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A Thin Ghost and Others is a horror short story collection by British writer M. R. James, published in 1919. It was his third short collection. "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance" and "An Episode of Cathedral History" had been previously published in The Cambridge Review in 1913 and 1914 respectively; the other stories were first published in this collection.[1]
 | |
| Author | M. R. James |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Horror |
| Publisher | Edward Arnold |
Publication date | 1919 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Preceded by | More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary |
| Followed by | A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories |
Several stories in this collection are part of what critic Michael Kellermeyer describes as James' "puzzle-story phase," consisting of oblique tales that require an unusual amount of interpretation.[2]
"An Episode of Cathedral History" has been seen as a sequel or companion piece to James' earlier story "Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book", which features a similar creature.[3]
Contents of the original edition
edit- "The Residence at Whitminster"
- "The Diary of Mr Poynter"
- "An Episode of Cathedral History"
- "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance"
- "Two Doctors"
References
edit- ^ Jones, Darryl (2011). "Explanatory Notes". Collected Ghost Stories by M. R. James. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 451, 453. ISBN 978-019-956884-0
- ^ Kellermeyer, Michael (21 December 2021). "M. R. James' The Story of a Disappearance & an Appearance: A Two-Minute Summary & Literary Analysis". oldstyletales.com/. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
The story is certainly one of James' more opaque and confusing: he was just about to launch into his puzzle-story phase – his first was "A School Story," but the likes of "Two Doctors," "An Evening's Entertainment," "The Diary of Mr Poynter," "The Residence at Whitminster," and "A Neighbour's Landmark," were soon to follow.
- ^ Jones, Darryl (2011). "Explanatory Notes". Collected Ghost Stories by M. R. James. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 452."'Cathedral History's' demon is female (as opposed to its male counterpart in 'Canon Alberic')."ISBN 978-019-956884-0
- "A Guide to Supernatural Fiction". Archived from the original on 19 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
- Tuck, Donald H. (1974). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent. p. 240.
Sources
edit- "M.R. James: free web books, online". Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
External links
edit
The full text of A Thin Ghost and Others at Wikisource- An omnibus collection of James's short fiction at Standard Ebooks
A Thin Ghost And Others public domain audiobook at LibriVox
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