What do you think?
Rate this book
Great Ghost Stories
Aficionados of supernatural fiction will take perverse pleasure in the hair-raising horrors recounted in these outstanding examples of the genre. Featuring a gallery of ghostly characters, forbidding landscapes, gloomy country manors, and occult occurrences, this spine-tingling collection features works by such masters of the macabre as Bram Stoker (the creator of Dracula), J. S. LeFanu, Ambrose Bierce, and M. R. James.
The ten classics included in this volume are: "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs, E. G. Swain's "Bone to His Bone," "The Rose Garden" by M. R. James, Dickens's "To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt," LeFanu's "Dickon the Devil," Stoker's "The Judge's Salt," "The Moonlit Road" by Ambrose Bierce, Amelia B. Edwards's "The Phantom Coach," "A Ghost Story" by Jerome K. Jerome, and E. F. Benson's "The Confession of Charles Linkworth."
The ten classics included in this volume are: "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs, E. G. Swain's "Bone to His Bone," "The Rose Garden" by M. R. James, Dickens's "To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt," LeFanu's "Dickon the Devil," Stoker's "The Judge's Salt," "The Moonlit Road" by Ambrose Bierce, Amelia B. Edwards's "The Phantom Coach," "A Ghost Story" by Jerome K. Jerome, and E. F. Benson's "The Confession of Charles Linkworth."
100 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
28 people are currently reading
508 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
October 18, 2015
This Dover Thrift Edition makes for good Halloween reading. It consists of ten stories within exactly one hundred pages. The only one of those stoies I have ever read before is W.W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw," which was worth re-reading. Great Ghost Stories is edited by John Grafton, who is responsible for other Dover horror titles.
Other than "The Monkey's Paw," I enjoyed Amelia B. Edwards's "The Phantom Coach"; J.S. LeFanu's "Dickon the Devil"; M.R. James's "The Rose Garden"; and E.G. Swain's "Bone to His Bone," which is a rare ghost story with a happy ending.
Other than "The Monkey's Paw," I enjoyed Amelia B. Edwards's "The Phantom Coach"; J.S. LeFanu's "Dickon the Devil"; M.R. James's "The Rose Garden"; and E.G. Swain's "Bone to His Bone," which is a rare ghost story with a happy ending.
December 17, 2008
It was interesting how diverse this particular genre could be, and all in one book. There were stories that were sad, funny, literary, and downright chilling. Probably the most terrifying story was “The Judge House” written by Bram Stoker, best known for the story Dracula, which spawned a whole genre by itself.
There were actually moments in the same story where I laughed almost in the same breath as shuddering from the chill running down my spine. This is likely due to my joy at being scared by a good story. It is a sort of masochistic impulse, that desire to see how badly a story can scare me. I like stories that genuinely inspire fear in me. But it is equally entertaining to take the journey with the writer and to see exactly how they plot and plan their frights. Like “The Judge House”, Jerome K. Jerome definitely achieved that purpose with “A Ghost Story”. “Dickon The Devil” by the writer of the seminal tale “Camilla”, Sheridan LeFanu, inspires a chill touched by a sense of the strange and arcane. Along with the protagonist, we exit the tale feeling a sense of relief that we barely missed being a victim of the evil, ghostly presence haunting that small English village. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs is more than just a ghost story. It is a tale of horror where the reader is spared full knowledge of that fearful yet unknown threat. And perhaps the “what ifs” are even more terrifying.
