What do you think?
Rate this book
The Cigarette Case
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 1911
2 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Oliver Onions
239 books54 followersGeorge Oliver Onions (1873–1961), who published under the name Oliver Onions, was an English writer of short stories and novels.
Oliver Onions was born in Bradford in 1873. Although he legally changed his name to George Oliver in 1918, he always published under the name Oliver Onions. Onions originally worked as a commercial artist before turning to writing, and the dust jackets of his earliest works included illustrations painted by Onions himself.
Onions was a prolific writer of short stories and novels and is best remembered today for his ghost stories, the most famous of which is probably ‘The Beckoning Fair One’, originally published in Widdershins (1911). Despite being known today chiefly for his supernatural short fiction, Onions also published more than a dozen novels in a variety of genres, including In Accordance with the Evidence (1912), The Tower of Oblivion (1921), The Hand of Kornelius Voyt (1939), The Story of Ragged Robyn (1945), and Poor Man's Tapestry (1946), which won the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial Prize as the best work of fiction published that year.
Onions was apparently a very private individual, and though admired and well-respected in his time, he appears not to have moved in literary circles, and few personal memoirs of him survive. He spent most of his later life in Wales, where he lived with his wife, Berta Ruck (1878-1978), herself a prolific and popular novelist; they had two sons, Arthur (b. 1912) and William (b. 1913). Oliver Onions died in 1961.
Oliver Onions was born in Bradford in 1873. Although he legally changed his name to George Oliver in 1918, he always published under the name Oliver Onions. Onions originally worked as a commercial artist before turning to writing, and the dust jackets of his earliest works included illustrations painted by Onions himself.
Onions was a prolific writer of short stories and novels and is best remembered today for his ghost stories, the most famous of which is probably ‘The Beckoning Fair One’, originally published in Widdershins (1911). Despite being known today chiefly for his supernatural short fiction, Onions also published more than a dozen novels in a variety of genres, including In Accordance with the Evidence (1912), The Tower of Oblivion (1921), The Hand of Kornelius Voyt (1939), The Story of Ragged Robyn (1945), and Poor Man's Tapestry (1946), which won the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial Prize as the best work of fiction published that year.
Onions was apparently a very private individual, and though admired and well-respected in his time, he appears not to have moved in literary circles, and few personal memoirs of him survive. He spent most of his later life in Wales, where he lived with his wife, Berta Ruck (1878-1978), herself a prolific and popular novelist; they had two sons, Arthur (b. 1912) and William (b. 1913). Oliver Onions died in 1961.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 4, 2026
The Cigarette Case is a short ghost story written by Oliver Onions. It was first published in “The Weekly Tale-Teller” in August 1910, and has been included in various anthologies and collections many times. I am puzzled as to why.
When I realised that the next story in the anthology "The Oxford Book of English Ghost stories" I am listening to (now and then) was by Oliver Onions, I was excited. I remember the excellent tension and atmosphere and sense of intrigue he had evoked in his novella “The Beckoning Fair One” (which I have reviewed LINK HERE. It was also part of the “Ghostly” Collection edited by Audrey Niffenegger, reviewed LINK HERE). Sadly though The Cigarette Case is not of that calibre. It seems slight and is frankly, uninteresting. Like “The Beckoning Fair One”, this is an exercise in psychological horror, but for me it falls flat.
What would the cigarette case be? A talisman perhaps or something much more sinister, such as “The Monkey’s Paw” (an excellent short story I have also reviewed LINK HERE). The cigarette case is neither of these, but more of a trigger, or
Here then we have a classic “story within a story”, so much enjoyed by the Edwardians. A trope such as this: two men discussing supernatural events, can set a good chilling atmosphere, and lead to an engrossing story, but not in this case. There is no real intrigue, and nothing to hook us in.
The narrator, Loder, tells how as a young man he and a friend had visited Provence, where they met a vine planter called Rangon. After sampling some of his wine, the two men headed out for a late afternoon walk.
It was slightly unnerving, but basically a lesser tale from this master of supernatural fiction, I feel. Maybe it was just too short and undeveloped. What was the point of the vineyard and the wine? Just to suggest mild intoxication: a sort of hallucination, perhaps? That is unnecessary, and a waste of space in such a short story. The idea of certainly has potential, but the balance felt wrong.
And for anyone wondering … yes, “Oliver Onions” really was part of his birth name. I’d discovered that he was born in Yorkshire, just an hour's drive away from where I was born, but I had never heard that surname before. On looking further, I found that his name was actually “George Oliver Onions”, but he always published under “Oliver Onions”.
