Denys Val Baker – Haunted Cornwall

[dem bones]

Denys Val Baker (ed) – Haunted Cornwall (NEL, April 1975: originally William Kimber, 1973)

Ian Miller

Editor’s Introduction

Frank Baker – The Chocolate Box
Daphne Du Maurier – The Old Man
Ronald Duncan – An Act of Charity
David Eames – Inheritance
R. S. Hawker – The Botathen Ghost
Kenneth Moss – Snow
Donald R. Rawe – Night on Roughtor
M. E. Simpson – The Castle
Howard Spring – Christmas Honeymoon
Nigel Tangye – Episode
J. C. Trewin – Window in the Attic
James Turner – The Wheel
Denys Val Baker – The Sacrifice
C. C. Vyvyan – The Ghost at the Old Ford
Rosalind Wade – Shepherd, Show Me
Mary Williams – The Lost Ones

Blurb:
Behind the superficial holiday veneer of Cornwall, with its sandy beaches and rocky coves, lies the real land of enchantment. It is a county of moors and mists, of ancient stone monuments, derelict mines, crumbling mansions and dangerous mires. This setting, coupled with the ferocity of the storms, the lonely stretches of heather and spun by the Celtic nature of the Cornish folk, is perfect for an excursion into the world beyond the grave. The stories included here are not simply mystery tales set in Cornwall, but are an attempt to cross the natural frontiers of life and death, and to probe beyond into the forbidden half of the universe.

Frank Baker - The Chocolate Box: The narrator, a composer, picks up the chocolate box discarded by an old man while walking home through Kenidzhak Valley after a night at The King's Arms. On arriving indoors he lifts the lid ... to find a human hand wrapped in tissue paper still bleeding from the stump ..... and a bluebottle. His first thought is to turn the severed limb over to the police but "finders keepers," he just can't bring himself to be rid of the macabre relic. The power-drill buzzing of the fly does for his latest melody in progress and ultimately ruins his career.

Fifty years later, a letter from a friend sheds further mystery on the enigma.

Ronald Duncan - An Act Of Charity: The Diary Of A Poltergeist man with another twisted offering. Against his natural inclination, a musician offers a lift to a consumptive, malnourished scarecrow of a tramp. The ragged skeleton refuses the offer of the price of a hotel room with a curt; "Don't waste your money.

'If you gave me a couple of quid, I would do what I always do: wait till the nearest pub opened, get as tight as a lord and sleep till I could wander off again .... Being drunk is the only thing I have got to live for. And that is becoming difficult enough."

Can the good Samaritan do nothing to help? Yes. He can drive over the unhappy wanderer and release him from misery.

Donald R. Rawe – Night on Roughtor: Meet McMahon, Browne-Smythe and de Vere Ellis, smug, long-hair hippie Uni rugby forwards who know better than everyone else and listen to pop music, including the latest smash hit:

"Oh darling, Of sweetest,
My life, my all completest,
What'll I do without you,
What'll I do without you?"

Chief cook and bottle washer Mrs. Tregella warns against their pitching a tent for the night on Roughtor, this being Midsummer's Eve and all, but our friends were never going to heed the superstitious ramblings of a credulous inbred Wurzel. Run-ins ensue with Piskies, Spriggans, the ghost of the giant Tregeagle and the devil-dogs who hunt him across the skies.

Mary Williams - The Lost Ones: Following a days healthy tramp across the moors, hiker Geoffrey Renton arrives at the inhospitable village of Gwink where a scowling woman informs him that strangers b'aint welcome at the inn but, if he's lucky, the parson might put him up for the night at t' vicarage. The Holy Man - specialist subjects: Black Magic, Devil-worship - is delighted to have company. His name is Simon and the vicarage doubles as showroom for has artistic endeavours. He's very good!

"The room was large and high ceilinged, having one wall lined with books. The furniture ... was drab and unprepossessing. But the pictures! - as I stared at them I was shocked. They were so completely foul; sensual elemental paintings, obscene in colour and feeling."

It transpires that Simon is the lesser of Renton's concerns, for now Fenella Daryan, the parson's unspeakably beautiful wife, makes her presence known. Cursory introductions exchanged, she leads him out onto the cliff and drops her dress. Mrs. Daryan seems to have undergone instant extreme makeover on exposure to the great outdoors and her facial expression is no longer one of benevolence. Who is this wild woman? What has poor Renton gotten himself into?

[helrunar]

Thanks for pointing me towards this! Perhaps that NEL paperback is more readily findable than one of those collectible cloth editions with the fancy jackets.

cheers, H.

[Swampirella]

Jun 25, 2017 4:20:08 GMT dem bones said:

Denys Val Baker (ed) – Haunted Cornwall (NEL, April 1975: originally William Kimber, 1973)

Ian Miller

Editor’s Introduction

Frank Baker – The Chocolate Box
Daphne Du Maurier – The Old Man
Ronald Duncan – An Act of Charity
David Eames – Inheritance
R. S. Hawker – The Botathen Ghost
Kenneth Moss – Snow
Donald R. Rawe – Night on Roughtor
M. E. Simpson – The Castle
Howard Spring – Christmas Honeymoon
Nigel Tangye – Episode
J. C. Trewin – Window in the Attic
James Turner – The Wheel
Denys Val Baker – The Sacrifice
C. C. Vyvyan – The Ghost at the Old Ford
Rosalind Wade – Shepherd, Show Me
Mary Williams – The Lost Ones

Blurb:
Behind the superficial holiday veneer of Cornwall, with its sandy beaches and rocky coves, lies the real land of enchantment. It is a county of moors and mists, of ancient stone monuments, derelict mines, crumbling mansions and dangerous mires. This setting, coupled with the ferocity of the storms, the lonely stretches of heather and spun by the Celtic nature of the Cornish folk, is perfect for an excursion into the world beyond the grave. The stories included here are not simply mystery tales set in Cornwall, but are an attempt to cross the natural frontiers of life and death, and to probe beyond into the forbidden half of the universe.

