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The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James #1
Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories
The only annotated edition of M. R. James's writings currently available
Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories contains the entire first two volumes of James's ghost stories, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary and More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. These volumes are both the culmination of the nineteenth-century ghost story tradition and the inspiration for much of the best twentieth-century work in this genre. Included in this collection are such landmark tales as "Count Magnus," set in the wilds of Sweden; "Number 13," a distinctive tale about a haunted hotel room; "Casting the Runes," a richly complex tale of sorcery that served as the basis for the classic horror film Curse of the Demon; and "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad," one of the most frightening tales in literature. The appendix includes several rare texts, including "A Night in King's College Chapel," James's first known ghost story.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories contains the entire first two volumes of James's ghost stories, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary and More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. These volumes are both the culmination of the nineteenth-century ghost story tradition and the inspiration for much of the best twentieth-century work in this genre. Included in this collection are such landmark tales as "Count Magnus," set in the wilds of Sweden; "Number 13," a distinctive tale about a haunted hotel room; "Casting the Runes," a richly complex tale of sorcery that served as the basis for the classic horror film Curse of the Demon; and "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad," one of the most frightening tales in literature. The appendix includes several rare texts, including "A Night in King's College Chapel," James's first known ghost story.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2005
165 people are currently reading
8162 people want to read
About the author
M.R. James
1,383 books907 followersMontague Rhodes James, who used the publication name M.R. James, was a noted English mediaeval scholar & provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–18) & of Eton College (1918–36). He's best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. One of James' most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by dispensing with many of the formal Gothic trappings of his predecessors, replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
M.R.^James
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
M.R.^James
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
March 19, 2013
My grandfather, my father’s father, attended Eton College before the Second World War, leaving there for Sandhurst when he was seventeen. During his time at school he got to know M. R. James, who was provost until his death in the summer of 1936. Grandfather was among the successive waves of boys that James introduced to the tingly delights of the ghost story, a genre in which the old master excelled, writing some of the best tales in the English language. He learned to love the ghost story from James just as I was later to learn to love the ghost story from him.
Montague Rhodes James, to give him his full name, was actually a specialist in medieval manuscripts and the provost of King’s College, Cambridge as well as Eton. But he is best remembered for his delicious tales of the supernatural, some of the best set in East Anglia, a place of lonely, wind-swept coasts, of unsettled spirits, of hidden Anglo-Saxon crowns and their restless guardians. Who is this who is coming, summoned by a whistle? It might be William Ager, a cat looking to devour those whose curiosity took them too far into a secret past.
I say ghost stories but James really crosses boundaries, resting on less spectral, far more tangible forms of horror. His tales touch on discoveries of things best hidden, of secrets that should never be told, of forces uncovered by antiquarians, forces from which they recoil, unable to close that which has been opened; marvellous stories like A Warning to the Curious and Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to you, My Lad. Even writing the titles brings a tingle of remembrance! Ranging wider there is Lost Hearts, and wider still Count Magnus and The Treasure of Abbot Thomas.
When I was away at school I took my own copy of James’ Ghost Stories with me as a night-time companion. I delight in recalling the terrors in reading the stories by torchlight under my duvet after lights out, stopping at every creak and imagined noise! Sir John Betjeman, also a lover of these stories, had a similar early encounter;
In the year 1920 I was a new boy at the Dragon school, Oxford, then called Lynam's, of which the headmaster was C. C. Lynam, known as 'the Skipper'. He dressed and looked like an old Sea Salt, and in his gruff voice would tell us stories by firelight in the boys' room of an evening with all the lights out and his back to the fire. I remember he told the stories as having happened to himself…they were the best stories I ever heard, and gave me an interest in old churches, and country houses, and Scandinavia that not even the mighty Hans Christian Andersen eclipsed.
Skipper was being wonderfully disingenuous because, as Betjeman later discovered, the stories he was claiming as his own reality were in fact the fictions of James. But I can’t think of a more delightful way of discovering them, adding a verisimilitude that must have amplified one’s sense of terror.
Although some of the stories, Count Magnus being a case in point, are set abroad, Scandinavia being a favoured location, they all have a uniquely English feel to them, as unique and as eccentric as their antiquarian narrators or protagonists, really just dimensions of James himself. Fortunately for him, he never crossed boundaries; unfortunately for them, his scholarly protagonists often did. Curiosity is a marvellous thing, but like all marvellous things there are limits that should never be broken. The tales are bags full of atmosphere, heightened, if anything, by a narrative technique that now seems quaintly old fashioned.
