As a fan of Victorian gothic fiction, this anthology delivers all that it promises. M.R. James is the king of creating a world of unexplainable situations. However, his endings leave the reader with many questions. Thus, when the reader puts the book down, she is left with the pleasant, tingling feeling of fear. If you like understatement and are a Radcliffe or Monk Lewis fan, then give M.R. James a chance.

They are like good poems in being very re-readable. When you've lived with these stories for a while, you may find yourself picking the book up just to savor once again James's description of a Queen Anne house, or his splendid pastiche of a Victorian traveler's notes on a Scandinavian country, or his word-painting of a lonely stretch of sand on the English east coast. Quite a few readers of James have found they "have to" attempt imitations! James doesn't hustle the reader off to the horrors. At the same time his stories are not too refined for their own good.

For several years my daughter and I have made a habit of from time to time gathering all the candles we can muster, lighting them, turn off the electrical lights and reading one of the stories in this collection.

What Conan Doyle is to the detective story, James is to the ghost story. These are not horror stories. No gore is to be found, no monsters, no savagery. One can find a subtle horror, a persistent sense that there are things in this world that we have either forgotten or never discovered.

If one has ever engaged in any historical research on the occult (which I have undertaken as an extreme nonbeliever), one will come across several ancient books and manuscripts in the field that were edited by M. R. James. He was not merely the writer of perfect ghost stories; he was an authority in the field of occult beliefs and practices. This concrete grounding accounts for much of the realistic feel to the researches of many of the characters in his stories.

noone could evre make as much out of the traditional ghost story than MRJ. angles, details, objects. by changing one thing, focusing on something else, etc., james shows the potential in the classic elements. he doesn't stretch it too far, and he doesn't have to. he plays around with subtle changes, but his writing is serious. great descriptions, excellent at details, james is considered the ghost story master by a great many. check out how he carries out the details in Canon Alberic with the mysterios book, the descroptions in Ash-tree, the mysterious lurking fear in Count Magnus, or the plot in Oh whistle.....

M.R. James is one of the greatest writers of ghost stories ever; we all know that. Add Nigel Lambert as reader. I enjoy audio books almost as much as print, but never have I heard such a perfect combination of voice and material as in this collection. Lambert masters accents and voices of every kind. This--and the companion volume," A Warning to the Curious" are an unending delight, well worth the price.

Unlike many writers of today, i.e., Stephen King and other pretenders, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by Montague Rhodes James(Editor), et al are very scary indeed. The story "A school story" and "Oh, Whistle and I'll come to you, my lad" are both very demented. M.R. James strength is his subbtle way of incorporating horror; since it is what we do not see or what we think we hear that is truly frightening. Blood and gore is not scary. However, being in an old basement with a candle that is hardly burning and then hearing a strange sound that will even scare the bravest person; now that is what M.R. James deals with, i.e., the demons inside our heads and the evil that resides around us. I will definetely read more stories written by this genius.

Ghost-story fans will buy this book, no matter how steep the price, because it contains all of Montague Rhodes James's ghost stories, both finished and unfinished, his fantasy novella "The Five Jars," his parody of "Doctor Faustus," all of his commentary on ghostly literature, and much, much more. I shelled out the big bucks when "A Pleasing Terror" was first published by Ash-Tree Press (August, 2001), not because I cared about first editions, but because I had to have this book. It's the only complete collection of Monty's supernatural fiction.

All of the stories are heavily annotated. The Latin tags and obscure scholarly references that pepper Monty's writings are explained for the non-classically-educated reader (most of us I should guess.) And his stories reverberate with his own special brand of horror--a muffled scratching within the tomb--not the gothic bombast of a Poe, or the eyeball-stomping aggression of a Stephen King. The scene in "Count Magnus" where the last padlock falls from the medieval coffin, or the cobwebby face that peers over the assistant librarian's shoulder as he reads from "The Tractate Middoth" are typical Jamesian touches. This Edwardian Prevost of King's College, Cambridge specialized in antiquarian settings, and scholarly heroes who open the wrong book or peer into the wrong sarcophagus.

Some of the most interesting tidbits for M.R. James fanatics can be found in the multiple appendixes to "A Pleasing Terror." Those of us who were lucky enough to subscribe to Rosemary Pardoe's "Ghosts and Scholars" (a journal devoted to M.R. James and his imitators) before it ceased publication after thirty-three editions, will recognize her contributions, most especially in Appendix I: "James Wilson's Secret," and Appendix II: "The Black Pilgrimage."

If this is not enough to satiate true M. R. James addicts, "A Memoir of Montague Rhodes James" by S. G. Lubbock is also included, as is a selected bibliography, and Rosemary Pardoe's "M.R. James on TV, Radio, and Film." I've never seen or heard any of the dramatizations of his stories, as most of them were done in England, but "Night of the Demons (1958)" whose screenplay was 'adapted' from Monty's "Casting the Runes" might have worked its way onto video by now.

Monty fans, "A Pleasing Terror" is 'the' big kahuna. It doesn't get any better than this.

You say you've already got THE COLLECTED GHOST STORIES OF M.R. JAMES? You still don't have it all. There are illustrations and annotations. I like annotations of older books or historical mysteries anyway because they help me to understand social facts or puns, etc. that would otherwise go right over my head because I don't know them. I was particularly pleased with what I learned about "Martin's Close". The annotations helped me to better appreciate a story I always considered a minor effort and rather dull.

You also get:

1. "A Memoir of Montague Rhodes James" by his friend, S. G. Lubbock (1st published in 1939)

2. Some very short pieces that don't appear in the regular collection: "The Experiment", "The Malice of Inanimate Objects" and " A Vignette", as well as story fragments.

3. Those 12 medieval ghost stories that were in in THE BOOK OF GHOST STORIES edited by Peter Haining

4. M. R. James writings about ghost stories

5. Some of his letters to a child that mention the supernatural.

6. THE FIVE JARS! (the book is worth [the money])

7. the amusing "Auditor and Impresario"

8. Appendices: "James Wilson's Secret" [see "Mr. Humphreys and His Inheritance"], "The Black Pilgrimage" ["Count Magnus"], Samuel D. Russell's 1945 article, "Irony and Horror: The Art of M. R. James", "Ghosts in Medieval Yorkshire" [See "12 Medieval Ghost Stories"], an annotated M.R. James Letter, a select bibilography, and a checklist of "M.R. James on TV, Radio, and Film".

Not only did I buy this book for myself when it first came out, but I got another copy to give to my brother that Christmas.

james didn't stretch his stories too far, and he didn't have to. he knew how much could be done with subtle changes. the stories here are written traditionally, but somehow varies. excelolent at details, with an excellent writing style. the stories develops nicely, never flawed.

M. R. James was the master of subtle disquiet. The Victorians loved and perfected the ghost story genre. The unexpected intrusion of the weird and eerie into the carefully structured life of 19th century respectability was a favorite theme in these stories. James' protagonist was usually a discomfited scholar, clergyman or "antiquary," whose well-ordered existence was forever changed by a supernatural encounter.

M.R. James is nothing like Lovecraft, though he did influence H.P.L. in some respects ( though not as much as Dunsany, Blackwood, Machen and others ). James was a master of the subtle, 'antiquarian' ghost story, whereas Lovecraft was more interested in aeon-old daemonic unspeakable horrors and cyclopean eldritch shamblers from unnameable nether pits of cosmic unfathomable darkness, so to speak! He ( Lovecraft ) wrote some effective stories but they don't really bear comparison with those of James, who could elicit more fear in a couple of sentences than H.P.L. could in a whole story.

M.R. James may well be the most famous of early modern ghost/supernatural fiction writers but he certainly isn't the 'father' of the ghost or horror story, nor is he the best, in the opinion of many afficionados. In fact, he himself was directly influenced by the true father of the psychological ghost story, J.Sheridan LeFanu. James openly acknowledged his admiration and debt to LeFanu and those who enjoy James should definitely try reading LeFanu - his 'Best Ghost Stories' published by Dover are also available from Amazon.com and are a must for anyone with an interest in supernatural fiction. There are so many great writers who are the equal of or superior to James who have been unjustly neglected over the years, including Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, Oliver Onions, Robert Aickman, and Fritz Leiber to name just a few. To all who've enjoyed the wonderfully creepy tales of the late provost, I whole-heartedly recommend these sadly forgotten masters of the ghostly tale.

great stories from the master. excellent at details, truly chilling, great descriptions, noone can make as much out of the traditional ghost story. james no that one change is enough to make a completely different story. changing objects, persons, places, angles, james shows the complete potential of the ghost story. built up excellent, these stories are among the best read in horror. lurking evil, suggestive evil, warning of evil, sudden icy touches by ghostly hands. i have read a lot of horror, but james almost startles me. like that scene in the well, i could almost feel a hand on my shoulder.

I will definitely admit that I enjoyed reading this book. Undeniably, Mr. James was an extraordinary writer for his day and age. And I am sure that back then these stories would have been the "bone-chilling terror" that the back of the book promised, but I found that most of the stories in here were not even remotely terrifying. They all had a good build up. A terrific story line and some really interesting ideas, but it was at just that point when you start getting really interested, that the story is suddenly over, and you are left with a somewhat empty feeling, knowing that it could have been better. I would still recommend this book to those who would read it purely for literary enjoyment. However, if you're looking for a good scare, as I was, look elsewhere.

