M. R. James (Montague Rhodes James) was a noted British medieval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905-1918), and of Eton College. He is best remembered today for his ghost stories, which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. As a medieval scholar, his output in that field was phenomenal and remains highly respected in scholarly circles.
The success of his antiquarian ghost-stories is rooted in his life as an antiquary. Many of his stories revolve around the discovery of an old book or other antiquarian object that somehow calls down the wrath, or at least the unwelcome attention, of a supernatural menace, usually from beyond the grave.
James' most important and well-known works are those collected in Ghost Stories of an Antiquary and its sequel, More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary.
A word of warning: Despite his suggestion in an essay that writers should employ reticence in their work, many of James' tales depict scenes and images of savage and often disturbing violence. Stories included in this collection are:
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"I'm a horror story fan. I also love the language of the classics. MR James gave me both of these loves in Ghost Stories. His subtle hintings of horror to come mixed with his "so very human" and everyday foundational set-up serve delicious feasts of language, delivering ghost stories that certainly satisfy. I want to read it again!" — Deb (5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm a horror story fan. I also love the language of the classics. MR James gave me both of these loves in Ghost Stories. His subtle hintings of horror to come mixed with his "so very human" and everyday foundational set-up serve delicious feasts of language, delivering ghost stories that certainly satisfy. I want to read it again!"
" Loved this. A nice surprise since the books you usually find for kindle for free are a little lame. However, this was an absorbing read and sent shivers up my spine. Reminds me very much of a good Lovecraft story :) "
" Pretty good ghost stories... It's great. "
" OMG!!!!!i waz feaked out:-s.........dat 2 totally...my advice if u ever come across this, read it in daylight coz in d night it sends shivers down ur spine....but it waz interesting.....kinda u can say but i wud definitely lyk 2 keep away frm dis book...): "
" Okay horror stories with a couple of good ones but just average. "
" 12 of the least scary "ghost" stories you will ever read. "
" Fantastic old Ghost Stories! "
" M.R. James just writes the best ghost stories. Great historical details, great foreshadowing, fussy narrators, and his ghosts are so physical, threatening, and unexplained. "
" Okay. Ghost stories are nice, but these are a bit dry and sometimes ridiculous. I was disappointed, but it's fairly good. "
" Master of the genre. Probably the best-known "classic English" ghost stories written. Includes such gems as "The Mezzotint." While I greatly admire James, none of these particular tales make my list of all-time favorite ghost stories. "
" I LOVED ''number 13'' the most it is the scariest story I've ever read.. "
" Included many of my favourite James ghost stories. It's impossible to pick an overall favourite, but I'm very into Lost Hearts at the moment, having recently discussed it in our podcast. "
" These were delightful. Creepy, yes, but also witty. I chortled several times at his descriptions of boring conversations (usually golf related). Just be prepared to encounter a myriad of archaic words, though these tales do hold up well otherwise. "
" If not the most important book of ghost stories in the English language, certainly one of the most important. "
" Best ghost stories in history, in my book. Do yourself a favor and read it. "
" One of the great classic collections of gothic literature. Still with the ability to chill. "
" M.R. James is the best storyteller of all times. Even better than Oscar, I must say! "
" I followed each story with a listen to the associated episode of A Podcast To The Curious. A most enjoyable experience. "
" Story structures are a little weak. Machen and Lovecraft are much better at telling a compelling story. There were several gimmicks to maintain suspense by withholding information from the reader that were bush-league. "
" These stories probably feel a bit naive to the modern reader who's been exposed to several generations of their successors, but here we're looking at the very seed of this genre. Definitely more unsettling than scary, but still very much worth the read. "
" I love M.R.James's ghost stories. They have a terrific sense of place and chill the spine by playing on your imagination rather than by bombarding you with gruesome detail "
" Amazing.Excellent short stories. "
" Classic ghost stories. In the public domain, with a free electronic copy here. "
" Only listened to a few chapters, but it was so boring! It could have been the person that was reading it, though. No inflection in their voice. "
" I decided to read this because of the story "Casting the Runes." It's the basis for one of my favorite horror movies, Curse of the Demon. This story and the others were a pleasant surprise--shivery ghost stories with overtones of Lovecraft and Poe. "
" I have a paperback, Penguin Short stories, version of this and it's very very good. Definitely a continuation of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary," but not any less chilling. "
" A friend turned me on to M.R. James. These are great. I love when a ghost story can actually give you chills and/or plant imagery in your mind. These tales are truly classic and M.R. James is a find! "
M. R. James (1862–1936) was an English medieval scholar and provost of King’s College, Cambridge and Eton College. He is best remembered for his ghost stories, which redefined the genre. He abandoned the many gothic clichés of his predecessors and opted for more realistic, contemporary settings. His characters and plots, however, reflected his own antiquarian interests. Accordingly, he is known as the originator of the “antiquarian ghost story.”
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