I’m older now; the childish terrors have gone, the seduction of fear has gone, though the memory remains. I could never forget Count Magnus; never forget the terrible pursuit through time and distance of poor scholarly Mister Wraxall, who disturbed those who never should have been disturbed;
People still remember last year at Belchamp St Paul how a strange gentleman came one evening in August years back; and how the next morning but one he was found dead, and there was an inquest; and the jury that viewed the body fainted, seven of 'em did, and none of 'em wouldn't speak to what they see, and the verdict was visitation of God; and how the people as kep' the 'ouse moved out that same week, and went away from that part. But they do not, I think, know that any glimmer of light has ever been thrown, or could be thrown, on the mystery. It so happened that last year the little house came into my hands as part of a legacy. It had stood empty since 1863, and there seemed no prospect of letting it; so I had it pulled down, and the papers of which I have given you an abstract were found in a forgotten cupboard under the window in the best bedroom.
As I say, there are some things best left alone!
I once took Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black away as part of my holiday reading on a trip to Spain. As a story it’s good enough, meaning scary enough, though not as good or scary as James. But the context simply did not work. Sun-drenched beaches and warm southern nights dispel the mood. The imagination fails to add the misty shadows that are all part of the experience. The ghost story is for cool, dark English nights, particularly in the depth of winter. Then every creak and unexpected sound is magnified by the senses. One waits in dread for that moment when Count Magnus or William Ager finally opens the door.
Montague Rhodes James, to give him his full name, was actually a specialist in medieval manuscripts and the provost of King’s College, Cambridge as well as Eton. But he is best remembered for his delicious tales of the supernatural, some of the best set in East Anglia, a place of lonely, wind-swept coasts, of unsettled spirits, of hidden Anglo-Saxon crowns and their restless guardians. Who is this who is coming, summoned by a whistle? It might be William Ager, a cat looking to devour those whose curiosity took them too far into a secret past.
I say ghost stories but James really crosses boundaries, resting on less spectral, far more tangible forms of horror. His tales touch on discoveries of things best hidden, of secrets that should never be told, of forces uncovered by antiquarians, forces from which they recoil, unable to close that which has been opened; marvellous stories like A Warning to the Curious and Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to you, My Lad. Even writing the titles brings a tingle of remembrance! Ranging wider there is Lost Hearts, and wider still Count Magnus and The Treasure of Abbot Thomas.
When I was away at school I took my own copy of James’ Ghost Stories with me as a night-time companion. I delight in recalling the terrors in reading the stories by torchlight under my duvet after lights out, stopping at every creak and imagined noise! Sir John Betjeman, also a lover of these stories, had a similar early encounter;
In the year 1920 I was a new boy at the Dragon school, Oxford, then called Lynam's, of which the headmaster was C. C. Lynam, known as 'the Skipper'. He dressed and looked like an old Sea Salt, and in his gruff voice would tell us stories by firelight in the boys' room of an evening with all the lights out and his back to the fire. I remember he told the stories as having happened to himself…they were the best stories I ever heard, and gave me an interest in old churches, and country houses, and Scandinavia that not even the mighty Hans Christian Andersen eclipsed.
Skipper was being wonderfully disingenuous because, as Betjeman later discovered, the stories he was claiming as his own reality were in fact the fictions of James. But I can’t think of a more delightful way of discovering them, adding a verisimilitude that must have amplified one’s sense of terror.
Although some of the stories, Count Magnus being a case in point, are set abroad, Scandinavia being a favoured location, they all have a uniquely English feel to them, as unique and as eccentric as their antiquarian narrators or protagonists, really just dimensions of James himself. Fortunately for him, he never crossed boundaries; unfortunately for them, his scholarly protagonists often did. Curiosity is a marvellous thing, but like all marvellous things there are limits that should never be broken. The tales are bags full of atmosphere, heightened, if anything, by a narrative technique that now seems quaintly old fashioned.
I’m older now; the childish terrors have gone, the seduction of fear has gone, though the memory remains. I could never forget Count Magnus; never forget the terrible pursuit through time and distance of poor scholarly Mister Wraxall, who disturbed those who never should have been disturbed;
People still remember last year at Belchamp St Paul how a strange gentleman came one evening in August years back; and how the next morning but one he was found dead, and there was an inquest; and the jury that viewed the body fainted, seven of 'em did, and none of 'em wouldn't speak to what they see, and the verdict was visitation of God; and how the people as kep' the 'ouse moved out that same week, and went away from that part. But they do not, I think, know that any glimmer of light has ever been thrown, or could be thrown, on the mystery. It so happened that last year the little house came into my hands as part of a legacy. It had stood empty since 1863, and there seemed no prospect of letting it; so I had it pulled down, and the papers of which I have given you an abstract were found in a forgotten cupboard under the window in the best bedroom.
As I say, there are some things best left alone!
I once took Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black away as part of my holiday reading on a trip to Spain. As a story it’s good enough, meaning scary enough, though not as good or scary as James. But the context simply did not work. Sun-drenched beaches and warm southern nights dispel the mood. The imagination fails to add the misty shadows that are all part of the experience. The ghost story is for cool, dark English nights, particularly in the depth of winter. Then every creak and unexpected sound is magnified by the senses. One waits in dread for that moment when Count Magnus or William Ager finally opens the door.