I second most of what "hugh dignon" said below; he hit it on the head. I enjoy few authors more than James. I'm a full-grown, mostly rational, non-squeamish, non-superstitious adult, and these stories make my skin crawl, even on repeat readings.

One small caveat: It might be hard to resist devouring all the stories in a short period of time. Resist and ration them out. First, because these are (nearly?) all the ghost stories he wrote. Second, they're formulaic enough in structure that as you near the end of the book, they start to lose some impact if read all at once.

I've read "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance" four or five times. I still can't follow the plot. It still keeps me awake at night. (Maybe this is because Punch & Judy puppets creep me out). Does anyone else get it?

M.R.James was a master of the British ghost story. In the Victorian and Edwardian eras the ghost story was a very popular genre with some wonderful writers contributing to it. Writers such as Algernon Blackwood, J.S. Le Fanu, H.R. Wakefield, Oliver Onions, Marion Crawford, Henry James and Edith Warton (who both dabbled successfully in the genre), W.W.Jacobs, E.F.Benson, R.H.Malden and E.G.Swain (who were both influenced by James), and William Hope Hodgson produced many ghost stories of merit, but at the top of such an illustrious list should be placed the name of Montague Rhodes James. He wrote short, exquisite stories of ordinary human beings' encounters with the supernatural; all of which exhibit such a disquietingly high level of verisimilitude that he very nearly succeeds in making us believe that the strange events in his stories have actually happened. Because he was a scholar and spent all of his adult life in academia, at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, James was naturally able to inject his stories with an integral element of scholarly detail. They are told in a matter- of-fact, rather dry style and, like an historical text, are peppered with latin phrases and footnotes with bibliographical references. In "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" he even audaciously begins the story with a first paragraph entirely written in latin which, thank God, he translates; though not before his protagonist slyly sighs, "I suppose I shall have to translate this." His protagonists are usually antiquarians; rigid, late-Victorian academics who are not in any way given to flights of fancy. When the type of unimaginative men such as these come across an old etching like "The Mezzotint", or an ancient book like "The Tractate Middoth" or "Canon Alberic's Scrapbook", objects which turn out to be haunted, the reader believes that they indeed are because such protagonists surely lack the imagination to make up such fantastical occurances. James is also a master of subtlety. Unlike horror writers of today who are all too willing to try to shock the reader with sadistic, nauseating, gore-drenched descriptions, James knows how to describe just enough and let the reader's imagination supply the rest. He also lulls the reader into a false sense of security by at first evoking a kind of even-handed normalcy about his characters and settings; so that when the ghost finally makes its appearance it comes as a shock. M.R.James' ghosts are never good. They do not appear to the living to warn them about some impending disaster. At best, they are indifferent to human beings as in "The Mezzotint", "The Haunted Doll's House", or "Number 13" in which the spirits act as if they were in a neverending tape loop. But, for the most part, they are utterly malevolent creatures which actively seek to do harm to the unsuspecting human beings who unknowingly happen to awaken them. Unlike many other ghost story writers of his time, in most of his tales James provides no satisfactory explanation for the ghost's malevolence. He knows that a tidy, pat answer weakens the impact of the anarchic idea that there are unseen forces, usually remaining dormant, which at any time could awaken to inflict harm upon the living. The implications of this idea are truly frightening. Upon finishing one of his stories, the reader is left with a nagging, unnerving suspicion that the events of the story, no matter how strange or "unreal", have actually happened and that James' story is really only a factual accounting of them.

Beware! If you love James or desire to discover him, this new edition of OUP's anthology is not the way to go. A previous and superb OUP edition was edited and annotated by Michael Cox. His fascinating comments are cued by asterisks that are liberally sprinkled throughout the text. In the current version, all the annotations are gone--but the asterisks remain! One can imagine how many readers must be scratching their heads over them. In place of Cox's excellent work, there is an innane introduction by the fashionable novelist Michael Chabon, who tells nothing of James's publications and incredibly little of his life (not even his dates), and explores only one of the stories, persistently misidentifying the protagonist, Parkins, as Parkes. You can't make this stuff up. What was OUP thinking? Why fix something that not only wasn't broken, but was something to be admired? I bought this volume as a gift--it's a handsome hardback--but plan on asking for a refund.

First, about M.R. James:

He is excellent! He is one of the best, most underappreciated voices in horror. Lovecraft admired him. His stories, though old, are quite scary. Also, they are very well written. As Chabon points out in his intro, Poe and Lovecraft weren't the best literary stylists. Most people cite "Oh, Whistle..." as James's best story, but I think I'll vote for "Count Magnus." Certainly all of them are good. More than that, they are REQUIRED reading for anyone who wants to have a basic understanding of horror literature. It is also a hell of a good read.

Second, this edition:

I was greatful to a previous reviewer for explaining the asterisks. There are asterisks without footnotes all over this book, as well as other Oxford University Press books (The Monk). Now we know that these are residue from a previous edition that HAD footnotes. Perhaps you might want to get that version.

However, I take great issue with the disparaging of Michael Chabon's essay on M.R. James. If you don't get the edition with his introduction, I recommend going to the bookstore and reading through it anyway. His comments are very illuminating on James and ghost stories in general.

The art of Dr. James is by no means haphazard, and in the preface to one of his collections he has formulated three very sound rules for
macabre composition. A ghost story, he believes, should have a familiar setting in the modern period, in order to approach closely the
reader's sphere of experience. Its spectral phenomena, moreover, should be malevolent rather than beneficent; since fear is the emotion
primarily to be excited. And finally, the technical patois of 'occultism' or pseudo-science ought carefully to be avoided; lest the charm of
casual verisimilitude be smothered in unconvincing pedantry.
-H.P. Lovecraft

Though less well remembered today than some other authors of Gothic ghost stories--like J. S. [John Sheridan] LeFanu, whose work he
edited, Bram Stoker, and Henry James (no relation), or their successors H.P. Lovecraft, Algernon Blackwood, and the like--M. R. James is
one of the great early horror writers. This story, which concerns a mysterious and unpleasant Mr. Karswell, who takes creepy exception to a
negative review of his book, The Truth of Alchemy, shows off James's talents to good effect, combining genuine scares with a droll wit.
But what makes this edition particularly appealing are the 12 splendid black-and-white drawings by Jeff White--an artist with whom I am not
familiar and about whom I could find nearly nothing on the Web--that accompany the text. This slender volume seems certain to get any
reader looking for more stories by Mr. James and more books illustrated by the estimable Mr. White

GRADE : A

considering the first book (see my review there), in this book james goes a little bit more away from the traditional ghost story elements, using more imagination, and investing more in descriptions of things like gardens and houses, making the stories more of what you could call "interesting", but the horror is not as great, but james is still a master

It's really too bad that this Dover book has gone out of print; while the best introduction to the stories of M.R. James undoubtedly remains the first volume, "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary", this sequel nevertheless contains several characteristically disquieting tales.

The "ghost" designation is a bit misleading, as these stories seldom if ever involve ghosts in the conventional sense. The plots often proceed according to a rough pattern: an ancient entity - usually evil, and always real, never imagined - is invoked, whether deliberately or inadvertently. The entity then stalks a particular person for some time, causing increasing trepidation on the part of the victim as he gradually realizes that he is in deadly peril. It is in the description of this stalking that James is at his most harrowing, and he is very good at it indeed.

Despite this pattern, James is enough of a master at storytelling that one doesn't have the feeling he is simply writing the same story over and over. His scholarship and command of the language are evident throughout the book, and they lend a variety to the telling which would be absent in a lesser writer.

The stories in this volume (with some of my comments in parentheses) are:

- A School Story ("If you don't come to me, I'll come to you.")

- The Rose Garden

- The Tractate Middoth

- Casting the Runes (this was the basis of a quite good 1957 British film, "Curse of the Demon")

- The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral

- Martin's Close

- Mr. Humphries and His Inheritance (the inheritance being the home - complete with maze garden and temple - of an uncle he had never met. But what was the meaning of the elaborately engraved copper globe at the center of the maze, and why had his uncle kept the garden gate padlocked all those years? Mr. Humphries is curious to find out, and so he does...)

In short, not to be missed by fans of the first volume, nor by anyone who likes a good scary tale well told.

This book is more a companion book to the ghost stories. Some of writing you can also get in A PLEASING TERROR, the Ash Tree Press hefty book collecting M. R. James fiction and non-fection writings on the supernatural, but that doesn't have the illustrations you'll find here. There are reproductions of woodcuts and engravings of older supernatural works, illustrations of M.R. James and his works (including some of the illustrations for THE FIVE JARS), and photographs.

Personally, I enjoyed the way Dr. James verbally ripped apart the claim that a certain painting of the Annunciation was the work of a secret Satanist (yes, a picture of the painting is included). There's even a tribute by Christopher Lee. I found this book added to my enjoyment of M. R. James' work. I hope it will do the same for you.