The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James

The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James is a compendium of stories by the English medievalist and author M. R. James (1862–1936) first published in 1931, which gathers together all but four of his ghost stories which had not yet been published:

• “The Experiment”
• “The Malice of Inanimate Objects”
• “A VignetteGhost story by M. R. James, first published in 1936, about a semi-autobiographical episode in James's early life.“
• “The Fenstanton Witch”

Despite the book’s title, James’s stories veer more towards horror than ghostly apparitions, embellished by his inclusion of footnotes and genuine bibliographical references, lending an aura of authenticity.^[1]

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 Lad’Ghost 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.“
• “A School StoryGhost story by M. R. James, first published in 1911, about the mysterious disappearance of a school teacher.“
• “The Rose GardenGhost story by M. R. James, first published in 1911, about a spirit released by the removal of a post during the construction of a rose garden.“
• “The Tractate MiddothGhost story by M. R. James, first published in 1911, about a disputed inheritance and the long-dead clergyman who guards his last will and testament.“
• “Casting the RunesHorror story by M. R. James, first published in 1911, about the revenge of an author on the reviewer who rejects his paper on alchemy.“
• “The Stalls of Barchester CathedralGhost story by M. R. James, first published in 1910.“
• “Martin’s CloseGhost story by the English medievalist and author M. R. James, first published in 1911. It centres on the trial of the local squire about 200 years earlier, accused of murdering a young woman who several witnesses claimed to have seen after her death.“
• “Mr Humphreys and His InheritanceGhost story by M. R. James, first published in 1911, about a strange maze and temple on a recently inherited estate in Wiltshire.“
• “The Residence at Whitminster”
• “The Diary of Mr PoynterGhost story by M. R. James, first published in 1919, about an apparently possessed scrap of chintz, said to be a memorial to the hair of a 17th-century nobleman.“
• “An Episode of Cathedral History”
• “The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance”
• “Two Doctors”
• “The Haunted Dolls’ HouseHorror story by M. R. James published in 1925, about the contents of a doll's house that come to life.“
• “The Uncommon Prayer-BookHorror story by M. R. James published in 1925, about the theft of a number of prayer-books repeatedly found to be open at a particular psalm, despite being stored in a locked and disused church.“
• “A Neighbour’s Landmark”
• “A View from a Hill”
• “A Warning to the CuriousHorror story by M. R. James first published in 1925, about the events following the discovery of an Anglo-Saxon crown.“
• “An Evening’s Entertainment”
• “Wailing Well”
• “There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard”
• “Rats”
• “After Dark in the Playing Fields”