I found “The Moonlit Road” by Ambrose Bierce, a literary offering that is sad as opposed to frightening. Although it is a ghost story, it is first and foremost in my opinion a story about regret and loneliness. It is about the limitless repercussions of a thoughtless act of violence and it is particularly effective at showing the soul-deep despair that the survivors of that act feel. The ghostly victim is no less spared this desolation. The last story, “The Confession of Charles Linkworth” was both vividly disarming and poignant. This story deals with a lost soul who missed out on an opportunity in life to confess and find absolution before he is executed for murder. He is bound to this earthly realm until he is able to do so. Driven to complete this act, he reaches out to a doctor who volunteers in the prison and who is ‘sensitive’ to paranormal phenomena. This story illustrates the ability of a genre story to drive home the universal emotional core of humanity and the needs inherent as a human being. Charles Dickens’ “To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt” also touches on an intrinsic human need, justice. In this case, the ghost is the one in search of justice. And this ghost, the murder victim, is committed to haunting the jury foreman, the prosecutor, the judge, and various people in the courtroom until he achieves his goal. This work was interesting and subtle, but the end message struck me deeply. As far as humor, probably E.G. Swain’s “Bone to His Bone” tickled me the most, proving that even the heavy subject of a haunting can cause the reader to laugh. Perhaps it was the perplexity of the protagonist in dealing with this spectral presence who shares his house and love of books that provided the most comic relief. Yet along with that laugh came the unsettling knowledge that a force beyond the grave was at work.
While rather short, this collection of ghost stories definitely encompassed a variety of unique approaches to the delicate art of the scare. And they left me with a chill, a smile, and some thoughts to ponder.
There were actually moments in the same story where I laughed almost in the same breath as shuddering from the chill running down my spine. This is likely due to my joy at being scared by a good story. It is a sort of masochistic impulse, that desire to see how badly a story can scare me. I like stories that genuinely inspire fear in me. But it is equally entertaining to take the journey with the writer and to see exactly how they plot and plan their frights. Like “The Judge House”, Jerome K. Jerome definitely achieved that purpose with “A Ghost Story”. “Dickon The Devil” by the writer of the seminal tale “Camilla”, Sheridan LeFanu, inspires a chill touched by a sense of the strange and arcane. Along with the protagonist, we exit the tale feeling a sense of relief that we barely missed being a victim of the evil, ghostly presence haunting that small English village. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs is more than just a ghost story. It is a tale of horror where the reader is spared full knowledge of that fearful yet unknown threat. And perhaps the “what ifs” are even more terrifying.
I found “The Moonlit Road” by Ambrose Bierce, a literary offering that is sad as opposed to frightening. Although it is a ghost story, it is first and foremost in my opinion a story about regret and loneliness. It is about the limitless repercussions of a thoughtless act of violence and it is particularly effective at showing the soul-deep despair that the survivors of that act feel. The ghostly victim is no less spared this desolation. The last story, “The Confession of Charles Linkworth” was both vividly disarming and poignant. This story deals with a lost soul who missed out on an opportunity in life to confess and find absolution before he is executed for murder. He is bound to this earthly realm until he is able to do so. Driven to complete this act, he reaches out to a doctor who volunteers in the prison and who is ‘sensitive’ to paranormal phenomena. This story illustrates the ability of a genre story to drive home the universal emotional core of humanity and the needs inherent as a human being. Charles Dickens’ “To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt” also touches on an intrinsic human need, justice. In this case, the ghost is the one in search of justice. And this ghost, the murder victim, is committed to haunting the jury foreman, the prosecutor, the judge, and various people in the courtroom until he achieves his goal. This work was interesting and subtle, but the end message struck me deeply. As far as humor, probably E.G. Swain’s “Bone to His Bone” tickled me the most, proving that even the heavy subject of a haunting can cause the reader to laugh. Perhaps it was the perplexity of the protagonist in dealing with this spectral presence who shares his house and love of books that provided the most comic relief. Yet along with that laugh came the unsettling knowledge that a force beyond the grave was at work.
While rather short, this collection of ghost stories definitely encompassed a variety of unique approaches to the delicate art of the scare. And they left me with a chill, a smile, and some thoughts to ponder.
July 19, 2021
Meh selection. Some were OK, others I've read before and skipped, some I tried to read and couldn't get through them and some I didn't get.
