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Da leggersi all'imbrunire. Racconti di fantasmi
Interest in supernatural phenomena was high during Charles Dickens' lifetime. He had always loved a good ghost story himself, particularly at Christmas time, and was open-minded, willing to accept, and indeed put to the test, the existence of spirits.
His natural inclinations toward drama and the macabre made him a brilliant teller of ghost tales, and in the twenty stories presented here, which include his celebrated A Christmas Carol, the full range of his gothic talents can be seen.
Chilling as some of these stories are, Dickens has managed to inject characteristically grotesque comedy as he writes of revenge, insanity, pre-cognition and dream visions, he indulges also in some debunking of contemporary credulity.
His natural inclinations toward drama and the macabre made him a brilliant teller of ghost tales, and in the twenty stories presented here, which include his celebrated A Christmas Carol, the full range of his gothic talents can be seen.
Chilling as some of these stories are, Dickens has managed to inject characteristically grotesque comedy as he writes of revenge, insanity, pre-cognition and dream visions, he indulges also in some debunking of contemporary credulity.
332 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1866
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About the author
Charles Dickens
12.6k books31.2k followersCharles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
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August 2, 2019Note: The stories are in reading order. The numbers indicate their order in the book.
•1 The Queer Chair - The Bagman's Story
Chapter 14 from The Pickwick Papers.
A chair that talks and guides a tired traveller that arrives in an inn.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•2 A Madman's Manuscript
Chapter 11 from The Pickwick Papers.
Ramblings of a crazy man that wants to be proven crazy.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•3 The Goblins who Stole a Sexton
Chapter 29 from The Pickwick Papers.
A precursor story to A Christmas Carol, where instead of ghosts and spirits we have goblins and instead of a miserable rich man a miserable undertaker (sexton) who's only joy is drinking and burying.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•4 The Ghosts of the Mail - The Story of The Bagman's uncle
Chapter 49 from The Pickwick Papers.
A Ghost story taking place in Edinburgh when a 19th century man finds himself as a passenger on a 18th century mail-coach with 18th century people.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•5 The Baron of Grogzwig
Chapter 6 from Nicholas Nickleby.
A Ghost story taking place in Germany ending with an against suicide moral.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•8 To be Read at Dusk
This story confused me a little bit since it was written in the style of story within a story. Didn't feel like one story but it was a good ghost story.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•9 A Ghost in the Bride's Chamber
Chapter 4 from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices, a novella co-written by Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens A pretty spooky story with a scary ending, also including murder(s), hanging, and apparitions.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•10 The Haunted House
Chapters 1 & 6 from The Haunted House, a portmanteau short story collection co-written by Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, and Elizabeth Gaskell and others. A ghost story with a (sad) twist.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•11 The Trial For Murder - To be Taken With a Grain of Salt
A banker is invited as a jury member to a trial. He's able to see the ghost of the murdered man present all the (10) days of the trial. Eerie and enigmatic. Doesn't give lot's of answers
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•12 The Signalman
A railway signalman is haunted by a ghost that its appearance works each time as a premonition of a tragic railway accident. With a twist at the end.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•13 Christmas Ghosts
Actually the middle part of a slightly longer story by Dickens called A Christmas Tree It's more of a ghost stories catalogue than a story itself. Still interesting.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•14 The Lawyer and the Ghost
Title links to a comic strip that actually sums up the story. A light comic relief ghost story with a moral, not for humans but for ghosts.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•15 Four Ghost Stories
The title can't be more obvious. Four stories in one. It sounds like a Black Friday special offer.
Anyway, the 1st is about an artist who paints a person he never actually met.
The 2nd and 3rd are similar, both about relatives that appear as ghosts hours before the news of their deaths,
and the 4th which was the most interesting of the four. Felt like a Grimm Fairy Tale.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•16 The Portrait-Painter's Story
This is actually the 1st story from the previous one (Four Ghost Stories) with more elaborated detail. An artist that paints a no-living person by memory/recollection.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•17 Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain
Keeping up with his usual format, x stories in one, we see in this story 2 gruesome bed-stories that Dickens remembers from his childhood been told by his nurse. One is about a bloodthirsty evil man (Bluebeard echoes) who kills his brides and bakes them into pies, and the other one is about a man infested by rats because of a bargain with the devil.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆½
•18 Mr Testator's Visitation
Mr Testator lives in an almost empty apartment and during a search into the subterranean cellars for coal he finds a room with furniture in heaps. He decides to steal/borrow the furniture to fill his empty apartment. Then someone/something visits him.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•19 A Child's Dream of a Star
A child dreams of meeting his late sister in the heavens. And this dream recurs for years until his is an old man. A story with a single theme yet poetic.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•20 Well-Authenticated Rappings
Worst story in this collection. A man is haunted from within himself by 3 different kinds of rappings/spiritual experiences ⋆ ⋆ ½
. . . . . . . . . . .
I just read that this is a satire about food adulteration and the craze for spiritualism in the 1850's. So when I'll now the whole context I would be able to understand and appreciate the story more, but not today.
•7 The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
The last Dickens's five novellas for Christmas. The first was A Christmas Carol.
This is a story that examines a different kind of moral. A man wants to "forget the sorrow, wrong, and trouble [he] ha[s] known..to cancel their remembrance..." and makes a bargain with a ghost, but the result is that he becomes a miser and he's spreading his misery around.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆½
•6 A Christmas Carol
I read this story the 1st time during Christmas 2012, then the 2nd time Last Christmas (RIP George), and this was the third time.
I will not exaggerate. A Christmas Carol was not just my favourite from this collection, but it is my favourite from all Dickens's books I've read. Especially the last chapter, where the joy and happiness of a saved man are overflowing. I wish the same happiness to everybody, and I don't think I need to say anything more about this story but to urge you to read it as soon as possible!!
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Overall score 3.37/5
•1 The Queer Chair - The Bagman's Story
Chapter 14 from The Pickwick Papers.
A chair that talks and guides a tired traveller that arrives in an inn.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•2 A Madman's Manuscript
Chapter 11 from The Pickwick Papers.
Ramblings of a crazy man that wants to be proven crazy.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•3 The Goblins who Stole a Sexton
Chapter 29 from The Pickwick Papers.
A precursor story to A Christmas Carol, where instead of ghosts and spirits we have goblins and instead of a miserable rich man a miserable undertaker (sexton) who's only joy is drinking and burying.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•4 The Ghosts of the Mail - The Story of The Bagman's uncle
Chapter 49 from The Pickwick Papers.
A Ghost story taking place in Edinburgh when a 19th century man finds himself as a passenger on a 18th century mail-coach with 18th century people.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•5 The Baron of Grogzwig
Chapter 6 from Nicholas Nickleby.
A Ghost story taking place in Germany ending with an against suicide moral.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•8 To be Read at Dusk
This story confused me a little bit since it was written in the style of story within a story. Didn't feel like one story but it was a good ghost story.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•9 A Ghost in the Bride's Chamber
Chapter 4 from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices, a novella co-written by Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens A pretty spooky story with a scary ending, also including murder(s), hanging, and apparitions.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•10 The Haunted House
Chapters 1 & 6 from The Haunted House, a portmanteau short story collection co-written by Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, and Elizabeth Gaskell and others. A ghost story with a (sad) twist.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•11 The Trial For Murder - To be Taken With a Grain of Salt
A banker is invited as a jury member to a trial. He's able to see the ghost of the murdered man present all the (10) days of the trial. Eerie and enigmatic. Doesn't give lot's of answers
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•12 The Signalman
A railway signalman is haunted by a ghost that its appearance works each time as a premonition of a tragic railway accident. With a twist at the end.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•13 Christmas Ghosts
Actually the middle part of a slightly longer story by Dickens called A Christmas Tree It's more of a ghost stories catalogue than a story itself. Still interesting.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•14 The Lawyer and the Ghost
Title links to a comic strip that actually sums up the story. A light comic relief ghost story with a moral, not for humans but for ghosts.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•15 Four Ghost Stories
The title can't be more obvious. Four stories in one. It sounds like a Black Friday special offer.
Anyway, the 1st is about an artist who paints a person he never actually met.
The 2nd and 3rd are similar, both about relatives that appear as ghosts hours before the news of their deaths,
and the 4th which was the most interesting of the four. Felt like a Grimm Fairy Tale.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•16 The Portrait-Painter's Story
This is actually the 1st story from the previous one (Four Ghost Stories) with more elaborated detail. An artist that paints a no-living person by memory/recollection.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•17 Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain
Keeping up with his usual format, x stories in one, we see in this story 2 gruesome bed-stories that Dickens remembers from his childhood been told by his nurse. One is about a bloodthirsty evil man (Bluebeard echoes) who kills his brides and bakes them into pies, and the other one is about a man infested by rats because of a bargain with the devil.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆½
•18 Mr Testator's Visitation
Mr Testator lives in an almost empty apartment and during a search into the subterranean cellars for coal he finds a room with furniture in heaps. He decides to steal/borrow the furniture to fill his empty apartment. Then someone/something visits him.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•19 A Child's Dream of a Star
A child dreams of meeting his late sister in the heavens. And this dream recurs for years until his is an old man. A story with a single theme yet poetic.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
•20 Well-Authenticated Rappings
Worst story in this collection. A man is haunted from within himself by 3 different kinds of rappings/spiritual experiences ⋆ ⋆ ½
. . . . . . . . . . .
I just read that this is a satire about food adulteration and the craze for spiritualism in the 1850's. So when I'll now the whole context I would be able to understand and appreciate the story more, but not today.
•7 The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
The last Dickens's five novellas for Christmas. The first was A Christmas Carol.
This is a story that examines a different kind of moral. A man wants to "forget the sorrow, wrong, and trouble [he] ha[s] known..to cancel their remembrance..." and makes a bargain with a ghost, but the result is that he becomes a miser and he's spreading his misery around.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆½
•6 A Christmas Carol
I read this story the 1st time during Christmas 2012, then the 2nd time Last Christmas (RIP George), and this was the third time.
I will not exaggerate. A Christmas Carol was not just my favourite from this collection, but it is my favourite from all Dickens's books I've read. Especially the last chapter, where the joy and happiness of a saved man are overflowing. I wish the same happiness to everybody, and I don't think I need to say anything more about this story but to urge you to read it as soon as possible!!
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Overall score 3.37/5
June 23, 2018
Who doesn't love to read Ghost stories! They are all fun and exciting unless of course, you're reading them alone in a room at night and getting pretty terrified every time you hear a meow.
October 12, 2021
You know when you want to read some Dickens but not a whole long novel? This is for those times. Some funny ghost stories, one that chilled me to the bone (as it did Mr. Pickwick), and many which were classic examples of the genre. All enjoyable.
March 23, 2025
This has been a weeklong nibble and such a protracted affair may have colored my reactions. The Trial For Murder and The Haunted House are exemplary tales, different but creepy. The Signal-Man is perhaps even better. I did not reread A Christmas Carol in this edition but will undoubtedly return to such repeatedly.
Dickens provides a range of perspectives and tones and more than a few devices which puts him above most practitioners of the ghost/horror story. While there’s a sense of cosmic justice being a motivation, there’s little detail afforded to social conditions. I find that rather interesting.
Dickens provides a range of perspectives and tones and more than a few devices which puts him above most practitioners of the ghost/horror story. While there’s a sense of cosmic justice being a motivation, there’s little detail afforded to social conditions. I find that rather interesting.
July 31, 2019
This volume comprises a collection of fifteen ghost stories by Dickens. As with any collection, it is a bit of a mixed bag. Some are superlative, some are less than mediocre.
The Queer Chair: A man takes shelter in an inn and falls in love with the widowed (and moneyed) innkeeper, who is courted by another man. A chair in his room helps him succeed in his quest. - 5 stars
A Madman's Manuscript: Story about an abusive man. Really boring. - 1 star
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton: A miserly sexton is taught a lesson by goblins on Christmas Eve. - 3 stars
The Ghosts of the Mail: I loved this one. A man kept travelling in a coach from a different period and ends up in cahoots with a woman who ... well, read it! - 5 stars
Baron Koëldwethout's Apparition: Another one about an abusive husband who marries out of greed. At least this one had some character development. - 2 stars
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain: This was the longest of the book and the worst. I am not sure what this was about except for some sick college kid, a "pure" woman who couldn't be touched by evil, and a haunted man. Boring beyond belief. - 0 stars
To Be Read at Dusk: A woman sees a man's apparition on the eve of her wedding and then the man shows up in person. What gives? - 4 stars
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber: Two men spend a night in an haunted house and encounter a man who narrates the story of a woman abused by her husband. - 2 stars
The Haunted House: A brother and sister move into a haunted house as an experiment. It all goes well until the brother changes his room. - 2 stars
The Trial for Murder: The ghost of a man on trial keeps confusing everyone in the courtroom. I couldn't keep track and found this boring. - 1 star
The Signalman: A signalman hears a warning and keeps seeing an apparition signalling him to clear the way. He hopes he is able to save a life but finds out that the signals are wrongly interpreted. - 3 stars
Christmas Ghosts: Random snippets of ideas for ghost stories which have neither basis nor character building. A very lazy effort. - 1 star
The Lawyer and the Ghost: The best of the collection! A lawyer persuades a ghost inhabiting a haunted house to leave and find better housing. - 5 stars
Four Ghost Stories: Four decent stories set during Christmas time. The first three involve apparitions of dead people. The fourth one is rather unique - a woman from a noble house sees a dream in which she stands godmother to some "little people" and is rewarded with some metal, which brings the family prosperity and happiness. - 4 stars
The Portrait-Painter's Story: This is an elaboration of the first story from Four Ghost Stories mentioned above. A portrait painter meets a young woman who insists he do her likeness. Only she refuses to sit for him. - 4 stars
Much of Dickens' ghost stories involves apparitions and aren't really scary. They are more stories about paranormal occurrences than about anything evil or scary. This is probably the reason why I didn't enjoy them as much as I might have. Of course, some of the stories are really good and imaginative, but I found many of them a dead bore. Even though I rated some of the stories pretty high, the overall collection was pretty mediocre. I couldn't even finish The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain, which took up a large chunk of the pages, it was that bad. So yeah, not the best of books!
The Queer Chair: A man takes shelter in an inn and falls in love with the widowed (and moneyed) innkeeper, who is courted by another man. A chair in his room helps him succeed in his quest. - 5 stars
A Madman's Manuscript: Story about an abusive man. Really boring. - 1 star
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton: A miserly sexton is taught a lesson by goblins on Christmas Eve. - 3 stars
The Ghosts of the Mail: I loved this one. A man kept travelling in a coach from a different period and ends up in cahoots with a woman who ... well, read it! - 5 stars
Baron Koëldwethout's Apparition: Another one about an abusive husband who marries out of greed. At least this one had some character development. - 2 stars
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain: This was the longest of the book and the worst. I am not sure what this was about except for some sick college kid, a "pure" woman who couldn't be touched by evil, and a haunted man. Boring beyond belief. - 0 stars
To Be Read at Dusk: A woman sees a man's apparition on the eve of her wedding and then the man shows up in person. What gives? - 4 stars
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber: Two men spend a night in an haunted house and encounter a man who narrates the story of a woman abused by her husband. - 2 stars
The Haunted House: A brother and sister move into a haunted house as an experiment. It all goes well until the brother changes his room. - 2 stars
The Trial for Murder: The ghost of a man on trial keeps confusing everyone in the courtroom. I couldn't keep track and found this boring. - 1 star
The Signalman: A signalman hears a warning and keeps seeing an apparition signalling him to clear the way. He hopes he is able to save a life but finds out that the signals are wrongly interpreted. - 3 stars
Christmas Ghosts: Random snippets of ideas for ghost stories which have neither basis nor character building. A very lazy effort. - 1 star
The Lawyer and the Ghost: The best of the collection! A lawyer persuades a ghost inhabiting a haunted house to leave and find better housing. - 5 stars
Four Ghost Stories: Four decent stories set during Christmas time. The first three involve apparitions of dead people. The fourth one is rather unique - a woman from a noble house sees a dream in which she stands godmother to some "little people" and is rewarded with some metal, which brings the family prosperity and happiness. - 4 stars
The Portrait-Painter's Story: This is an elaboration of the first story from Four Ghost Stories mentioned above. A portrait painter meets a young woman who insists he do her likeness. Only she refuses to sit for him. - 4 stars
Much of Dickens' ghost stories involves apparitions and aren't really scary. They are more stories about paranormal occurrences than about anything evil or scary. This is probably the reason why I didn't enjoy them as much as I might have. Of course, some of the stories are really good and imaginative, but I found many of them a dead bore. Even though I rated some of the stories pretty high, the overall collection was pretty mediocre. I couldn't even finish The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain, which took up a large chunk of the pages, it was that bad. So yeah, not the best of books!
June 30, 2016
A fascinating and lesser known side of Charles' Dickens work is his flair for ghost stories.
Dickens showed a fascination with ghosts and the macabre and was a masterpiece of this wonderful genre.
Most well known is his ghostly parable-'A Christmas Carol', of the visit to the bitter and tight fist ed miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, by three ghosts which started the tradition of 'the ghost story at Christmas'.
Other Christmas ghost stories by Dickens in this volume include ' the weird and wonderful 'Christmas Ghosts' and 'The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton'.
And another story of redemption by ghosts is 'The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain'.
From the gruesome 'Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain' to the brilliantly humorous 'The Lawyer and the Ghost' and 'The Queer Chair'.
There is the strange twist in the adventure 'The Ghosts of the Mail' and an examination of insanity and villainy in 'A Madman's Manuscript'.
Eerie stories of revenge, bizarre coincidences and the macabre from a pioneer in modern ghost stories, written in beautiful and penetrating English, while after one a half centuries still guarantees to thrill and chill.
Dickens showed a fascination with ghosts and the macabre and was a masterpiece of this wonderful genre.
Most well known is his ghostly parable-'A Christmas Carol', of the visit to the bitter and tight fist ed miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, by three ghosts which started the tradition of 'the ghost story at Christmas'.
Other Christmas ghost stories by Dickens in this volume include ' the weird and wonderful 'Christmas Ghosts' and 'The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton'.
And another story of redemption by ghosts is 'The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain'.
From the gruesome 'Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain' to the brilliantly humorous 'The Lawyer and the Ghost' and 'The Queer Chair'.
There is the strange twist in the adventure 'The Ghosts of the Mail' and an examination of insanity and villainy in 'A Madman's Manuscript'.
Eerie stories of revenge, bizarre coincidences and the macabre from a pioneer in modern ghost stories, written in beautiful and penetrating English, while after one a half centuries still guarantees to thrill and chill.
January 2, 2023
3.5⭐
Introduction (The Complete Ghost Stories of Charles Dickens) • (1981) • essay by Peter Haining ✔
Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain • (1860) • short story (variant of Captain Murderer) 4⭐
The Lawyer and the Ghost • (1837) • short story 3⭐
The Queer Chair • (1837) • short story 3.5⭐
The Ghosts of the Mail • (1837) • short story 4⭐
A Madman's Manuscript • (1837) • short story 4⭐
The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton • (1836) • short story 3.25⭐
Baron Koëldwethout's Apparition • (1839) • short story 3.25⭐
A Christmas Carol • [Christmas Books] • (1843) • novella 5⭐
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain • [Christmas Books] • (1848) • novella 2⭐
A Child's Dream of a Star • (1850) • short story 4⭐
Christmas Ghosts • (1850) • short story 3⭐
To Be Read at Dusk • (1852) • short story 4⭐
The Ghost Chamber • (1857) • short fiction 3.25⭐
The Haunted House • (1859) • novelette 3.5⭐
Mr Testator's Visitation • short story (variant of Mr. Testator's Visitation 1860) 3.25⭐
The Trial for Murder • (1929) • short story variant of To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt 1865) 3.25 ⭐
The Signal-Man • (1875) • short story (variant of The Signalman 1866) 4⭐
Four Ghost Stories • (1861) • short fiction 3.5⭐
The Portrait Painter's Story • (1861) • short fiction (variant of The Portrait-Painter's Story) 4⭐
Well Authenticated Rappings • (1858) • short fiction 2⭐
(Stories included in another edition but not in this one)
The Mother's Eyes • short fiction by Charles Dickens (variant of A Confession Found in a Prison in the Time of Charles the Second 1840) 4⭐
The Goodwood Ghost Story • (1862) • short story by Charles Dickens 3⭐
The Last Words of the Old Year • (1851) • short fiction by Charles Dickens 2.75⭐
Appendix: Ghosts and Ghost-Seers • (1992) • short fiction by Peter Haining 2.5⭐
The Ghostly Soldier by Peter Haining 3⭐
Introduction (The Complete Ghost Stories of Charles Dickens) • (1981) • essay by Peter Haining ✔
Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain • (1860) • short story (variant of Captain Murderer) 4⭐
The Lawyer and the Ghost • (1837) • short story 3⭐
The Queer Chair • (1837) • short story 3.5⭐
The Ghosts of the Mail • (1837) • short story 4⭐
A Madman's Manuscript • (1837) • short story 4⭐
The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton • (1836) • short story 3.25⭐
Baron Koëldwethout's Apparition • (1839) • short story 3.25⭐
A Christmas Carol • [Christmas Books] • (1843) • novella 5⭐
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain • [Christmas Books] • (1848) • novella 2⭐
A Child's Dream of a Star • (1850) • short story 4⭐
Christmas Ghosts • (1850) • short story 3⭐
To Be Read at Dusk • (1852) • short story 4⭐
The Ghost Chamber • (1857) • short fiction 3.25⭐
The Haunted House • (1859) • novelette 3.5⭐
Mr Testator's Visitation • short story (variant of Mr. Testator's Visitation 1860) 3.25⭐
The Trial for Murder • (1929) • short story variant of To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt 1865) 3.25 ⭐
The Signal-Man • (1875) • short story (variant of The Signalman 1866) 4⭐
Four Ghost Stories • (1861) • short fiction 3.5⭐
The Portrait Painter's Story • (1861) • short fiction (variant of The Portrait-Painter's Story) 4⭐
Well Authenticated Rappings • (1858) • short fiction 2⭐
(Stories included in another edition but not in this one)
The Mother's Eyes • short fiction by Charles Dickens (variant of A Confession Found in a Prison in the Time of Charles the Second 1840) 4⭐
The Goodwood Ghost Story • (1862) • short story by Charles Dickens 3⭐
The Last Words of the Old Year • (1851) • short fiction by Charles Dickens 2.75⭐
Appendix: Ghosts and Ghost-Seers • (1992) • short fiction by Peter Haining 2.5⭐
The Ghostly Soldier by Peter Haining 3⭐
December 12, 2021
I have always admired Charles Dickens' ability to tell stories. Thanks to this book, I discovered that his talent for ghost stories goes beyond 'A Christmas Carol'. Here he shows us a fascination for ghosts and the macabre that thanks to his talent leads to this masterpiece, a collection of stories dealing with this electrifying genre.
The stories are short, often only a few pages, the account of a fact, an event that occurred to the main character or a legend transmitted by word of mouth. Only some of them are divided into several parts, such as ‘The haunted house’, others are disturbing or bizarre like ‘Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain’ and ‘The Signal-Man’ or exciting like ‘A Confession Found in a Prison in the Time of Charles The Second’, to name a few of my favorites. There are also five stories from ‘The Pickwick Papers’, mostly focused on ghost appearances.
There is a bit of everything: disturbing stories, tales of pending business to be completed, bizarre and macabre coincidences. All told by a great narrator of modern ghost stories, written in a beautiful and flowing style, still thrilling for today's readers.
At the end of the book, there are some ghost stories written by those authors who influenced Dickens in his formative years (ex. Lord Byron, Ann Radcliffe, Gregory Lewis Mary Shelley, to name a few).
The stories are short, often only a few pages, the account of a fact, an event that occurred to the main character or a legend transmitted by word of mouth. Only some of them are divided into several parts, such as ‘The haunted house’, others are disturbing or bizarre like ‘Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain’ and ‘The Signal-Man’ or exciting like ‘A Confession Found in a Prison in the Time of Charles The Second’, to name a few of my favorites. There are also five stories from ‘The Pickwick Papers’, mostly focused on ghost appearances.
There is a bit of everything: disturbing stories, tales of pending business to be completed, bizarre and macabre coincidences. All told by a great narrator of modern ghost stories, written in a beautiful and flowing style, still thrilling for today's readers.
At the end of the book, there are some ghost stories written by those authors who influenced Dickens in his formative years (ex. Lord Byron, Ann Radcliffe, Gregory Lewis Mary Shelley, to name a few).
August 6, 2017
What I really liked about this book was the ability to ‘dip into Dickens’. I recall taking 6 months to read Bleak House – and night after night having to retrace my steps, one back, two forward, if I was lucky. Some of the stories in this anthology are as short as a single page. No danger of nodding off or losing the thread there.
As a bonus, Dickens’ ghosts seem to be possessed (hah-ha) of the author’s sense of humour – which makes for light reading amidst the often-dense text; indeed he strikes a fine balance between credibility and mischief.
A couple of the stories seemed to veer slightly off the rails (perhaps I was missing something?), and I felt the inclusion of A Christmas Carol (66 pages) was a bit of a cheat – but this was a padding-out decision taken by the publisher, and no blame can be attached to the author. Sure – it’s a ghost story – but it was the new and varied material that I enjoyed the most.
And at the usual Wordsworth Classics bargain price – it’s an old Scrooge that complains when a good read costs less than a regular Starbucks.
As a bonus, Dickens’ ghosts seem to be possessed (hah-ha) of the author’s sense of humour – which makes for light reading amidst the often-dense text; indeed he strikes a fine balance between credibility and mischief.
A couple of the stories seemed to veer slightly off the rails (perhaps I was missing something?), and I felt the inclusion of A Christmas Carol (66 pages) was a bit of a cheat – but this was a padding-out decision taken by the publisher, and no blame can be attached to the author. Sure – it’s a ghost story – but it was the new and varied material that I enjoyed the most.
And at the usual Wordsworth Classics bargain price – it’s an old Scrooge that complains when a good read costs less than a regular Starbucks.
December 10, 2014
While I have read several of these stories before (including A Christmas Carol), many of them were new to me. I prefer Dickens's longer works because he is such a master of detail and description. None of the stories were actually scary, but they probably had lots of scariness for the readers way back when. Dickens mixes quite a dose of satire into pretty much all his works, and these ghost stories are no exception.
I have to comment on one of the stories: The Haunted House
This one started out quite exciting and even a bit funny. Suddenly, the main character goes off on a side story and never returns. I was quite disappointed because I thought I might claim it as my favorite in this collection. Ah well.
I had to keep checking this one out of the library because I kept putting it aside to read other things. The stories don't really take that long to read.
I have to comment on one of the stories: The Haunted House
This one started out quite exciting and even a bit funny. Suddenly, the main character goes off on a side story and never returns. I was quite disappointed because I thought I might claim it as my favorite in this collection. Ah well.
I had to keep checking this one out of the library because I kept putting it aside to read other things. The stories don't really take that long to read.
October 26, 2016
Read October 2016 on IG with @bookishsteph1, @pagesandcup, @booksnot, @bagfullofbooks. #EekHouseBuddiesWithATwist
Favorite Short Stories:
• The Queer Chair - The Bagman's Story
• The Ghost's of the Mail - The Story of the Bagman's Uncle
• The Haunted House
• The Signalman
• Four Ghost Stories - The First Story
Favorite Short Stories:
• The Queer Chair - The Bagman's Story
• The Ghost's of the Mail - The Story of the Bagman's Uncle
• The Haunted House
• The Signalman
• Four Ghost Stories - The First Story
April 25, 2019
Sarà la mia incompatibilità con i racconti ma ho trovato un Dickens poco convincente come scrittore di ghost stories.
Forse nei racconti più lunghi riesce a coinvolgere maggiormente ( Da leggersi all'imbrunire, La stanza fantasma e L'ossesso e il patto con il fantasma) ma per il resto scrive più come uno scettico che come uno che vuole convincere il lettore della veridicità dei fatti. Alcuni racconti iniziano e finiscono senza lasciare nulla, senza creare pathos, con un finale frettoloso e spiazzante.
Se primo fra tutti è lo scrittore a non crederci, come può il lettore anche solo provarci?
La casa dei fantasmi poi era già presente nel volume scritto a più mani intitolato Le stanze dei fantasmi.
1. Il manoscritto di un pazzo
2. La strana sedia
3. L'avvocato e lo spettro
4. Storia dei folletti che rapirono un becchino
5. I fantasmi della posta
6. Il barone Koeldwethout e lo spirito
7. Confessione trovata in una prigione al tempo di Carlo II
8. Da leggersi all'imbrunire
9. La camera fantasma
10. Occhio agli spiriti!
11. La casa dei fantasmi
12. Mr Testator e l'apparizione
13. Capitan Assassino e il patto con il diavolo
14. Quattro storie di fantasmi
15. Processo per omicidio
16. Il segnalatore
17. L'ossesso e il patto con il fantasma
18. Il bambino che sognava la stella
19. L'albero di Natale
Forse nei racconti più lunghi riesce a coinvolgere maggiormente ( Da leggersi all'imbrunire, La stanza fantasma e L'ossesso e il patto con il fantasma) ma per il resto scrive più come uno scettico che come uno che vuole convincere il lettore della veridicità dei fatti. Alcuni racconti iniziano e finiscono senza lasciare nulla, senza creare pathos, con un finale frettoloso e spiazzante.
Se primo fra tutti è lo scrittore a non crederci, come può il lettore anche solo provarci?
La casa dei fantasmi poi era già presente nel volume scritto a più mani intitolato Le stanze dei fantasmi.
1. Il manoscritto di un pazzo
2. La strana sedia
3. L'avvocato e lo spettro
4. Storia dei folletti che rapirono un becchino
5. I fantasmi della posta
6. Il barone Koeldwethout e lo spirito
7. Confessione trovata in una prigione al tempo di Carlo II
8. Da leggersi all'imbrunire
9. La camera fantasma
10. Occhio agli spiriti!
11. La casa dei fantasmi
12. Mr Testator e l'apparizione
13. Capitan Assassino e il patto con il diavolo
14. Quattro storie di fantasmi
15. Processo per omicidio
16. Il segnalatore
17. L'ossesso e il patto con il fantasma
18. Il bambino che sognava la stella
19. L'albero di Natale
September 27, 2018
Me gustaron mucho las historias que contaron pero no me transmitieron mucho más que asombro.
December 8, 2023
Come scrisse H. P. Lovecraft: «[...] quegli autori i quali credono nell'occulto sono probabilmente meno efficaci dei materialisti nel delineare il mondo degli spiriti e dell'irrealtà: per loro questo mondo costituisce una realtà tanto scontata che sono portati a trattarla con un timore riverente, un senso di estraneità e una solennità molto inferiori rispetto a coloro che vedono in quel mondo una situazione assoluta e portentosa [...] dell'ordine naturale.»
