The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce

The Penguin Book of... (Penguin Classics)

by Michael Newton (Editor)(Introduction), Edith Wharton (Contributor)(Afterword), Elizabeth Gaskell (Contributor)

A thrilling new collection of the greatest supernatural tales.

This definitive and wide-ranging collection brings together some of the best ghost stories ever written. From Elizabeth Gaskell's "The Old Nurse's Story" to Edith Wharton's "Afterword," 'THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES' features the finest writings from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century, by masters including M.R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu, and Ambrose Bierce, among others. With stories from America, Ireland, and England, this volume includes all of the works that define the genre, from its beginning to its apex.

Weaving in details about individual authors and their most famous tales, Michael Newton's absorbing introduction explores the ghost story's history and influences, as well as its changing nature and the reasons for its ongoing popularity.


©2020 Michael Newton (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Gothic, Anthologies, Ghosts

Audible Audio

First published February 25, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Newton has taught at University College London, Princeton University, and Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, and now works at Leiden University. He is the author of Savage Girls and Wild Boys: A History of Feral Children, Age of Assassins: A History of Conspiracy and Political Violence, 1865-1981, and a book on Kind Hearts and Coronets for the BFI Film Classics series. He has edited Edmund Gosse's Father and Son for Oxford World's Classics, and The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories and Conrad's The Secret Agent for Penguin. He has written and reviewed for the Times Literary Supplement, London Review of Books, the New Statesman, and The Guardian.

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

As is often the case with anthologies, this is a mixed bag for me - I'd say a solid collection, rather than brilliant, probably best suited to readers relatively new to the genre.

While there's a mix of canonical classics from the likes of Dickens, Le Fanu, M.R. James and Wharton, there are also some lesser-known tales - but overall I'd say that there isn't much variety either in time period or content. Almost all of the stories are nineteenth century and thus feature the well-worn tropes of revenant lovers and enemies, haunted coaches and trains, as well as the classic house.

The one story that really stands out is Henry James' The Jolly Corner which uses the skeleton structure of the conventional ghost story to articulate issues of doubleness, identity and the concept of the unlived life - the doppelganger is used to creepy effect and casts a sophisticated eye back on a tradition while moving it decidedly into the 'psychological' twentieth century. I see, though, from other reviews that it's precisely this story which some readers disliked!

I can't say that any of these gave me the shivers (and, for the record, I scare easily...). So this is worth reading especially as it's good to have something to dip in and out of, but I've found other anthologies e.g. The Virago Book of Victorian Ghost Stories and The Virago Book of Ghost Stories: The Twentieth Century more innovative and, yes, scary.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction is excellent, and the notes are helpful. Not all the stories are great stories. Kipling's is awful, but the absolute worst is Henry James. Some might defend James as "so psychological." But you know what else is psychological? Torture. And it's torture to read his horrible story.

But I met authors I had not read before, whom I would read again, including Gaskell, Austin, and Wharton. And Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw"? Such a great story--my favorite of the bunch.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some of the stories were interesting (such as "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs and "Afterward" by Edith Wharton), others just fell flat (such as the overly long Henry James story, "The Jolly Corner," and Edward Bulwer Lytton's "The Haunted and the Haunters: or, The House and the Brain.") We read this as a group, and most of us even questioned whether some of the stories were true ghost stories. Almost all the stories are available in the public domain, so this collection is a bit pricy when that is considered. Purchasers essential pay for the editor's additions--an introduction, a nice bibliography, a bit on each author, and a few end notes. I really wish the author introductions had been at the beginning of each story instead of with the end notes. I wish the end notes had been true footnotes. Most notes explained a word in the text, and it would have been nice not to have to flip on the rare occasion I actually needed to see a definition. I wish the anthology included several contemporary stories.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's here at last, my favourite month of the year: October. That can mean only one thing.... Spooky Season is here. 🕸️
What better way to kick things off than reading an anthology of ghost stories. 👻
The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories does exactly what it says on the dust jacket. It contains a collection of classic ghost stories, from authors such as Charles Dickens, Henry James, M.R. James and Ambrose Bierce, to name but a few. 👻
There are some gems here. The Monkey's Paw automatically springs to mind, as does M.R. James' Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You. 👻
Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology, and I will readily admit to feeling nervous after reading some of them. That, for me, was the icing on the cake. Perfect reading for spooky season. 👻🖤

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific collection of stories, the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth, some standard classics of the genre (Henry James's "The Jolly Corner," WW Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw," Charles Dickens's "The Signal-man") and a bunch of lesser-known stories. There isn't a story here that's not worth reading; the weakest selection is Lafcadio Hearns's "Nightmare-Touch," which isn't really a story but a kind of memoir and far from being Hearns's best work. Fitz-james O'Brien (great name) is new to me, and his "What Was It?" is creepy fun.I liked Edward Bulwer Lytton's "The Haunted and the Haunters" a lot; it has a lighter touch than some of his work. MR James is consistently wonderful, and "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" generates a genuine sense of the uncanny. I hadn't read Mary Austin before, and her "The Readjustment" is subtle and moving in its evocation of the complex, ambiguous feelings when death ends a not very happy marriage. The volume ends with Edith Wharton's "Afterword," about Americans abroad confronting history; they're focussed on the history they have bought their way into, the thrilling and foreign history of England, but what gets them into trouble is their own history that they think they've turned their back on (the reluctance of Americans to face their own troubling history, the pretence that they are exempt from the dangers of history, seems particularly relevant right now). All in all, a collection worth dipping into if you like short stories, especially of a ghostly variety.

[Kaat M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik was nooit bang （ ; ; ）

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very appropriate for spooky season

[Mary Fagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag.The best were written by Elizabeth Gaskell, Margaret Oliphant , M.R.James, W.W.Jacobs and Edith Wharton.The story by Dickens was lacklustre.It lacked the drama of Dicken’s best works.Although I usually enjoy the writings of Henry James ,I was disappointed with ‘The Jolly Corner’ which was rambling and not a true ghost story.It is unclear as to why Lafcadio Hearn’s ‘Nightmare-Touch’ was included in the anthology at all since it is in essence an essay on the fear of ghosts.
The stories were enhanced by the explanatory notes at the back of the book and the glossary of Scots words.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked some of the stories in this book quite a bit, but a few of them dragged on and were not very entertaining. There were a lot of great authors and some of the classics were incredibly enjoyable, such as "The Monkey's Paw". I recommend it, but I also recommend skipping some of the stories if you're not dead set on reading the entire thing. "The Jolly Corner" was really slow, somewhat difficult, and it didn't even have a good payoff to make it worthwhile.

[Brogan Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I say this was a solid 3 stars for me overall. A few stories inside were 5 stars such as:

Elizabeth Gaskell’s ‘Old Nurse’s Story’

Amelia B. Edwards’ ‘The North Mail’,

Fitz-James O’Brien ‘What Was It?’

Mary Elizabeth’s Braddon’s ‘The Cold Embrace.’

These managed to creep me out and give me some inspiration for my own writing. I really love reading about ghosts and how writers describe and put down in words the unexplainable.

[Johan Haneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

8,3 - Since participating in (and reading) an anthology of ghost stories by Dutch and Flemish authors, and especially since reading the book length essay on Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories written by the editor Finn Audenaert, I've become interested in ghost stories myself. I've read Victorian classics by Dickens et cetera, but I did not know of this strain of the fantastic running through 19th century literature. As a fan of the horror genre (in literary form at least) I am interested in the roots of the genre, and it turns out that horror was alive and well in the 19th century with ghost stories being the Stephen King of the era. These are stories that have as a goal to create an atmosphere of apprehension, to build tension, to create a suspicion and fear of the unknown and to confront protagonists with their own weaknesses and transgressions. Which is what the horror genre does, in my opinion. And the 19th century style of prose lends itself well to that, with long descriptions, no fear of adjectives, and the landscape filled with old houses and dark woods (and science on the rise, but a bit of a place left still for doubt ...). No wonder many modern horror authors use a prose style that has a bit of a 19th century flair to it - with lots of atmosphere, long descriptions and a bit of an archaic feel. It works.
This collection puts together a lot of 19th century and some early 20th century ghost stories. Some are by well known literary authors like Elicabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens, and Rudyard Kipling, making you wonder why in our day and age there is such a distinction between literary fiction and genre fiction, if these authors did not have any issue with writing ghost stories. And very good ones too!
Not every story in here worked. Some were predictable, some did not really convey dread in the way I hoped them to, but there was still something there I appreciated. There were only two real disappointments in here. 'The Jolly Corner' by Henry James was too literary to really work as a ghost story - it was a psychological examination, with the ghost used more as a metaphor, and to me it didn't work at all. The prose was obtuse as well, and I found it hard to keep reading on. 'Night-mare touch' by Lafcadio Hearn was a bit of metaphysical speculation, not much of a story, and I did not appreciate it at all.
Luckily there were some great stories in here as well. It started with the opening tale by Elizabeth Gaskell. Very well written and it made me want to read the novels by Gaskell sooner rather than later, as she has a very clear, beautiful style. Her 'The Old Nurse's Story' is a bit of a classic tale, not too suprising but due to the prose it is chilling ...
'What Was It?' by Fitz-James O'Brien reads more like a SF-story and I had read it before (probably in a SF-anthology). It shows how old the roots of the horror genre go (and maybe where H.G. Wells got some of his inspiration?)
Edward Bulwer Lytton has in 'The Haunted and the Haunters: or, The House and the Brain' an interesting story about a sceptic wanting to prove there are no ghosts. He rents a haunted house and gets more than he bargains for. It is the most spectacular tale in here and I wonder if it's really a ghost story or a story about a curse? It's fun!
Charles Dickens shows he is really a man of all trades, as his 'No. 1 Branch Line: The Signal-Man' is not only well written, but has a chilling resolution.
'Green Tea' by Sheridan Le Fanu is written in the form of letters, about a doctor researching a very interesting case, where medicine and the supernatural overlap. Maybe a bit long and due to the epistolary form not that chilling for the reader, but it makes me want to read more by Le Fanu (luckily I have a Le Fanu-collection already on my pile).
Margaret Oliphant is great in creating atmosphere and dread, using several methods. Her 'The Open Door' is great story, that also uses the tension between scepticism and belief to great effect.
'The Monkey's Paw' by W.W. Jacobs was one of the highlights of this collection for me! A great story of 'be careful what you wish for', well executed!
'The Wind in fthe Rose-Bush' by Mary Wilkins Freeman has great atmosphere, but here the scary part is not the ghost but the coldness in the hearts of some humans and the chill comes from the relationship between the characters ...
M.R. James is well known as an athor of ghost stories and his 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad' did not disappoint. I have to seek out a collection of James-stories as well!
Edith Wharton's 'Afterward' has a haunted house in England bought by Americans. So far, so cliché. But there's something very peculiar about this ghost - one doesn't know one has seen a ghost until afterward ...