February 7, 2017
I love ghost stories. Ever since I was a kid sitting outside on summer nights telling scary stories with my friends by the dim glow of a flashlight, I have loved creepy tales of all sorts. These days I listen to a lot of creepiness on my phone -- ghost story podcasts, Old Time Radio like Suspense and CBS Radio Mystery Theater, and Creepypasta stories. I am also a sucker for every haunted house or creepily awesome book I come across.
My favorite sort of ghostly tale is classic.....slow-building psychological terror that often ends with that surprise stab....that shudder inducing da-dah-dahhhhh moment. No weird steamy sex, spurting arterial blood or blood-curdling Wilhelm screams. Just suspenseful, old fashioned, oh-my-god-what-is-that horror.
Great Ghost Stories is a collection of 10 classic ghost stories published in England and America between 1864 and 1912 - the golden age of ghost tales. Most of the authors in this anthology are power-hitters - authors who wrote masterpieces of classic literature. Others are masters of the ghost story. It's a collection of great examples of the classic ghost story!
The lineup:
The Phantom Coach - Amelia B. Edwards
To Be Taken With a Grain of Salt - Charles Dickens
Dickon the Devil - J.S. LeFanu
The Judge's House - Bram Stoker
A Ghost Story - Jerome K. Jerome
The Moonlit Road - Ambrose Bierce
The Monkey's Paw - W. W. Jacobs
The Rose Garden - M. R. James
Bone to His Bone - E.G. Swain
The Confession of Charles Linkworth - E.F. Benson
I found this book by chance on the shelf at a thriftstore. I think I paid a quarter for it. So glad I did! The stories were all awesome and enjoyable. A few I had read before, and several were new to me. I can't really pick a favorite. I enjoyed them all.
This book is a Dover Thrift Edition, so it's inexpensive but awesome. Any reader who enjoys classic literature and scary stories will love this little, but hard-hitting, anthology.
My favorite sort of ghostly tale is classic.....slow-building psychological terror that often ends with that surprise stab....that shudder inducing da-dah-dahhhhh moment. No weird steamy sex, spurting arterial blood or blood-curdling Wilhelm screams. Just suspenseful, old fashioned, oh-my-god-what-is-that horror.
Great Ghost Stories is a collection of 10 classic ghost stories published in England and America between 1864 and 1912 - the golden age of ghost tales. Most of the authors in this anthology are power-hitters - authors who wrote masterpieces of classic literature. Others are masters of the ghost story. It's a collection of great examples of the classic ghost story!
The lineup:
The Phantom Coach - Amelia B. Edwards
To Be Taken With a Grain of Salt - Charles Dickens
Dickon the Devil - J.S. LeFanu
The Judge's House - Bram Stoker
A Ghost Story - Jerome K. Jerome
The Moonlit Road - Ambrose Bierce
The Monkey's Paw - W. W. Jacobs
The Rose Garden - M. R. James
Bone to His Bone - E.G. Swain
The Confession of Charles Linkworth - E.F. Benson
I found this book by chance on the shelf at a thriftstore. I think I paid a quarter for it. So glad I did! The stories were all awesome and enjoyable. A few I had read before, and several were new to me. I can't really pick a favorite. I enjoyed them all.
This book is a Dover Thrift Edition, so it's inexpensive but awesome. Any reader who enjoys classic literature and scary stories will love this little, but hard-hitting, anthology.
January 12, 2022
From Casual Debris.
This small book contains ten stories over exactly 100 pages (therefore averaging ten pages per story--math simple enough even for me), and a two-page preface, or "Note," uncredited but presumably by editor John Grafton. Though many of these stories have frequently been anthologized in all kinds of collections, from ghost books and supernatural tales to Victorian fiction, quite a few are not seen very often and I had not read most of them.