Charles Dickens fa parte proprio di quei materialisti che, anche se interessati all'occulto (praticava persino una sorta di mesmerismo o "magnetismo animale"), ne scrive spesso in tono ironico e beffardo, come si nota in molto racconti presenti in questa raccolta come per esempio La casa infestata o Se ci sei batti un colpo. Come sappiamo Dickens è stato uno dei maggiori scrittori di ghost story e newgate novels (dal nome del famoso carcere inglese, le newgate novels sono racconti crime con, di solito, crimini violenti e spesso sensazionalistici), e in questo libro ne vengono raccolte molte, non solo ghost story e newgate novels, ma anche gotiche e folkloristiche, in forma di racconti a se stanti, pubblicati magari sui numerosi periodici curati dallo stesso Dickens, ma anche tratti dai suoi celebri romanzi come David Copperfield o Il Circolo Pickwick.
Molto interessante l'ultima parte di questa raccolta che raccoglie brani, lettere e brevi racconti dei "maestri del gotico" predecessori di Dickens (e che lui stesso leggeva) come Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley (interessante il racconto dell'incubo che ha poi generato il suo Frankenstein) o Matthew Gregory Lewis, soprannominato «Monk» Lewis per via del suo famoso (e unico) romanzo gotico Il Monaco.
Tutta la produzione "soprannaturale" (e non solo) di Dickens è intrisa della sua esuberante inventiva e ironia, si va dal macabro al sentimentale, dal folkloristico al gotico, dal raccapricciante allo scettico-positivistico e non mancano qua e la riferimenti autobiografici che rendono tutta la sua varia produzione, a distanza di secoli, ancora così apprezzata sia dai lettori che da registi e sceneggiatori di film e serie tv, che continuano a produrre opere tratte dai suoi romanzi e dalla sua vita; proprio per questi motivi Dickens è indubbiamente uno dei miei autori preferiti e leggere questa raccolta non solo mi ha fatto molto piacere ma mi ha anche molto divertita e, cercando di non correre troppo nella lettura, me la sono goduta.
Sono stata felicissima anche di aver ritrovato fra le pagine di questa raccolta uno dei miei racconti preferiti, Il segnalatore, letto per la prima volta probabilmente in qualche raccolta tematica della Abeditore, il quale è senza ombra di dubbio una delle ghost story (se non la prima fra tutte) che più mi inquieta e mi fa accapponare la pelle.
Sicuramente questa è una raccolta che consiglio a tuttə, sia a chi già ha letto romanzi e racconti di Dickens e vuole avere in un unico libro la maggior parte della sua produzione "soprannaturale", così da rileggere qualche racconto appena se ne ha voglia, sia a chi si affaccia al mondo dickensiano per la prima volta, così da farsi un’idea del suo stile e avere l’occasione di leggere alcuni brani tratti dai suoi romanzi più famosi.
Charles Dickens fa parte proprio di quei materialisti che, anche se interessati all'occulto (praticava persino una sorta di mesmerismo o "magnetismo animale"), ne scrive spesso in tono ironico e beffardo, come si nota in molto racconti presenti in questa raccolta come per esempio La casa infestata o Se ci sei batti un colpo. Come sappiamo Dickens è stato uno dei maggiori scrittori di ghost story e newgate novels (dal nome del famoso carcere inglese, le newgate novels sono racconti crime con, di solito, crimini violenti e spesso sensazionalistici), e in questo libro ne vengono raccolte molte, non solo ghost story e newgate novels, ma anche gotiche e folkloristiche, in forma di racconti a se stanti, pubblicati magari sui numerosi periodici curati dallo stesso Dickens, ma anche tratti dai suoi celebri romanzi come David Copperfield o Il Circolo Pickwick.
Molto interessante l'ultima parte di questa raccolta che raccoglie brani, lettere e brevi racconti dei "maestri del gotico" predecessori di Dickens (e che lui stesso leggeva) come Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley (interessante il racconto dell'incubo che ha poi generato il suo Frankenstein) o Matthew Gregory Lewis, soprannominato «Monk» Lewis per via del suo famoso (e unico) romanzo gotico Il Monaco.
Tutta la produzione "soprannaturale" (e non solo) di Dickens è intrisa della sua esuberante inventiva e ironia, si va dal macabro al sentimentale, dal folkloristico al gotico, dal raccapricciante allo scettico-positivistico e non mancano qua e la riferimenti autobiografici che rendono tutta la sua varia produzione, a distanza di secoli, ancora così apprezzata sia dai lettori che da registi e sceneggiatori di film e serie tv, che continuano a produrre opere tratte dai suoi romanzi e dalla sua vita; proprio per questi motivi Dickens è indubbiamente uno dei miei autori preferiti e leggere questa raccolta non solo mi ha fatto molto piacere ma mi ha anche molto divertita e, cercando di non correre troppo nella lettura, me la sono goduta.
Sono stata felicissima anche di aver ritrovato fra le pagine di questa raccolta uno dei miei racconti preferiti, Il segnalatore, letto per la prima volta probabilmente in qualche raccolta tematica della Abeditore, il quale è senza ombra di dubbio una delle ghost story (se non la prima fra tutte) che più mi inquieta e mi fa accapponare la pelle.
Sicuramente questa è una raccolta che consiglio a tuttə, sia a chi già ha letto romanzi e racconti di Dickens e vuole avere in un unico libro la maggior parte della sua produzione "soprannaturale", così da rileggere qualche racconto appena se ne ha voglia, sia a chi si affaccia al mondo dickensiano per la prima volta, così da farsi un’idea del suo stile e avere l’occasione di leggere alcuni brani tratti dai suoi romanzi più famosi.
January 22, 2013
This was an interesting collection of short stories, some considerably shorter than others. It was interesting to see that some of the stories had been taken from Dickens' full-length novels, as I couldn't imagine them tying into a longer text in any way!
There were some stories however that I found quite hard to get through in comparison to others. When I picked this up, it was on Christmas Day specifically so I could read 'A Christmas Carol', even though this was not the first short story in the collection. I then went back to the beginning to read the rest. I enjoyed 'A Christmas Carol', although it was by no means the best story in the collection. My personal favourites were 'A Madman's Manuscript', 'The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber', 'The Trial for Murder', and 'Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain'. 'A Child's Dream of a Star' was also very melancholy and beautiful.
If you like Dickens' humorous style of writing, I would definitely recommend picking this up. You won't always like every story in a collection like this, but it's worth reading for the ones you do like!
There were some stories however that I found quite hard to get through in comparison to others. When I picked this up, it was on Christmas Day specifically so I could read 'A Christmas Carol', even though this was not the first short story in the collection. I then went back to the beginning to read the rest. I enjoyed 'A Christmas Carol', although it was by no means the best story in the collection. My personal favourites were 'A Madman's Manuscript', 'The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber', 'The Trial for Murder', and 'Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain'. 'A Child's Dream of a Star' was also very melancholy and beautiful.
If you like Dickens' humorous style of writing, I would definitely recommend picking this up. You won't always like every story in a collection like this, but it's worth reading for the ones you do like!
June 3, 2018
Charles Dickens seemed to only write one good story. (A Christmas carol) everything else he wrote was done at a level which could easily be matched by a novice writer. If a writer today submitted the stories in this book to a publisher they would be laughed at, with no future ahead of them in this industry.
Each story lacks build up or climax or even an interesting plot. And i find the writing below par novice writing bad story telling and honestly not worth reading.
Each story lacks build up or climax or even an interesting plot. And i find the writing below par novice writing bad story telling and honestly not worth reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2016
I have a very, very strange relationship with Mr. Charles Dickens. Before I knew anything about his private life, I would read one of his books and love it. The next book I read, I would dislike. You know the dislike that makes you bang your head against the desk. The dislike of nails on a blackboard. For instance, I love Great Expectations, but I can't stand A Tale of Two Cities.
Despite, my relationship with Dickens's longer novels, most of his short fiction, especially his ghost stories, I have always enjoyed. I still enjoy them, even though at least in terms of his private life, Dickens sounds like a bit of putz (I think that is the word I want). He thought Little Red Riding Hood was the perfect girl. (I always thought she was bit slow. It's a talking wolf. They don't talk. You should be running, you twit).
This collection includes 12 of Dickens best known ghost stories. I'm not sure that all of them all the "best". It does include "A Christmas Carol", the most famous of them all. Let's start with that one before it becomes the elephant and the gorilla lurking in the background.
"A Christmas Carol" has to be the most overdone, over reference, over used Dickens story ever. The most recent movie version of the tale called it "the greatest Christmas story ever". This confused me. Shouldn't one Christmas story, the one about Christ, be the greatest Christmas story ever? After all that's where we get the name from. :shakes head:
"A Christmas Carol", however, is a wonderful story. It has wonderful, beautiful detail. And Vicky, you're right. Dickens is hilarious. My favorite line is "Scrooge had often heard it said that Marley had no bowels, but he had never believed it until now". To be fair to Dickens, he does a wonderful job with women in the story as well. It is true that we never know the names of Bob's wife or Scrooge's niece, but they have spirited (and are just in their criticism). Additionally, who doesn't like Mrs Fezziwig? Dickens works in much about the human condition, industrial evils, and the like, but there is wonderful joy in the novel, and the teller of the story is really a wonderful character as well. A very likable character as well.
It's true that the story is overdone. How many film versions exist after all? You have the Muppets, Disney, Sim, Scott, the Lifetime adaptions (gag), Stewart, and others I am no doubt forgetting. And then there are the short stories and tv shows. What reading (or in my case rereading) the story does is remind of you two things. How good the story is and how good (or bad) some of the film versions are. The best film versions keep all the detail. Sim and Stewart stick closely to the novella, taking large chunks of dialogue. For instance, in the Patrick Stewart version Bob picks up the poker to attack the reformed Scrooge. Bob thinks, at first, Scrooge needs to be put in a padded room. Even though I have read and seen and heard the story countless times, it still reads fresh.
The rest of the stories in the volume, come from Christmas Editions or
The Pickwick Papers for the most part. "The Goblins who Stole a Sexton" is a forerunner of "A Christmas Carol" and makes an interesting comparison.
Outside of "Carol" my favorite tales are "The Queer Chair", "The Baron of Grogzwig", "The Trial for Murder", and "The Signalman".
"The Queer Chair" is one of the funniest ghost stories ever written. It truly is. The narrator sounds extactly like the man from "Carol".
"The Baron of Grogzwig" is funny because it comments on marriage and suicide. It is rather interesting that it is a story that deals with suicide in a humor filled vein. The more cynical part of me wonders how much Dickens saw himself in the Baron.
Both "Trial" and "Signalman" are good tradition ghost stories. "Signalman" has at least inspired one television version (an episode of Poltergeist: The Legacy). Their inclusion brings the ghost story rightly back to the spooky and shows that Dickens could master humor and terror.
Despite, my relationship with Dickens's longer novels, most of his short fiction, especially his ghost stories, I have always enjoyed. I still enjoy them, even though at least in terms of his private life, Dickens sounds like a bit of putz (I think that is the word I want). He thought Little Red Riding Hood was the perfect girl. (I always thought she was bit slow. It's a talking wolf. They don't talk. You should be running, you twit).
This collection includes 12 of Dickens best known ghost stories. I'm not sure that all of them all the "best". It does include "A Christmas Carol", the most famous of them all. Let's start with that one before it becomes the elephant and the gorilla lurking in the background.
"A Christmas Carol" has to be the most overdone, over reference, over used Dickens story ever. The most recent movie version of the tale called it "the greatest Christmas story ever". This confused me. Shouldn't one Christmas story, the one about Christ, be the greatest Christmas story ever? After all that's where we get the name from. :shakes head:
"A Christmas Carol", however, is a wonderful story. It has wonderful, beautiful detail. And Vicky, you're right. Dickens is hilarious. My favorite line is "Scrooge had often heard it said that Marley had no bowels, but he had never believed it until now". To be fair to Dickens, he does a wonderful job with women in the story as well. It is true that we never know the names of Bob's wife or Scrooge's niece, but they have spirited (and are just in their criticism). Additionally, who doesn't like Mrs Fezziwig? Dickens works in much about the human condition, industrial evils, and the like, but there is wonderful joy in the novel, and the teller of the story is really a wonderful character as well. A very likable character as well.
It's true that the story is overdone. How many film versions exist after all? You have the Muppets, Disney, Sim, Scott, the Lifetime adaptions (gag), Stewart, and others I am no doubt forgetting. And then there are the short stories and tv shows. What reading (or in my case rereading) the story does is remind of you two things. How good the story is and how good (or bad) some of the film versions are. The best film versions keep all the detail. Sim and Stewart stick closely to the novella, taking large chunks of dialogue. For instance, in the Patrick Stewart version Bob picks up the poker to attack the reformed Scrooge. Bob thinks, at first, Scrooge needs to be put in a padded room. Even though I have read and seen and heard the story countless times, it still reads fresh.
The rest of the stories in the volume, come from Christmas Editions or
The Pickwick Papers for the most part. "The Goblins who Stole a Sexton" is a forerunner of "A Christmas Carol" and makes an interesting comparison.
Outside of "Carol" my favorite tales are "The Queer Chair", "The Baron of Grogzwig", "The Trial for Murder", and "The Signalman".
"The Queer Chair" is one of the funniest ghost stories ever written. It truly is. The narrator sounds extactly like the man from "Carol".
"The Baron of Grogzwig" is funny because it comments on marriage and suicide. It is rather interesting that it is a story that deals with suicide in a humor filled vein. The more cynical part of me wonders how much Dickens saw himself in the Baron.
Both "Trial" and "Signalman" are good tradition ghost stories. "Signalman" has at least inspired one television version (an episode of Poltergeist: The Legacy). Their inclusion brings the ghost story rightly back to the spooky and shows that Dickens could master humor and terror.
March 16, 2020
Il miglior racconto: Il segnalatore (The Signalman); tra l’altro è l’unico ricompreso nella raccolta Ghost Stories, Delphi Classics (ebook scaricabile gratuitamente dal sito della Delphi - https://www.delphiclassics.com/ -.
Per associazione mi sovviene la grande magnanimità di Sua Santità … della Biblioteca Civica di Verona che, in questi giorni giubilari, concede la possibilità di scaricare ben due ebooks (ripeto uno + uno, e non cito Dostoevskij che scriveva due + due) invece di uno al mese (come succede solitamente ed anche a febbraio, per giunta!).
Alla notizia mi levai il cappello (o bareta - in dialetto veneto - che fosse) e mi prostrai. Il colpo della strega che ne conseguì mi impedisce di leggere agevolmente seduto in poltrona (probabilmente l’esimio e benemerito aveva ragione: non si possono leggere più di due ebooks al mese).
Jawohl, meine Fuerher!
Per associazione, ancora una volta, la doppia esse di Sua Santità mi sovviene di un’altra doppia esse, i quali ultimi per scaldarsi le mani nelle notti gelide teutoniche bruciavano i libri per impedirne la lettura.
Ma tutte queste associazioni ci conducono solo ad un unico risultato: vietare la lettura dei libri!
Infine ben sappiamo che l’esimio di cui sopra preferisce (essendo sprovvisto di olfatto) che i suoi sudditi (ossia i frequentatori assidui della biblioteca) siano solo persone che nulla hanno a che fare con la lettura dei libri e la deduzione logica non può essere che la seguente: un ebook o due ebooks non fa differenza, l’importante è la poltrona conquistata geometricamente (come Spinoza: Ethica more geometrico demonstrata): con una esposizione a 90° ai vari politicanti.
Alcuni brani:
Signori, il ponce caldo è una cosa piacevole – estremamente piacevole in ogni circostanza – ma in quella vecchia accogliente saletta, davanti al fuoco scoppiettante col vento fuori che soffiava tanto da far scricchiolare ogni trave della vecchia casa, Tom Smart lo trovò paradisiaco.
