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Spine-tingling stories by M. R. James, plus a chilling original drama and two bonus programmes about his life and work M. R. James was the master of the uncanny. His classic supernatural stories have haunted readers for over a century, and been adapted countless times for radio, TV and film. This collection features dramatisations of twelve of his most popular stories - The Mezzotint; Casting the Runes; The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral; A Warning to the Curious; Rats; Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come To You, My Lad; The Tractate Middoth; Lost Hearts; The Rose Garden; Number 13; Martin's Close and Count Magnus. Among the star-studded casts are Mark Gatiss, Derek Jacobi, James D'Arcy, Anton Lesser, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Donald Wolfit. Also included are a trio of readings by Benjamin Whitrow: Canon Alberic's Scrapbook; A School Story and The Haunted Dolls' House. Neil Brand's disturbing drama The Haunting of M. R. James, starring Mark Gatiss and Fenella Woolgar, sees horrific events from James's own stories echoed in reality. The life of M. R. James is discussed by Muriel Gray and Christopher Frayling in an episode of biography series Great Lives, presented by Humphrey Carpenter. Finally, in a fascinating documentary - The Ghosts of M.R. James - Michell Raper examines the author's life and work, with readings from several of his stories.
'Still as the night was, the mysterious population of the distant moonlit woods was not yet lulled to rest' The aim of a good ghost story is to make the blood freeze, pleasurably, and this M. R. James achieves to perfection in these wonderful stories. His most atmospheric settings include English country houses and gardens, the north end of the churchyard, the yew-maze in 'Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance' and the unforgettable train journey in 'Casting the Runes'. To each of these stories he brings an eye for the telling detail, an imaginative twist and a narrative tone that is, at least to begin with, urbane and reassuring ... The Penguin English Library - collectable general readers' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.
Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) was an English author, medievalist scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge, and of Eton College. Though James's work as a medievalist is still highly regarded, he is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are regarded as among the best in the genre. He redefined the ghost story for the new century by abandoning many of the formal Gothic cliches of his predecessors and using more realistic contemporary settings. H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith were admirers of James's work. Michael Sadleir described him as "e;the best ghost-story writer England has ever produced"e;. Paul Theroux refers to "e;The Mezzotint"e; as "e;the most frightening story I know"e;. In his list "e;The 13 Most Terrifying Horror Stories"e;, T. E. D. Klein placed James's "e;Casting the Runes"e; at number one.
A high-pitched laugh echoes in an empty church. Servants discover their master dead in his bed, the only sign of disturbance an open window. The coffin of a woman hanged as a witch is found to be empty. A bed that hasn't been slept in is crumpled and distressed come the morning. A skeletal figure creeps closer and closer to the house where an unsuspecting family lie sleeping. In these chilling tales of the supernatural, M. R. James proves he truly is the master of the ghost story. Selected from the book Ghost Stories by M.R. James VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS. A series of short books by the world's greatest writers on the experiences that make us human Also in the Vintage Minis series: Drinking by John Cheever Summer by Laurie Lee Friendship by Rose Tremain Love by Jeanette Winterson
If you were looking for the Holy Bible of the horror anthologies, consider yourself lucky, because you just found it!Cosmic horror, supernatural events, ghost stories, weird fiction, mystical fantasies, occult narratives, this book plunges you into dark domains and brings you face to face with surreal monstrosities. This first volume of "e;The Greatest Ghost and Horror Stories Ever Written"e; features 30 stories by an all-star cast, including Ambrose Bierce, Algernon Blackwood, Robert W. Chambers, M. R. James, H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Machen, Sheridan Le Fanu, Walter De La Mare, Franz Kafka, Robert E. Howard, John Metcalfe, W. W. Jacobs and Lafcadio Hearn, among many others!
If you were looking for the Holy Bible of the horror anthologies, consider yourself lucky, because you just found it!Cosmic horror, supernatural events, ghost stories, weird fiction, mystical fantasies, occult narratives, this book plunges you into dark domains and brings you face to face with surreal monstrosities. This second volume of "e;The Greatest Ghost and Horror Stories Ever Written"e; features 30 stories by an all-star cast, including Ambrose Bierce, Algernon Blackwood, Robert W. Chambers, M. R. James, H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Machen, Sheridan Le Fanu, Walter De La Mare, Marjorie Bowen, Vincent O'Sullivan, John Metcalfe, Magaret Oliphant and A. M. Burrage, among many others!
You are allowed 3 days...The publication of a mysterious book on the history of witchcraft is at the center of a dark and terrifying mystery. Its a race against time as Edward Dunning must try to unravel the secret of the ancient runes, and a demonic curse placed upon him by the evil Magnus Karswellplayed by legendary film star David Warner (The Omen, Titanic). A classic chiller brought to life in this terrifying adaptation of the M.R. James classic!Cast:David Warner (Karswell), Anthony D.P. Mann (Dunning), Terry Wade (Rhodes), Anne-Marie Bergman (Mme. Somnambula), Steven Spencer (The Professor), Dave Hudson (Cabby #1 / Porter), Nikolas Yuen (Freder / Cabby #2 / The Demon). Music by Brent Holland
A Thin Ghost and Others is M. R. James' third collection of ghost stories, published in 1919. Contents include: "e;The Residence at Whitminster"e; "e;The Diary of Mr Poynter"e; "e;An Episode of Cathedral History"e; "e;The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance"e; "e;Two Doctors"e;
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