didn’t really enjoy them either, so was left a little disappointed by this book.
The stories are set in Scotland and as my knowledge of Scottish history is limited, that might have detracted me from fully enjoying them. But I didn’t find any of the stories particularly creepy or unsettling, and I didn’t really enjoy them either, so was left a little disappointed by this book.
November 4, 2023
I choose to read this book because I was going to Edinburgh the day after Halloween and this seemed perfect as most of the stories mentioned Edinburgh. I was hoping for a very spine chilling stories set in the city evoking the Gothic moodiness, unfortunately most of the stories we set in the country and were not particularly spine chilling. When looking back at the titles I couldn't remember what most of them had been about.
December 12, 2017
This was a fantastic book. I loved the atmosphere, the setting - Scottish universities and research - and the different narrators taking turns to tell their own encounters with ghosts and haunted castles. This was pleasantly written, unexpected and each story was different from the next.
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June 12, 2020
Decent collection of horror stories in the style of M. R. James. Best stories are The Keepers Of The Wall, Return At Dusk, The Work Of Evil, The Witch's Bone, and His Own Number.
October 18, 2022
i really liked this! picked up in a bookshop in edinburgh based solely on the blurb comp to m. r. james and can't say it disappointed.
following are thoughts on individual stories
the keepers of the wall: not quite long or short enough to be a true chiller. love the concept of ghosts holding up the wall, pretty sure this came up in one of the simon feximal stories
return at dusk: absolutely love this. what a creepy concept and the idea of long delayed vengeance is really well executed. also adore the fact that the main guy was so embarrassed about being haunted out of a room that he pretended there was a bad draught
the eve of st botulph: this has a sort of count magnus vibe but the threat itself feels almost too obvious. ooh if you walk here on a certain night the devil shows up and chases you until you burn to death. not quite enough mystery for me but still pleasantly spooky
can these stones speak?: imagine you have a horrible nightmare and the worst part of it is getting a phone call. that's just my whole life. anyway i adore the technological haunting here, ludicrous and unnerving in equal measure. i sure wouldn't want to hear a nun getting bricked up with THIS bad of a line!
the work of evil: YES i love a haunted book! I like that it never becomes quite clear why the book strangles people to death through horrible accidents. sometimes books are just feeling a little silly with it!
the return of the native: frankly he deserved this for the crime of being an american. love the mental image of a priest in a pub garden banishing the unquiet dead though
quieta non movere: this one is mostly a very very light rehash of the same themes approached in a warning to the curious or oh whistle and i'll come to you but not nearly as effective. wasn't scary and it really suggested a more fun sequel where the rspca desperately tries to catch a ghost dog
let the dead bury the dead: a more effective rehash this time! i adore prehistory in horror and i think this was particularly effective in leaving you guessing at the exact mechanism of the haunting. sometimes you have to do an ancient funeral ceremony then drop dead from your hubris
the castle guide: if i died and became a ghost i would also do this
the witch's bone: very much your classic accidental voodoo murder story but with the added spice of academic rivalry. reminds me of the i think hg wells story about warring lepidopterists
the sweet singers: literally just an inspirational tale about christian ghosts why is this in a horror anthology. not even spooky or good
the house of balfother: i think a 400 year old man is entitled to crawl around naked like a dog and try to eat any intruders to his family home. sometimes people are just being nosy!
his own number: the twist in this may be unmatched in the anthology. was super hyped for this from the introduction due to the premise (early haunted computer story) and love that there is No Explanation for why the calculator is haunted. sometimes your number just comes up!
