Robert Aickman - 5th Fontana Ghost Stories

[Johnlprobert]

Robert Aickman (ed.) - The 5th Fontana Book Of Great Ghost Stories. (1969)

Alan Lee

Introduction - Robert Aickman

Richard Blun - The Firmin Child
John Betjeman - Lord Mount Prospect
Mrs Oliphant - The Library Window
Jerome K Jerome - The Dancing Partner
Robert Aickman - The Swords
Anonymous - The Mysterious Stranger
Elizabeth Walter - A Question of Time
Maurice Baring - Venus
W W Jacobs - Jerry Bundler
Arthur Machen - The Great Return

Only this and a Chetwynd-Hayes (Volume 9 to be precise) to go in my 'Fontana 50 Great Ghost Stories for Christmas' box set so in anticipation of a train ride to London next weekend here's the contents of Volume 5. Lady P has already read 'The Swords' and loves it. I never got round to it in the Tartarus Aickman as it was in volume 2 and volume 1 was enough for me at the time. She does assure me, however, that it's much better than the truly horrible TV adaptation of it on Tony & Ridley Scott's show 'The Hunger' so I'll be looking forward to it.

[dem bones]

who the hell is the cover artist? their work is absolutely gorgeous.

Jun 26, 2010 22:40:06 GMT Johnlprobert said:

Only this and a Chetwynd-Hayes (Volume 9 to be precise) to go in my 'Fontana 50 Great Ghost Stories for Christmas' box set

# 9 - now there's a weird one. for the most part a safety-first collection of old reliables, very close to the Aickman model in fact, and then Chetwynd-Hayes throws in his own The Liberated Tiger. I would LOVE to know what Aickman made of being usurped as editor by the guy who wrote The Monster Club

anyway ...

*lazily touches up a bunch of old notes*

Elizabeth Walter - A Question Of Time: Art student Barney buys a portrait of a monk from a junk shop having recognised the subject as Father Furnival, “died in 1612, in prison - probably of torture - after being betrayed as he hid in the Priest’s hole”. Barney knows all this because he remembers his crucial role in Furnival's arrest ....


W. W. Jacobs - Jerry Bundler: The Boars Head, Torchester. A few nights before Christmas and the locals are putting the willies up the commercial travellers with their ghost stories. One old timer relates the tale of Jerry Bundler, highwayman and pickpocket, who, sixty years ago, hung himself in an upstairs room rather than fall into the clutches of the Bow Street Runners. Hirst, an amateur player in the dramatic society, decides to give one of the guests a late night fright …

Anonymous - The Mysterious Stranger: Often cited as an influence on Dracula, and the early scenes, notably an attack by wolves, the setting (Carpathian Mountains) and the vampire count (Azzo Von Klakta in this case) suggest it’s not improbable that Stoker had some familiarity with it. The explanation for the hero Woislaw’s prodigious strength - which is such that Azzo mistakes him for one of his own kind - is just one example of what makes this story a cherished Victorian gem. Did anybody ever work out who wrote it?

Jerome K. Jerome - The Dancing Partner: Furtwangen, Black Forest. On hearing his daughter Olga and her friends complaining about the clumsiness of the local young men, Herr Geibel, a toymaker of genius is inspired to create his masterpiece: Lieutenant Fritz, the mechanical dancing partner. Annette, “a bright, saucy little girl fond of frolic” is the first to put Fritz through his paces and, were she still capable of submitting a report when their waltz is eventually terminated, it’s certain she’d have mentioned his one, fatal flaw. He doesn’t know when to stop …

[Johnlprobert]

Jun 27, 2010 5:44:54 GMT dem bones said:

who the hell is the cover artist? their work is absolutely gorgeous.

It is, isn't it? Sorry I haven't been able to contribute to the 'Fontana 4' thread by the way but I don't have it. Lady P says that's no excuse as I probably have the stories around somewhere (and admittedly I know I have the Hugh Walpole in his lovely blue Tartarus book but I can't remember anything about it). Similarly in this collection I'm sure I've read the Jerome K Jerome but again it doesn't seem to have left any impression.

I'll stop rambling now & go and read some actual stories

[dem bones]

If I remember, the fetching bag of bones on the cover depicts Betjamen's Lord Mount Prospect, but for some reason I identify it with Mark Samuels's Regina vs. Zoskia in the first Black Book Of Horror.

I may often find Aickman's work too difficult to get my tiny brain around (the literary illusions in particular are almost invariably lost on me and he doesn't write about man-eating insects nearly enough if you want my honest opinion) but The Swords is a treat, pretty pervy too although, admittedly not in a Pierce Nace sense. (God help you all but am gearing up for a rematch with Cold Hand In Mine).