October 23, 2020
Do you like ghost stories? What about churches? What about ghost stories where many of the characters work for a church (priests, archdeacons, sacristans, etc.), and that take place in or near a church, and that sometimes feature descriptions of church architecture? If you answered "hell yes" to all of these questions, you will probably enjoy Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories by MR James.
There are few real scares to be found here; I was only really scared once by a particular scene in the title story, Count Magnus. The stories are more unsettling than anything else, and unfortunately I found few even did that for me. James is very long-winded in general, and one particular story, The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral, opened with a lengthy and incredibly boring segment of an obituary. Stories like this one almost put me to sleep, and by the time they got going and tried to spook me a little I had somewhat lost interest.
I also found the book to be heavily overly-annotated by S.T. Joshi. I've read several of these Penguin Classics editions now, with annotations and story notes by S.T. Joshi, mainly collections of H.P. Lovecraft stories. The more of these collections I've read, the more annoying Joshi's notes have become. I have a sort of love-hate relationship with them. Without some of them, which for example may explain an antiquated word or provide context into a seemingly obscure and ancient topic referenced but not fully explained by the author, the text would literally make no sense. Others, however, will just say something like "X is fictitious" or "See note X in story Y". Notes like these, that either don't add much value or that just tell you to look at his other notes for a different story, forcing you to jump around the Explanatory Notes section, I found very tedious.
On the plus side, some of the stories in this collection are truly superb. The ones that stood out for me were Casting the Runes, Number 13, Lost Hearts, and Canon Alberic's Scrap-book. Those stories are incredible, and there are several others that are almost as good as they are.
Overall, there's a lot to like in Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories, but you have to know what you're getting into. These stories were written over a hundred years ago in that old-timey style where it takes two or three long, drawn-out sentences to say what today can be said in a single abbreviated sentence. This, combined with James' tendency to produce slow-building, slow-moving stories, and with his aforementioned tendency to describe things like church architecture at length, may mean this collection will be too boring for some readers. If, however, you're looking to be slightly unsettled, and maybe even scared here and there, and you don't mind any of the above, this collection is definitely worth your time.
There are few real scares to be found here; I was only really scared once by a particular scene in the title story, Count Magnus. The stories are more unsettling than anything else, and unfortunately I found few even did that for me. James is very long-winded in general, and one particular story, The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral, opened with a lengthy and incredibly boring segment of an obituary. Stories like this one almost put me to sleep, and by the time they got going and tried to spook me a little I had somewhat lost interest.
I also found the book to be heavily overly-annotated by S.T. Joshi. I've read several of these Penguin Classics editions now, with annotations and story notes by S.T. Joshi, mainly collections of H.P. Lovecraft stories. The more of these collections I've read, the more annoying Joshi's notes have become. I have a sort of love-hate relationship with them. Without some of them, which for example may explain an antiquated word or provide context into a seemingly obscure and ancient topic referenced but not fully explained by the author, the text would literally make no sense. Others, however, will just say something like "X is fictitious" or "See note X in story Y". Notes like these, that either don't add much value or that just tell you to look at his other notes for a different story, forcing you to jump around the Explanatory Notes section, I found very tedious.
On the plus side, some of the stories in this collection are truly superb. The ones that stood out for me were Casting the Runes, Number 13, Lost Hearts, and Canon Alberic's Scrap-book. Those stories are incredible, and there are several others that are almost as good as they are.
Overall, there's a lot to like in Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories, but you have to know what you're getting into. These stories were written over a hundred years ago in that old-timey style where it takes two or three long, drawn-out sentences to say what today can be said in a single abbreviated sentence. This, combined with James' tendency to produce slow-building, slow-moving stories, and with his aforementioned tendency to describe things like church architecture at length, may mean this collection will be too boring for some readers. If, however, you're looking to be slightly unsettled, and maybe even scared here and there, and you don't mind any of the above, this collection is definitely worth your time.
October 20, 2024
M.R. James loved to tell ghost stories around the fire, apparently a Christmas tradition in England during the Victorian Period, and someone wisely suggested that he put several of the spookiest ones into book form.
Thus, we have "Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories", published by Penguin Classics, the only comprehensive collection of his complete stories. Not a lot, to be sure, but enough to paint a picture of a time when people were still terrified by floating bedsheets and whispering wind.
Subsequent horror authors such as H.P. Lovecraft would cite James as an inspiration for their predilection for the supernatural and macabre. By today's standards, James's stories probably aren't all that scary, but more than a few of them still manage to raise the hair on the back of one's neck.
Thus, we have "Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories", published by Penguin Classics, the only comprehensive collection of his complete stories. Not a lot, to be sure, but enough to paint a picture of a time when people were still terrified by floating bedsheets and whispering wind.
Subsequent horror authors such as H.P. Lovecraft would cite James as an inspiration for their predilection for the supernatural and macabre. By today's standards, James's stories probably aren't all that scary, but more than a few of them still manage to raise the hair on the back of one's neck.
January 16, 2021
Individual ratings:
Canon Alberic's Scrapbook - 3.5 stars
Lost Hearts - 2 stars
The Mezzotint - 3 stars
The Ash-Tree - 3 stars
Number 13 - 3.5 stars
Count Magnus - 2 stars
'Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad' - 2.5 stars
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas - 3.75 stars
A School Story - 4 stars
The Rose Garden - 3 stars
The Tractate Middoth - 3.75 stars
Casting the Runes - 3.5 stars
The Stalls of Barchester - 4 stars
Martin's Close - 4 stars
Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance - 4 stars
Ratings averaged to 3.5/5 stars
Canon Alberic's Scrapbook - 3.5 stars
Lost Hearts - 2 stars
The Mezzotint - 3 stars
The Ash-Tree - 3 stars
Number 13 - 3.5 stars
Count Magnus - 2 stars
'Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad' - 2.5 stars
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas - 3.75 stars
A School Story - 4 stars
The Rose Garden - 3 stars
The Tractate Middoth - 3.75 stars
Casting the Runes - 3.5 stars
The Stalls of Barchester - 4 stars
Martin's Close - 4 stars
Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance - 4 stars
Ratings averaged to 3.5/5 stars
July 26, 2025
Great classic ghost stories with some witchy vibes and unexpected twists. Some notable stories for me were The Mezzotint, The Ash Tree, Count Magnus, and The Tractate Middot.
March 5, 2011
This review is for Count Magnus alone (although I fully intend to read the other stories at some point).
Mr. James has not been called a ghost story-writing master for no reason. He is an expert at building the atmosphere and writing a story that delivers an eerie, creepy thrill to the reader. Although I wouldn't call this one of my favorite stories by him, he was quite successful with this tale about an ill-fated travel-writer who comes upon the mystery of a not-so nice Swedish nobleman with an incredibly unsavory history.
Although the amount of detail in this story will probably bore a reader who is used to a more modern, terse style of writing, I enjoyed James' almost conversational way of telling a story. Those ghost stories that are told as though I am the reader hearing my friend tell me about a real set of events are the most effective to me, because they feel more real, and the unsettling elements have a personal impact since I feel like I am there in the action.
Mr. James builds up the suspense as you hear about Count Magnus, and he leaves certain facts to the reader's imagination. I think that's probably a little more scary. I wondered what was up with the two figures who were apparently stalking Mr. Wraxall. I felt a chill go through my body when Wraxall encounters a sarcophagus that appears to be unlocking itself. What's going to come out of that coffin? What powers does Count Magnus possess, even from beyond the grave?
This story won't work for a reader who wants a more "in your face" style. But for readers who enjoy the old-fashioned, but very creepy and atmospheric ghost/horror story will enjoy this one.
Rating for "Count Magnus": 4 stars.
Mr. James has not been called a ghost story-writing master for no reason. He is an expert at building the atmosphere and writing a story that delivers an eerie, creepy thrill to the reader. Although I wouldn't call this one of my favorite stories by him, he was quite successful with this tale about an ill-fated travel-writer who comes upon the mystery of a not-so nice Swedish nobleman with an incredibly unsavory history.
Although the amount of detail in this story will probably bore a reader who is used to a more modern, terse style of writing, I enjoyed James' almost conversational way of telling a story. Those ghost stories that are told as though I am the reader hearing my friend tell me about a real set of events are the most effective to me, because they feel more real, and the unsettling elements have a personal impact since I feel like I am there in the action.
Mr. James builds up the suspense as you hear about Count Magnus, and he leaves certain facts to the reader's imagination. I think that's probably a little more scary. I wondered what was up with the two figures who were apparently stalking Mr. Wraxall. I felt a chill go through my body when Wraxall encounters a sarcophagus that appears to be unlocking itself. What's going to come out of that coffin? What powers does Count Magnus possess, even from beyond the grave?
This story won't work for a reader who wants a more "in your face" style. But for readers who enjoy the old-fashioned, but very creepy and atmospheric ghost/horror story will enjoy this one.
Rating for "Count Magnus": 4 stars.
July 25, 2018
There are better, more "reasonably" annotated collections available now, which showcase the absolute genius of M.R. James. But at the time of its publication, this Penguin volume was the only one of its kind. The erudite and somewhat angry notes from Joshi had helped a lot in understanding some of the references.
But the stories ruled!
More powerful than the roar of some king-monster, the stories made crackle of page or drifting of a cloth so terrifying that keeping the lights on seemed a better option before going to sleep.
Recommended, obviously!
But the stories ruled!
More powerful than the roar of some king-monster, the stories made crackle of page or drifting of a cloth so terrifying that keeping the lights on seemed a better option before going to sleep.
Recommended, obviously!
