The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce (Penguin Classics)

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He changes with the styles in fiction but he never goes out of fashion.


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He is the really permanent citizen of the earth, for mortals, at best, are but transients. With a thoughtful introduction, and helpful notes, Newton places the stories contextually within the genre and elucidates the changing nature of the ghost story and how we interpret it. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1, 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.

A thrilling new collection of the greatest supernatural tales This definitive and wide-ranging collection brings together some of the best ghost stories ever written. With stories from America, Ireland, and England, this volume includes all of the works that define the genre, from its beginning to its apex.

Weaving in details about individual authors and their most famous tales, Michael Newton's absorbing introduction explores the ghost story's history and influences, as well as its changing nature and the reasons for its ongoing popularity.


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Phantom coaches, evil familiars, shadowy houses, spectral children and mysterious doppelgngers haunt this terrifying new selection of ghost stories. Bringing together the best works from the masters of the supernatural, these are stories that defined the genre. They range from the famous, such as M. However, my very favorite ghost story of all was not included: Oscar Wilde's "The Canterville Ghost"; it induced no goosebumps, but is laugh out loud hilarious, Oscar at his most playful and ticklish.

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This is a book I never read from beginning to end; instead, I take it off my books-shelf around Halloween time and read a couple of the stories each year. I have now finished the last two stories I had not read, and they were great, particularly the one by Edith Wharton called "Afterword", so overall I recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys some atmospheric, goth-like ghost tales.

As collections go, it's pretty much a class act.

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Mar 18, Matt Hickey rated it it was amazing. You guys know what kick ass? They're the oldest form of storytelling, the most workmanlike, and the most consistent. No matter how old they are and some of these stories are at least years old they still manage to produce the same effect as an episode of American Horror Story or films like The Happening.

But my favorite thing about ghost stories are what they reveal about the time they're written. What was strange and scary then is not necessarily strange and scary now, and You guys know what kick ass? What was strange and scary then is not necessarily strange and scary now, and this can sometimes provide unintentional comedy.

Take for instance Sheridan Le Fanu's "Green Tea" which warns about the supernatural effects of caffeine, which this story posits could manifest as a ghost monkey that floats, speaks, and goads the caffeinated into committing suicide. And I do want to see that Starbucks lawsuit. Totally fun, scary and occasionally hilarious. Oct 22, Molly rated it really liked it. I liked some of the stories in this book quite a bit, but a few of them dragged on and were not very entertaining. There were a lot of great authors and some of the classics were incredibly enjoyable, such as "The Monkey's Paw".

I recommend it, but I also recommend skipping some of the stories if you're not dead set on reading the entire thing. View all 7 comments. Oct 23, Didier Goossens rated it really liked it. I actually had to read this book for a class, so as requested by the professor, I only read a couple of them I'll elaborate on which in the future ; but for now, I can say that Newton who is actually one of my professors and who gave me the lecture on his own book!


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Oct 27, Ali rated it really liked it. I bought this book a little while ago — fully intending to read it during Halloween week. I do however find that these kind of old fashioned ghost stories to be strangely cosy and absol I bought this book a little while ago — fully intending to read it during Halloween week. I do however find that these kind of old fashioned ghost stories to be strangely cosy and absolutely perfect for reading on dark chilly evenings in late Autumn. Well of course — as with any collection of short stories there are some which I enjoyed more than others.

All the other stories though are wonderfully readable, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. It was coming up very fast, and quite noiselessly; the snow being nearly a foot deep under the wheels. And now the body of the vehicle became distinctly visible behind the lamps. It looked strangely lofty. A sudden suspicion flashed upon me. Was it possible that I had passed the crossroads in the dark without observing the sign-post, and could this be the very coach which I had come to meet? I generally come down on the side of talking about some I liked most.

A perfect opening to this collection it is the story of cold wintery weather, footprints in the snow and windswept fens, eerie organ music and ghostly apparitions. A feckless young man betroths himself to a young woman, who pledges that even in death she will love him. When the young man throws her over, the broken hearted young girl is driven to desperate measures.

