Count Magnus And Other Ghost Stories

My grandfather, my father’s father, attended Eton College before the Second World War, leaving there for Sandhurst when he was seventeen. During his time at school he got to know M. R. James, who was provost until his death in the summer of 1936. Grandfather was among the successive waves of boys th......more

M.R. James loved to tell ghost stories around the fire, apparently a Christmas tradition in England during the Victorian Period, and someone wisely suggested that he put several of the spookiest ones into book form. Thus, we have "Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories", published by Penguin Classics,......more

Individual ratings: Canon Alberic's Scrapbook - 3.5 stars Lost Hearts - 2 stars The Mezzotint - 3 stars The Ash-Tree - 3 stars Number 13 - 3.5 stars Count Magnus - 2 stars 'Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad' - 2.5 stars The Treasure of Abbot Thomas - 3.75 stars A School Story - 4 stars The Rose Ga......more

Great classic ghost stories with some witchy vibes and unexpected twists. Some notable stories for me were The Mezzotint, The Ash Tree, Count Magnus, and The Tractate Middot.......more

There are better, more "reasonably" annotated collections available now, which showcase the absolute genius of M.R. James. But at the time of its publication, this Penguin volume was the only one of its kind. The erudite and somewhat angry notes from Joshi had helped a lot in understanding some of t......more