From memory, Jerome K. Jerome's The Dancing Partner has perhaps more to do with the Frankenstein end of SF than a ghost story? Hugh Lamb compiled six JKJ's weird tales in a shared volume with Barry Pain & Robert Barr, Stories In The Dark, avoiding the humorous ghost stories in favour of some genuinely strange offerings of which something called Silhouettes springs unpleasantly to mind.

[monker]

I just read 'Silhouettes' online; it's a bit of a pity it has no plot because the imagery is pretty vivid.

[Johnlprobert]

Richard Blun - The Firmin Child. Mr & Mrs Firmin's little boy knows lots of things he shouldn't, like who's getting divorced and who's unhappy. Is he clairvoyant? No he's actually just got really, really good hearing. Is he a ghost? No, but by the time Mum & Dad have finished with him down by the sea he could well come back as one, but unfortunately the story stops there.

John Betjeman - Lord Mount Prospect. I'm usually a big fan of comedy horror stories but this one left me rather cold. There's this university society, you see, who wants to hold dinners for obscure Irish peers and they find all sorts of 'jolly' ways to meet them. Lord Mount Prospect remains elusive, however, until they find out he's on the cover of the Fifth Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories.

Mrs Oliphant - The Library Window. Congratulations Mrs Oliphant - almost the longest story in the book and its the one where the least happens, the one with the briefest bit of backstory at the end to explain things, and the most inconclusive ending. At least there actually is a ghost in this one, though.

Jerome K Jerome - The Dancing Partner. Proper horror. Nicholau Geibel spends his days making lovely clockwork rabbits and cats until one day his daughter and her friends bemoan the lack of men who are really good dancers. So he makes one and one lucky lady at the next posh ball ends up being danced to death. Literally. No ghosts at all but a good story.

Robert Aickman - The Swords. Really good Aickman story about the terror that can be sex (probably). Miles better than the rubbish TV adaptation and a welcome addition to an anthology that at this point needs all the help it can get.

Anonymous - The Mysterious Stranger. Interesting to read Dem's note above about this influencing Dracula, which I don't doubt it might have. Great method of vampire despatch as well - hammering nails into the coffin lid and then smearing the blood that spurts out all over the neck wounds of affected young ladies. Our Hero with the steel hand is an interesting addition as well.

Elizabeth Walter - A Question of Time. Bright young thing has memories of being an artist that condemned a monk to his death. No ghosts here either (still only one in the book so far if you don't count the vampires) but a fun little story about reincarnation

Maurice Baring - Venus. Goverment official's consciousness ends up on the planet Venus where he gets to play with big caterpillars and butterflies before he has a heart attack back on earth. I read this so you don't have to.

W W Jacobs - Jerry Bundler. It's a pub! It's meant to be haunted! There are pissed up ghost story tellers! One decides to pretend to be the ghost! Another has a gun! It's write your own ending time! (NB no actual ghost in this one either).

Arthur Machen - The Great Return. And we finish with a great story from the great Arthur Machen documenting strange happenings in the town of Llantrisant which may or may not be linked to the Holy Grail.

And that's it. I remember mentioning that Fontana Ghost Stories Vol 1 might well have been put together with the intention of calling it something else, so few were the spectral apparitions within its pages. However, I think volume five must actually hold the record for the "Ghost story anthology with the least number of actual ghosts in it". In my opinion it's one of the more minor volumes in the Aickman oeuvre, with only his story, the Machen and the Jerome really worth reading, and possibly the vampire one if you've got the time and are curious.

[dem bones]

Landed a first edition (December 1969) for 25p from the legendary back-of-a-van man earlier, don't think we've had the cover artwork before so here goes.

Blurb
Ghost Stories.
Tales of the uncanny, the eerie, the grotesque — like "THE SWORDS":
The volunteer stood there with the sword in his hand, looking an utter fool.
"Go on" shouted the seaman. "Stick it in!" The volunteer seemed to me to tremble for a moment, and then plunged the sword right into the girl on the chair. I could see that the man seemed to press it right in, because almost the whole length of it seemed to disappear.

I had no doubt at all of what the man had done. The noise of the sword tearing through the flesh was quite distinct. And quite long drawn out. And horrible.

Lord P, apologies for overlooking your post until now. Have moaned about this before but, much as I adore the Fontana Ghost, Horror and Tales of Terror series', I've never understood why the Aickman edited volumes are lauded as "classics" while the RCH, Mary Danby & Co. selections are dismissed as in some way "inferior". It's not that there's anything 'bad' (whatever that is) in volume 5, just that it looks set up for Aickman's own - admittedly very wonderful - contribution to dominate.