{"title":"Books by M. R. James","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780099560562","title":"Ghost Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cb\u003eMalignant forces and supernatural visitors haunt these superbly spooky tales, selected and introduced by Ruth Rendell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eM. R. James wrote his ghost stories to entertain friends on Christmas Eve, and they went on to both transform and modernize a genre. James harnesses the power of suggestion to move from a recognizable world to one that is indefinably strange, and then unforgettably terrifying. Sheets, pictures, carvings, a doll's house, a lonely beach, a branch tapping on a window—ordinary things take on more than a tinge of dread in the hands of the original master of suspense. James's prescription for his ghost stories was to \"let the ominous thing put out its head, unobtrusively at first, and then more insistently, until it holds the stage.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201398997170,"sku":"9780099560562","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099560562_de58c662-3490-451c-a4b8-bd02c4770aa2.jpg?v=1786010980"},{"product_id":"9780199674893","title":"Collected Ghost Stories","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.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43201518895282,"sku":"9780199674893","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57688197955957,"sku":"9780198797364","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780198797364.jpg?v=1792686118"},{"product_id":"9780143039396","title":"Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe only annotated edition of M. R. James’s writings currently available\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCount Magnus and Other Ghost Stories\u003c\/i\u003e contains the entire first two volumes of James’s ghost stories, \u003ci\u003eGhost Stories of an Antiquary \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eMore Ghost Stories of an Antiquary\u003c\/i\u003e. These volumes are both the culmination of the nineteenth-century ghost story tradition and the inspiration for much of the best twentieth-century work in this genre. Included in this collection are such landmark tales as “Count Magnus,” set in the wilds of Sweden; “Number 13,” a distinctive tale about a haunted hotel room; “Casting the Runes,” a richly complex tale of sorcery that served as the basis for the classic horror film Curse of the Demon; and “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad,” one of the most frightening tales in literature. The appendix includes several rare texts, including “A Night in King’s College Chapel,” James’s first known ghost story.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56225142636917,"sku":"9780143039396","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780143039396_a13b09d5-08c7-4329-817b-f24e32711201.jpg?v=1786011532"},{"product_id":"9780143039921","title":"The Haunted Doll's House and Other Ghost Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eStories by a visionary master of supernatural fiction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVolume two of this annotated edition of M. R. James's complete writings brings together tales from his final two works, \u003ci\u003eA Thin Ghost and Others\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eA Warning to the Curious\u003c\/i\u003e. In these stories, James continues his fearsome transformation of the ghost story from its nineteenth-century heritage, drawing upon his deep knowledge of medieval history and biblical curiosa. This edition features a number of little-known tales that have rarely been assembled, including “The Fenstation Witch,” presented here for the first time in a corrected text, a new translation of “Twelve Medieval Ghost Stories,” and a number of James’s essays.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEdited and with an introduction and notes by S. T. Joshi.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePenguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56225292321141,"sku":"9780143039921","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780143039921_66d47d2a-edce-4590-b8a6-45f47cd15311.jpg?v=1786011544"},{"product_id":"9780241520703","title":"Penguin Readers Level 3: Ghost Stories (ELT Graded Reader)","description":"\u003cb\u003ePenguin Readers\u003c\/b\u003e is an \u003cb\u003eELT graded reader\u003c\/b\u003e series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and \u003cb\u003elanguage learning exercises\u003c\/b\u003e, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online.\u003cp\u003eTitles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to \u003cb\u003ebestselling authors and compelling content\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (\u003cb\u003eCEFR\u003c\/b\u003e). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGhost Stories, a Level 3 Reader, is A2 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing first conditional, past continuous and present perfect simple for general experience. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA strange whistle, a dangerous curse, a buried crown and a hotel without a room 13.  Don't read these four frightening ghost stories by M.R. James late at night!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eVisit the Penguin Readers website\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56230132121973,"sku":"9780241520703","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780241520703_8aba2657-b8b9-469c-b650-11b8d8d3c3cb.jpg?v=1786012306"},{"product_id":"9780241746745","title":"The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral","description":"\u003cb\u003e90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are many great English ghost stories, but they appear flimsy and emotionally spectral compared to the works of M.R. James. This selection gives the reader a flavour of his strange gifts. 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And what is it that terrible \u003ci\u003ething\u003c\/i\u003e stalking about in the dolls’ house?","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56231835107701,"sku":"9780241746745","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780241746745_89800feb-a4b1-44d2-b26d-787c3306e1a2.jpg?v=1786012223"},{"product_id":"9780987367822","title":"The Five Jars","description":"\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56295630963061,"sku":"9780987367822","price":10.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780987367822_28972dae-bb95-426d-b70d-9232fba07766.jpg?v=1786016156"},{"product_id":"9781473663466","title":"Ghosts of Christmas Past","description":"\u003cp\u003eA present contains a monstrous secret.\u003cbr\u003eAn uninvited guest haunts a Christmas party.\u003cbr\u003eA shadow slips across the floor by firelight.\u003cbr\u003eA festive entertainment ends in darkness and screams.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho knows what haunts the night at the dark point of the year? This collection of seasonal chillers looks beneath Christmas cheer to a world of ghosts and horrors, mixing terrifying modern fiction with classic stories by masters of the macabre. From Neil Gaiman and M. R. James to Muriel Spark and E. Nesbit, there are stories here to make the hardiest soul quail - so find a comfy chair, lock the door, ignore the cold breath on your neck and get ready to welcome in the real spirits of Christmas.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301429981557,"sku":"9781473663466","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781473663466_2cb8cb6e-d193-45d4-98bd-6b97bebcceb6.jpg?v=1786020675"},{"product_id":"9781771961257","title":"The Diary of Mr. Poynter","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhile engrossed in an account of the death of a student obsessed with his own hair, a man leans down to absently pet his dog—oblivious of the true nature of the creature crouching beside him. This classic ghost story by M.R. James is a spooky holiday delight.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303489679733,"sku":"9781771961257","price":4.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781771961257_4f3a071d-8f02-45ae-8efe-0426a249cd5b.jpg?v=1786024666"},{"product_id":"9781839647710","title":"M.R. James Ghost Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eM.R. James\u003c\/strong\u003e's celebrated ghost stories resonate still, their chilling narratives drawing us unsuspecting into the deadly shadows. His tales are haunted, bleak disturbances of the soul, carefully crafted from the stuff of human fears. A towering presence in literature, TV and the movies, his work is much admired today. A deluxe edition, this sinister new collection offers many of his most famous tales, with some of the less well known, including: 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad', 'Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book', 'The Mezzotint', 'The Fenstanton Witch', 'The Experiment' and 'Wailing Well'.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eFlame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales \u003c\/strong\u003ecollections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. 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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 ... \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56311640719733,"sku":"9780241341629","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780241341629_bc722ad8-f8e7-49b7-8703-9dea46035eb3.jpg?v=1786012530"},{"product_id":"ghosts-2","title":"Ghosts","description":"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.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSelected from the book \u003ci\u003eGhost Stories \u003c\/i\u003eby M.R. James\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eVINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. 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These tales are not only classics of their genre, but are also superb examples of beautifully-paced understatement, convincing background and chilling terror.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs well as the preface, there is a fascinating tail-piece by M.R. James, ‘Stories I Have Tried To Write’, which accompanies these thirty tales. Among them are ‘Casting the Runes’, ‘Oh, Whistle and I’ll come to you, My Lad’, ‘The Tractate Middoth’, ‘The Ash Tree’ and ‘Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘There are some authors one wishes one had never read in order to have the joy of reading them for the first time. For me, M.R. James is one of these’. 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