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Post by ropardoe on Mar 21, 2017 16:07:46 GMT
I didn't realise we had other Aussies in the Vault. That being the case, we clearly have multiple suspects. I may have been doing James an injustice. (Come to think of it, my sister also lives in Australia and she's an MRJ fan too, so I shall have to question her severely next time I phone.) No matter about anything else, M.R. James is dead! Had he been ill? Anyway, I've warmed to the cover of the recent MacMillan Collector's Library reprint of his Complete Ghost Stories. At 592 pages it seems to be a straightforward reprint of the earlier 2007 edition. Even so, I might buy a copy of the new one for the cover. Sad, really. Yes, but he was doing pretty well for a 155-year-old. I agree about the MacMillan cover: the matching covers in this new reprint series are very tasteful, and I find the colour combination of pale bluey-green (eau-de-Nil???) for the background and pale brown for the lettering rather pleasing on the eye.
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Post by Michael Connolly on Mar 21, 2017 16:19:36 GMT
No matter about anything else, M.R. James is dead! Had he been ill? Anyway, I've warmed to the cover of the recent MacMillan Collector's Library reprint of his Complete Ghost Stories. At 592 pages it seems to be a straightforward reprint of the earlier 2007 edition. Even so, I might buy a copy of the new one for the cover. Sad, really. Yes, but he was doing pretty well for a 155-year-old. I agree about the MacMillan cover: the matching covers in this new reprint series are very tasteful, and I find the colour combination of pale bluey-green (eau-de-Nil???) for the background and pale brown for the lettering rather pleasing on the eye. I haven't actually seen a copy of the new edition yet. I've ordered a copy of the earlier Collector's Library reprint of Dracula, which I also need like a hole in the head.
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Post by Michael Connolly on Mar 22, 2017 13:38:33 GMT
The Collector's Library titles are inexpensive, very well produced and durable hardbacks. However, most of them are standard out-of-copyright classics. E.F. Benson is out of copyright and Arthur Machen will be out of copyright next year, but I doubt that I'll be seeing them in the series.
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jan 2, 2018 15:59:49 GMT
It's true that M. R. James hasn't exactly been blessed over the years when it comes to book covers. I quite like those painted covers on the Pan paperback editions of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary and More Ghost Stories from the early 50s (the four-poster bed complete with flimsy spook and the really knackered bloke looking in the mirror). have to agree that the 'fifties Pan's are among the few great ones; this pair borrowed from the indispensable Tikit Resources: First 25 years of PAN Books from 1945 to 1970. Can't find any fault with this, more recent effort either. His facial expression screams pensive to me, and what a lovely jumper! personally i far prefer Penguin's gargoyle effort for A Haunted Dolls House & Others to either of these, although the Ivan Allen illustration has grown on me. Penguin, 1987: Ivan AllenPenguin, 1974. I have a copy of that Penguin edition. The cover is a smudge!
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jan 10, 2018 14:16:24 GMT
I've just seen a copy of the Oxford World's Classics paperback edition of MRJ's Collected Ghost Stories edited and annotated by Darryl Jones. While it's a nice-looking book, the more recent hardback reissue from Oxford is apparently, and surprisingly, very shoddily produced: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo4cB5H99gs
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jan 12, 2018 13:30:49 GMT
I ordered a copy of the paperback edition of MRJ's Collected Ghost Stories. It has this version of the cover: I ordered it from Blackwell's in Oxford, which also sent this very Jamesian bookmark:
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jul 9, 2018 13:09:44 GMT
As of today, after the xth re-reading, this is my list of M.R. James's ghost stories in order of preference:
An Episode of Cathedral History The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral Count Magnus The Ash-Tree Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance Wailing Well The Residence at Whitminster Casting the Runes A View from a Hill “Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, my Lad” The Uncommon Prayer-Book The Tractate Middoth The Treasure of Abbot Thomas Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book A Neighbour’s Landmark Number 13 A Warning to the Curious The Mezzotint Rats An Evening’s Entertainment A School Story The Haunted Dolls’ House Lost Hearts The Rose Garden The Diary of Mr Poynter Martin’s Close There was a Man who Dwelt by a Churchyard The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance The Experiment Two Doctors
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Post by ripper on Jul 9, 2018 14:56:42 GMT
I'm not sure if I would put An Episode of Cathedral History quite so high, but I do think it sometimes gets a little neglected when M.R. James' best stories are discussed, and it would certainly be in my top ten, and possibly into my top five on a good day.
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elricc
Devils Coach Horse
Posts: 100
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Post by elricc on Jul 9, 2018 16:09:58 GMT
Thought I'd have a go, although if I listen to an audiobook version they would probably change as I find listening to them, some of the stories improve for me
Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance Casting the Runes A View from a Hill A Neighbour’s Landmark A Warning to the Curious “Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, my Lad” The Uncommon Prayer-Book The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral Rats The Diary of Mr Poynter The Rose Garden The Tractate Middoth The Residence at Whitminster An Episode of Cathedral History Wailing Well Count Magnus The Ash-Tree Number 13 An Evening’s Entertainment The Treasure of Abbot Thomas Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book Lost Hearts The Mezzotint A School Story The Haunted Dolls’ House Martin’s Close There was a Man who Dwelt by a Churchyard The Experiment Two Doctors The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance
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Post by ropardoe on Jul 9, 2018 18:55:21 GMT
Thought I'd have a go, although if I listen to an audiobook version they would probably change as I find listening to them, some of the stories improve for me I couldn't resist, of course, but the following comes with the proviso that, aside from the first three or four, and the final couple, all the others are liable to change position several times even while I'm typing them out. It remains the case that those stories I've examined most in detail, in articles, etc., are the ones I've come to love most (hence the position of "An Evening's Entertainment" high on the list): "Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance" "An Evening's Entertainment" "Canon Alberic's Scrap-book" "Count Magnus" "A View from a Hill" "A Neighbour's Landmark" "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" "The Mezzotint" "An Episode of Cathedral History" "The Residence at Whitminster" "Martin's Close" "A Warning to the Curious" "Two Doctors" "Wailing Well" "The Diary of Mr Poynter" "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance" "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" "The Ash-Tree" "The Experiment" "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" "Casting the Runes" "The Rose Garden" "Number 13" "Rats" "The Malice of Inanimate Objects" "The Haunted Dolls' House" "A School Story" "The Uncommon Prayer-book" "The Fenstanton Witch" "After Dark in the Playing Fields" "Lost Hearts" "A Vignette" "The Tractate Middoth" "There was a Man dwelt by a Churchyard"
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Post by ripper on Jul 9, 2018 19:02:36 GMT
Thought I'd have a go, although if I listen to an audiobook version they would probably change as I find listening to them, some of the stories improve for me Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance Casting the Runes A View from a Hill A Neighbour’s Landmark A Warning to the Curious “Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, my Lad” The Uncommon Prayer-Book The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral Rats The Diary of Mr Poynter The Rose Garden The Tractate Middoth The Residence at Whitminster An Episode of Cathedral History Wailing Well Count Magnus The Ash-Tree Number 13 An Evening’s Entertainment The Treasure of Abbot Thomas Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book Lost Hearts The Mezzotint A School Story The Haunted Dolls’ House Martin’s Close There was a Man who Dwelt by a Churchyard The Experiment Two Doctors The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance Interesting that some of the biggies are towards the bottom of your list. I get a little tired of picking up an anthology and finding that MRJ is represented by Lost Hearts, A School Story or The Mezzotint. I'm not for one second saying I don't like those stories, but I wish editors' selections would be more diverse when it came to picking something to represent MRJ. I like that A Neighbour's Landmark and Rats make your top ten. Both are among my favourites
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Post by andydecker on Jul 9, 2018 20:04:05 GMT
Interesting list. I have not read enough of James to contribute, but some rankings are surprising. I would have thought that stories like The Haunted Doll's House or Casting the Runes would be more liked.
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elricc
Devils Coach Horse
Posts: 100
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Post by elricc on Jul 9, 2018 20:06:20 GMT
Thought I'd have a go, although if I listen to an audiobook version they would probably change as I find listening to them, some of the stories improve for me Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance Casting the Runes A View from a Hill A Neighbour’s Landmark A Warning to the Curious “Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, my Lad” The Uncommon Prayer-Book The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral Rats The Diary of Mr Poynter The Rose Garden The Tractate Middoth The Residence at Whitminster An Episode of Cathedral History Wailing Well Count Magnus The Ash-Tree Number 13 An Evening’s Entertainment The Treasure of Abbot Thomas Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book Lost Hearts The Mezzotint A School Story The Haunted Dolls’ House Martin’s Close There was a Man who Dwelt by a Churchyard The Experiment Two Doctors The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance Interesting that some of the biggies are towards the bottom of your list. I get a little tired of picking up an anthology and finding that MRJ is represented by Lost Hearts, A School Story or The Mezzotint. I'm not for one second saying I don't like those stories, but I wish editors' selections would be more diverse when it came to picking something to represent MRJ. I like that A Neighbour's Landmark and Rats make your top ten. Both are among my favourites I think I love these two due to the effect they had on me when I first read them, when the woman describes how she ran through the wood as the "thing" chases her, and when the skeleton of the highwayman first appears to move in the bed. I also think the description of place is fantastic, when the narrator goes up to Betton wood and the atmosphere changes
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jul 11, 2018 12:20:45 GMT
As of today, after the xth re-reading, this is my list of M.R. James's ghost stories in order of preference: An Episode of Cathedral History The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral Count Magnus The Ash-Tree Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance Wailing Well The Residence at Whitminster Casting the Runes A View from a Hill “Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, my Lad” The Uncommon Prayer-Book The Tractate Middoth The Treasure of Abbot Thomas Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book A Neighbour’s Landmark Number 13 A Warning to the Curious The Mezzotint Rats An Evening’s Entertainment A School Story The Haunted Dolls’ House Lost Hearts The Rose Garden The Diary of Mr Poynter Martin’s Close There was a Man who Dwelt by a Churchyard The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance The Experiment Two Doctors Starting from the bottom, I re-read the stories mostly in the order indicated. There's a couple I didn't even bother with. Thinking about it now, with the exception of the top four, I might change the order.
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Post by Michael Connolly on Sept 26, 2018 14:28:30 GMT
A photograph has been found of M.R. James on a bike tour with Count Magnus in Sweden. The Count is in the middle.
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