the macgregor skull: imagine if this happened at your job. your boss just starts bringing a skull to board meetings and acting as if it responds to his questions. and then it tells him his flight won't crash and it turns out that's because it explodes on the runway. also the skull was delivered to your office by a ghost witch
following are thoughts on individual stories
the keepers of the wall: not quite long or short enough to be a true chiller. love the concept of ghosts holding up the wall, pretty sure this came up in one of the simon feximal stories
return at dusk: absolutely love this. what a creepy concept and the idea of long delayed vengeance is really well executed. also adore the fact that the main guy was so embarrassed about being haunted out of a room that he pretended there was a bad draught
the eve of st botulph: this has a sort of count magnus vibe but the threat itself feels almost too obvious. ooh if you walk here on a certain night the devil shows up and chases you until you burn to death. not quite enough mystery for me but still pleasantly spooky
can these stones speak?: imagine you have a horrible nightmare and the worst part of it is getting a phone call. that's just my whole life. anyway i adore the technological haunting here, ludicrous and unnerving in equal measure. i sure wouldn't want to hear a nun getting bricked up with THIS bad of a line!
the work of evil: YES i love a haunted book! I like that it never becomes quite clear why the book strangles people to death through horrible accidents. sometimes books are just feeling a little silly with it!
the return of the native: frankly he deserved this for the crime of being an american. love the mental image of a priest in a pub garden banishing the unquiet dead though
quieta non movere: this one is mostly a very very light rehash of the same themes approached in a warning to the curious or oh whistle and i'll come to you but not nearly as effective. wasn't scary and it really suggested a more fun sequel where the rspca desperately tries to catch a ghost dog
let the dead bury the dead: a more effective rehash this time! i adore prehistory in horror and i think this was particularly effective in leaving you guessing at the exact mechanism of the haunting. sometimes you have to do an ancient funeral ceremony then drop dead from your hubris
the castle guide: if i died and became a ghost i would also do this
the witch's bone: very much your classic accidental voodoo murder story but with the added spice of academic rivalry. reminds me of the i think hg wells story about warring lepidopterists
the sweet singers: literally just an inspirational tale about christian ghosts why is this in a horror anthology. not even spooky or good
the house of balfother: i think a 400 year old man is entitled to crawl around naked like a dog and try to eat any intruders to his family home. sometimes people are just being nosy!
his own number: the twist in this may be unmatched in the anthology. was super hyped for this from the introduction due to the premise (early haunted computer story) and love that there is No Explanation for why the calculator is haunted. sometimes your number just comes up!
the macgregor skull: imagine if this happened at your job. your boss just starts bringing a skull to board meetings and acting as if it responds to his questions. and then it tells him his flight won't crash and it turns out that's because it explodes on the runway. also the skull was delivered to your office by a ghost witch
March 14, 2024
As with all short story collections the quality of the individual stories in this one tends to differ. Some of them felt a bit too "safe" to me (by comparison to other ghost stories of the 19th and 20th century) because there was no real danger involved despite the story clearly trying to be frightening. One example of this is "Can these stones speak?" where a man sleeps in a bedroom built with the stones of an old abbey, in which a nun was immured. When at night he hears a grinding noise coming from the wall he pictures how that nun died horribly and rushes in horror from the room. This one and a few other stories did not even create a hint of an atmosphere of suspense. However, most of the stories are about moderately frightening (again: in measures of ghost story tradition) with the best (in my opinion) being "Return at Dusk", which is very well written and genuinely scary, and "The MacGregor Skull" which very well combines just vegeance with supernatural agency like a good ghost story should.
Another thing to note is that Dickinsons style is much more focused, modern and "sleek" than that of most Victorian writers. At the beginning of every story he spends only a little time to give the context (usually (and rather unusual for traditional ghost stories) an academic telling a "strange tale" to his colleaques) before starting with the actual narrative which seldom goes on for more than ten pages and strictly focuses on the main plotpoints. I personally like the Victorian style a bit more and missed it here but it is only natural that Dickinson as a more modern writer should write like that and I am sure there a lot of people who actually prefer it.
All in all this is a ghost story collection well worth one (and perhaps a second) read, though certainly not on the same level as James or LeFanu.