November 14, 2018
I’ve read a couple of M.R. James short stories before and enjoyed them, yet until I sat down and read a full collection of his work did I realise what a talented writer he actually was. You can really see the influence he’s had, Lovecraft for instance spoke of his fondness for his work and you can see parallels between their styles and the impact he's has had on horror literature in general.
I absolutely loved this book, the stories are still creepy by today’s standards and the writing is beautifully macabre – I’d highly recommend this!
I absolutely loved this book, the stories are still creepy by today’s standards and the writing is beautifully macabre – I’d highly recommend this!
November 25, 2020
I'm beginning to think that classic horror just isn't for me.
February 9, 2019
It's hard to write about this collection because some of its particularities are annoying (or just disappointing), but on the whole it left a positive impression on me. So the whole is greater than the parts.
As far as ghost stories go, these are some of the most subtle I have ever read. If you are coming to M.R. James because you like Lovecraft, be prepared for tales less intense than his. One of the best qualities of James's stories is that his world is entirely believable; it's essentially our world with the faintest touch of the fantastic appended. Lovecraft overwhelms with cosmic terror. James, in contrast, pulls something concrete out of the human soul and teases your brain with it.
That his accounts of various haunted encounters and objects are so carefully sketched enhances the sense that there is some truth or some fragment of history in the tales. They are often told as stories being related to you by some mediator, or as stories retold many times over until at last they arrive at your doorstep. Perhaps they are rumors, maybe they admit of details one could find in a newspaper somewhere, but they have a semblance of reality that some horror authors opt to destroy, for better and for worse. One can easily read the inspiration for stories by Stephen King or Clive Barker in these, but neither author really does the same thing James does. And I was surprised to find that "Casting the Runes" shares some similarities with Koji Suzuki's "Ringu." Suzuki is far more surreal and visceral than James, and I doubt there's a direct connection, but the resemblance of James's slip of paper to Suzuki's cursed VHS is undeniable (a quick Google search shows at least a few other people have noticed the similarities).
In any case, James can weave a good tale and he has a talent for impressing vivid images into memory. That said, while some stories are genuinely spooky, many of them are too lightly treated or at least too vague to inspire the kind of wonder they might have when first published. There's a variety of properness in his work that prevents it from being horrific, at least in the eyes of this American reader.
That brings me to some of the annoying elements I mentioned earlier, primarily James's language and his tendency to suck all the venom out of his ghostly encounters. First, there's a fair bit of classism in his writing, whether it's in the way he portrays the uneducated or in the way that his learned protagonists manage to survive seemingly impossible odds. It's as if the world -- physical, historical, and spiritual -- is a ghostly opportunity for the well-off and James's stories are a travel guide for the lucky. This has the effect of turning the unknowable and infinite into a mere parable, a parable for a very particular audience. Minor characters are truly minor in that they only serve as sources of information for detectives, and these detectives are only able to do what they do because they have access to the right resources (wealth, libraries, friends with important connections). This isn't universally true of his work, but the fact that James's protagonists are essentially representations of himself is hard to miss. They're not just representations of himself, they're representations of the kind of work he did (a scholar, a historian, an antiquarian, etc.) and clearly he felt that his work was heroic enough to warrant saving many of those protagonists. It's only the poor, the uneducated, or the unfair/evil who suffer permanently.
Not every story lacks consequences, but many of them seem constructed as warnings for scholars. James's perspective that the unknown is genuinely illegible and unknowable is interesting, but his method for demonstrating that belief valorizes academia in an uncomfortable way.
Besides that, some of the stories are ruined by unnecessarily long conversations between English characters who have the annoying habit of speaking like colonialist masters. At times it seems almost like self-parody, and perhaps it's meant as such. James may have written in this fashion to represent the world in which he traveled, but it's unpleasantly classist enough that I think some readers will be turned off by it. Or they may just find it hard to follow.
With all that said, I'd still recommend reading these if you want good subtle writing about haunted places, objects, and people. The title story, "The Mezzotint," "A School Story," "Lost Hearts," and "Oh, Whistle..." are great reads, as are many of the others if you can get by their worst aspects (nearly all mentioned above). I suspect I'll find more to like in them when I re-read them with an eye to psychology and psycho-analysis, as I know plenty of writers already have. Mark Fisher's "The Weird and the Eerie" is next on my reading list, so I hope to get at least an introduction to that topic in his chapter on, weirdly, James and Eno. It gets four stars, but if you caught me in the middle of "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" or "The Rose Garden," I might only give it three.
As far as ghost stories go, these are some of the most subtle I have ever read. If you are coming to M.R. James because you like Lovecraft, be prepared for tales less intense than his. One of the best qualities of James's stories is that his world is entirely believable; it's essentially our world with the faintest touch of the fantastic appended. Lovecraft overwhelms with cosmic terror. James, in contrast, pulls something concrete out of the human soul and teases your brain with it.
That his accounts of various haunted encounters and objects are so carefully sketched enhances the sense that there is some truth or some fragment of history in the tales. They are often told as stories being related to you by some mediator, or as stories retold many times over until at last they arrive at your doorstep. Perhaps they are rumors, maybe they admit of details one could find in a newspaper somewhere, but they have a semblance of reality that some horror authors opt to destroy, for better and for worse. One can easily read the inspiration for stories by Stephen King or Clive Barker in these, but neither author really does the same thing James does. And I was surprised to find that "Casting the Runes" shares some similarities with Koji Suzuki's "Ringu." Suzuki is far more surreal and visceral than James, and I doubt there's a direct connection, but the resemblance of James's slip of paper to Suzuki's cursed VHS is undeniable (a quick Google search shows at least a few other people have noticed the similarities).
In any case, James can weave a good tale and he has a talent for impressing vivid images into memory. That said, while some stories are genuinely spooky, many of them are too lightly treated or at least too vague to inspire the kind of wonder they might have when first published. There's a variety of properness in his work that prevents it from being horrific, at least in the eyes of this American reader.
That brings me to some of the annoying elements I mentioned earlier, primarily James's language and his tendency to suck all the venom out of his ghostly encounters. First, there's a fair bit of classism in his writing, whether it's in the way he portrays the uneducated or in the way that his learned protagonists manage to survive seemingly impossible odds. It's as if the world -- physical, historical, and spiritual -- is a ghostly opportunity for the well-off and James's stories are a travel guide for the lucky. This has the effect of turning the unknowable and infinite into a mere parable, a parable for a very particular audience. Minor characters are truly minor in that they only serve as sources of information for detectives, and these detectives are only able to do what they do because they have access to the right resources (wealth, libraries, friends with important connections). This isn't universally true of his work, but the fact that James's protagonists are essentially representations of himself is hard to miss. They're not just representations of himself, they're representations of the kind of work he did (a scholar, a historian, an antiquarian, etc.) and clearly he felt that his work was heroic enough to warrant saving many of those protagonists. It's only the poor, the uneducated, or the unfair/evil who suffer permanently.
Not every story lacks consequences, but many of them seem constructed as warnings for scholars. James's perspective that the unknown is genuinely illegible and unknowable is interesting, but his method for demonstrating that belief valorizes academia in an uncomfortable way.
Besides that, some of the stories are ruined by unnecessarily long conversations between English characters who have the annoying habit of speaking like colonialist masters. At times it seems almost like self-parody, and perhaps it's meant as such. James may have written in this fashion to represent the world in which he traveled, but it's unpleasantly classist enough that I think some readers will be turned off by it. Or they may just find it hard to follow.
With all that said, I'd still recommend reading these if you want good subtle writing about haunted places, objects, and people. The title story, "The Mezzotint," "A School Story," "Lost Hearts," and "Oh, Whistle..." are great reads, as are many of the others if you can get by their worst aspects (nearly all mentioned above). I suspect I'll find more to like in them when I re-read them with an eye to psychology and psycho-analysis, as I know plenty of writers already have. Mark Fisher's "The Weird and the Eerie" is next on my reading list, so I hope to get at least an introduction to that topic in his chapter on, weirdly, James and Eno. It gets four stars, but if you caught me in the middle of "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" or "The Rose Garden," I might only give it three.
June 3, 2018
The first two collections of M. R. James. Ghost Stories of an Antiquary is one of the great collections of supernatural fiction, and its immediate successor, while perhaps not as ridiculously perfect, gets very little wrong.
The following two collections, which together comprise the later The Haunted Doll's House and Other Ghost Stories volume, contained some essential stuff, but were more uneven, so this first Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories volume features most of the author's famous stories.
The following two collections, which together comprise the later The Haunted Doll's House and Other Ghost Stories volume, contained some essential stuff, but were more uneven, so this first Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories volume features most of the author's famous stories.
January 23, 2025
absolutamente foda!!!
M.R James não é brincadeira não, meus amigos
M.R James não é brincadeira não, meus amigos
October 22, 2017
Some of these were truly excellent, others a little difficult to get through. Overall, though, exactly what I wanted to read this time of year.
December 20, 2016
M.R. James is the man who put “scary” into “scary ghost stories” and as much as I hate to admit it, he was damn good at it. As the man who pioneered turning spooks and haunts into things that actually jumped out and got you, he helped to inspired H.P. Lovecraft’s more well-known macabre tales.
There’s a lot that can be gleaned from James’ writing style, but I’ll leave that to authors more dedicated to horror writing than I am. What I took away from the collection Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories was that when it comes to the supernatural one shouldn’t be too concerned about explaining mysteries. Ghosts don’t need a reason to terrorize, room 13 existing only at night and being occupied by the devil does not need to be rationalized, we don’t need to fully understand why a man finds himself muttering beside the coffin of a long-dead count while that coffin slowly opens…
It just is. And it’s terrifying to see those specters and ghouls and creatures and dark magic at work. It’s not terrifying to have someone sit down with a pipe beside the fire and explain away the mystery. Something to think about the next time I try to info-dump on my readers via fireside chat.
There’s a lot that can be gleaned from James’ writing style, but I’ll leave that to authors more dedicated to horror writing than I am. What I took away from the collection Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories was that when it comes to the supernatural one shouldn’t be too concerned about explaining mysteries. Ghosts don’t need a reason to terrorize, room 13 existing only at night and being occupied by the devil does not need to be rationalized, we don’t need to fully understand why a man finds himself muttering beside the coffin of a long-dead count while that coffin slowly opens…
It just is. And it’s terrifying to see those specters and ghouls and creatures and dark magic at work. It’s not terrifying to have someone sit down with a pipe beside the fire and explain away the mystery. Something to think about the next time I try to info-dump on my readers via fireside chat.
August 26, 2011
After re-reading my Collected Ghost Stories in honor of M.R. James' birthday, I realized a lot of things, not least that I was more enamored of (and more indebted to) M.R. James than I'd realized. So at once I sought out the Penguin editions which, though they contained more or less all the same stories as the Collected Ghost Stories, also contained various notes from James himself, as well as annotations and the like. I'd definitely say these were the definitive volumes, assuming that (like me) you can't get hold of the very nice edition that Ash-Tree Press put out some time ago.
October 23, 2010
This was my first crack at reading MR James, and I must say I really enjoyed it. Probably not much can be said about his writing that hasn't already been said, but I will give my impressions anyway.
James writes in a much more readable and direct way than some other writers of classic or gothic horror, for example LeFanu. The prose is still elaborate enough to be very satisfying to a reader of classic horror.
I am definitely interested in reading more MR James in the future. My favorite stories in this collection were 'Lost Hearts', 'The Treasure of Abbot Thomas', 'Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance', and 'The Ash-Tree' (because I hate spiders!).
James writes in a much more readable and direct way than some other writers of classic or gothic horror, for example LeFanu. The prose is still elaborate enough to be very satisfying to a reader of classic horror.
I am definitely interested in reading more MR James in the future. My favorite stories in this collection were 'Lost Hearts', 'The Treasure of Abbot Thomas', 'Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance', and 'The Ash-Tree' (because I hate spiders!).
February 12, 2008
A guy finds a mysterious object, upsets a sacred place, or angers a crazy person. Then bad, scary stuff happens. Eventually he dies. Or never speaks of the event again...The stories are good, but generally seem to follow the same plot, outlined above. Plus, its totally obvious that this is a late 19th/early20th century male author. The only women who show up are young maid servants or nagging wives...
April 12, 2010
I loved this book. I think that it is hard to find really good ghost stories. These are great! If you like Victorian fiction, you should love these.
October 23, 2024
M. R. James was an academic at King's College, Cambridge, over the turn of the twentieth century. While he was a serious scholar, one of his hobbies was telling ghost stories at Christmas time. He's an acknowledge master of the genre and his stories have been adapted for both movies and television. This collection of fifteen stories includes a few short pieces by James in the appendix.
The stories are delightfully spooky. James's down-to-earth writing style helps to ground the uneasy situation in which the characters find themselves. A bit of humor goes a long way in heightening the contrast between the mundane realities of life and the supernatural intrusions that disrupt those realities. A lot of these people stumble into their problems or inherit something that on the surface seems desirable but has a lot of cost attached to it. My favorite stories here were "Number 13," "Casting the Runes," and "'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad.'"
The appendix has a short essay on the stock elements of a ghost stories with some humorous asides. There's also an early comic tale of being trapped in King's College Chapel with the stained glass windows coming to life and introductions to some of the collected volumes of his works.
Highly recommended--these make great Halloween reading or Christmas Eve telling, if you have that British-style Christmas eve.
The stories are delightfully spooky. James's down-to-earth writing style helps to ground the uneasy situation in which the characters find themselves. A bit of humor goes a long way in heightening the contrast between the mundane realities of life and the supernatural intrusions that disrupt those realities. A lot of these people stumble into their problems or inherit something that on the surface seems desirable but has a lot of cost attached to it. My favorite stories here were "Number 13," "Casting the Runes," and "'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad.'"
The appendix has a short essay on the stock elements of a ghost stories with some humorous asides. There's also an early comic tale of being trapped in King's College Chapel with the stained glass windows coming to life and introductions to some of the collected volumes of his works.
Highly recommended--these make great Halloween reading or Christmas Eve telling, if you have that British-style Christmas eve.