Why have we not seen many of these stories more often? I suspect it is because many of them just aren't very good. We have three oft-reprinted classics in Ambrose Bierce's "The Moonlit Road," Bram Stoker's "The Judge's House" and the superlative "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs, and these three are easily among the strongest in the collection. Along with the stories by Edwards and Dickens, these make up the good half of the anthology. Sadly, there is a distinct weaker half, including forgettable entries by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and M. R. James. While these stories are not terrible, they are also not as inventive as their better works, and do not contribute anything new to the genre. They are well written, Le Fanu's in particular, I think, but it is as though the authors are going through the motions. (E. G. Swain arguably can be discounted here as he never attained the heights of the others, and his contribution to this little book is indeed better than that of his colleague and friend James).
Overall it is a quick read of some curiosities that a person like me might enjoy. I would not, however, recommend this to the casual reader, nor to those who tend to prefer their ghosts to be a little more modern.
And that description, taken directly from the back cover, is trying so desperately to sell the book.
This small book contains ten stories over exactly 100 pages (therefore averaging ten pages per story--math simple enough even for me), and a two-page preface, or "Note," uncredited but presumably by editor John Grafton. Though many of these stories have frequently been anthologized in all kinds of collections, from ghost books and supernatural tales to Victorian fiction, quite a few are not seen very often and I had not read most of them.
Why have we not seen many of these stories more often? I suspect it is because many of them just aren't very good. We have three oft-reprinted classics in Ambrose Bierce's "The Moonlit Road," Bram Stoker's "The Judge's House" and the superlative "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs, and these three are easily among the strongest in the collection. Along with the stories by Edwards and Dickens, these make up the good half of the anthology. Sadly, there is a distinct weaker half, including forgettable entries by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and M. R. James. While these stories are not terrible, they are also not as inventive as their better works, and do not contribute anything new to the genre. They are well written, Le Fanu's in particular, I think, but it is as though the authors are going through the motions. (E. G. Swain arguably can be discounted here as he never attained the heights of the others, and his contribution to this little book is indeed better than that of his colleague and friend James).
Overall it is a quick read of some curiosities that a person like me might enjoy. I would not, however, recommend this to the casual reader, nor to those who tend to prefer their ghosts to be a little more modern.
And that description, taken directly from the back cover, is trying so desperately to sell the book.
December 5, 2016
-The Phantom Coach by Amelia B. Edwards, 3*: Ehh. Starts off somewhat interesting, but a lot of exposition that goes nowhere.
-To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt by Charles Dickens, 4*: It's Dickens people! It's humorous at times and chilling at others.
-Dickon the Devil by J.S. LeFanu, 3*: Some parts are creepy, but I would've liked more.
-The Judge's House by Bram Stoker, 4*: Pretty creepy
-A Ghost Story by Jerome K. Jerome, 4*: Short, but effective.
-The Moonlit Road by Ambrose Bierce, 3*: Interesting, but weaker as it went on.
-The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs, 4*: Classic
-The Rose Garden by M.R. James, 3*: Somewhat creepy
-Bone to His Bone by E.G. Swain, 3*: Interesting
-The Confession of Charles Linkworth by E.F. Benson, 4*: Predictable, but nice writing.
-To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt by Charles Dickens, 4*: It's Dickens people! It's humorous at times and chilling at others.
-Dickon the Devil by J.S. LeFanu, 3*: Some parts are creepy, but I would've liked more.
-The Judge's House by Bram Stoker, 4*: Pretty creepy
-A Ghost Story by Jerome K. Jerome, 4*: Short, but effective.
-The Moonlit Road by Ambrose Bierce, 3*: Interesting, but weaker as it went on.
-The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs, 4*: Classic
-The Rose Garden by M.R. James, 3*: Somewhat creepy
-Bone to His Bone by E.G. Swain, 3*: Interesting
-The Confession of Charles Linkworth by E.F. Benson, 4*: Predictable, but nice writing.
September 28, 2025
Well I read all 10 of these stories, skipping the clunky Charles Dickens until the end, when I relented and when back to it. So I did read them all, one at a time over the last couple of weeks.