Another thing to note is that Dickinsons style is much more focused, modern and "sleek" than that of most Victorian writers. At the beginning of every story he spends only a little time to give the context (usually (and rather unusual for traditional ghost stories) an academic telling a "strange tale" to his colleaques) before starting with the actual narrative which seldom goes on for more than ten pages and strictly focuses on the main plotpoints. I personally like the Victorian style a bit more and missed it here but it is only natural that Dickinson as a more modern writer should write like that and I am sure there a lot of people who actually prefer it.
All in all this is a ghost story collection well worth one (and perhaps a second) read, though certainly not on the same level as James or LeFanu.
November 19, 2021
William Croft Dickinson (1897-1963) was a Scottish historian who also wrote ghost stories that he considered firmly in the tradition of renowned British writer M.R. James, and his stories collected in Dark Encounters show the James influence clearly. These are subtle, understated ghost stories with moody landscapes and some wonderfully chilling moments. Also like James, Dickinson’s ghost stories are rich with local history and detail. If the characterizations of the researchers and academics and other men (and a few women) who encounter the ghosts are relatively flat (another Jamesian trait), many of the stories read like one is also getting a history of how the Scottish have thought about themselves over the centuries, with struggles between the wealthy and the poor, men and women, and over the rights and obligations of people and families.
Some of these stories are only slight sketches, while others are more filled out, and some of them reach their haunted emotional chills more effectively than others. Judged objectively, this is probably a 3½ or 4 star book, but people who love this kind of writing (and I’m one of them) are going to love this book unreservedly, as I do.
Some of these stories are only slight sketches, while others are more filled out, and some of them reach their haunted emotional chills more effectively than others. Judged objectively, this is probably a 3½ or 4 star book, but people who love this kind of writing (and I’m one of them) are going to love this book unreservedly, as I do.
February 3, 2024
There are some spooky stories in this collection, but by the end I was getting bored. I think they're better read separately over a longer period of time as they do get pretty samey after a while.
A couple of standouts were: The Return of the Native and The Witch's Bone. The former tells the story of a young man travelling through Scotland who finds out his family were cursed hundreds of years earlier by a witch, it's a very tense and unsettling story. The Witch's Bone is about a cursed bone with the power to kill whomever the possessor of the bone thinks badly about. It reminded me slightly of the creepy photos in The Omen, a very good story.
Most of them though were set in draughty castles and I found them to be quite monotonous after a while.
Is it bad to admit that one of the best things about this book is the beautiful cover design? It's really striking.
A couple of standouts were: The Return of the Native and The Witch's Bone. The former tells the story of a young man travelling through Scotland who finds out his family were cursed hundreds of years earlier by a witch, it's a very tense and unsettling story. The Witch's Bone is about a cursed bone with the power to kill whomever the possessor of the bone thinks badly about. It reminded me slightly of the creepy photos in The Omen, a very good story.
Most of them though were set in draughty castles and I found them to be quite monotonous after a while.
Is it bad to admit that one of the best things about this book is the beautiful cover design? It's really striking.
June 19, 2022
Dark Encounters is a collection of modest supernatural short stories. Experiencers of the eerie in Dickinson are scholars and intellectuals who take the long view: for them the window of historical interest and curiosity closes by sometime in the fifteen century.
Yet in their everyday academic work as field archeologists or paleographers, they must all contend with a past that keeps coming back, often as a product of their own quite harmless actions, omissions, or missteps.
Really, that kind of thing can happen to anyone.
Yet in their everyday academic work as field archeologists or paleographers, they must all contend with a past that keeps coming back, often as a product of their own quite harmless actions, omissions, or missteps.
Really, that kind of thing can happen to anyone.
November 12, 2024
*3.5 stars*
I intended to have this finished before Halloween instead of just after it, but it was a great read nonetheless. The stories included in this book vary in quality (none are bad, by the way, but some are better than others). I very much enjoyed them and the collection of characters that haunt the pages. At points, I found myself reading this in a Scottish accent, the final story - The McGregor Skull - in particular!
Would I recommend this book? For fans of ghost stories (me), you'll find something to love in this book!