When I realised that the next story in the anthology "The Oxford Book of English Ghost stories" I am listening to (now and then) was by Oliver Onions, I was excited. I remember the excellent tension and atmosphere and sense of intrigue he had evoked in his novella “The Beckoning Fair One” (which I have reviewed LINK HERE. It was also part of the “Ghostly” Collection edited by Audrey Niffenegger, reviewed LINK HERE). Sadly though The Cigarette Case is not of that calibre. It seems slight and is frankly, uninteresting. Like “The Beckoning Fair One”, this is an exercise in psychological horror, but for me it falls flat.
What would the cigarette case be? A talisman perhaps or something much more sinister, such as “The Monkey’s Paw” (an excellent short story I have also reviewed LINK HERE). The cigarette case is neither of these, but more of a trigger, or
Here then we have a classic “story within a story”, so much enjoyed by the Edwardians. A trope such as this: two men discussing supernatural events, can set a good chilling atmosphere, and lead to an engrossing story, but not in this case. There is no real intrigue, and nothing to hook us in.
The narrator, Loder, tells how as a young man he and a friend had visited Provence, where they met a vine planter called Rangon. After sampling some of his wine, the two men headed out for a late afternoon walk.
It was slightly unnerving, but basically a lesser tale from this master of supernatural fiction, I feel. Maybe it was just too short and undeveloped. What was the point of the vineyard and the wine? Just to suggest mild intoxication: a sort of hallucination, perhaps? That is unnecessary, and a waste of space in such a short story. The idea of certainly has potential, but the balance felt wrong.
And for anyone wondering … yes, “Oliver Onions” really was part of his birth name. I’d discovered that he was born in Yorkshire, just an hour's drive away from where I was born, but I had never heard that surname before. On looking further, I found that his name was actually “George Oliver Onions”, but he always published under “Oliver Onions”.
October 14, 2019
31 Classic Horror Stories Every Fan Should Read in October: A Literary Advent Calender for Halloween: Day 12:
https://www.oldstyletales.com/single-...
https://www.oldstyletales.com/single-...
October 9, 2023
Creepy story of a couple friends who traveled during their summer. Definitely had a camp story vibe. I would share this story with friends if given the chance. 😉
January 1, 2024
While this short story has a predictable ending it is nonetheless worth checking out. I
t starts out like many of these British stories do with a group of gentlemen sitting around when one of them starts to tell a story about something unusual that he experienced. In this instance the memory is triggered when he looks at his friend's cigarette case. The man had been on a walking tour in Provence when he had his uncanny experience.
The setting is well drawn out and economical at the same time. The atmosphere and flow are smooth and keep the reader's interest even though one can see where the story is heading. Overall this is a well written ghost story/weird tale.
This can be found on the Classic Ghost Stories podcast narrated by Tony Walker. Walker is a pleasant reader to listen to and always does a good job narrating.
t starts out like many of these British stories do with a group of gentlemen sitting around when one of them starts to tell a story about something unusual that he experienced. In this instance the memory is triggered when he looks at his friend's cigarette case. The man had been on a walking tour in Provence when he had his uncanny experience.
The setting is well drawn out and economical at the same time. The atmosphere and flow are smooth and keep the reader's interest even though one can see where the story is heading. Overall this is a well written ghost story/weird tale.
This can be found on the Classic Ghost Stories podcast narrated by Tony Walker. Walker is a pleasant reader to listen to and always does a good job narrating.
January 22, 2021
Not as keen on this one as I have been some others I’ve read/listened to recently. I felt I knew where it was going from quite early on, and a lot of the moments that could have been scary/spooky were signposted so blatantly that it took the surprise out of them.
Never-the-less it’s a well written story and good, easy to like characters.
Never-the-less it’s a well written story and good, easy to like characters.
January 9, 2023
I really enjoyed this spooky story. It was fun to read the interactions between the characters, and to watch the strange tale unfold. This was probably my favorite story in The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories.
March 20, 2023
4.25⭐
A man relates a strange tale from his past, spurred by a friend’s cigarette case involving a time when he and another man were traveling abroad and encountered an old house with two alluring women in it.
A man relates a strange tale from his past, spurred by a friend’s cigarette case involving a time when he and another man were traveling abroad and encountered an old house with two alluring women in it.
March 3, 2024
This is not a scary ghost story, but a charming and atmospheric one.
October 19, 2018
Read as part of the Literary Advent Calendar for Halloween. Includes links to all of the stories.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews