Ramsey Campbell - Meddling With Ghosts

[dem]

Ramsey Campbell (ed.) - Meddling with Ghosts: Ghost stories in the tradition of M.R. James (British Library, 2001)

Ramsey Campbell - Introduction

J. Sheridan Le Fanu - The Familiar
F. Marion Crawford - The Upper Berth
Mary Cholmondeley - Let Loose
Augustus Jessop - An Antiquary’s Ghost Story
Sabine Baring-Gould - Glámr
Perceval Landon - Thurnley Abbey
T. G. Jackson - The Red House
Mrs. H. D. Everett - The Death Mask
D. N. J. - The Moon-Gazer
Fritz Leiber - Smoke Ghost
L. T. C. Rolt - The Mine
A. N. L. Munby - The White Sack
T. E. D. Klein - Petey
Sheila Hodgson - Echoes from the Abbey
Ramsey Campbell - The Guide
Terry Lamsley - Two Returns

Rosemary Pardoe - The James Gang (article)

From the contents, this looks like Ramsey's tribute to Ghosts & Scholars magazine. I'm assuming the Rosemary Pardoe contribution is the same The James Gang mentioned in the biblio aids section, but was it updated for the occasion?

[redbrain]

This may be pedantic -- but how can a Le Fanu story be in the tradition of M R James when Le Fanu was writing before James?

[dem]

I guess whoever decides such things felt "Ghost Stories by people who influenced or where influenced by M. R. James. P.S. Let Loose is technically a vampire story"' lacked immediacy.

[The Lurker In The Shadows]

Jul 3, 2008 7:41:51 GMT dem said:

From the contents, this looks like Ramsey's tribute to Ghosts & Scholars magazine. I'm assuming the Rosemary Pardoe contribution is the same The James Gang mentioned in the biblio aids section, but was it updated for the occasion?

The James Gang feature is the same, though it has been expanded (though Ro points out in her intro, it's not a thorough revision) with some additional titles that came to light between the publication of the original list and the publication of "Meddling With Ghosts".

There was a time when I was using this version of the James Gang as a shopping list for stories to seek out.

[dem]

Thanks Lurkio! I thought I could safely give Meddling .... a miss as it looks like I've all the stories elsewhere, but an update of The James Gang? It's dead tempting ....

[albie]

The book is set out in three sections. People who inspired James, were his contemporaries and those that followed his influence.

Le Fanu was from the first section.

[humgoo]

Jul 8, 2008 7:46:24 GMT dem said:

[...]an update of The James Gang? It's dead tempting ....

There's de-listing as well as additions. For example, Burrage has been de-listed. But the most conspicuous removal is J.R. Hartley's legendary Fly Fishing. This is scandalous. Some formidable lady may owe us an explanation.

Given that the British Library has published many supernatural titles in recent years, I'm surprised they haven't thought of reprinting this anthology as a paperback (or perhaps they have?). I would certainly love to have one to carry around. It's a great joy to read T. E. D. Klein and Sheila Hodgson in the very same volume. Hats off to Mr. Campbell.

[ropardoe]

Apr 18, 2020 15:55:20 GMT humgoo said:

Jul 8, 2008 7:46:24 GMT dem said:

[...]an update of The James Gang? It's dead tempting ....

There's de-listing as well as additions. For example, Burrage has been de-listed. But the most conspicuous removal is J.R. Hartley's legendary Fly Fishing. This is scandalous. Some formidable lady may owe us an explanation.

Given that the British Library has published many supernatural titles in recent years, I'm surprised they haven't thought of reprinting this anthology as a paperback (or perhaps they have?). I would certainly love to have one to carry around. It's a great joy to read T. E. D. Klein and Sheila Hodgson in the very same volume. Hats off to Mr. Campbell.

I can't find a formidable lady, so I'll have to do.  I think it was excluded because by then a book entitled Fly Fishing by J.R. Hartley had actually been published and didn't contain any of the Jamesian ghost stories mentioned (they should be ashamed).

[dem]

From Hugh Lamb's introduction to The James Gang (Haunted library, 1991)

'The James List' started life in 1973 as the germ of an abandoned idea for an anthology (the bones of which walked again as The Thrill of Horror), I started jotting down all the authors who wrote like MRJ and watched in amazement as the list went off the back of the envelope I was using and down the other side. I still have the envelope; perhaps someone else could solve the riddle of what i meant when I wrote, between 'Malden' and 'Honeycombe' the enigmatic entry 'Hamilton/ Potter.' It means absolutely nothing to me now.

Did anyone identify the story?

