![Book Cover of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary](/image/book/ghost-stories-of-an-antiquary.webp)
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary' Summary
An English tourist in a small, rural town in the South of France discovers an ancient manuscript with a strange illustration on the last page. A young orphan is sent to live with his elderly cousin, a secretive man who is obsessed with immortality. A picture that tells stories that change according to who is viewing it.
These and other delicious, goose bump evoking tales are part of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by Montague R James. A master of his craft, MR James was an academic and administrator of King's College, Cambridge and later of Eton. His eerie tales are unique in their subtlety and the sheer horror they evoke long after you've finished reading them. He also gave a new perspective to the clichéd ghost story of the Victorian Gothic genre and used more realistic and believable plots and settings. Most of his stories are based on things that he himself was interested in: old books and manuscripts, ancient houses and medieval history.
James was also a talented actor who produced and acted in several plays. He was also a classical scholar and his stories are often full of references to ancient writers and books. Apart from his work in the realm of the supernatural, James was a true academician with hundreds of scholarly works to his credit.
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary was the first volume of chilling tales that he wrote. Published in 1904, the book was a compilation of tales that were written to be read aloud round a fireside on Christmas Eve. James has a very light touch with the horror and bizarre elements while he describes the ordinary and mundane aspects in great detail. It is this which allows the real horror underlying everyday events to work their way into the reader's consciousness and create an atmosphere of evil and foreboding. His ghosts are truly evil, and he meant them to be “malevolent and odious” as he didn't believe in amiable specters!
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1904Author
![Montague R. James image](/thumbs/image/author/montague-r-james.webp)
Montague R. James
England
Montague Rhodes James was an English author, medievalist scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was Vice-Chancellor of the Univer...
More on Montague R. JamesDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
![The Cloak, The Overcoat Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/book-cover-of-the-cloak.webp)
The Cloak, The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol
"The Overcoat" is a short story by Ukrainian-born Russian author Nikolai Gogol, published in 1842. The story and its author have had great influence o...
![Kashtanka Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/book-cover-of-kashtanka.webp)
Kashtanka by Anton Chekhov
The story follows the life of a small, scrappy dog named Kashtanka, who is owned by a young girl named Lidochka. Kashtanka is a loyal and devoted comp...
![The Jolly Corner Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-jolly-corner.webp)
The Jolly Corner by Henry James
"The Jolly Corner" is a short story by Henry James published first in the magazine The English Review of December 1908. One of James' most noted ghost...
![Orpheus in Mayfair and Other Stories and Sketches Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/orpheus-in-mayfair-and-other-stories-and-sketches.webp)
Orpheus in Mayfair and Other Stories and Sketches by Maurice Baring
What if Orpheus had come to London instead of Hades? In Orpheus in Mayfair and Other Stories and Sketches, Maurice Baring brings together a collectio...
![The Ice-Maiden: and Other Tales Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-ice-maiden-and-other-tales.webp)
The Ice-Maiden: and Other Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
"The Ice-Maiden" is an 1861 literary fairy tale by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. The first English translation was published by King and...
![The Smoking Leg and Other Stories Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-smoking-leg-and-other-stories.webp)
The Smoking Leg and Other Stories by John Metcalfe
It is a captivating collection of short stories that will transport young readers into a world of mystery, imagination, and adventure. Written by the...
![Prelude Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/prelude.webp)
Prelude by Katherine Mansfield
Prelude is a short story by Katherine Mansfield. It was first published by the Hogarth Press in July 1918, after Virginia Woolf encouraged her to fini...
![The Parenticide Club Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-parenticide-club.webp)
The Parenticide Club by Ambrose Bierce
This is a gripping collection of short stories that explores the darker aspects of human nature and the consequences of committing the ultimate taboo:...
![The Beckoning Fair One Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-beckoning-fair-one.webp)
The Beckoning Fair One by Oliver Onions
A classic ghost story of a haunted house, and the haunted man who lives in it.
![Boule de Suif Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/boule-de-suif.webp)
Boule de Suif by Guy de Maupassant
Boule de Suif, translated variously as Dumpling, Butterball, Ball of Fat, or Ball of Lard, is a famous short story by the late 19th-century French wri...
Reviews for Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
No reviews posted or approved, yet...