The Wimbourne Book of Victorian Ghost Stories: Volume 7

by Alastair Gunn (Introduction), Miles Gerald Keon, James Hain Friswell

Twenty Christmas ghost stories from the supernatural masters of the Victorian age. Wimbourne Books presents the seventh in a series of rare or out-of-print ghost stories from Victorian authors. With an introduction by author Alastair Gunn, Volume 7 in the series spans the years 1857 to 1901, contains ghost stories set at or around Christmas, and includes stories from a wide range of authors including Sabine Baring-Gould, Charlotte Riddell and Florence Marryat. Readers new to this genre will discover its pleasures; the Victorian quaintness, the sometimes shocking difference in social norms, the almost comical politeness and structured etiquette, the archaic and precise language, but mostly the Victorians’ skill at stoking our fears and trepidations, our insecurities and doubts. Even if you are already an aficionado of the ghostly tale there is much within these pages to interest you. Wait until the dark of the snowy night (preferably on Christmas Eve), lock the doors, shutter the windows, light the fire, sit with your back to the wall and bury yourself in the Victorian macabre. Try not to let the creaking floorboards, the distant howl of a dog, the chill breeze that caresses the candle, the shadows in the far recesses of your room, disturb your concentration.

Includes the stories; The Wedding-Ring (1857) – Miles Gerald Keon; All Alone on Christmas Day (1858) – James Hain Friswell; The Ghost in the Clock Room (1859) – Hesba Stretton; The Ghost in the Double Room (1859) – George Augustus Sala; The Spectre’s Visit (1859) – Anne Sarah Bushby; Glámr (1863) – Sabine Baring-Gould; The Ghost Detective (1865) – Mark Lemon; Hertford O’Donnell’s Warning (1867) – Charlotte Riddell; The Brown Lady (1869) – Frances Cashel Hoey; The Phantom Flash (1870) – William Wilthew Fenn; Christmas Eve at a Cornish Manor-House (1878) – Clara Venn; The Ghost of Charlotte Cray (1879) – Florence Marryat; The Curse of the Catafalques (1884) – F. Anstey; Number Ninety (1886) – Bithia Mary Croker; A Mysterious Portrait (1888) – Mark Rutherford; The Spectre of Barrochan (1889) – J. E. P. Muddock; The Old Portrait (1890) – Hume Nisbet; Old Applejoy's Ghost (1897) – Frank Richard Stockton; Jerry Bundler (1897) – W. W. Jacobs; Bills, M.D (1901) – John Kendrick Bangs.

Genres: Horror

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 12, 2017

About the author

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

Alastair Gunn is an experienced magazine journalist. The Advent Killer was his first novel in a series featuring DCI Antonia Hawkins, and My Bloody Valentine was his second bestselling thriller. Alastair's next DCI Antonia Hawkins thriller, The Keeper, will be published in October 2016.

Alastair lives in Hertfordshire with his fiancée, Anna.

Biography taken from author's Penguin profile.

Reviews

[Charlene Morris]

Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories
he Wedding-Ring (1857) – Miles Gerald Keon;
All Alone on Christmas Day (1858) – James Hain Friswell;
The Ghost in the Clock Room (1859) – Hesba Stretton;
The Ghost in the Double Room (1859) – George Augustus Sala;
The Spectre’s Visit (1859) – Anne Sarah Bushby;
Glámr (1863) – Sabine Baring-Gould;
The Ghost Detective (1865) – Mark Lemon;
Hertford O’Donnell’s Warning (1867) – Charlotte Riddell;
The Brown Lady (1869) – Frances Cashel Hoey;
The Phantom Flash (1870) – William Wilthew Fenn;
Christmas Eve at a Cornish Manor-House (1878) – Clara Venn;
The Ghost of Charlotte Cray (1879) – Florence Marryat;
The Curse of the Catafalques (1884) – F. Anstey;
Number Ninety (1886) – Bithia Mary Croker;
A Mysterious Portrait (1888) – Mark Rutherford;
The Spectre of Barrochan (1889) – J. E. P. Muddock;
The Old Portrait (1890) – Hume Nisbet;
Old Applejoy's Ghost (1897) – Frank Richard Stockton;
Jerry Bundler (1897) – W. W. Jacobs;
Bills, M.D (1901) – John Kendrick Bangs.

[Estott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has been a very enjoyable way (and reasonably priced) to enjoy a variety of victorian ghost stories- but as with all lengthy series there comes a time when the first rate material seems to dry up and the second rate - or third rate - material comes out. Everything in this book is readable, and there are a few which are memorable, but some others are more like filler material for the back of a magazine. Worse yet are a few which fall into the dreaded category of Victorian Ghost Story Comic Parody. There is a character named "Chlorine Catafalque"- even in a parody that is a step over the line.

[D J Rout · Rating 3 out of 5]

What lets this book down (to three stars) is that the stories all ahve a christmas theme. This meant that tyhe range of stories Alastair Gunn could select is reduced, maybe to about 8.3% of the total available, and therefore the quality isn't as good as the quality in previous collections. Nonetheless, there are some good stories in it, and it's also an excellent source for people studying the way the Victorians dealt with a realist model while talking about unreal things.

[Onorio Catenacci · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very uneven set of stories in terms of quality. Some of the stories strongly exhibited the Victorian authorship maxim of never using one word where twelve will do. Some real gems here too. As I said, very uneven.