Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense

by Leslie S. Klinger (Editor), Lisa Morton (Editor)

A masterful collection of ghost stories that have been overlooked by contemporary readers—including tales by celebrated authors such as Charles Dickens, Sir Walter Scott, Mark Twain, and Edith Wharton—presented with insightful annotations by acclaimed horror anthologists Leslie S. Klinger and Lisa Morton.  The ghost story has long been a staple of world literature, but many of the genre's greatest tales have been forgotten, overshadowed in many cases by their authors' bestselling work in other genres. In this spine-tingling anthology, little known stories from literary titans like Charles Dickens and Edith Wharton are collected alongside overlooked works from masters of horror fiction like Edgar Allan Poe and M. R. James. Acclaimed anthologists Leslie S. Klinger (The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes) and Lisa Morton ( A Haunted History) set these stories in historical context and trace the literary significance of ghosts in fiction over almost two hundred years—from a traditional English ballad first printed in 1724 up to the science fiction–tinged tales of the early twentieth century. In bringing these masterful tales back from the dead, Ghost Stories will enlighten and frighten both longtime fans as well as new readers of the genre. Including stories Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, M. R. James, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Walter Scott, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, and more.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, Ghost Stories, Ghosts

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

Leslie S. Klinger is considered to be one of the world’s foremost authorities on those twin icons of the Victorian era, Sherlock Holmes and Dracula. He is the editor of the three-volume collection of the short stories and novels, THE NEW ANNOTATED SHERLOCK HOLMES, published by W. W. Norton in 2004 and 2005, winner of the Edgar® Award for Best Critical/Biographical Work and nominated for every other major award in the mystery genre. THE NEW ANNOTATED DRACULA, published by W. W. Norton in 2008, delivers promises a similar in-depth examination of Bram Stoker’s haunting classic and its historical context.

Since the 1960’s, the study of the rich fantastic literature of the Victorian writers has been Klinger’s consuming passion. He has written dozens of articles on Sherlockiana, published more than a dozen books on Sherlock Holmes and Dracula in addition to the Norton works, and regularly teaches UCLA Extension courses on Holmes and Dracula.

He and Laurie R. King have co-edited three anthologies of stories inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon, the latest being ECHOES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, published by Pegasus Books. In addition, he has edited a number of anthologies collecting original and classic detective and vampire tales.

His groundbreaking THE ANNOTATED SANDMAN, a panel-by-panel examination of Neil Gaiman’s near-legendary “Sandman” comics. Given unprecedented access to Gaiman’s scripts and based on hours of conversations with the author, Klinger adds hundreds of notes describing historical sources, literary and popular cultural references and illuminates the characters and milieu of the rich stories. Published by DC Comics, the first volume appeared in January 2012; the remaining three were published in 2013, 2014 and 2015. His THE NEW ANNOTATED H. P. LOVECRAFT, highly praised and nominated for various awards, was published by W. W. Norton in 2015. He is currently working on THE ANNOTATED WATCHMEN for DC Entertainment, to be published in July 2017, as well as THE NEW ANNOTATED FRANKENSTEIN, which will appear from W. W. Norton in July 2017.

In a completely different genre, Klinger and Laura Caldwell have co-edited a searing, heartbreaking true-crime anthology ANATOMY OF INNOCENCE: TESTIMONIES OF THE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED, to be published by W. W. Norton in March 2017. The volume pairs major mystery/thriller writers with exonerees to tell their harrowing tales.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Klinger received an A.B. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by a J.D. from Boalt Hall (School of Law, U.C. Berkeley). Since then, he has lived in Los Angeles, pursuing a legal career in tax, estate, and business planning. Klinger is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the Horror Writers Association, and the Mystery Writers of America. He served three times as the Chapter President of the SoCal Chapter of MWA and on its National Board of Directors and currently serves as Treasurer of the Horror Writers Association.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense by Leslie Klinger and Lisa Morton is a 2019 Pegasus Books publication.

This is a small collection of classic ghost stories written by some very recognizable influences, such as Dickens, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Wilkie Collins, and Charlotte Riddell just to name a few. Some of the stories have been passed around for ages and are well known, while others are far more obscure.

The most interesting tidbit, to me, is that ghost stories were commonly told at Christmas, not Halloween as they are today.

The best part of this collection is that they are centered around spirits and legends. The title, however, suggests the book is filled with horror stories, but while ghost stories are a part of that genre, these are not horror stories written in the vein in which people have become accustomed. Perhaps they were considered such back in the 1800’s- early 1900s, though.

Because some readers might feel a little mislead- although I don’t know why they would, because the title clearly states these are GHOST stories- these tales were right up my ally. I like ghost stories over horror stories any day, and am often very upset when a collection of stories is labeled as ghost stories but are in fact horror stories. So, maybe the publishers need to learn how to label these stories appropriately so people are not confused or disappointed.