I intended to have this finished before Halloween instead of just after it, but it was a great read nonetheless. The stories included in this book vary in quality (none are bad, by the way, but some are better than others). I very much enjoyed them and the collection of characters that haunt the pages. At points, I found myself reading this in a Scottish accent, the final story - The McGregor Skull - in particular!
Would I recommend this book? For fans of ghost stories (me), you'll find something to love in this book!
October 12, 2021
I was so excited to find this book! Since I'd long ago read all the M.R. James spooky stories I could get my hands on, this one filled a longing for more ghosty tales of that type. Though most of them are set in more modern times, they somehow carry that musty, cigar-smoking parlor feel about them. If you like James, you'll probably like these. My only complaint is that there aren't enough of them. Can't have everything, I suppose.
July 25, 2022
Not all of these stories will scare you but many of them do. It’s interesting to read them in the 2020s and be brought back to a time with much less technology and see what was scary to Dickenson. Moreover, as an academic that fact that all start with academics talking in a lounge adds a bit of scariness because of the inherent skeptical nature of most academics. Definitely worth the read, and all the better if you read them at twilight.
January 20, 2024
I found this book in Waterstones on Princes St in Edinburgh and thought it might have some interesting ghost stories but I was incorrect. These were all kind of boring and forgettable. The only one I liked was the one about the witch who crushed people to death because she was drowned for being a witch. The stories read as if they were written in the 19th century which threw me off when the first story eventually mentioned a car and battery powered flashlight. Dont recommend this to anyone.
June 27, 2024
Read:
Can These Stones Speak? -4/5
His Own Number - 4/5
Let the Dead Bury the Dead - 3/5
Quieta Non Movere - 4/5
Return at Dusk - 3/5
The Castle Guide - 3/5
The Eve of St Botulph - 5/5
The House of Balthother - 4/5
The Keepers of the Wall - 5/5
The MacGregor Skull - 5/5
The Return of the Native - 3/5
The Sweet Singers - 3/5
The Witch's Bone - 4/5
The Work of Evil - 4/5
Can These Stones Speak? -4/5
His Own Number - 4/5
Let the Dead Bury the Dead - 3/5
Quieta Non Movere - 4/5
Return at Dusk - 3/5
The Castle Guide - 3/5
The Eve of St Botulph - 5/5
The House of Balthother - 4/5
The Keepers of the Wall - 5/5
The MacGregor Skull - 5/5
The Return of the Native - 3/5
The Sweet Singers - 3/5
The Witch's Bone - 4/5
The Work of Evil - 4/5
September 7, 2022
Traditional ghost stories set in Scotland and based on old legends. Although not very scary by contemporary standards I really enjoyed this collection. Crumbling ruins, wise and wary locals, dark and stormy nights, bleak landscapes and tweedy academics. Perfect.
June 28, 2025
A good read for right before Halloween. It's a collection of ghost stories set in Scotland, most following the same format. The only one that gave me difficulty was the McGregor Skull as the accent is written phonetically.
July 21, 2025
The short stories start off in the middle of a conversation between a group of scholars, it was odd how natural these characters and their stories came to me.
The tales themselves were rather mysterious and eery than spine chilling; however, this didn't make them any less intriguing.
The tales themselves were rather mysterious and eery than spine chilling; however, this didn't make them any less intriguing.
November 16, 2025
This was a wonderful collection of ghost stories. Really enjoyed them, the setting of Scotland was fun and added a great dimension. My favourites were 'Let the Dead Bury the Dead', 'The House of Balfother' and 'The Witch's Bone'.
October 8, 2024
Good for the time of year- as short stories they had momentum behind them but too many ended on cliffhangers rather than a stand out ending.
October 16, 2024
A nice set of short Scottish themed ghost stories . The perfect autumnal read as thoughts turn to Halloween.
January 31, 2025
Lovely ghost stories with good twists and especially fun for someone studying in Scotland! 🏴
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