(52)
Seduta accanto a lui su una lapide verticale stava una strana figura spettrale, che, Gabriel lo capí subito, non apparteneva a questo mondo.
(65)
la nostra storia ha almeno una morale: che se un uomo è triste e beve da solo la sera di Natale, può star certo che non ci guadagnerà nulla…
(72)
Non ho mai confuso lo scampanellare dello spettro con quello dell’uomo. Il suono del fantasma è come una strana vibrazione nel campanello che non è provocata da niente di esterno; e non ho detto che la campana vibri in modo visibile all’occhio.
(206)
Quella gentile signora nubile aveva come abito mentale una forte vena di superstizione, e tra le altre inclinazioni, le piaceva leggere in solitudine, nella propria stanza, vicino a una candela infilata in un candeliere che aveva ricavato da un teschio umano.
(268)
Gorgoni, e Idre, e Chimere – truci storie di Celeno e delle Arpie – si possono riprodurre nel cervello della superstizione, ma c’erano già da prima. Esse sono trascrizioni, tipi: gli archetipi sono in noi, ed eterni.
(280)
Per associazione mi sovviene la grande magnanimità di Sua Santità … della Biblioteca Civica di Verona che, in questi giorni giubilari, concede la possibilità di scaricare ben due ebooks (ripeto uno + uno, e non cito Dostoevskij che scriveva due + due) invece di uno al mese (come succede solitamente ed anche a febbraio, per giunta!).
Alla notizia mi levai il cappello (o bareta - in dialetto veneto - che fosse) e mi prostrai. Il colpo della strega che ne conseguì mi impedisce di leggere agevolmente seduto in poltrona (probabilmente l’esimio e benemerito aveva ragione: non si possono leggere più di due ebooks al mese).
Jawohl, meine Fuerher!
Per associazione, ancora una volta, la doppia esse di Sua Santità mi sovviene di un’altra doppia esse, i quali ultimi per scaldarsi le mani nelle notti gelide teutoniche bruciavano i libri per impedirne la lettura.
Ma tutte queste associazioni ci conducono solo ad un unico risultato: vietare la lettura dei libri!
Infine ben sappiamo che l’esimio di cui sopra preferisce (essendo sprovvisto di olfatto) che i suoi sudditi (ossia i frequentatori assidui della biblioteca) siano solo persone che nulla hanno a che fare con la lettura dei libri e la deduzione logica non può essere che la seguente: un ebook o due ebooks non fa differenza, l’importante è la poltrona conquistata geometricamente (come Spinoza: Ethica more geometrico demonstrata): con una esposizione a 90° ai vari politicanti.
Alcuni brani:
Signori, il ponce caldo è una cosa piacevole – estremamente piacevole in ogni circostanza – ma in quella vecchia accogliente saletta, davanti al fuoco scoppiettante col vento fuori che soffiava tanto da far scricchiolare ogni trave della vecchia casa, Tom Smart lo trovò paradisiaco.
(52)
Seduta accanto a lui su una lapide verticale stava una strana figura spettrale, che, Gabriel lo capí subito, non apparteneva a questo mondo.
(65)
la nostra storia ha almeno una morale: che se un uomo è triste e beve da solo la sera di Natale, può star certo che non ci guadagnerà nulla…
(72)
Non ho mai confuso lo scampanellare dello spettro con quello dell’uomo. Il suono del fantasma è come una strana vibrazione nel campanello che non è provocata da niente di esterno; e non ho detto che la campana vibri in modo visibile all’occhio.
(206)
Quella gentile signora nubile aveva come abito mentale una forte vena di superstizione, e tra le altre inclinazioni, le piaceva leggere in solitudine, nella propria stanza, vicino a una candela infilata in un candeliere che aveva ricavato da un teschio umano.
(268)
Gorgoni, e Idre, e Chimere – truci storie di Celeno e delle Arpie – si possono riprodurre nel cervello della superstizione, ma c’erano già da prima. Esse sono trascrizioni, tipi: gli archetipi sono in noi, ed eterni.
(280)
April 19, 2016
"Charles Dickens' Ghost Stories" adalah kumpulan cerita bertemakan hantu yang ditulis oleh Charles Dickens. Buku ini terdiri "hanya" atas 3 cerita, tapi dua di antaranya punya panjang yang setara dengan sebuah novela.
1. Kidung Natal (A Christmas Carol)
Kisah klasik tentang Ebenezer Scrooge, seorang pria tua kikir yang dikunjungi oleh hantu seorang rekan kerjanya. Dalam penyesalan kematiannya, rekan Scrooge mengatakan kalau Scrooge akan dikunjungi oleh tiga hantu yang akan memberikan pelajaran untuk pria itu.
Cerita ini sering sekali didaur ulang dalam berbagai versi. Entah kartun, drama, musikal, hingga opera. Kebetulan saya juga sudah baca versi bahasa Inggrisnya, jadi ini semacam membaca ulang sebuah karya yang sudah akrab bahkan sebelum saya baca karya penulis aslinya.
2. Anak yang Memimpikan Bintang (A Child's Dream of a Star)
Cerita pendek tentang seorang bocah laki-laki yang memiliki seorang saudari. Saat saudarinya itu meninggal, dia melihat roh sang gadis tinggal di sebuah bintang. Sejak itulah dia terobsesi untuk pergi ke bintang itu.
3. Lelaki yang Dihantui & Penawaran Sang Hantu (The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain)
Bercerita tentang Redlaw, seorang dosen kimia dengan masa lalu kelam yang membuatnya hidup sendirian. Suatu ketika sesosok hantu yang mirip dirinya muncul dan menawarkan untuk menghapus ingatan kelam Redlaw. Pria itu setuju, tanpa sadar bahwa dia baru saja kehilangan sesuatu yang membentuknya menjadi sosok dirinya yang utuh.
Ceritanya punya tema yang menarik. Kadang ada orang yang suka berpikir, betapa enaknya kalau bisa melupakan suatu ingatan yang mengganggu. Cerita ini mengeksplorasi hal itu dan sampai pada kesimpulan kalau yang terbaik justru jika kita mengingat hal itu.
Terjemahannya sudah cukup enak diikuti, tapi typo-nya banyak banget. Kovernya juga lebih mengingatkan pada Poe (karena ada gagaknya) daripada Dickens, tapi secara keseluruhan buku ini rekomendasi bagi yang mau berkenalan dengan karya-karya Charles Dickens.
1. Kidung Natal (A Christmas Carol)
Kisah klasik tentang Ebenezer Scrooge, seorang pria tua kikir yang dikunjungi oleh hantu seorang rekan kerjanya. Dalam penyesalan kematiannya, rekan Scrooge mengatakan kalau Scrooge akan dikunjungi oleh tiga hantu yang akan memberikan pelajaran untuk pria itu.
Cerita ini sering sekali didaur ulang dalam berbagai versi. Entah kartun, drama, musikal, hingga opera. Kebetulan saya juga sudah baca versi bahasa Inggrisnya, jadi ini semacam membaca ulang sebuah karya yang sudah akrab bahkan sebelum saya baca karya penulis aslinya.
2. Anak yang Memimpikan Bintang (A Child's Dream of a Star)
Cerita pendek tentang seorang bocah laki-laki yang memiliki seorang saudari. Saat saudarinya itu meninggal, dia melihat roh sang gadis tinggal di sebuah bintang. Sejak itulah dia terobsesi untuk pergi ke bintang itu.
3. Lelaki yang Dihantui & Penawaran Sang Hantu (The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain)
Bercerita tentang Redlaw, seorang dosen kimia dengan masa lalu kelam yang membuatnya hidup sendirian. Suatu ketika sesosok hantu yang mirip dirinya muncul dan menawarkan untuk menghapus ingatan kelam Redlaw. Pria itu setuju, tanpa sadar bahwa dia baru saja kehilangan sesuatu yang membentuknya menjadi sosok dirinya yang utuh.