I had not read most of the stories included in the collection and was pleased to see such well known names included, but I have to confess, I was taken aback by the lack of quality of writing in some of the stories, especially from a collection featuring this many heavy hitters- or maybe it's just a difference it style than I'm used to. Still, I was happy to discover this collection and recommend it to fans of classic ghost stories and tales of the supernatural. It’s worth a look for no other reason than to read these mostly forgotten tales written by such great literary greats.

3.5 stars

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Charles Dickens short ghost story The Signalman, I looked forward to other tales of that nature in this book with it's subtitle of this compilation: Classic Tales of Horror & Suspense. The majority did not quite meet my definition of horror & suspense. Eerie, creepy, spine-tingling was not any of the descriptors I would give to these stories. Almost all were written in the mid-late 1800's when spiritualism, mesmerism etc. were popular and the stories reflected that. Many focused on those living in the afterlife contacting someone in the present to achieve a specific goal.

One of my favorites was by an author that I had never heard of Johann August Apel. The story "The Family Portrait" (1805) More traditional story arc. Supposedly the infamous party of Percy & Mary Shelley, & Lord Byron read this story which inspired the challenge to write their own ghost stories. Apel's story is full of long held family secrets, curses & deathly ends attributed to certain portraits & ghostly figures.

Sir Walter Scott's "The Tapestried Chamber" (1828) seemed a more traditional ghostly haunting
but the ending left me wanting.
Edith Wharton's "The Lady's Maid's Bell" 1904 also fell into a traditional haunting.

Two of the stories involved heroes of the past invoked to help those in dire straits now-
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "the Gay Champion" 1835 & Arthur Machen's "The Bowman" 1914.

Edgar Allan Poe seemed to go on ad nauseum in describing the beloved wife of the narrator. Once passed those pages "Ligeria" (1838) did have Poe's dense gothic atmosphere and creepiness ensued.

There were some lovely stories as well such as Wilkie Collins' "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost"; Olivia Howard Dunbar's "The Shell of Sense", and Georgia Wood Pangborn's "The Substitute".

Other stories in the collection:
"Since I Died" 1873 by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps

"An Inhabitant of Carcosa" 1886 by Ambrose Bierce

"The Last of Squire Ennismore" 1887 by Charlotte (Mrs. JH) Riddell

"The Philosophy of Relative Existences" 1892 by Frank Stockton

"The Real Right Thing" 1892 by Henry James

"A Ghost Story" 1875 by Mark Twain

"oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad" 1904 by M.R. James

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatos y autores clásicos que no fallan jamás.
Algunos son mejores que otros, pero en términos generales es una linda selección.


Mis favoritos fueron El señalero de Dickens, Un habitante de Carcosa de Ambrose Bierce (espectacular), Lo último que se supo del señor de Ennismore de Charlotte Riddell (este me dio miedo REAL), La filosofía de las existencias relativas de Frankfurt Stockton (muy Bradbury, lo amé) y La sustituta de Georgia Wood Pangborn (que me hizo llorar).

Un volumen valioso de tener en los estantes.

[Милен Димитров · Rating 4 out of 5]

Изключително приятна компилация от истории с призраци от класически автори. Някои от читателите много добре знаят какво да очакват, особено ако вече са чели подобните сборници на издателство Изток-Запад "Призраци за Хелоуин", "Призрачният Дилижанс" и "Глас в Нощта". Лиза Мортън и Лесли С. Клингър са съставителите на този сборник, а преди всеки разказ има кратка интродукция за атора, творчеството му и конкретната история. Самите разкази са доста разнообразни, като един от тях (сигурно се досещате чий) дори пародира жанра.
Бих препоръчал на почитателите на този вид литература, както и на харесващите По, Дикенс, Джеймс и прочее класически автори.

[Doug Bolden · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who read ghost stories on the regular, this collection is perhaps marred slightly by the fact that a good 50% of it is comprised of regularly collected works, or at least the sorts of works that you would have seen. Then, again, for those who do not read a lot of ghost stories and are looking for a collection to give a nice, firm introduction to the sub-genre, I do not know if it would precisely suit because the story choice is somewhat odd, which I will get into towards the end of this review, but nevertheless again leaving you with about 50% of the stories being more valuable than others. That is not to say that it is a bad collection, in fact it is a quite good collection with a couple of caveats, it is just a bit out-of-place in some ways.

I personally was interested in this collection because of my previous experience with Klinger collections and his sometimes over-exuberance of footnotes. Which, in this case, is not the reason to track down this book. The footnotes are there, and sometimes helpful and interesting, but rarely do they truly inform and they are unevenly distributed. M.R. James' "Oh Whistle," for instance, has some nice ones and the final story, Georgia Pangborn's "The Substitute," has a pair of helpful ones, but others seemingly have sparse footnotes for footnotes' sake. Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Grey Champion," has some of the historical elements explained, such as who King James II was, but not others. Charles Dickens' "The Signal-Man," only warrants a single footnote, effectively telling us what a railroad signalman even is...which is fair, but smacks of filling an imaginary quota rather than actually informing the reader.