All in all a great collection with classic and some unknown ghost stories and a great introduction to the genre. For fans of classic literature and horror afficionado's wanting to get a feel for the roots of the genre.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some really eerie stories. Worth readimg.

[Matt Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

You guys know what kick ass? Ghost stories. They're the oldest form of storytelling, the most workmanlike, and the most consistent. No matter how old they are (and some of these stories are at least 100 years old) they still manage to produce the same effect as an episode of American Horror Story or films like The Happening. But my favorite thing about ghost stories are what they reveal about the time they're written. What was strange and scary then is not necessarily strange and scary now, and this can sometimes provide unintentional comedy. Take for instance Sheridan Le Fanu's "Green Tea" which warns about the supernatural effects of caffeine, which this story posits could manifest as a ghost monkey that floats, speaks, and goads the caffeinated into committing suicide. And I do want to see that Starbucks lawsuit. Totally fun, scary and occasionally hilarious. Read it.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5
_____
The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell - 4
An old nanny recounts the tale of her and her former ward, Miss Rosamond, moving to an old manor house, haunted on windy days by a decrepit organ playing a ghostly tune. When Miss Rosamond goes missing in the snowy moor, following a bruised little girl seen calling at the window, the secret of the estate’s eerie and tragic history comes to light. This classic gothic Victorian tale of vengeful spirits and regretful jealousy is atmospheric, subtle, and haunting.

"Alas! alas! what is done in youth can never be undone in age! What is done in youth can never be undone in age!"

_____
What Was It? by Fitz-James O’Brien - 3
A New York boarder moves with his landlord uptown, to a home available at a discount due to its haunted status. After a night of conversation on the topic of fear and opium, Harry, on the precipice of sleep, is disturbed by an invisible force reaching out to choke him. After successfully subduing the creature, attempts to study the creature are generally unsuccessful; it slowly dies of starvation, leaving an unsolvable mystery of its true origins and secrets behind. An unusual ghost story that lends itself a bit more to science fiction, bringing the grotesque to life with an ambiguous ending.

"While I was lying still as a corpse, hoping that by a perfect physical inaction I should hasten mental repose, an awful incident occurred. A Something dropped, as it seemed, from the ceiling, plumb upon my chest, and the next instant I felt two bony hands encircling my throat, endeavoring to choke me."

_____
The Haunted and the Haunters, or, The House and the Brain by Edward Bulwer Lytton - 3
A purportedly haunted house with a revolving door of tenants remains empty until a brave scholar and his servant take up the challenge. While a bit rambly and disjointed at times (particularly as the narrator attempts to rationalize the supernatural through scientific means and the exposition at the story’s conclusion), the locked-room and haunting scenes were engaging, though, forewarning, there is the unnecessary death of the narrator’s dog.

"A friend of mine, who is a man of letters and a philosopher, said to me one day, as if between jest and earnest, 'Fancy! since we last met I have discovered a haunted house in the midst of London.'"

_____
The Cold Embrace by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - 3
A young artist, secretly betrothed to his cousin, Gertrude, leaves his bride-to-be for a traveling journey. In his absence, Gertrude is forced into an engagement with a wealthy man whom she does not love. Out of desperation, she drowns herself and haunts the artist into madness and, ultimately, death. While predictable, this story of guilt, betrayal, and revenge was eerie with a pervading sense of the uncanny.

"For the cold arms are round his neck - they whirl him round, they will not be flung off, or cast away; he can no more escape from their icy grasp than he can escape from death."

_____
The North Mail by Amelia B. Edwards - 3
A newly-married young barrister, eager to return to his young wife amidst a snow storm, finds reluctant shelter at the home of an old recluse after following the old man’s servant; there, he learns of a night mail coach that stops miles from the house, and will quicken his twenty-mile journey home. On the path to the night coach’s meeting point, the barrister is warned of a damaged bit of road, one that caused a carriage to pitch into the valley below nine years prior. As the barrister continues his walk, he spots the coach approaching, though earlier in the journey than anticipated, coming face-to-face with the carriage’s ghastly inhabitants. Overall, a slow, solemn story with a chilling atmosphere.

"His eyes glowed with a fiery unnatural lustre. His face was livid as the face of a corpse. His bloodless lips were drawn back as if in the agony of death, and showed the gleaming teeth between."

_____
No. 1 Branch-Line: The Signal-man by Charles Dickens - 5
A lonely signalman describes a haunting apparition that calls just before tragedy. At the third of these ghostly appearances, the signalman fills with anxiety over the impending accident. An ominous, atmospheric, slow-building short story.

"Below there! Look out! Look out! For God’s sake, clear the way!"

_____
Green Tea by Sheridan Le Fanu - 3
As a result of drinking too much green tea, a clergyman accidentally opens his “third eye” and is thus plagued by visits from a demonic monkey that only he can see and hear. A bit too slow at times, an average gothic story overall, blending a bit of spiritualism and science.

"It knows all that has happened. It knows everything - it knows you, and is frantic and atrocious. It reviles."

_____
The Ghost in the Cap’n Brown House by Harriet Beecher Stowe - 2
A ghostly woman is seen at a captain’s house, though whether that apparition is spirit or flesh is debated among the town. With a dialectic style and no plot, this story is a bit tough and somewhat of a letdown.

"Aunt Sally's clear she didn't dream, and then agin Cinthy's clear she didn't dream; but which on 'em was awake, or which on 'em was asleep, is what ain't settled in Oldtown yet."

_____
Thrawn Janet by Robert Louis Stevenson - 3
An old woman, accused of being a witch, is saved by a young preacher new to town and hired on as a housekeeper. The next day, the woman’s neck is twisted as though she were hanged, and an appearance by a strange black man suggests demonic possession. Overall, a rather average story, if a bit dull at times.

"For there was Janet coming down the town – her or her likeness, none could tell – with her neck twisted and her head on one side, like a body that has been hanged, and a grin on her face like a hanged corpse cut down."

_____
The Open Door by Margaret Oliphant - 2
A young boy hears desperate cries from ruins near their temporary home in Scotland and soon turns ill, leaving his father to puzzle out the source. While atmospheric, the story was a bit too long and drawn out, where the excitement of the ghost story felt long worn out by the end of the tale.

"Oh, mother, let me in! oh, mother, mother, let me in! oh, let me in!"

_____
At the End of the Passage by Rudyard Kipling - 2
In British-occupied India, a group of friends meet for a weekly gathering. Their host confesses an inability to sleep, with visions of a strange doppelganger and an all-encompassing fear. Ultimately, however, this story was rather hard to follow, and not incredibly engaging.

"'Tisn’t medical science.' 'What?' 'Things in a dead man’s eye.'"

_____
Nightmare-Touch by Lafcadio Hearn - 3
A fear of ghosts is hypothesized to originate in dreams - specifically, being touched by ghosts in dreams - explored by an anecdote from childhood. Written akin to a scientific article, the story feels a bit too clinical and abstract, detracting from its overall enjoyment.

"What is the fear of ghosts among those who believe in ghosts?"

_____
The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs - 5
A family comes into possession of a monkey paw that grants three wishes, with disastrous consequences. A classic horror short story with atmospheric writing, a pervading sense of unease, and a chilling ending.

"'It had a spell put on it by an old Fakir,' said the Sergeant-Major, 'a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it.'"

_____
The Wind in the Rose-Bush by Mary Wilkins Freeman - 5
A woman travels to bring her niece, Agnes, back to live with her after the death of the young girl’s father, only to be waylaid by Agnes’s stepmother, as Agnes is mysteriously delayed in her return again and again.

"'There she is now!' she cried. She flung the door wide open, and curiously enough a breeze came in and her own gray hair tossed, and a paper blew off the table to the floor with a loud rustle, but there was nobody in sight."

_____
'Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad' by M.R. James - 4
A professor and self-proclaimed disbeliever of ghosts unearths an old whistle, and after testing it out, is visited by a specter made of bedclothes. A slow, atmospheric story that delivers on ambience amidst a chilling premise.

"It ought to mean, 'Who is this who is coming?' Well, the best way to find out is evidently to whistle for him."

_____
The Moonlit Road by Ambrose Bierce - 5
A tale of murder is recounted from three perspectives: that of the murderer, the murderer’s son, and the ghost of the victim. Engaging, unique, and interesting to see the short story build on all three points of view to provide a complete picture of the murder.

"The death-spell was broken: Love had conquered Law! Mad with exultation I shouted—I must have shouted, 'He sees, he sees: he will understand!' Then, controlling myself, I moved forward, smiling and consciously beautiful, to offer myself to his arms, to comfort him with endearments, and, with my son’s hand in mine, to speak words that should restore the broken bonds between the living and the dead."

_____
The Jolly Corner by Henry James - 3
A man returns to his childhood home after decades abroad and confronts the ghosts of what his life may have been. Exceedingly wordy, the flowery prose distracted from the story and sense of atmosphere.

"Spencer Brydon recognised it—it was in fact what he had absolutely professed. Yet he importantly qualified. 'He isn't myself. He's the just so totally other person. But I do want to see him,' he added. 'And I can. And I shall.'"

_____
The Readjustment by Mary Austin - 2
After her death, a woman returns as a Presence, lonely in the afterlife and believing her husband to be relieved following her death. A neighbor helps the woman’s husband to divulge his true feelings, and helps guide the Presence onward. A slightly dull, sad story of a domestic haunting, where a lack of communication is bridged only after death.

“Emma Jossylin had been dead and buried three days. The sister who had come to the funeral had taken Emma's child away with her, and the house was swept and aired; then, when it seemed there was least occasion for it, Emma came back.”

_____
Afterward by Edith Wharton - 5
An American couple move to an estate in the English countryside, hoping their rustic new home is haunted by a ghost, only to be told that while there is a ghost, one will not know they have encountered it until long afterward. While wordy, this story was incredibly enjoyable and easy to read, with a slightly unnerving atmosphere that benefitted the work as a whole.

“‘Never know it?’ Boyne pulled her up. ‘But what in the world constitutes a ghost except the fact of its being known for one?’ ‘I can't say. But that's the story.’ ‘That there's a ghost, but that nobody knows it's a ghost?’ ‘Well -- not till afterward, at any rate.’ ‘Till afterward?’ ‘Not till long, long afterward.’”

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid anthology. Not all of the stories were my favorites, but there are some strong classics in here.

I'd read "The Cold Embrace" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon somewhere before, but it's still a satisfying story of a callous youth who gets his comeuppance from the ghost of his spurned love.

I finally read the tragic "The Signal Man" by Charles Dickens. I loved the episode of BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas based on this story; it's one of the best and legitimately creepiest in the beloved annual series. Dickens is also one of the world's all time greatest writers in my opinion, so, needless to say, I was more than satisfied with this story.

"Green Tea" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu is an excellent read that feels much shorter than its 35 pages. A reverend is tormented by the apparition of an evil monkey. It may sound silly, but it is actually quite effective.

"Oh Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" by M.R. James is a great introduction to James for those who haven't read him. The mysterious thing haunting our bedeviled protagonist is probably the most unnerving spectre in this book, at least in my opinion.

My final favorite, "The Readjustment" by Mary Austin features the quote, "For Emma had always wanted things different, wanted them with a fury of intentness that implied offensiveness in things as they were." I really liked and identified with Emma, her unsatisfied ghost coming back to haunt her luckless husband.

There were a few here that didn't work for me, but that's the case with most anthologies. "The Haunters and the Haunted" by Edward Bulwer Lytton felt like it was missing something (which makes sense when you read that this version was apparently shortened from the original) and Lafcadio Hearn's "Nightmare Touch" was interesting, but not really an actual story. Otherwise this is a beyond solid collection for classic ghost story fans. I also really enjoyed the extensive footnotes and biographies of the authors. Very informative and a nice addition for the curious.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two tries and over ten years to finish this book. In part it's because I had to be in the mood for it, in part because I loved some stories and some of them just dragged and dragged. My favorites include:

Fitz-James O'Brien, "What Was It?"
Amelia B. Edwards, "The North Mail"
Robert Louis Stevenson, "Thrawn Janet"
W.W. Jacobs, "The Monkey's Paw" (of course)
Ambrose Bierce, "The Moonlit Road"
Edith Wharton, "Afterward"

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some spoilers ahead: Perhaps it’s my unfamiliarity with the genre, but I really enjoyed this anthology as an introduction to ghost stories from this time period. I understand reviews by those more familiar with the genre who feel it could have included more range of the various ghost story settings and structures. However, I found each story unique and for the most part, enjoyed them all.

I think if I could, I’d give this anthology 4.5 stars instead of 5, with my only complaint being that some of the stories felt like they didn’t know how to end? Not necessarily just a lack of closure, after all, cliff hangers do convey the questions left with us surrounding death and the supernatural. But more that the stories end more abruptly, where I feel cliffhangers leave us with questions, but still can be written in a way that feels suitable to end the story. But maybe that’s my own opinion. See below for individual thoughts on each story!

The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell: My first taste of Elizabeth Gaskell’s work, and it was thrilling! With so many annoying but I suppose suitable questions left after the concluding haunting. Is the child traumatised? Does she remember anything as the old nurse clearly does? What happened to the house after the conclusion? Is it still haunted or is that it at peace now? I think this is one of the stories I mean where it is not only a cliff hanger, but seems to end mid-scene without it really feeling like the end of the story. Still, a grasping tale to open the anthology with. 3.5/5 stars

What Was It? by Fitz-James O’Brien: Second dissatisfying ending in a row - “As I am on the eve of a long journey from which I may not return, I have drawn up this narrative of an event the most singular that has ever come to my knowledge”. These final lines feel to me like they should be at the start, no? I feel it leaves the reader wanting rather than a set of lines that offer a close to the story through language rather than literal closure as to the titular question of “what was it?” 3.5/5

The Haunted and the Haunters by Edward Bulwer Lytton: This felt like a very traditional but satisfying ghost story - an old curse, a haunted house, with its victims being scared senseless or terrified to death. Imagery and symbols of rot and death lying in the house (piles of huge maggots and larvae rising through the floorboards) felt traditional but also refreshing to me. 4.5/5 stars.

The Cold Embrace by Mary Elizabeth Braddon: please note that almost all of the men in this anthology deserve to be haunted. Nasty ass art boy leads his cousin into believing he’ll marry her. He then ghosts by ignoring her letters as he prances about with other women in Europe. Cousin gets betrothed to another and feels pushed to suicide so that she can be reunited with art boy in death, much as he promised her would happen before. Her death being unknown to him, he’s all down for sketching a corpse (gross and weird) until he realises it’s his cousin whom he guiltily knows that he led to death, and spends the rest of his short life running from her embrace. A very satisfying story about a gross man finally getting his comeuppance. 5/5 stars.

The North Mail by Amelia B. Edwards: This one confused me, so I don’t know if we’re supposed to know whether the old scary mean man meant to send the protagonist to the ghost carriage, and if so why? Just for the fun? Just because hes inherently not a very nice person? Was there really another non-ghost carriage that would pass through that he just happened to miss? Also I know he says he’s sure that he was one of the passengers on the original mail that had died 20 years ago - so how old is he meant to be if he’s reincarnated? Or is that what he meant? Anyway, 4/5 stars for being creepy and scary even though I’m still confused.

No. 1 Branch Line: The Signal-Man by Charles Dickens: I don’t actually usually enjoy Dickens, I think he’s a droner and I can’t deal with the misery in all of his writing that we’re supposed to eat up. However, I think I enjoyed this one because it’s a ghost story, and the misery in his writing found its place in the genre and the setting of this tale. Also, far less confusing than the North Mail, so I was just happy to read a story I understood. 5/5 stars.

Green Tea by Sheridan Le Fanu: This one stood out to me as one of my favourites - the idea that we have two evil spirits attached to us, who choose to torture us in the secular world for brief relief from hell. It is deliberately unclear whether there were real ghosts/demons in this tale, or if it was the cause of drinking too much green tea that induces demonic visions. Similarly to Kipling’s tale there is an underlying message of the isolation we feel in mental illness, and the helplessness to combat it even with professional help. 5/5 stars.

The Ghost in the Cap’n Brown House by Harriet Beecher Stowe: Again, there is ambiguity as to whether Cinthy and the other townsfolk see a real ghost in Cap’n Brown’s window, or if he was keeping some woman hostage - both terrifying options. It’s mostly the townsfolk gaslighting women’s recounts of what they saw. The idea of waking up to see a figure with black hollow eyes is horrifying whether a ghost, or a real person. 4.5/5 stars.

Thrown Janet by Robert Louis Stevenson: This was another of my favourites, and explores the idea of real demonic possession where Witch trials and torture were still rife. Janet is rescued by the Reverend who asks her to renounce the devil, and she is disfigured for it. It uses traditional Scottish folklore where the devil appears as a dark figure running wild through the village (terrifying), and the images of Janet peering down the stairs with her bent neck to catch the Reverend is horrid - but wonderfully told. 5/5 stars.

The Open Door by Margaret Oliphant: Most ghosts, as this anthology tells us, just need someone authoritative to tell them to go home and stop bothering people (very D.W coded), which is what happens here. I love the spookiness of a tortured wail that seems to manifest from nowhere, but whose suffering seems to infest the entirety of the property. Another of my favourites for eeriness and uniqueness, 4.5/5 stars.

At the End of the Passage by Rudyard Kipling - This is the perfect example of a story that just because there is a lack of closure, still manages to end the story ina satisfying way. The lack of literal ghosts revealed to the readers in this story once again allows us to think of our personal emotional and mental hell that comes for us when we are alone. Furthermore, the fact we don’t know the terror that did eventually catch Hummil behind his eyes is so terrifying as it leaves it the reader’s own imagination, whilst also touching on the lack of closure that comes in death and the mysteries of hell and other potential afterlives that await us. 4.5/5 stars.

Nightmare-Touch by Lafcadio Hearn: I wasn’t sure what to make of the structure of this story that comes off as a short story, journal article hybrid. However, I liked its attempt to explain where our fear of ghosts comes from, and how it isn’t our fear of harm necessarily, but our fear of feeling the touch of something that until we make that physical contact, though terrifying is still safely in the realm of nightmare; our eyes/mind playing tricks on us rather than a real threat that we cannot begin to comprehend or protect ourselves from. 4/5 stars.

The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs: A terrifying warning to those who play with their fate, and to take caution in what they wish for when you already have everything you really want/need. Adaptions such as The Pet Cemetery by Stephen king give some modern insight into what could have been waiting behind the door that wouldn’t have been exactly the son they lost. 4.5/5 stars.

The Wind in the Rose Bush by Mary Wilkins Freeman: Ew, a crazy old lady, who everyone seems to know killed her step-daughter through neglect, but she’s still wandering free? And why on earth would that postmaster not let his wife tell Rebecca that her niece is dead/potentially a ghost, if he just told her himself at the end? Men are so frustrating. These stressed out thoughts do not necessarily reflect my feelings towards the story, and I found it chilling in that the house/rosebush tries to tell her but fails. 4.5/5 stars.

Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James: I’ll attach the most horrifying illustrations below:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/i...

How rancid is that?? Who knew a bedsheet monster could be so scary, and not just something out of Scooby-Doo. I kind of got like cute crush vibes between The Professor and the Colonel? Please let me know that I’m not alone in this. This was another of my favourites, and the idea of a blind but menacing demonic curse running round with arms outstretched to find you? Yuck. Minus 0.5 stars because Sir, why on earth are you blowing on a gross old whistle and not immediately realising that you’re cursed? 4.5/5 stars.

The Moonlit Road by Ambrose Bierce: Poor gorgeous angel lady gets murdered by her nasty abusive husband. But this is unknown to her ghost, and all she wants is to be reunited with him and her son again, which she can’t because her spirit is invisible. There does appear to be a third, real but harmless ghost who is the first figure that she hears in the night, and whom her husband assumes to be her secret lover, adding to the tragedy of it all. Mr ghost unintentionally dooms this poor woman. 3.5/5 stars.

The Jolly Corner by Henry James: Unfortunately, this is the one I liked the least, and struggled the most to read. While I think the idea of the double and the ghost of a life you never lived is a unique take on the ghost story, I’ll admit I don’t think I have the patience or potentially the intelligence, required to comprehend and get through Henry James yet. 2.5/5 stars for the idea, minus 2.5 stars for the rambling and dense execution.

The Readjustment by Mary Austin - A woman who has to haunt her husband for him to say something emotive to/about her is the most realistic of all the stories. Then having to leave again when she’s told it was probs a one time experience, and he’ll likely never say anything that nice about his feelings for her ever again? Again, men deserve to be haunted in a lot of these stories. 4/5 stars.

Afterward by Edith Wharton - This is the first of her ghost stories that I’ve read, and I’m so glad I did. The missing husband that we can only assume was lured to his fate by a dead man. Knowing that you sent said dead man to your husband? The house knowing and concealing the truth, and taunting you with feelings of unease that can’t be given closure. It’s the perfect conclusion to the collection, and you felt every single piece of dread experienced by the grieving wife from when her husband first disappears, to afterward, when she fully realises his fate. 5/5 stars.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the stories in this collection made for enjoyable late night reading, with the exception of a tedious Henry James tale. These are mostly really old ghost stories, so the writing was at times challenging; it's a tasteful and artful collection, which was fine. The chills were sometimes somewhat less than chilling and a bit too refined, but it is,after all, A Penguin collection, and they don't do "tacky" (or do they? I have as yet to read anything lowbrow or tacky from them).Some of the writers are well known, others less so, at least to me: Dickens, Kipling,James, and Edith Wharton contribute among others.However, my very favorite ghost story of all was not included: Oscar Wilde's "The Canterville Ghost"; it induced no goosebumps, but is laugh out loud hilarious, Oscar at his most playful and ticklish. This is a book I never read from beginning to end; instead, I take it off my books-shelf around Halloween time and read a couple of the stories each year. I have now finished the last two stories I had not read, and they were great, particularly the one by Edith Wharton called "Afterword", so overall I recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys some atmospheric, goth-like ghost tales. As collections go, it's pretty much a class act.

[Jeff McIntosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book, and was slightly disappointed when I had. Many of these short stories may be found in other anthologies ("Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad; "The Old Nurse's Story"; "Monkey's Paw"..etc.). And some didn't seem to meet the theme of the anthology ("The Ghost in the Cap'n Brown House; "Nightmare-Touch").

This anthology might best be directed to the reader with a limited reading of ghost stories.

The editor's introduction was interesting, as well as the chronology of ghost stories. But, overall - nothing I haven't seen before...

[Richard Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any such collection is going to be a mixed bag and this is no exception. From the very literary phrasing of Henry James to the pseudo-scientific drudgery of Edward Bulwer Lytton to the bizarre musings of Sheridan le Fanu (where Green Tea is held responsible for ghostly ghastliness) there are some real duds. The best - as tales which elicit a shiver - are the much anthologised 'Oh Whistle...' by M.R. James and 'The Monkey's Paw' by W.W. Jacobs, the latter of which must be the creepiest ghost story of them all.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce is an anthology of nineteen short stories selected and edited by Michael Newton. It is a collection of ghost stories written by a veritable who's who of nineteenth century authors on both sides of the Atlantic.

For the most part, this collection of short stories was written rather well. Curator and editor Michael Newton managed to collect nineteen ghost stories that show the wide-range of talent. Newton has collected from a mix of canonical classics authors as well of some lesser-known one. Most stories are from the nineteenth century and feature the well-worn tropes that have lingered down through the generations of paranormal writers.

Besides the two authors mentioned in the title (Elizabeth Gaskell and Ambrose Rose) other authors includes are: Fitz-James O'Brien, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Amelia B. Edwards, Charles Dickens, Sheridan Le Fanu, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Margaret Oliphant, Rudyard Kipling, Lafcadio Hearn, W.W. Jacobs, Mary Wilkins Freeman, M.R. James, Henry James, Mary Austen, and Edith Wharton. Note: authors that are emphasized are among my favorite stories.

Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions and The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce is not an exception. Only two tales that had me struggling, Stevenson's "Thrawn Janet" is written in a rather difficult Scottish dialect, which had me going back and forth on the glossary of Scots words and Henry James' "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" as it is rather dense in Victorian language.

This particular edition features a thoughtful introduction, and helpful notes, Newton places the stories contextually within the genre and elucidates the changing nature of the ghost story and how they are interpreted. Furthermore, there is a chronology, further readings, and a crucial glossary of Scottish words.

All in all, The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce is a wonderful collection of classical ghost stories during the nineteenth century.

[Nathan Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid collection of ghost stories, for what it's meant to be. As the editor describes in the introduction to this collection, it is primarily intended for readers who are relatively new to ghost stories of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As such, it's a collection of the "best of the best" and not deep cuts - with the caveat that it's also a collection looking for geographical variety of the authors (America, UK, Scotland, etc). I came to this collection having already read lots of ghost stories by MR James, J Sheridan Le Fanu, and Edith Wharton - including the stories each of them has in this collection. But I was heavily interested in the other stories. I reviewed the Table of Contents pre-purchase and many of the ghost stories in this collection were among MR James' favorites. I picked this book up as a whirlwind pass through ghost stories of many other authors, to see which ones I liked and would wish to read more from.

My favorites were:
(1) Elizabeth Gaskell's "The Old Nurse's Story," which deftly incorporates gothic elements and has a wonderful sleight-of-hand at the end to shift perspectives
(2) Mary Elizabeth Braddon's "The Cold Embrace," a quick but great story of unrequited love that has left several lasting images in my mind
(3) Margaret Oliphant's "The Open Door," which puts a spin on the ghost story so that by the end the reader is deeply sympathizing with the ghost and wishing for its release
(4) Rudyard Kipling's "At the End of the Passage," a terrific exploration of male loneliness although I wish the ghost was more prominent
(5) WW Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," which is maybe the perfect ghost story with a terrifying, open-ended ending

I thought Charles Dickens' "The Signal-Man" was just okay but maybe holds up better to re-reads. I didn't care for stories that were super didactic, like Edward Bulwer Lytton's "The Haunted and the Haunters" (it's a shame this story was so didactic as the ghostly elements were awesome) or Amelia B. Edwards' "The North Mail." I also didn't care for

[Fionnuala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid collection with some really enjoyable stories. Lengths varied nicely -- I think the longest was around 50 pages and the shortest around 7, so it's one of those collections that you can jump into whenever you have a moment. A few of my favourites were included, as well as several I'd heard of but never got the chance to read, and ones I'd never heard of at all, which resulted in some new favourites.

Something I appreciated was the fact that some stories by American authors were included in this collection -- the ghost story is seen as a very English thing, and even if stories are included from outside the English circle, it's still very firmly rooted in the British Isles. This isn't a bad thing, because there is definitely something very reminiscent of this area in ghost stories -- the old, large estates, the bleak countryside, the weather, the British obsession with ghosts and death (especially during this time period, the mid 1800s-early 1900s -- but it was fascinating to see how these themes translated over to American society at the time. There were a couple of stories in here by American authors, and while they definitely had a different flavour, they were still delightfully unnerving.

Of all of them, I think there was only one that I didn't like at all, simply because I found the writing style grating. Such is the norm with collections, and I was actually surprised to find I disliked only the one. Definitely a strong collection, with something for everyone -- I would say only the most dedicated of ghost story readers would find they've read every single one of these, and even if they have, they're well worth re-reading.

[Eric Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book with a TOC to be proud of:

Elizabeth Gaskell: The Old Nurse’s Story
Fitz-James O’Brien: What Was It?
Edward Bulwer Lytton: The Haunted and the Haunters: or, The House and the Brain
Mary Elizabeth Braddon: The Cold Embrace
Amelia B. Edwards: The North Mail
Charles Dickens: No. 1 Branch Line: The Signal-man
Sheridan Le Fanu: Green Tea
Harriet Beecher Stowe: The Ghost in the Cap’n Brown House
Robert Louis Stevenson: Thrawn Janet
Margaret Oliphant: The Open Door
Rudyard Kipling: At the End of the Passage
Lafcadio Hearn: Nightmare-Touch
W. W. Jacobs: The Monkey’s Paw
Mary Wilkins Freeman: The Wind in the Rose-Bush
M. R. James: ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’
Ambrose Bierce: The Moonlit Road
Henry James: The Jolly Corner
Mary Austin: The Readjustment
Edith Wharton: Afterward

I generally pay little attention to the author’s gender, but in this collection, I thought, many of the stories written by the male authors had a faint pomposity, which lent the upper hand to the female writers who just got on with the job of telling a creepy tale. Hence my personal favourites were The Ghost in the Cap’n Brown House by Harriet Beecher Stowe, The Open Door by Margaret Oliphant, and The Wind in the Rose-Bush by Mary Wilkins Freeman. All three stories were chilling and concise.

Overall, this is an excellent collection of classic ghost stories written in the Victorian era. One for lovers of the supernatural tale and also a perfect introduction to the genre.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume JA Cuddon brings together 33 classic ghost stories ranging from the dark and Gothic to the spine chilling and eery, as spine-chilling and eery as well as the witty and irreverent, and the poignant and sad.Some begin in a ghostly and eerie fashion, and in others you only realize there is a ghost at the end.
In Angeline, Or the Haunted House, By Emil Zola, we actually discover an innocent explanation of love renewed while My Adventure in Norfolk by AJ Alan, leave us to discover that the people we thought were alive were ghosts.
some of the stories involve ghosts taking revenge on those who have treated them cruelly or caused their deaths years before, such as The Old Nurses Story by Elizabeth Gaskill, or Sir Edward Orme by Henry James.
some are more poignant than frightening, such as the July Ghost by AS Byatt, but all are great reading and all have some twist or surprise.

Ghost stories included here range from those written in 1810 to 1981, and set in Italy, Germany, Scotland, England, Wales, Russia, France, the United States and India.

My favourites include The Beggarwoman of Locarno, the eerie The Entail, the twister The Queen of Spades, The heartbreaking The Old Nurse's Story, the spine chilling La Horla, the mystery of The Open door by Margaret Oliphant, the beautiful Angeline, My Adventure in Norfolk and the poignant and heartfelt The July Ghost.
All of these are classic and engaging stories about ghosts and the supernatural.

[Akemi G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good followup of Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction. It's not all about women authors, but it contains stories such as The Old Nurse's Story and The Open Door

Haven't read all yet; anthologies like this are good to fill the time while I wait for the arrival of a longer novel.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of ghost stories. They're not all winners, but enough of them are to make this thoroughly enjoyable. Some truly creepy entries here, some of them famous (Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw" and James's "Oh Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad"), some of them less famous works by famous authors (Dickens's delightful "No. 1 Branch Line," Wharton's chilling and, um, haunting "Afterward," Stevenson's horrifying "Thrawn janet," which really rewards out-loud reading with its barely penetrable Scottish dialect), and some of them introducing me to authors of whom I was unaware (Edwards's "The North Mail" and Braddon's "The Cold Embrace"). I read these out loud to my kids over the course of the entire year, and it really proved to be delightful for all involved. Highly recommended!

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection, the introduction makes clear they haven't tried to make unique selections but to provide a slice on the canonical writers and stories, so some I've read before. Among those new to me, The Cold Embrace was exceptional, not scary but melancholy and told with fascinating style. Afterward by Edith Wharton was a strong finish, I'd never looked at her ghost fiction before but having gone and sought out some more, they're really excellent.

Due to when it was first issued, some writers you might hope to encounter, like EF Benson and Algernon Blackwood aren't present, having only recently crept into public domain.

[Didier Goossens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually had to read this book for a class, so as requested by the professor, I only read a couple of them (I'll elaborate on which in the future); but for now, I can say that Newton (who is actually one of my professors and who gave me the lecture on his own book!) has done a terrific job at selecting ghost stories that all bring a similar and yet dissimilar attitude and style to the table, each dealing with different themes in a narrative that shifts and remains equal with every new incarnation.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the stories themselves were, for me, ‘hit or miss,’ learning about the history of ghost stories through the various writers’ telling was quite interesting. So, I recommend reading this book for the explanatory endnotes and biographical notes that give a cultural history to the telling of these stories, as well as the wonderfully written dialects that made reading some of the minor characters my favorite part. The Glossary of Scots Words at the end was not only necessary to enjoy some of the stories, it was just really cool.