The boy is claiming to have heard strange moaning noises coming from some local ruins. I would certainly recommend this collection to those who enjoy these kinds of old fashioned chillers, they are perfect winter evening reading.

Jan 22, Libby rated it liked it Shelves: The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories contains, as the forward warns, classics of the genre, excluding those stories that are still under copyright no Poe and those that are too lengthy to be included in a book of short fiction. All in all, a varied and largely satisfying collection of North American and British tales from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Non-spoilery comments on individual stories below: Edwards Interesting and misdirecting, though you'll see the supernatural bit coming several miles off.

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But the boy's request of his father is not of one scared out of his senses, but a young man determined to save a suffering soul. Jacobs A rightly famous story, and the only one I had read before. A cautionary story about not messing wit with fate. One of the few where I didn't see the particulars of the twist coming. James Deliciously creepy story of a skeptic on golf holiday and the mysterious artifact he finds in a Templar ruin. Fabulous characterization, wonderfully atmospheric. This didn't work for me as well as the conceit might have. There's a wonderful payoff for a seed planted early in the story.

A short but fairly enjoyable read. Usually with these compilations, I end up giving a lower rating than is necessarily deserved because one can't help feeling drained by the end. Even someone as enthusiastic as me can only stand so many ghost stories before they yearn for something else. Notwithstanding the fact that I have been reading several things simultaneously anyway, I must give credit to Cuddon, the editor and compiler of this book, where credit is greatly due.

Do not let t A short but fairly enjoyable read. Do not let the cheesy, pulpesque cover fool you: I mean, sure, they are all American or European largely British , but while there are a few bigger names - your beloved Jamess, several of them, as well as my favoruite Irish yarner, Le Fanu - there were many that I had not heard of before. I thought I would probably skip a few out of recent familiarity.

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Cuddon takes what I thought was an unusual road, bypassing the way of snobbery and including amongst his many nineteenth century tales, a few good modern ones as well. This is what made this book significantly more enjoyable to me. Five-hundred-plus pages of ghosts should have gotten stale by the mark.

Instead, every new story was an exhiliratingly fresh experience. Also, while the greater number of stories here still racked up an average three stars from me, the book entire gets an extra point for the fact that, contrary to the norm, there were not just one or two, but several stories here that actually scared me. I mean, one actually gave me nightmares. Many a time this book elicited an actual shudder from me.

Being a fairly desensitized ghost lore fanatic, that was a special and rare bonus indeed. In short this collection is one of the best I have read in a long time. I chose well for my Halloween reading this year. Wow, I remembered so very little this re-read from the last which was, granted, nigh on two decades ago.

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The two stories that did stir memories, though faint, are likely the ones I will continue to remember, Ann Bridge's "The Buick Saloon" and Marghanita Laski's "The Tower", both for the unflinching cruelty done to the heroines. I've come to believe that ghost stories at their best are allegories for the terrible meanness of fate, though even so I do rather like tales such as Joan Aiken's "Son Wow, I remembered so very little this re-read from the last which was, granted, nigh on two decades ago. I've come to believe that ghost stories at their best are allegories for the terrible meanness of fate, though even so I do rather like tales such as Joan Aiken's "Sonata For Harp And Bicycle," which showcase a delightful British pragmatism even as it allows for the worst.

I also thought it interesting that stories I know would have thrilled me when younger such as Edith Wharton's "Afterward" now just seem a bit much. An excellent cross section of supernatural tales spanning about a hundred years. Not as exhaustive a survey as the two Oxford collections this one concentrates on some of the best samples or rather the most literary ones.

The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories

The introduction begins with an interesting discussion of the rise of short form writing, starting with Poe. And the tastes of Dickens as editor, when he accepting many ghost stories in periodicals he edited. I found this really interesting. Of all the books about supernatural s An excellent cross section of supernatural tales spanning about a hundred years. Of all the books about supernatural stories I've read I've never thought much about the practical, publishing side of things. The introduction than goes on to the purposes of the ghost story. This part is well written without disenchanting the stories themselves.

May 31, Janith Pathirage rated it really liked it. I finished 'The north mail' or 'The phantom mail' by Amella. I think I've read this before some long time ago.