Frank Baker - The Chocolate Box: The narrator, a composer, picks up the chocolate box discarded by an old man while walking home through Kenidzhak Valley after a night at The King's Arms. On arriving indoors he lifts the lid ... to find a human hand wrapped in tissue paper still bleeding from the stump ..... and a bluebottle. His first thought is to turn the severed limb over to the police but "finders keepers," he just can't bring himself to be rid of the macabre relic. The power-drill buzzing of the fly does for his latest melody in progress and ultimately ruins his career.

Fifty years later, a letter from a friend sheds further mystery on the enigma.

Ronald Duncan - An Act Of Charity: The Diary Of A Poltergeist man with another twisted offering. Against his natural inclination, a musician offers a lift to a consumptive, malnourished scarecrow of a tramp. The ragged skeleton refuses the offer of the price of a hotel room with a curt; "Don't waste your money.

'If you gave me a couple of quid, I would do what I always do: wait till the nearest pub opened, get as tight as a lord and sleep till I could wander off again .... Being drunk is the only thing I have got to live for. And that is becoming difficult enough."

Can the good Samaritan do nothing to help? Yes. He can drive over the unhappy wanderer and release him from misery.

Donald R. Rawe – Night on Roughtor: Meet McMahon, Browne-Smythe and de Vere Ellis, smug, long-hair hippie Uni rugby forwards who know better than everyone else and listen to pop music, including the latest smash hit:

"Oh darling, Of sweetest,
My life, my all completest,
What'll I do without you,
What'll I do without you?"

Chief cook and bottle washer Mrs. Tregella warns against their pitching a tent for the night on Roughtor, this being Midsummer's Eve and all, but our friends were never going to heed the superstitious ramblings of a credulous inbred Wurzel. Run-ins ensue with Piskies, Spriggans, the ghost of the giant Tregeagle and the devil-dogs who hunt him across the skies.

Mary Williams - The Lost Ones: Following a days healthy tramp across the moors, hiker Geoffrey Renton arrives at the inhospitable village of Gwink where a scowling woman informs him that strangers b'aint welcome at the inn but, if he's lucky, the parson might put him up for the night at t' vicarage. The Holy Man - specialist subjects: Black Magic, Devil-worship - is delighted to have company. His name is Simon and the vicarage doubles as showroom for has artistic endeavours. He's very good!

"The room was large and high ceilinged, having one wall lined with books. The furniture ... was drab and unprepossessing. But the pictures! - as I stared at them I was shocked. They were so completely foul; sensual elemental paintings, obscene in colour and feeling."

It transpires that Simon is the lesser of Renton's concerns, for now Fenella Daryan, the parson's unspeakably beautiful wife, makes her presence known. Cursory introductions exchanged, she leads him out onto the cliff and drops her dress. Mrs. Daryan seems to have undergone instant extreme makeover on exposure to the great outdoors and her facial expression is no longer one of benevolence. Who is this wild woman? What has poor Renton gotten himself into?

I just bought this one too; probably the only other Val Baker/Kimber that appeals to me.

[Shrink Proof]

Sept 25, 2019 18:38:54 GMT Swampirella said:

I just bought this one too; probably the only other Val Baker/Kimber that appeals to me.

Originally a Yorkshireman, Val Baker moved to Cornwall after the war, set much of his writing there and promoted Cornish art and writing; he seems to have fallen in love with the place. However, from a personal point of view I was completely unable to pick up on any of Cornwall's supposed folk horror/spooky/supernatural vibes during the 490 years I spent living there between 1984 & 1988. Hopefully Val Baker was able to select tales that do. Hence, I'd be interested to know what you think of it.

[Swampirella]

Sept 25, 2019 20:01:10 GMT Shrink Proof said:

Sept 25, 2019 18:38:54 GMT Swampirella said:

I just bought this one too; probably the only other Val Baker/Kimber that appeals to me.

Originally a Yorkshireman, Val Baker moved to Cornwall after the war, set much of his writing there and promoted Cornish art and writing; he seems to have fallen in love with the place. However, from a personal point of view I was completely unable to pick up on any of Cornwall's supposed folk horror/spooky/supernatural vibes during the 490 years I spent living there between 1984 & 1988. Hopefully Val Baker was able to select tales that do. Hence, I'd be interested to know what you think of it.

I'll be happy to post my comments or summaries of stories that have none so far; it's due to arrive between Oct. 7th and 29th. From  Yorkshire, not Cornwall so it shouldn't get pixie-led on the way, although a boggart may hitch a ride to the New World...

[humgoo]

Jun 25, 2017 4:20:08 GMT dem bones said:

Frank Baker – The Chocolate Box

I bought Valancourt's reprint of Baker's story collection (Stories of the Strange and Sinister) a few years back, but after reading one or two I never picked up the book again. After reading Miss Hargreaves, I guess one just can't help expecting a lot from Mr. Baker, and expectation leads to disappointment. But perhaps I should give it another go (at least to read this one)!