This editorial quibble aside, and with the assumption that few other readers actually come into the collection for the footnote-value, we can mostly now focus on the choice of the stories. As said, these are mostly fair to great choices. On the great side of things would definitely include Johann August Apel's "The Family Portraits," which is fairly rare collection to be anthologized and yet is directly cited by Mary Shelly in the context of Frankenstein's inspiration. Frank Stockton's "The Philosophy of Relative Experience," which is more speculative fiction than ghost story but nevertheless brings up interesting things to say about the ghostly story.

Many of the others are informative of the ghost story experience. M.R. James is a definite for inclusion, and honestly any number of his stories would have made sense to have here. Edith Wharton's "The Lady Maid's Bell" is a strong story of the "gentle" type that only gets better upon repeat readings (it is easy to miss the humor and how carefully Wharton stages certain topics on a first pass). Morton and Klinger provide a good mix of ghost story types: some involving tragedy and horror and others involving spiritualism or romance. You get a good sampling of baroque and gothic writing, as well as more plain and more literary takes. They also give several examples of ghost stories used to promote certain causes or ideals such as feminism.

As for missteps, I think there are a few. For one, Wilkie Collins' story, "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost," is one of the longer stories and is overall less interesting in the context of a ghost story. It does provide an example of what might be called a romance-with-ghosts-as-a-catalyst type tale, but there are other, shorter ones that could have provided more room to fill some gaps this book has to be a proper overview type. You then have a pair of pairs, as it were, where they did not need to repeat certain tropes. There are two ghost-stories-as-propaganda tales—Hawthorne's "Champion" and Arthur Machen's "The Bow-men"—where either would have sufficed. Hawthorne's is less repeated, though Machen's is better written. A flip of the coin, perhaps. You also have two stories from the spiritualist viewpoint featuring the ghost/spirit as the POV character, "Since I Died" by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps and "Shell of Sense" by Olivia Howard Dunbar. Again, either/or would have been enough to provide a sample of the style (I prefer Dunbar's story, because I feel like it more encapsulates the philosophy of spiritualism, though Phelps is a better writer, here).

The overall misstep, which would actually be a boon for some readers, can be spotted relatively easily by looking at the table of contents. When you have an overview of the ghostly tale and the authors are Edith Wharton, Charles Dickens, Henry James, Mark Twain, Sir Walter Scott...etc etc...you get the feeling that this is meant less to be an overview of the ghost story, and especially not meant to be one made up of "forgotten classic tales," but instead is meant to be an editorial jab to say, "See, ghost stories are literature, too!" Which is a shame, because anyone new to the sub-genre will come away with a nearly perfectly wrong picture of the ghost story (which is assuredly more M.R. James than Henry) and will perhaps think they have read some obscure stories instead of generally reading many of the better known ones. Even putting aside "forgotten," where are the even slightly more in-genre writers like E.F. Benson, J. Sheridan le Fanu, Oliver Onions, Bithia Croker, and so on, that would have allowed the editors to paint a more accurate picture of the historical development of the genre?

These complaints aside, though, it still does have several points to its merit, and several things to say.* It is definitely not a perfect collection of forgotten tales, but there are several that it brings to light that even the more die-hard genre fans might miss. It fails to truly show the ghost story in its own light, but does help to show how far reaching the ghostly tale is throughout literature as a whole. It suffers trying to find a precise reader, but provides everyone with some good stories and makes an enjoyable excursion.

=======
* Just not, as it were, in the footnotes.

[Trico Lutkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

My wife (shoutout to Tracy) got this book for me because I love literature from the 1800's and early 1900s. Plus, I love short horror stories. So this should have been a complete win. Some of the stories were good, but some of them didn't hit the target well. It was about half and half. Overall I've read better collections of old horror short stories, but this one is okay. I felt like the editor was trying to find stories that people haven't seen or that not everyone has read, but the overall quality of the stories suffered (many of the stories are probably obscure for a reason).

I wouldn't necessarily recommend going out and buying it, but you won't hate it if you read it.

[Siiri Seppälä · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monipuolinen kokoelma kummitustarinoita. Pidin!

[Michael Berens · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors have compiled a fine collection of well-written tales by top-notch authors. However, contrary to the subtitle, I would not classify these as tales of horror and/or suspense. They are more what I would call tales of the supernatural in which the living are visited or affected by the presence or actions of those who have "passed over." They are all very good examples of that genre, but if you are looking for tales that will send a shiver up your spine or make you want to leave the lights on after finishing one before bedtime, this is not the collection for you. In their day, these may have been spooky tales for their intended audiences. By contemporary standards, though, they are fairly mild.

[Terzah · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Halloween coming, I switched from Christmas stories for a millisecond to read this excellent collection of classic ghost stories. If you think you need loads of gore and violence to be scared, try this out. It will scare you old-school. There's some fine general story-telling here, too. My favorite was the Edith Wharton selection, "The Lady's Maid's Bell." Spooky, yes, but also a commentary on marriage and female friendships.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a Half stars

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/oLNRpYXPEzA

Enjoy!

