The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories (Oxford Books of Prose)

By Michael Cox

Book Overview

With their evocative settings amid mists and shadows, in ruinous houses, on lonely roads and wild moorlands, in abandoned churches and over-grown gardens, ghost stories have long exercised a universal fascination. Here at last is an anthology of some of the very best English ghost stories which combines a serious literary purpose with the plain intention of arousing a pleasurable fear at the doings of the dead.
This selection of forty-two stories, written between 1829 and 1968, is the first to present the full range and vitality of the ghost fiction tradition by demonstrating its historical development as well as its major themes and characteristics. It includes stories by Walter Scott, M. R. James, Bram Stoker, Rudyard Kipling, Edith Wharton, Somerset Maugham and T. H. White.
Elizabeth Bowen suggested that the ghost story works "through a series of happenings whose horror lies in their being just, just, out of time", and the success of a story may be judged by what Edith Wharton called its "thermometrical quality; if it sends a cold shiver down the spine, it has done its job and done it well". The challenge of this most demanding form has been taken up by a host of writers, both 'specialists' like J. S. Le Fanu and Algernon Blackwood, and those, such as Henry James and H. G. Wells, for whom ghost stories were only a part of their literary output. Nor does this collection overlook the important contribution of women writers, with eight stories included from Amelia Edward's The Phantom Ghost (1864) to Elizabeth Bowen's Hand in Glove (1952).

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192141635
• ISBN13: 9780192141637
• Release Date: May 1987
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 522 Pages
• Weight: 1.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Ghostly Collection

Having owned this book for many years, it is a treasured part of my library, and is worth at least one re-reading a year. A fantastic collection of English prose, with the emphasis of stories in the 1880s, which marked the highlight of ghostly literature, in my opinion. Those that prefer insightful and introspective literature dealing with the supernatural will feel right at home, but those of a contemporary ilk that require...

A great book for any classic ghost story fan

This is a great anthology for anyone new to classic ghost literature (or even someone who isn't that new). It's a mixed bag of authors, with a smattering of stories by the obligatory writers as well as a number that are harder to find. It's important to note that these are _classic_ ghost stories - they depend largely on atmosphere and subtlety for their effect, and are often better on the second reading than on the first...

Another nightmarish collection from Gilbert and Cox

The horror genre is cluttered with hackwork, and imitations of hackwork--H.P. Lovecraft seems to have spawned a particularly virulent strain of the latter. However one of its subgenres, i.e. the ghost story seems to attract a better quality of writer--perhaps because a truly frightening tale of the returned dead is so difficult to write. (Believe me, I've tried and after almost half a century of trying, have sold exactly...

An excellent anthology for ghost story fans and newcomers

This anthology, superbly edited and introduced by Michael Cox and R.A. Gilbert, is a great way to begin your library of supernatural fiction. Even the connoisseur will find some rare gems. From the first of the chronologically arranged stories, "The Tapestry Room" by Sir Walter Scott, you'll be intrigued by the incredible variety. Whether you enjoy the swooning Romanticism of Vernon Lee's "A Wicked Voice," the dry restraint...

Ghoulishly Good!

This superb book of classic ghost stories will literally make the hair rise on your arms. These tales are written by some of the world's best literary geniuses (Sir Walter Scott to name one). If you enjoy being spooked without the blood and gore of today's B rated horror book writers, you're guaranteed to love this classic collection!