Are they all "great" stories? Opinions may vary. The Charles Dickens piece was one of the weaker stories; the Best of the Great Ghost Stories would require another reading to determine.
The Monkey's Paw was one I had definitely read before. It's a classic fable from the school of "Be Careful What You Wish For".
Sometimes it is Fall, a season that lends itself to creepiness and introspection, and every know and then a person must read a bunch of ghost stories. It's mandatory!
Are they all "great" stories? Opinions may vary. The Charles Dickens piece was one of the weaker stories; the Best of the Great Ghost Stories would require another reading to determine.
The Monkey's Paw was one I had definitely read before. It's a classic fable from the school of "Be Careful What You Wish For".
Sometimes it is Fall, a season that lends itself to creepiness and introspection, and every know and then a person must read a bunch of ghost stories. It's mandatory!
May 31, 2021
This collection of short stories was quite an interesting read. A fair amount of familiar authors, but most of the stories were completely new to me. A lot of haunted houses/spaces, but also a few that a unique take on things and lots of them had great atmosphere.
Favourites include:
Bone to His Bone by E. G. Swain
Judge's House by Bram Stoker
A Ghost Story by Jerome K Jerome
The Confessions of Charles Linkworth by E. F. Benson
It was also really cool to finally read The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs after hearing/seeing the story in pop culture for years. I think all of the stories are available via public domain, which is awesome.
Favourites include:
Bone to His Bone by E. G. Swain
Judge's House by Bram Stoker
A Ghost Story by Jerome K Jerome
The Confessions of Charles Linkworth by E. F. Benson
It was also really cool to finally read The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs after hearing/seeing the story in pop culture for years. I think all of the stories are available via public domain, which is awesome.
October 6, 2013
This book is a selection of many small ghost stories from England and America from 1864 to 1912.I like the fact that the stories are written in this very old English language. To give an example: " I have always noticed a prevalent want of courage, even among persons of superior intelligence and culture, as to imparting their own psychological experiences when those have been of a strange sort"(page13). It is evident that the language isn't the most modern. My favorite story is " The Judge's house" I enjoyed this story the most because it builded up to climax in a very exciting way. A sentence like " Not in the Judge's! she said and grew pale as she spoke." (page 33) adds suspension to the story. Another great thing about " The Judge's house" is the fact that it would still be scary today unlike some of the other stories.
I feel this is a great book to read because it really explains the time periods in a great way, and most of the stories are pretty scary too. I think this book to some extend really shows the origin of horror movies and some video games.
Finally, I also like that the book is a selection of stories from different authors so that each story is vey different and you never feel like you are just reading the same type of ghost story..
I feel this is a great book to read because it really explains the time periods in a great way, and most of the stories are pretty scary too. I think this book to some extend really shows the origin of horror movies and some video games.
Finally, I also like that the book is a selection of stories from different authors so that each story is vey different and you never feel like you are just reading the same type of ghost story..
January 1, 2018
This book is basically a reprint of the Penny Dreadfuls that were so popular during the Victorian age, but if you are reading this book you probably already know this. I have never been a fan of Charles Dickens. I was forced to read him in high school, as I'm sure we all were, however, I never made it through a single one of his books. You might not have either. But I made it through a short story of his, god damn it, and I still hated it. Our dear friend Charles wrote 'To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt,' which is just a juror seeing the murder victim in the the court room, and - oh, fuck - he wants justice. As they all do. Anyway, expect Dickens to be boring. He was not the highlight of this collection. The highlight, in my opinion, lies with three of the short stories: 'The Phantom Coach' by Amelia B. Edwards, 'The Judge's House' by Bram Stoker, and 'Bone to His Bone' by E.G. Swain. The first is a classic about a young man lost on the moor, who upon trying to get back to his beloved wife finds himself within the coach.
The second is about a man who only wants peace and quiet to read his math books. Why anyone would want to read math is beyond me, but our lead character does. He also might have the best name I have ever read, and we can tell Bram Stoker didn't give it much thought, because it's Malcolm Malcolmson. Anyway, in wanting to find a quiet place for math he comes across 'The Judge's House,' which is an old abandoned building that this evil judge lived in, and no one has lived in since this judge died. This story is reminiscent of 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe in the fact that he is tormented by sound. In Bram Stoker's short it is rats in his walls, and not a beating heart, but nevertheless it reminded me. Malcolmson is then tormented by this evil rat that climbs down the bell-rope that hangs down from the top of the building. Not knowing what the rat means he looks deeper into the meaning behind the evil rat's nightly visits.
Read this one because I am not going to give away the twist at the end. It is beautifully written in the creepy way only Bram Stoker knows how to achieve. Honestly, just read everything by Bram Stoker.
The third is about a man and his books. Who doesn't love their library, local or personal? If you're reading this to begin with then you probably like books. I don't know if you knew, but news flash.
So this story takes place next to the babies we all know and love. The main character living in his library, reading everyday, and sometimes at night. One night he wakes up, and upon not being able to go back to sleep gets up, and goes to (you guessed it) read. I'm sure we have all been there.
In the darkness someone places the match box in his hand, but when he lights a match no one is there. Duh, Duh, Dun! There is also a book on the desk, but the desk was empty. He goes on to talk about some random shit, because all Victorian authors tend to drag on a little. Even if they are mostly brilliant (not Dickens), they do drag. It's like Stephen King. He is fantastic, but drags a little.
This mystery book then flips open to page after page, revealing a secret message of sorts that this man has to follow to the spooky twist at the end.
To sum up, Victorian authors drag, these are really fucking awesome but NOT DICKENS. Bram Stoker might be king of all things good. We like books. I have a vendetta against Dickens, and chances are if you're reading this right now you probably have a strong opinion formed on Victorian writers yourself, or you're my boyfriend, who is a spy. So if you enjoy spooky stories, you should read these. They are cute, simple, and above all spooky. Enjoy.
Oh,
P.S. This little collection also includes 'The Monkey's Paw' by W. W. Jacobs, which gave me a little tiny bit of nostalgia, because that, and ' The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman were my favorite short stories in high school. :)
The second is about a man who only wants peace and quiet to read his math books. Why anyone would want to read math is beyond me, but our lead character does. He also might have the best name I have ever read, and we can tell Bram Stoker didn't give it much thought, because it's Malcolm Malcolmson. Anyway, in wanting to find a quiet place for math he comes across 'The Judge's House,' which is an old abandoned building that this evil judge lived in, and no one has lived in since this judge died. This story is reminiscent of 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe in the fact that he is tormented by sound. In Bram Stoker's short it is rats in his walls, and not a beating heart, but nevertheless it reminded me. Malcolmson is then tormented by this evil rat that climbs down the bell-rope that hangs down from the top of the building. Not knowing what the rat means he looks deeper into the meaning behind the evil rat's nightly visits.
Read this one because I am not going to give away the twist at the end. It is beautifully written in the creepy way only Bram Stoker knows how to achieve. Honestly, just read everything by Bram Stoker.
The third is about a man and his books. Who doesn't love their library, local or personal? If you're reading this to begin with then you probably like books. I don't know if you knew, but news flash.
So this story takes place next to the babies we all know and love. The main character living in his library, reading everyday, and sometimes at night. One night he wakes up, and upon not being able to go back to sleep gets up, and goes to (you guessed it) read. I'm sure we have all been there.
In the darkness someone places the match box in his hand, but when he lights a match no one is there. Duh, Duh, Dun! There is also a book on the desk, but the desk was empty. He goes on to talk about some random shit, because all Victorian authors tend to drag on a little. Even if they are mostly brilliant (not Dickens), they do drag. It's like Stephen King. He is fantastic, but drags a little.
