Ghost Stories of an Antiquary

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary is a collection of short stories by the English medievalist and author M. R. James (1862–1936), first published in 1904. Some later editions of James’s second collection of ghost stories, More Ghost StoriesCollection of seven short stories by the English medievalist and author M. R. James, first published in 1911. (1911) include those in this collection.^[1]

As James explains in his preface, the eight stories contained in the book are intended to make their readers “feel pleasantly uncomfortable when walking along a solitary road at nightfall, or sitting over a dying fire in the small hours”.^[2]

Despite the book’s title, the stories veer more towards horror than ghostly apparitions, with James adding an aura of authenticity by including footnotes and genuine bibliographical references.^[2]

Contents

• “Canon Alberic’s Scrap-BookHorror story by M. R. James, first published in 1895, about a demon depicted in a picture coming to life.“
• “Lost HeartsHorror story by M. R. James, first published in 1895, about a man who believes that he can obtain magical powers by consuming the hearts of three people under the age of twenty-one.“
• “The MezzotintHorror story by M. R. James, first published in 1904, about an engraving that changes every time it is looked at.“
• “The Ash-treeGhost story by M. R. James, published in 1904, about the vengeance of a witch against her accuser.“
• “Number 13Horror story by M. R. James, first published in 1904, about a hotel room that only exists during the hours of darkness.“
• “Count MagnusHorror story by M. R. James, first published in 1904, about the death of a travelogue writer who inadvertently releases two demons from the sarcophagus of Count Magnus.“
• “‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My LadGhost story by M. R. James published in 1904, about a mysterious whistle found on a beach in Suffolk.‘”
• “The Treasure of Abbot ThomasHorror story by M. R. James, first published in 1904, about a treasure guarded by creatures of the night.“

Adaptations

Several of the stories have been adapted and televised by the BBC, which has filmed “Whistle and I’ll Come to You” twice, first in 1968.^[3] “Lost Hearts”, “The Treasure of Abbot Thomas” and “The Ash Tree” have been featured in the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas series, broadcast between 1971 and 1978.^[4] “Count Magnus” was adapted for television as an episode of A Ghost Story for Christmas broadcast in 2022.^[5]

See also

• M. R. James bibliographyList of the works written by M. R. James.