[Jesús Murillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 estrellas bien merecidas, aunque en su momento eché en falta la inclusión de algún cuento de Sheridan Le Fanu. Lo que sí debe quedar claro es que 7 de los 18 cuentos, aunque tengan elementos sobrenaturales, no son de terror y suspenso, sino de corte humorístico, dramático o de ciencia ficción. Estos son "El anciano campeón", de Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Desde que morí", de Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, "Lo último que se supo del señor de Ennismore", de Charlotte Ridell, "La filosofía de las existencias relativas", de Frank Stockton, "Una historia de fantasmas", de Mark Twain, "La cáscara del sentido", de Olivia Howard Dunbar y "Los arqueros", de Arthur Machen.

Un aspecto extra literario por destacar es la belleza de la edición. La portada está hecha de un material agradable de tocar y el tipo de letra usado es muy bueno. Lo único malo es que usaron una clase de papel que se oxida rápido.

Ahora, 10 fueron los cuentos que de verdad me gustaron, siendo estos "Ligeia", de Edgar Allan Poe (que siempre me pareció una historia de vampiros), "El señalero", de Charles Dickens (excelente cuento estilo leyenda urbana), "Un habitante de Carcosa", de Ambrose Bierce (que parece más una historia de ciencia ficción perturbadora), "La filosofía de las existencias relativas", de Frank Stockton (magistral relato de fantasmas del futuro), "Lo realmente correcto", de Henry James (por la narración que despista al lector y la reflexión ética al final), "La campanilla de la doncella", de Edith Wharton (un cuento muy poderoso, a mi vista), "Silba y acudiré", de M. R. James (mi preferido gracias a la apariencia tan original del fantasma y el suspenso tan bien llevado), "La cáscara del sentido", de Olivia Howard Dunbar (la reflexión ética aquí también es maravillosa) y "La sustituta", de Georgia Wood Pangborn (por lo bellamente escrito).

Los demás no son malos, pero no me parecieron tan memorables. "La balada del dulce William" (anónimo), "Los retratos de familia" (Johann August Apel) y "La cámara de los tapices o La mujer en la plaza" (Sir Walter Scott) tienen el mérito de ser de los primeras historias de fantasmas reconocidas, y "La señora Zant y el fantasma" (Wilkie Collins) ya lo había leído antes en la antología "Quién anda ahí", y tras una relectura (a finales de 2024, aclaro) confirmé que es muy buen cuento, pero no de mis preferidos.

Una pena que no incluyeron cuentos más aterradores de Hawthorne y Machen. Encontré también unos cuantos errores gramaticales, pero al menos no arruinan la experiencia de lectura. Del mismo modo, se agradecen mucho las notas al pie, muy acertadas la mayor parte del tiempo.

En conclusión, este es una muy buena antología para ingresar en el mundo de los cuentos de fantasmas, aunque no la más terrorífica de todas. "Quién anda ahí", publicado por El Club Diógenes, y "Los fantasmas favoritos de Roald Dahl", publicado por Blackie Books, me parece que cumplen más con esto, pero la presencia de "Silba y acudiré" hace que este libro valga mucho la pena. Se los aseguro.

[Fecha original en que escribí la reseña: 17 de enero de 2024, 12:32 PM]

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noted Sherlockian and celebrity annotator (yes, that's a thing) Les Klinger teams up with ghost historian (also, apparently, a thing) Lisa Morton to produce Ghost Stories, a slim collection of eighteen stories of varying levels of fame which trace the development of the eponymous literary form from the early 19th to the early 20th century.

After a very brief introduction by the authors outlining the history of the genre, the book opens with the traditional ballad "Sweet William's Ghost" before moving into the stories proper, which appear here in chronological order. There are several literary heavy hitters on Klinger and Morton's team - Scott, Poe, Dickens, Hawthorne, James, Wharton - and a few more like Machen and Bierce who will likely be familiar to horror or weird fiction fans. All of which is to say that if you've read widely in this genre, you're likely to be familiar with several of these tales, though Dickens's "The Signalman" is good enough that I'd argue you could read it in every ghost anthology and still find it compelling.

The authors do throw in some uncommon choices, of which I most enjoyed James's take on the perils of biography ("The Real Right Thing") and Wharton's ghostly Gothic ("The Lady's Maid's Bell). There were several more tales influenced by the Spiritualist movement (Phelps's "Since I Died," Dunbar's "The Shell of Sense) which I found more interesting from a cultural than a literary perspective, and which - while technically ghost stories - do not perhaps meet the subtitle's criteria of "tales of horror and suspense." It's worth noting that, since this volume presents a progression of the form across time, the type of story that most modern readers would consider a "ghost story" - which developed toward the end of the 19th century - doesn't appear until the latter part of the book. In other words: It's all very interesting, but you probably won't need a nightlight after reading this.

Given Klinger's cred as an annotator and Morton's background I would have expected this volume to have a bit more contextual footnoting, but perhaps the editors wanted the dead to speak for themselves. What they have to say may or may not send a shiver up your spine, but it definitely offers a fascinating history of how the modern ghost story came into being.

[Dr Goon Taco Supreme · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense," is a collection of short stories that I would say are more about paranormal phenomena than actual scary stories about ghosts. It was no exaggeration when it was mentioned in the title that these stories are, "classics" because they sure enough are. This isn't a juicy read about ghosts and hauntings. This is actual literature. Was I disappointed? Yes. Did I feel duped? A little bit.

I was looking for a scary read that would freak me out, and instead I feel like I got a bunch of classic tales that probably some English major would read. I'm not gonna lie though, I felt a little sophisticated reading this collection. Pinkies up, b**ches.

The book starts off with an ancient British ballad about a ghost that served to show how people have been singing about ghosts for a long time.

After the ballad, we then moved on to the stories, some of which were great and some which were a genuine drag.

I'll do a short recap of each story and what I thought:

The Family Portraits by John August Apel.

This story was first written in German and then translated into French and then English. Once I accepted the way the story was written and got an accent in my head to read it properly, I decided it was pretty fun to read. It's basically a complicated soap opera type story. There is an actual ghost in the story so that was good. It was a story worth reading and I liked it. 2 thumbs up.

The Tapestried Chamber, or The Lady in the Square by Sir Walter Scott.

Now here was an actual ghost story. A General sleeps over at a friend's house and tries to sleep in a haunted bedroom. Freaks him out. Great story.2 thumbs up.

The Gray Champion by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

This story sucked. First of all, the writing was hard and boring. Then, the ghost was really some kind of mass hallucination. The story was a bad one. Two thumbs down.

Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe.

I guess this was Poe's favorite short story he ever wrote, but I don't know why. The narrator was basically just smoking opium and hallucinating. He talked a lot about his wife and how good looking she was and how smart. Then his current wife dies and he hallucinates his old wife as a zombie or some such thing. I'm starting to think Edgar Allan Poe might have been a one trick pony. Now, don't get me wrong, I've not read a lot by him, but the stuff I have read is all the same.
I should read more Poe before I make any claims about his work, but I will gladly state here that I did not like Ligeia. 2 thumbs down.

No. 1 Branch Line: The Signalman, by Charles Dickens.

Now here is a great story. Well written and it's got a real ghost in it. I didn't know Charles Dickens had an interest in ghosts and that makes me like him more. This story was great. 2 thumbs up.

Since I Died by Elizabth Stuart Phelps.

This one was written from the ghost's point of view. It was kind of emotional. It wasn't the worst thing I ever read. If I was depressed it might have made me cry. I guess I'd give it one thumb up and one thumb down.

Mrs. Zant and the Ghost by Wilkie Collins.

I was excited to read this story because I've always planned on reading, "The Moonstone," and "The Woman in White," but just haven't done so yet. Collins was also a great friend of Dickens and that's interesting to me, so I had high hopes for this story. Guess what, it sucked. It was written like a children's story, and it was also extremely boring. This story sucked so bad, now I don't know if I want to read anything by Collins. 2 thumbs down.

An Inhabitant of Carosa by Ambrose Bierce.

This one was short and probably too hard for me to understand. The writing was BEAUTIFUL though, just lovely.

Here's an example: "Filled with these reflections, I was for some time heedless of the sequence of my own experiences, but soon I thought, 'How came I hither?' A moment's reflection seemed to make this all clear and explain at the same time, though in a disquieting way, the singular character with which my fancy had invested all that I saw or heard. "

Ain't that writing pretty?

"Pondering these words of Hali (whom God rest) and questioning their full meaning, as one who, having an intimation, yet doubts if there be not something behind, other than that which he has discerned, I noted not whither I had strayed until a sudden chill wind striking my face revived in me a sense of surroundings."

This is another story where the narrator turns out to be the ghost. This is well written and has a twist ending. What with, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," and now, "An Inhabitant of Carosa," I'd say Ambrose Bierce is the M. Night Shyamalan of great literature. 2 thumbs up.

The Last of Squire Ennismore by Charlotte (Mrs J. H.) Riddell

This short story was fun, and cute, and hella easy to read after that Bierce story. It was a little childlike, maybe written a bit like a fairytale. In my mind it was, first and foremost, a PIRATE story, and I love reading about pirates. 2 thumbs up.

The Philosophy of Relative Existences by Frank Stockton

This is sort of a neat little story. A bit ghost story and a little bit psychic prediction. Maybe a story of parallel universes and the idea that time does not exist. It wasn't scary but it was worth a read. 2 thumbs up.

The Real Right Thing by Henry James

I think I might actually hate Henry James. I'll have to give him another try, of course, but dammit this story was awful. I hated it because it was boring, and the writing was a snooze fest. There was even a ghost in the story, and it was still a big fat fail. 2 thumbs down.

The Lady's Maid's Bell by Edith Wharton

Now this was a proper ghost story. This tale was suspenseful, and it had a real ghost. I absolutely love the way Wharton writes. I'm going to get, "The Age of Innocence," just because of this story.
I have no idea what happened at the end and even googled this story to get an explanation and I don't think anyone really knows what went down, but I enjoyed the story and the writing so much that I'm not even mad about it. 2 thumbs up. Would read again.

A Ghost Story by Mark Twain.

I've read this story a few times in my life. I love me some Mark Twain. The story is well written but not a 'real' ghost story. It was more a funny story. But still excellent. 2 thumbs up because Twain.

Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James

M. R. James is the writer who put ghost stories on the map. This story is a very British read. It was also a fun read and it had a real haunting. 2 thumbs up.

The Shell of Sense by Olivia Howard Dunbar

Here's another story told from the ghost's point of view. She doesn't want her sister hooking up with her widowed husband, so she hangs around as a spook. It was hardly interesting. 2 thumbs down.

The Bowmen by Arthur Machen

A great story of war. The supernatural protection the British troops received from their patron saint George was incredible. An excellent short story. 2 thumbs up.

The Substitute by Georgia Wood Pangborn

This is a sad story. A mother dies and comes to her childless friend to ask that she adopt the kids and raise them as her own. It was really a touching story and it even brought tears to my eyes and slightly melted my frozen heart. 2 thumbs up.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure why another anthology of classic ghost (or perhaps, more correctly, supernatural) stories was needed, but hey, why not? Included are some of the most important writers in the genre - M. R. James, Machen, Bierce, Poe, Hawthorne for example. A few of the stories were re-reads for me, but very much worth it for fans of ghost/supernatural/weird stories.

[Dawn Tessman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compilation of ghost stories from the 1800s and early 1900s. I snatched up this collection because it contains Charles Dickens’ The Signalman, which was our Classics Book Club’s chosen title for over Christmas this year in an effort to revive the tradition of telling scary stories during the holiday. Like all of Dickens’ works in my eyes, this short story does not disappoint and is memorable with its investible characters and vivid imagery. That said, it is not particularly frightening. As a matter of fact, none of the stories in this collection will get your heart racing or have you looking under the bed or behind the shower curtain before turning in for the night. Yet, at a time when people believed the devil was free to play on Christmas Eve and Spiritualism was fashionable, one can see how, in the depths of a winter’s night with only candlelight to break the darkness while a howling, bitter wind tore around the house causing doors to thump and shutters to clatter and tree branches to scrape and claw at the rooftop, even the most innocent of sounds and shapes during daylight would turn villainous and make hackles rise when a ghost story is also in your ear. After all, things that go bump in the night…well, the imagination is the maker of horror, isn’t it, and only requires the right environment and a good storyteller. To that end, my favorites in this collection are Dickens’ The Signalman for the suspense and Machen’s The Bowmen for its sense of wonder with M.R. James coming in as a strong third by dialing up the creep factor in his antagonist. Otherwise, each story has its special moments. The only one I did not care for was The Shell of Sense, as it was just too sappy for me. Finally, for those who like tidy endings, both Dickens and Wharton may frustrate you with their ambiguity.

If you choose to pick up this book, keep in mind that what would have been shocking ends to most of these stories at the time they were written have by now been played out and most readers will see through the authors’ attempts at suspense. Also, the word “horror” should probably be scratched from the subtitle of this book since it may mislead today’s readers. Still, we have to appreciate that this is where horror began. Is this the best collection of horror’s origins? No, probably not. But, in the end, the writing is quality and the stories are fun and you’ll get introduced to some lesser known authors and read some obscure titles from the greats.

Stories Included:
Sweet William's Ghost (a popular ballad)
The Family Portraits by Johann August Apel
The Tapestried Chamber, or The Lady in the Square by Sir Walter Scott
The Gray Champion by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe
No. 1 Branch Line: The Signalman by Charles Dickens
Since I Died by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
Mrs. Zant and the Ghost by Wilkie Collins
An Inhabitant of Carcosa by Ambrose Bierce
The Last of Squire Ennismore by Charlotte (Mrs. J. H.) Riddell
The Philosophy of Relative Existences by Frank Stockton
The Real Right Thing by Henry James
The Lady's Maid's Bell by Edith Wharton
A Ghost Story by Mark Twain
Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James
The Shell of Sense by Olivia Howard Dunbar
The Bowmen by Arthur Machen
The Substitute by Georgia Wood Pangborn

[Naomi Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ghost story has long been a staple of world literature, but many of the genre's greatest tales have been forgotten, overshadowed in many cases by their authors' bestselling work in other genres. In this anthology, little known stories from authors like Charles Dickens and Edith Wharton are collected alongside overlooked works from masters of horror fiction like Edgar Allan Poe and M. R. James.
As I've said before I love anthologies, they give you a quick look at different authors and how they write. The stories in this anthology have been around for awhile but I have never read any of them, but I'm glad I was able to. I don't think stories like these will ever get old, they will still send chills up the spines of many generations to come.
SWEET WILLIAM'S GHOST is a classic ballad about a ghost visiting his love who is still alive. I read this out loud to myself and it really had more of an impact then when I just read it in my head, it's definitely a great story.
THE FAMILY PORTRAITS by Johann August Apel is a story about a man traveling to check out his marriage prospects, when he is invited to join a group of women telling ghost stories. He hears the story of Juliana, a girl who is terrified by a family portrait. This is a story that gives you a very uneasy feel but you can't put it down, this is one of my favorites in the collection.
LIGEIA by Edgar Allan Poe his story follows an unnamed man and his wife Ligeia, she ends up ill and dies. The man remarries but his second wife ends ill and dies also, guys pretty unlikely. He decides to stay with his wife's body, that's when things get strange. I've always liked Poe but this is the first time I've read this story. I really liked this one, it's right up there as one of my favorite stories in the collection.
THE SUBSTITUTE by Georgia Wood Pangborn is about a woman getting a surprise visit from an old friend, a story that proves a mother's love is endless. It was very well written and had great descriptions.
There are many more great stories in this anthology, if I were to write about each this would be a very long review. I really enjoyed every story and think it is a must read for anyone who likes ghost stories.

[John J Questore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ghost story – standard fare of sleepovers and camping trips, and was probably one of the first stories told when man started communicating. From the day humans learned of death, they have looked for ways to understand it, and to hope that it isn’t really the end. The thought of loved ones coming back to silently (or not so silently) visit us provides some with hope, while scares the hell out of others. Many have claimed to see these specters of the dead (myself included), while many turn to science to disprove such claims. Regardless, the ghost story will be around in various forms for as long as humans have the capability to tell them.

What we have forgotten is that some of the best ghost stories were written centuries ago, lost to either time, or just forgotten among the plethora of other stories the author may have written. For example, we all know of Dickens’ most famous ghost story, “A Christmas Carol”, but how many can recall reading (or even hearing about), “No. 1 Branch Line: The Signalman”? Not many, I’m willing to bet; and that’s a shame.

Apparently Lisa Morton and Leslie Klinger thought so as well, because they took it upon themselves to put together this collection of eighteen eerie, creepy, atmospheric tales of the dead coming back – sometimes to help, sometimes to hinder, sometimes to pass on wisdom, or just to scare the bejeezus out of someone. Lisa, and Leslie, did a fantastic job of finding these treasures, and managed to get just the right mix of terror, heartache, and yes, even humor (thank you Mark Twain).

I’d love to write a review of every story, but due to the nature of the stories, I would be doing the authors, and the readers a serious injustice. These gems are meant to be savored and enjoyed, with no knowledge of what to expect.

You’re going to want to read this in the daytime, with the lights on; and preferably not in a house inhabited by the spirit of a woman who died in your reading room before you moved in. Just saying.

[Ella (The Story Collector) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense is an anthology of lesser-known stories from literary masters, including the likes of Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe and many more. Lisa Morton and Leslie S. Klinger have collected these stories and set them in historical context, with an explanation of the significance of ghosts in literary fiction over the past two hundred years,

It should be noted that the stories in this collection are truly classic ghost stories: They are short, atmospheric tales of ghostly and spiritual encounters – definitely NOT modern horror. They aren’t gory or shocking, and in my opinion aren’t exactly scary, but they are creepy and rather spine-tingling.

To be honest, I didn’t enjoy every story. The writing quality of a couple of them was surprisingly questionable considering who the authors are, and one or two (particularly The Family Portraits by Johann August Apel) really dragged on despite being so short. Also, some of them are pretty old, which obviously isn’t a bad thing in itself, but this meant that the language used was sometimes quite difficult to follow.

My favourite stories were definitely The Signalman by Dickens which was the one I found the scariest and probably the best-written, and Sweet William’s Ghost which is actually a classic ballad.

I enjoyed the opening essay on ghost stories in literature, and the contextual description at the beginning of each story. This book is a definite must-read for lovers or ghost stories and classic paranormal fiction.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My name is Ditmar; they surnamed me The Rich, though I was then only a poor knight, and my only possession was a very small castle." 😂 I found all these stories to be entertaining with beautiful writing, although the translations a little funky. I really liked Mrs Zant and the ghost by Wilkie Collins. A man and his daughter meet a woman in the park and he becomes concerned for her well being. He goes out of his way to see she's looked after despite being "put out" after his inquiries...I know it's just a story but you just don't see concern or kindness like that today. The philosophy of relative existences by Frank Stockton was pretty unique. A ghost story by Mark Twain (who knew he disliked the supernatural so much) was very funny and reading about the Cardiff Giant was interesting..The tapestried chamber or the lady in the square was also, in a way, pretty funny. The family portraits was probably the most interesting. I loved the footnote at the end that mentioned Lord Byron Mary Shelley and the lot (look now I'm talking like I'm from the 18th century) spent summer evenings reading tales aloud (this one included) when Byron challenged them to write their own ghost stories, this resulting in her Frankenstein (what a visual!). Another fun fact I learned was ghost stories were told around Christmas, not Halloween..interesting. None of these are very scary just eerie, but atmospheric, short and sweet!

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of magazine fiction and short stories during the spiritualists movements that usually follow wars. All the stories are public domain and the compilers only provide a somewhat tedious introduction and the briefest of biographies on the authors. That strikes me as a publishing house just out for the buck. It is the choice of stories, however, that is worthwhile and redeems them, especially if you have an interest in either the time periods or ghost stories as a genre. There are themes here that are no longer used in popular fiction and others that might appear to have been a basis for author's works of today.
Put it by your bedside, nothing too scary here, but well written stories by Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce and others.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.25 stars.
"'...and my only possession was a very small castle'" (34). *I just thought this was a funny thing to say. Poor guy.
"Theirs is the fullest joy that the dwellers in the shell of sense can know. Mine is the transcendent joy of the unseen spaces" (239). *Title of the story is "The Shell of Sense" and is taken from a play, I learned from a footnote. It refers to living humans. We are shells that perceive through the senses. I like this description.
"One child is never like another, yet people who do't know try to treat them all alike "(252). *This speaks volumes to me.

[Emy Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully crafted story collection, however maybe not the era of literacy for me. I found myself struggling to get through some stories, particularly those of the 19th century. If you're not very familiar with old English, stay away! As the book went on, though, I did find myself enjoying the works of the early 20th century authors, especially those that were female. I really liked Edith Wharton's "The Lady's Maid's Bell", Olivia Howard Dunbar's "The Shell of Sense", and Georgia Wood Pangborn's "The Substitute". Those and "Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe made this whole book worth the read.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary, but only just…. Most of the stories in this anthology are written in an arcane style, being work of authors who became ghosts themselves long ago.

There’re a few gems, notably Charles Dickens’s eerie The Signal Man and Edith Wharton’s gothic tale, The Lady’s Maid’s Bell, and one pretty funny send-up of the genre, by Mark Twain.

The editors, Lisa Morton and Leslie Klinger, provide a brief introduction to the stories, with brief bios and citations of the authors’ additional and often better-known writings in the supernatural vein.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed with this book since most of the stories featured were confusing and not very well written. The overall feeling with most of them was that they were a continuing story of a previous work. There were a few that I really enjoyed and felt that they made the anthology worth reading.
Overall, I'm not sure I'd recommend this if you are looking for a truly classical ghost story. However, if you like the genre and have some extra time it would be a good time filler.

[Danielle Trussoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiritualism may have gone the way of sniffing salts, but the ghost stories in this collection are as enjoyable now as they were for the Victorians. Some of my favorite 19th- and early-20th-century writers — Edith Wharton, Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins — are found in this collection, along with Charles Dickens, Henry James, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Sir Walter Scott and a slew of other well-known authors. But the real fun of reading this book was in discovering writers I had not known before.

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent survey of ghost stories, which feel like they were selected to form a lineage leading to the final few which are roughly in the Edwardian era classic ghost stories. I particularly enjoyed the translated The Family Portraits as a more distant form, and among the more modern The Lady's Maids Bell was a great story that felt of a piece with The Turn of the Screw in having leaving so much of the story submerged.

[Michi · Rating 3 out of 5]

And here I come, once again, to the problem of rating an anthology. Some of these stories are wonderfully spooky, sad or (in particular the Mark Twain one) amusing and put a creative spin on the concept of a ghost story while others, especially the earlier ones, feel like they were written before authors discovered the concept of "pacing". So all in all, this averages out to a pretty decent book, but I admit that I ended up skimming some of the older works out of boredom.

[Lisa Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a tales to spice up your Halloween season, then these traditional tales from Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton, Nathaniel Hawthorne, etc., will easily fill the bill. You will find Johann August Apel's "The Family Portraits" especially shocking and spooky at the same time, and no one can go wrong with an Edgar Allan Poe tale. The book contains Poe's "Ligeia," a tale concerning the boundaries between life and death.

[Mary Tuohy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to be wowed by the well known writers in this book. I was disappointed and I have been wondering why they were thought to have been so great in the first place. Reading most of this book was like getting my teeth pulled. I couldn’t wait to get through it. However, I enjoyed No 1 Branch Line: The Signal Man, The Last of Squire Ennismore, A Ghost Story, Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad, The Bowman, The Substitute.

[Froken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erityisesti tarinoista miellytti "suvun muotokuvat", "kamarineidon soittokello", "sijainen", "Gobeliinikamari tai Nainen vanhanaikaisessa puvussa" ja "Sivulinja nro I:n junasuorittaja". Tykkäsin kirjan viittauksista ja infoista yksittäisiin tarinoihin ja kirjailijoihin, kauhugenren lukijana olen ihan vasta-alkaja ja tarinat olivat toisinaan jännittäviä mutta ei liian jännittäviä. Lukisin osan tarinoista uudestaankin joskus!