This mystery book then flips open to page after page, revealing a secret message of sorts that this man has to follow to the spooky twist at the end.
To sum up, Victorian authors drag, these are really fucking awesome but NOT DICKENS. Bram Stoker might be king of all things good. We like books. I have a vendetta against Dickens, and chances are if you're reading this right now you probably have a strong opinion formed on Victorian writers yourself, or you're my boyfriend, who is a spy. So if you enjoy spooky stories, you should read these. They are cute, simple, and above all spooky. Enjoy.
Oh,
P.S. This little collection also includes 'The Monkey's Paw' by W. W. Jacobs, which gave me a little tiny bit of nostalgia, because that, and ' The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman were my favorite short stories in high school. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2018
This was a compilation of antiquted ghost stories as such they lack the elements that make up modern horror blood-bath tales. They are mostly clean when it comes to bloodshed, work on being subtle and most of the time there is still a vagueness whether it was on the ending, part of the details or the whole story combined itself.
The first story, the "Phantom Coach", I had already read and so do have a separate review for that if any should be interested. Otherwise I have only heard about one other story that was included while the others were. And since each story has different authors there is no definite way of describing a singular writing format.
In just my words I truly did like Stoker's "The Judge's House". Like any other of Bram's works it is rather wordy like most of his other works and attempts to give a character that is on the other extreme of what will happen. At the same time he uses the classic elements of his own dark horror then flips pieces around to become strange allies and other pieces to emphasize the evilness of his villain in a strange harmony of wicked souls.
"The Monkey's Paw" is a very dark version of the fairy tales “The Three Wishes“ or "The Fisherman and the Fish". It explores that even though you may consider that you have all you want magic isn't to be trifled with, that life can change to the bad in an instant and that may be you should listen to the warnings of your friends even if they may just be acquaintances.
And the only other one that I want to point out is "The Moonlit Road". What I enjoyed the most was that even, though, it was one of the longest it was since the story was told by three characers who were all related and telling the same story. It is eerie in its own right but at the same time a bit more tragic than the others.
All in all they were decent stories if you don't mind the older horror types but for me they weren't my cup of tea.
The first story, the "Phantom Coach", I had already read and so do have a separate review for that if any should be interested. Otherwise I have only heard about one other story that was included while the others were. And since each story has different authors there is no definite way of describing a singular writing format.
In just my words I truly did like Stoker's "The Judge's House". Like any other of Bram's works it is rather wordy like most of his other works and attempts to give a character that is on the other extreme of what will happen. At the same time he uses the classic elements of his own dark horror then flips pieces around to become strange allies and other pieces to emphasize the evilness of his villain in a strange harmony of wicked souls.
"The Monkey's Paw" is a very dark version of the fairy tales “The Three Wishes“ or "The Fisherman and the Fish". It explores that even though you may consider that you have all you want magic isn't to be trifled with, that life can change to the bad in an instant and that may be you should listen to the warnings of your friends even if they may just be acquaintances.
And the only other one that I want to point out is "The Moonlit Road". What I enjoyed the most was that even, though, it was one of the longest it was since the story was told by three characers who were all related and telling the same story. It is eerie in its own right but at the same time a bit more tragic than the others.
All in all they were decent stories if you don't mind the older horror types but for me they weren't my cup of tea.
December 10, 2020
Full of short ghost stories 👻
This book was okay, nothing that unnerved me or made me feel scared, it’s just your typical small scale hauntings!
This book was okay, nothing that unnerved me or made me feel scared, it’s just your typical small scale hauntings!
October 31, 2022
Utter whiplash to read this on the heels of Yoko Ogawa's Revenge. Too many over-written stories by men, only one by a woman. Almost noped out when Bram Stoker named his character Malcolm Malcolmson in "The Judge's House." (Not gonna lie, I skipped that one.) Things improved a little bit with Ambrose Bierce and the other early-20th century writers, but only to the point that it was a tolerable read. I just lost all patience for 18th and 19th century prose, it seems, and I was so worn out by it by the time I got to the 20th century, it soured the whole book for me. No great loss: I picked it up at the beginning of the month at a used book sale and left it in a little free library earlier today for someone else to enjoy.
March 15, 2019
I was really looking forward to this book by a number of classic authors and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. I recognize however that most of these are super old and were groundbreaking at the time but I just couldn't help but want more. Perhaps if the title was "good, old ghost stories" I would be giving them an extra star. 3.5 at the very most because I hadn't read almost any of these and I definitely did not dislike them.
May 5, 2023
in their time, the late 1800s, these stories would have been mediocre (some) and good (not very good) some. For today's reader, unfortunately, they are rather lame, many even boring. Furthermore, the writing style of the age, with endless sentences 5 lines long and endless expositions for a little twist are just tiring.
The only one still holding its ground was, for me, "The Monkey Paw" - WW Jacobs.
The only one still holding its ground was, for me, "The Monkey Paw" - WW Jacobs.
November 14, 2018
Copyright 1992. This is a Dover Thrift Edition. They have classic stories of fiction, non fiction & plays. This grouping happens to be of 10 ghost stories, written between 1864 & 1912.Some famous authors contributing are Bram Stoker, Charles Dickens, Ambrose Bierce & MR James.
Some are more interesting than others. All are entertaining. Best thing about this book? It was only $1!
Some are more interesting than others. All are entertaining. Best thing about this book? It was only $1!
January 7, 2023
I read this collection of short stories in October to get in the Halloween mood. My favorite was "The Judge's House" by Bram Stoker. Other favorites were "The Monkey's Paw", "Bone to his Bone" and "The Phantom Coach." Overall all the stories were entertaining and I like the stories were 10 to 15 pages.
October 7, 2018
It's interesting to compare older, classic-type ghost stories to modern ones. There's quite a difference. These felt like just as I was starting to get creeped out, they would end suddenly and that was it. However, I did enjoy seeing into trends of the past.
October 24, 2021
very interesting
some stories were a bit boring but a few of them really got under my skin and freaked me out.
I had no idea there was a story by Bram Stoker in here until I got to it, it was so good.
A short fun spooky read for October, I ain't mad about it
some stories were a bit boring but a few of them really got under my skin and freaked me out.
I had no idea there was a story by Bram Stoker in here until I got to it, it was so good.
A short fun spooky read for October, I ain't mad about it
June 20, 2025
Took me a long time to finally finish this book. This is not a book to read awhile, stop and continue reading again (for me) due to the language. The short stories are good in generally and as usual, kinda short.
December 14, 2025
You'll like at least one of these, all very different, though all very classic in their course. I'm not much a fan of the Dickens one, but The Phantom Coach and Bone to His Bone are probably my favorites for opposite reasons.
Good for Mignola fans!
Good for Mignola fans!
May 23, 2018
Some of the stories were very creepy, one or two actually chilling. Overall a nice little collection everyone should own. For the price you can't go wrong
June 11, 2020
This was a really fun read! Short, creepy stories, without scaring me to death.
November 20, 2020
great little book of old ghost tales. glad i fount it.
November 27, 2020
These old-time authors really know how to creep you out, without relying on shock scares.
October 26, 2021
This is a great little book with fun stories. The latter are the best including Bram Stoker's, W. W. Jacobs's, and E. F. Benson's stories. It is not exhaustive but it is a great little read.
February 6, 2022
A fun collection of Victorian/Edwardian ghost stories. Most were familiar to me, but a couple I’d not read before.
October 11, 2022
A decent selection; slanted heavily towards the mildly spooky kind of ghost story, rather than the upsetting or genuinely scary, which is just as well.
October 25, 2022
Great little collection. The E.G. Swain story was my favorite.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews