Ghosts & Scholars 12 (1990)

[The Lurker In The Shadows]

GHOSTS & SCHOLARS 12 (1990)
Editor - Rosemary Pardoe
Assistant Editor - David Rowlands (Fiction)
A Haunted Library Publication

CONTENTS –

“The Fenstanton Witch” by M.R. James
A complete, rough draft of a plot described by MRJ in "Stories I Have Tried to Write", concerning “two Students of King's College… and their nocturnal expedition to a witch at Fenstanton and of how… they learned of the witch’s death, and of what they saw seated upon her newly-dug grave.”
Another major Jamesian find for G&S, this story was transcribed by Ro Pardoe from the draft, in MRJ’s appalling handwriting, that exists in the Cambridge University Library. A slightly revised version was later published in the 1999 Haunted Library booklet “The Fenstanton Witch and Others” and a subsequent revision is available on the G&S website.

“Water From The Well” by A.F. Kidd
Mr Lindsay, in his efforts to catalogue the various notices and rules adorning the ringing chambers of the various churches in his diocese, finds himself at the Abbey Church in Norchester, where Mr Williamson reveals the strange history of the old well that can be seen from the tower. As long as the well is on hallowed ground, it will give fresh water. But, when plans are made to change the boundaries round the churchyard, nightmare visions of crawling shapes afflict the people of Norchester and something within the well begins to stir.

“King John’s Ditch” by David G. Rowlands
A newspaper report about the finding of a prehistoric ditch in Cambridge has Moulder thinking back to his own early days at the choir school, when his errands to the music suppliers in town had led to his own discovery of that ditch and the guardian who stands watch over the treasure concealed there. And, now that diggings threaten to uncover the long-buried secret, he has a task to perform.

“Jamesian Notes & Queries”
“The Old Rectory, Great Livermere” by Roger Nicholson, detailing a recent visit to MRJ’s former home.
“Lost Hearts” by Victor Warren, concerning confusion over the age of the intended victim.
“Some Thoughts on The Five Jars and After Dark In The Playing Fields” by Rosemary Pardoe, linking aspects of MRJ’s children’s novel and the short story.

“The Abbot” by Kathleen J. Patterson
Edwin’s wife, Annie, makes the mistake of jokingly embracing the effigy on the tomb of Abbot Colwin. Only Edwin sees the effigy’s bony arms return the embrace, and when Annie finds her lip bleeding, they decide to find somewhere with more life about it than the gloomy old cathedral. But, in the pub, they meet the visiting anthropologist, Alexander McLaren, who has studied the legends that suggest the Abbot was some form of vampire.

“Writers In The James Tradition No.9 – Edmund Crispin" by Roger Johnson
Edmund Crispin (1921-78), was the pen-name of Robert Bruce Montgomery, who, as Bruce Montgomery, was a composer of film music (including the early “Carry On” films). As an author, he specialized in detective fiction, creating the character Gervase Fen, and his crime fiction, including two ghost stories, carries frequent traces of MRJ’s influence.

Notes: “Martin’s Close”
The 1987 World’s Classics collection “Casting The Runes And Other Ghost Stories” featured 21 of MRJ’s tales with extensive notes by Michael Cox. The remaining 12 stories are the subject of this series, with notes compiled by Rosemary Pardoe, David Rowlands, John Alfred Taylor and Ron Weighell.

“Martin’s Close: The Wimsey Connection” by Dorothy L. Sayers
A letter sent by the acclaimed mystery author to “The Eton Chronicle” in 1937 after a request for correspondence relating to some of MRJ’s stories. The letter, apparently sent at the behest of Sayer’s Lord Peter Wimsey, is taken from the family archives and concerns a certain Lord Charles Wimsey’s encounter in prison with the murderous George Martin from MRJ’s tale.

"A Warning To The Curious, Part Five" by David Rowlands
Focussing on a few of the rare attempts at full length Jamesian novels, including Kingsley Amis’s “The Green Man”, John Gordon’s “The House On The Brink” and “The Ghost On The Hill” and H.F. Heard’s “The Black Fox”.

Reviews –
“Bone To His Bone: The Stoneground Ghost Tales of E.G. Swain” introduced by Michael Cox
“Antique Dust: Ghost Stories by Robert Westall”
“Post Mortem: New Tales of Ghostly Horror” edited by Paul F. Olson & David B. Silva
“Spectral Tales 2” edited by Robert M. Price
“Adversary” by Daniel Rhodes

ILLUSTRATIONS-
Jim Pitts (Front cover)
Dallas Goffin
Alan Hunter
Allen Koszowski
Tony Patrick

[The Lurker In The Shadows]

Originally posted by demonik

A personal favourite, from #12 (March 1990) is Kathleen J. Patterson - The Abbot: Bodmincoombe Cathedral, Cornwall. Annie playfully embraces the skeletal remains of Abbot Colwyn, receives a cut lip for her trouble and "Oh, how awful. He looks like he died of the plague" ....

In the local pub, one of the locals helpfully insists on relating the grim history of the thirteenth century "vampire abbot", done to death in secret for his "monstrous crimes." It unnerves Annie and companion Edwin enough for them to decide on playing it safe and leaving Bodmincoombe the following morning. Let's hope they're in time.

Never let it be said that G & S was too genteel and civilised to run a deliciously nasty out-and-out horror story.

[dem bones]

M. R. James - The Fenstanton Witch: Set during the reign of Queen Anne. Nicholas Hardman and Stephen Ashe, Cambridge parsons and fledgling necromancers, pay a midnight visit to the grave of Old Mother Gibson, recently deceased. Their mission - to recover her shroud and a lock of hair for use in a magical ritual which, if successful, will bring them great wealth. In life the Fenstanton Witch was locally feared for her red eyes ("pupils like a goats") but the being they summon from the ground is akin to a monstrous bat.

Its a shame MRJ gave up on this one. I particularly liked the creepy torch-lit procession.

The following exhumed from Vault MK 1 (Sept 16-18 2007). Lurker's comments on Andrew Klavan's "The Uncanny" (I still don't have a copy!) make for interesting reading, especially for fans of the Fontana Ghost books.

demonik said:

One of the first I laid hands on and perhaps the main reason I began collecting them. I adored Kathleen J. Patterson's story which is certainly due a revival and the Jim Pitts cover illustration is superb. The reviews were a Godsend: where else would two pages be devoted to E. G. Swain's Bone To His Bone? Elsewhere, Mike Ashley launches an uncharacteristic attack on Daniel Rhodes' Adversary (NEL, 1988):

"Gone .... are the Jamesian moments and images Instead it has become an excuse for violent and sexual episodes ... This has all the bad things about [it's predecessor] Next, After Lucifer and none of the good".

Yes, it made me want to buy both of them too.

TheLurkerInTheShadows said:

Yeah, the reviews have been a big part of my parting with cash on books I'd never heard of or considered before. Just got myself a collection of Leslie Halliwell's stories, "The Ghost of Sherlock Holmes", based on reviews of his other fiction collections. Up until those reviews, I'd no idea he'd even written fiction (apart from some made up "facts" in his film guides to catch out plagiarists, apparently).

Another book I bought, based on the review in G&S, is Andrew Klavan's "The Uncanny", which opens with a very good pastiche Victorian story called "Black Annie", before becoming a 90s set thriller involving an American producer of horror films based on classic English ghost stories travelling to Britain and getting involved in a plot involving Nazi art treasures, cults, sacrifices and the supernatural. The main plot lurches between being great fun and being really atrocious (one of the worst sex scenes I've ever encountered is in here, though the sex involved is meant to be pretty poor, so I don't know how deliberate this is), but it's a decent enough page turner.

The thing that lifts it, though, is that a major plot point is contained in, of all places, "The 14th Fontana Book Of Great Ghost Stories". Sadly, it's not the genuine contents of that edition, since, apart from the afore-mentioned "Black Annie", the other (genuine) story that is supposedly included is definitely not in that volume. And I know, because I was compelled to check this very site when I got to that bit.

Also just ordered some Edmund Crispin books, based on the article on him. Y'know, this is all getting quite expensive. But I'm not going to be bored for a considerable time to come, either.

demonik said:

That's the damn trouble with reviews. Now I've just had to add Andrew Klavan's The Uncanny to the never-ending wants list.

On the strength of the recommendations in number 12 I acquired Stoneground Ghost Tales, Post Mortem (which I have never been able to finish) and the two issues of Spectral Tales, but the main effect G & S had on me was to start taking notes on what I was reading for the first time and I never shook the habit. It may be a terrible accusation to make about anybody, but ultimately, Rosemary Pardoe is in no small ways to blame for my part in Vault!

Incidentally, I wonder if David Rowlands would have considered including 'James Montague's modern pulp classic ]Worms in A Warning To The Curious?

A copy of The Ghost Of Sherlock Holmes (Panther, 1984) passed through my hands but sadly that's now gone the way of all things. He had a later collection too, A Demon In My View, which I've never seen. Karl Wagner - a big G & S supporter - included Hands With Long Fingers and La Nuit Des Chiens (from the second book) in Years Best Horror volumes XIII and XVI respectively.