[mrhappy]

Apr 18, 2020 19:09:22 GMT dem said:

From Hugh Lamb's introduction to The James Gang (Haunted library, 1991)

'The James List' started life in 1973 as the germ of an abandoned idea for an anthology (the bones of which walked again as The Thrill of Horror), I started jotting down all the authors who wrote like MRJ and watched in amazement as the list went off the back of the envelope I was using and down the other side. I still have the envelope; perhaps someone else could solve the riddle of what i meant when I wrote, between 'Malden' and 'Honeycombe' the enigmatic entry 'Hamilton/ Potter.' It means absolutely nothing to me now.

Did anyone identify the story?

I'm curious about this as well

[ropardoe]

Apr 18, 2020 19:09:22 GMT dem said:

From Hugh Lamb's introduction to The James Gang (Haunted library, 1991)

'The James List' started life in 1973 as the germ of an abandoned idea for an anthology (the bones of which walked again as The Thrill of Horror), I started jotting down all the authors who wrote like MRJ and watched in amazement as the list went off the back of the envelope I was using and down the other side. I still have the envelope; perhaps someone else could solve the riddle of what i meant when I wrote, between 'Malden' and 'Honeycombe' the enigmatic entry 'Hamilton/ Potter.' It means absolutely nothing to me now.

Did anyone identify the story?

Not that I know of.  In G&S Newsletter 27, five years ago, Mark Valentine asked this same question in a "Jamesian Notes & Queries" note.  Here it is: 

The Hamilton/Potter Mystery 

Mark Valentine writes:
"I was rereading your 1991 The James Gang booklet last night and noticed that, in his introduction, Hugh Lamb mentions a mysterious entry in his first Jamesian list. He recalls how in 1973 he made a rough list of authors 'who wrote like MRJ' on an envelope, which he still has, and then says: 'perhaps someone else could solve the riddle of what I meant when I wrote, between "Malden" and "Honeycombe", the enigmatic entry "Hamilton/Potter". It means absolutely nothing to me now.'
"Ho, says I to myself, with modern internet tools at our fingertips, this shouldn't be difficult. Alas, not! I searched in Bleiler and online, but nothing much popped up. But perhaps the combined ingenuity of the G&S readership might spot it? Presumably Hugh either meant a collaboration; or a Hamilton also known as Potter; or an anthology by Hamilton with a story by Potter (or vice versa). We could be missing a lost Jamesian tale!" 


Edited to say it's weird but this post doesn't want to add my editor's note, in which I said that I'd checked with Hugh and he was still none the wiser.

[johnnymains]

A couple of Hamilton's that were writing around James' time. No idea what the Potter might mean.

C.J. (Catherine Jane) Hamilton who also wrote under the name Retlaw Spring, father was a Vicar, wrote religious and children's tales. Also wrote short stories for adult markets.
Cosmo Hamilton - playwright, real name was Gibbs, did loads of boys own stuff, there may be a few ghost stories by him

Myra Hamilton - author of Kingdoms Curious  (not read)- did quite a few fairy tales, also a cracking children's story with a witch in it called 'The Man With No Neck'

Blind stabs in the dark are all these are.

[helrunar]

Maybe it was some obscure tale by a fellow named something Hamilton, who wrote about a chap named Potter, who went in for sketching in cathedral naves and stumbled upon a terse but fatal inscription on a stone fixed in an alcove near an altar, reading Cum grano salis... and all runs quickly to Hell thenceforth.

Or something like that...

H.

[dem]

Apr 18, 2020 16:11:47 GMT ropardoe said:

Apr 18, 2020 15:55:20 GMT humgoo said:

There's de-listing as well as additions. For example, Burrage has been de-listed. But the most conspicuous removal is J.R. Hartley's legendary Fly Fishing. This is scandalous. Some formidable lady may owe us an explanation.

Given that the British Library has published many supernatural titles in recent years, I'm surprised they haven't thought of reprinting this anthology as a paperback (or perhaps they have?). I would certainly love to have one to carry around. It's a great joy to read T. E. D. Klein and Sheila Hodgson in the very same volume. Hats off to Mr. Campbell.

I can't find a formidable lady, so I'll have to do.  I think it was excluded because by then a book entitled Fly Fishing by J.R. Hartley had actually been published and didn't contain any of the Jamesian ghost stories mentioned (they should be ashamed).

Love the idea of promotion/ relegation from the list. Has there been a further update since Ramsey's book was published?

[ropardoe]

Apr 20, 2020 10:57:44 GMT dem said:

Apr 18, 2020 16:11:47 GMT ropardoe said:

I can't find a formidable lady, so I'll have to do.  I think it was excluded because by then a book entitled Fly Fishing by J.R. Hartley had actually been published and didn't contain any of the Jamesian ghost stories mentioned (they should be ashamed).

Love the idea of promotion/ relegation from the list. Has there been a further update since Ramsey's book was published?

No.  And I haven't been keeping an up-to-date list (which would be huge by now).  There was some talk in the Everlasting Club of a joint project, but I suspect that even with several people working on it, the task would just be too great.