Description
'I was conscious of a most horrible smell of mould, and of a cold kind of face pressed against my own...' Considered by many to be the most terrifying writer in English, M. R. James was an eminent scholar who spent his entire adult life in the academic surroundings of Eton and Cambridge. His classic supernatural tales draw on the terrors of the everyday, in which documents and objects unleash terrible forces, often in closed rooms and night-time settings where imagination runs riot. Lonely country houses, remote inns, ancient churches or the manuscript collections of great libraries provide settings for unbearable menace, from creatures seeking retribution and harm. These stories have lost none of their power to unsettle and disturb. This edition presents all of James's published ghost stories, including the unforgettable 'Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad' and 'Casting the Runes', and an appendix of James's writings on the ghost story. Darryl Jones's introduction and notes provide a fascinating insight into James's background and his mastery of the genre he made his own. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
About the Author
Darryl Jones's other publications include Horror: A Thematic History in Fiction and Film (London: Arnold; New York: OUP, 2002).
Reviews
Arguably the definitive collection by a single writer, this edition collects together all of James' spine-tingling tales in a single volume. From Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad to The Mezzotint, these stories guarantee unbearable horrified suspense. * The New European *
In his introduction to the 2013 Oxford World Classics edition of MR James's Collected Ghost Stories, Darryl Jones cites the story Casting The Runes, in which a Mr Dunning, lying in bed in the dark, gropes for matches under his pillow. * Teddy Jamieson, Sunday Herald (Glasgow) *
They are classics of the genre. He had a brilliant skill for unsettling you and you wake up panting in the night * Reverand Richard Coles, Daily Express *
Book Information
ISBN 9780199674893
Author M. R. James
Format Paperback
Page Count 512
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Series Oxford World's Classics
Weight(grams) 352g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 137mm * 24mm
About the Author
Darryl Jones's other publications include Horror: A Thematic History in Fiction and Film (London: Arnold; New York: OUP, 2002).
Reviews
Arguably the definitive collection by a single writer, this edition collects together all of James' spine-tingling tales in a single volume. From Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad to The Mezzotint, these stories guarantee unbearable horrified suspense. * The New European *
In his introduction to the 2013 Oxford World Classics edition of MR James's Collected Ghost Stories, Darryl Jones cites the story Casting The Runes, in which a Mr Dunning, lying in bed in the dark, gropes for matches under his pillow. * Teddy Jamieson, Sunday Herald (Glasgow) *
They are classics of the genre. He had a brilliant skill for unsettling you and you wake up panting in the night * Reverand Richard Coles, Daily Express *
Book Information
ISBN 9780199674893
Author M. R. James
Format Paperback
Page Count 512
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Series Oxford World's Classics
Weight(grams) 352g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 137mm * 24mm