October 24, 2022
Echt verhalen voor bij het haardvuur, zo zijn ze ook bedoeld door James. Hij las ze jaarlijks voor voor de confraters in Kings College zo rond de kersttijd. Nergens wordt het echt eng, behalve misschien in Lost hearts. Het gaat vooral om een soort trolachtige harige geesten, in een enkel geval een spin (jakkes) of een gezicht met tentakels ofzo. In een flauw geval is er sprake van een geanimeerde hoop beddengoed, die maakte dan ook het minste indruk. Maar eigenlijk kun je je er geen buil aan vallen. Gewaardeerd wordt o.a. het architectonische detail, vaak uit de eerste ervaring. Het vleugje eruditie, en de uitgebreide Bijbelkennis die James tentoonstelt. Het een en ander wordt duidelijk als je leest dat hij groot fan van Dickens was, als je van de Dickens sfeer houdt kom je hier ook wel aan je trekken dunkt me. Alle hoofdpersonen zijn natuurlijk ook nauwelijks verhulde stand-ins voor James zelf. Antiquarische spookverhalen, het draait ook vaak om bijzondere boeken, zoals in The tractate Middoth. Een beetje ouderwets griezelen, zonder al te veel rare gimmicks. Elk verhaal loopt zo ongeveer als de gemiddelde Scooby Doo aflevering, er zijn voortekenen, en dan mysterieuze gebeurtenissen en aan het eind wordt de hele boel uit de doeken gedaan. Toch vind ik dit soort ouderwetse spookverhalen leuker dan wat ze tegenwoordig thrillers noemen. Het staat wat dichter bij die ouderwetse folk verhalen.
November 21, 2023
Really excellent - James's way of starting with a totally normal, mundane scenario, and then gradually ratcheting up the tension until even the most innocuous of sentences drips with menace ("He was laughing again in the church today." "There is no cat.", etc) simply can't be beat. It's also fascinating from the perspective of someone who's read/watched a lot of horror over the years to come "back" (in a sense) to James - Lovecraft's various slithering unnameables can be seen as reflections of some of James's more physical ghosts, John Bellairs's really excellent and underappreciated YA novels are absolutely taking off on James's various antiquarians stumbling across horrors, and every shabby church filled with strange religious paraphernalia that Mike Mignola's ever drawn feels like it came out of a James story. (Any one of these could be adapted into a Hellboy story with minimal editing.) Really looking forward to tracking down the other collection of these that Penguin put out (although ST Joshi's notes feel mostly inconsequential.)
December 23, 2019
The revival of telling ghost stories at Christmas is great. Re-read and also listened to the wonderful Michael Hordern's reading of these classics: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
We are reading this and folklore/folk horror over at the One Cry in the Night group, open to anyone looking for a spooky read :)
We are reading this and folklore/folk horror over at the One Cry in the Night group, open to anyone looking for a spooky read :)
October 3, 2019
A collection of some truly atmospheric and well written antiquarian ghost tales. Like a good Victorian, I love ghost stories at the end of the year, nothing beats a good ghost story at Christmas! I started my ghost story season off with this book this year and am looking forward to the second volume. While a few stories were more average, the good ones here left me wishing they were longer. I can see why some of these have inspired shows and movies. Good stuff!
July 27, 2020
These are classic ghost stories from the best ghost story writer of all time. Yes, the language is dated and you have to concentrate, but the tales are very spooky and certainly make you think. A book to read and to keep.
October 27, 2023
Ờmmm, đọc không thấy sợ gì luôn. Truyện ma hồi xưa toàn kiểu tác giả kể lại qua lời kể của nhân vật khác, thường là nhân vật chính gặp hiện tượng siêu nhiên, thấy sợ hãi và hết. Đa phần là không có cách giải quyết con ma, chủ yếu là có giải thích tại sao con ma ở đó, nhưng nói chung là do ngôn ngữ thời xưa khiến truyện khá lan man trước khi vào vấn đề chính. Miêu tả nhiều về phong cảnh và nói nhiều về tôn giáo, tín ngưỡng - tóm lại là không phải gu của mình.
February 4, 2020
It has just occurred to me to call M. R. James the Jane Austen of horror writers* and so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. And this volume is a great introduction to him, if my description has at all intrigued you.
(*I may go into this further at a later time, but for starters he does reference Emma in one of his later stories, in describing a chatty housekeeper as being like a slightly lower class Miss Bates. A burn worthy of Miss Austen herself.)
(*I may go into this further at a later time, but for starters he does reference Emma in one of his later stories, in describing a chatty housekeeper as being like a slightly lower class Miss Bates. A burn worthy of Miss Austen herself.)
Read
July 22, 2024perfect read before sleep. very slightly spooky and just the right amount of incredibly detailed architecture descriptions to knock me out within 15 minutes. bonus points for asides such as “i will omit this golfing-related conversation” and “said this person (he’s not in the story tho)”
November 1, 2025
spooky stuff, a collection of scary short stories
August 2, 2017
A decent set of ghost stories but they are lacking compared to others I have been reading recently.
March 29, 2021
An excellent collection of M.R James's ghost stories, he's one of those writers that I'm surprised more people haven't read, these are just so so good, and very scary in places, far more full-on than I was expecting from a Victorian/Edwardian writer. Loved it.
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