Ceritanya punya tema yang menarik. Kadang ada orang yang suka berpikir, betapa enaknya kalau bisa melupakan suatu ingatan yang mengganggu. Cerita ini mengeksplorasi hal itu dan sampai pada kesimpulan kalau yang terbaik justru jika kita mengingat hal itu.
"[...] bukankah hal ini suatu berkah yang istimewa bagi Anda, karena Anda dapat mengingat sebuah kesalahan di masa lalu, lalu memaafkannya?" (hal. 247)
Terjemahannya sudah cukup enak diikuti, tapi typo-nya banyak banget. Kovernya juga lebih mengingatkan pada Poe (karena ada gagaknya) daripada Dickens, tapi secara keseluruhan buku ini rekomendasi bagi yang mau berkenalan dengan karya-karya Charles Dickens.
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December 22, 2023This collection of ghost stories by Charles Dickens was a mixed bag. The stories varied in length and, to be honest, quality. A Christmas Carol was included which is one of my favourite stories. It also included The Haunted Man which I will admit I did not finish because I simply could not follow the story. I really enjoyed The Signalman. Some of the “stories” seemed more like notes, or musings that Dickens had put to paper.
October 24, 2021
Un breve tuffo nelle storie di uno scettico. Perché in fondo in fondo emerge, nell'ironia tagliente di Dickens, il pensiero di un uomo che gioca con paure che non ha. Sono spettri a distanza di sicurezza, che più che spaventosi sanno essere quasi educativi.
December 30, 2023
Dickens mio padre mio fratello mio zio
January 21, 2025
on Christmas we always watch a Christmas Carol and i’ve been wanting to read it for soooo long, but i never found a physical copy. until i did! so i read the first few stories (a Christmas Carol is a Christmas essential by the way, i’m giving it a separate star rating of five and a half) around Christmas time last year and then i went through the other stories at a slower pace (no Christmas deadline for those).
as i said, Christmas Carol SLAPS. the other stories are fine, sometimes really quite funny, but Dickens’ style is just sooooo tedious to read sometimes. i’m sure this would’ve slapped back in the day when there existed like 3 books and you had time to read every detail, of every room, of every house, in the entirety of England, but sometimes ya just gotta advance yer plot dawg.
anywho, read Christmas Carol thank you and goodbye
3.5 stars
post scriptum: drinking game where you have to take a shot everytime you read ‘Christmas’ in this review
as i said, Christmas Carol SLAPS. the other stories are fine, sometimes really quite funny, but Dickens’ style is just sooooo tedious to read sometimes. i’m sure this would’ve slapped back in the day when there existed like 3 books and you had time to read every detail, of every room, of every house, in the entirety of England, but sometimes ya just gotta advance yer plot dawg.
anywho, read Christmas Carol thank you and goodbye
3.5 stars
post scriptum: drinking game where you have to take a shot everytime you read ‘Christmas’ in this review
November 19, 2025
some decent stories, and some not as much. i was particularly drawn to the ones that held a deeper meaning, giving them much more substance than ordinary ghost stories. my absolute favorites were: a christmas carol, the haunted man and the ghost's bargain, the haunted house, and the first one of the four ghost stories (also, the portrait-painter's story which shows the story from the protagonist's perspective).
these highlight how important being kind is, how the pain and sorrow we feel serve a purpose, and that God works in mysterious yet wonderful ways. honorable mentions: to be read at dusk, the trial for murder. some were incredibly boring.
these highlight how important being kind is, how the pain and sorrow we feel serve a purpose, and that God works in mysterious yet wonderful ways. honorable mentions: to be read at dusk, the trial for murder. some were incredibly boring.
October 24, 2025
Charles Dickens isn't the easiest classic author to read...
Some of the Ghost stories were good; others were just boring to read.
My favourite Ghost story by Charles Dickens is A Christmas Carol.
If you like the gothic genre and stories about spooks and things that go bump in the night...
The complete Ghost stories will keep you company :)
Some of the Ghost stories were good; others were just boring to read.
My favourite Ghost story by Charles Dickens is A Christmas Carol.
If you like the gothic genre and stories about spooks and things that go bump in the night...
The complete Ghost stories will keep you company :)
November 2, 2025
3,5 ⭐️
March 17, 2020
The silence was unbroken. I looked round, and the five couriers were gone: so noiselessly that the ghostly mountains might have absorbed them into its eternal snows.
(208)
(208)
January 9, 2022
An interesting compilation of some of Charles Dickens lesser-known writings, I would rate some of these short stories highly and others less so. In any case, these tails are not frightening by any stretch of the imagination, but just mysterious or intriguing. In a few cases, Dickens’ intent is to teach a moral lesson, such as in his bestselling novel ‘The Christmas Carol’, but in a few tails in this compilation it isn’t at all clear what the author intended, if anything. My favorite story was the ‘Goblins who Stole a Sexton’!
March 2, 2025
I appreciated the dry humor and witticisms, but I had to slog my way through quite a bit. The tedious descriptions got to be a bit much, and I had to read this book in installments. Also, I was expecting it to be scary (as the title suggests), but only a couple of the stories were that. The rest just dealt with the appearance of apparitions, most of whom, talked too much lol.
Dickens seems to repeat quite a few ideas, with just minor changes, quite often. The ideas relating to ghosts of Christmas, or of fortune-telling supernatural phenomenon are very common.
As with any collection, some stories were pretty good, and some were mind-numbingly slow.
1. The Queer Chair: Not a bad start - 2.5/5
2. A Madman's Manuscript: I liked the autobiographical tone - 3.5/5
3. The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton: "Appreciate the joy of Christmas" - 3/5
4. The Ghosts of the Mail: Too many descriptions, meh actual story - 2/5
5. Baron Koëldwethout's Apparition: pretty funny - 3.5/5
6. The Haunted Man & the Ghost's Bargain: DNF way too much unnecessary prose for me (100ish pages)
7. To Be Read at Dusk: Not bad, kind of spooky - 3/5
8. The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber: One of the best spooky stories - 4/5
9. The Haunted House: Started off pretty promising (spooky & funny), and ended as unconnected ramblings about Islam and the Middle East (?) - 2/5
10. The Trial For Murder: Concisely written, and a good plot - 4/5
11. The Signalman: I had read this separately before, which is what led me to pick this book up; great story - 4.5/5
12. The Lawyer and the Ghost: Quite funny - 3/5
13. Four Ghost Stories : Deal with the exact same plot of future-predicting appartions - 2.75/5
14. The Portrait Painter's Story: Decent end - 3.25/5
Dickens seems to repeat quite a few ideas, with just minor changes, quite often. The ideas relating to ghosts of Christmas, or of fortune-telling supernatural phenomenon are very common.
As with any collection, some stories were pretty good, and some were mind-numbingly slow.
1. The Queer Chair: Not a bad start - 2.5/5
2. A Madman's Manuscript: I liked the autobiographical tone - 3.5/5
3. The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton: "Appreciate the joy of Christmas" - 3/5
4. The Ghosts of the Mail: Too many descriptions, meh actual story - 2/5
5. Baron Koëldwethout's Apparition: pretty funny - 3.5/5
6. The Haunted Man & the Ghost's Bargain: DNF way too much unnecessary prose for me (100ish pages)
7. To Be Read at Dusk: Not bad, kind of spooky - 3/5
8. The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber: One of the best spooky stories - 4/5
9. The Haunted House: Started off pretty promising (spooky & funny), and ended as unconnected ramblings about Islam and the Middle East (?) - 2/5
10. The Trial For Murder: Concisely written, and a good plot - 4/5
11. The Signalman: I had read this separately before, which is what led me to pick this book up; great story - 4.5/5
12. The Lawyer and the Ghost: Quite funny - 3/5
13. Four Ghost Stories : Deal with the exact same plot of future-predicting appartions - 2.75/5
14. The Portrait Painter's Story: Decent end - 3.25/5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews