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Post by dem bones on Oct 20, 2007 10:52:05 GMT
 Stephen Jones (Haunted Library) 1979-2001 Been meaning to get around to this for some time, but the prospect of typing out the entire contents to 33 issues was daunting, especially as I'm missing roughly half of them. Fortunately, that's all done for us at the excellent Ghosts & Scholars site. What follows is the usual generic thumbnail sketch, though I'll try to expand on it later. "Ghosts & Scholars" was devoted entirely to stories written by, or in the tradition of, M. R. James. A Typical issue would include three or four new stories, articles and thoughtful reviews with excellent cover and inner art by the likes of Dallas Goffin and Jim Pitts. Contributors included Hugh Lamb, A. F. Kidd, Ramsey Campbell, David G. Rowlands, Roger Johnson, Kathleen J. Patterson and 'Mary Ann Allen'. Devotees include former Sounds cartoonist Edwin Pouncey (who once plugged the Fall's "Perverted By Language" album and G. & S. as his highlights of the year), Dave Tibet, Sandy Robertson, Milton Subotsky and Karl E. Wagner, who would regularly include one or more stories from the magazine in the annual "Years Best Horror" paperbacks. There were several "special booklets" too, including John Whitbourne's "Rollover Night" and "Binscombe Tales", "Eye Hath Not Seen: Supernatural Anecdotes from the Reminiscences of Father D. O'Connor" by David G. Rowlands, "Saints & Relics", "A Graven Image and Other Essex Ghost Stories" and strong collections from Ron Weighell, Mary Ann Allen, William I.I. Read and Steve Rasnic Tem. Since 2002, Haunted library have published a twice-yearly Ghosts & Scholars M.R. James Newsletter. |
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Post by dem bones on Aug 6, 2011 17:35:00 GMT
the above post from about three hundred years ago tells you all you need to know about what isn't in the debut issue of Ghosts & Scholars, the best thing 70p could buy you in 1979. To rectify that, here's the line up. Mike Ashley - Shadows Of The Master (article)
Hugh Lamb - The James List
Peter Shilston - Old Johannes
George Hay - A Serious Call
A. F. Kidd - An Incident In The City
Russ Nicholson - M. R. James: A Portfolio
Notes on the authors and artists
artists: Stephen Jones (cover), Dave Carson, Jim Pitts, John Stewart, Martin Halsdonit really is a classic issue; Mike Ashley's article combined with a first publication of Hugh Lamb's prototype 'James List' (those authors who might be seen to write in the Jamesian tradition) was inspired. Throughout the journal's distinguished career, many others, perhaps prominent among them David Rowlands via his A Warning To The Curious, would flesh out the 'James List' until there were enough entries for a stand-alone booklet, The James Gang (1991), before Ramsey Campbell included an updated version in Meddling with Ghosts (2001). As to the fiction, excellent as all three stories are, Peter Shilston's would be my pick. Peter Shilston - Old Johannes: Events leading to the nervous breakdown of brilliant Cambridge student Henry Collins as he prepares his thesis on Johannes Van Krietzel, the 15th century alchemist and reformed Black Magician. Van Krietzel disappeared from an inquisition cell on the eve of his execution and now walks the Uni library - his mission: to scupper Henry's attempt at demon raising. It reads like M. R. James' The Tractate Middoth with frequent snooker interludes and a bitch at L. Ron Hubbard. George Hay - A Serious Call: Why the legendary book-dealer abandoned his thesis maligning the ghosts stories of M. R. James following a lecture by the corpse-like Rev. Paul Tremblett at St. Judes, Potters Bar in the early 'seventies (i.e., glam rock era, not the middle of Queen Victoria's reign). The Rev. Tremblett's address - his last, as it transpired - concerned Good & Evil: A Contemporary View and argued that, far from being dead, as trendy clergymen would have it, Satan was very much adapting to the modern age. A ferocious thunderstorm, punctuated by extreme lightening flashes, ensures a spectacular climax to the proceedings. A. F. Kidd - An Incident In The City: Sandford's purchase of a first edition London, What To See And How To See It from a Charing Cross Road bookshop (not believed to be Lovejoys) leads him to investigate a Bishopgate Church and an alcove behind which a withered corpse in chain-mail awaits release. |
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Dec 17, 2017 21:26:33 GMT
I haven't written up an edition of G&S in ages, so it's time to go back to where it all began. There's not much I can add to Dem's previous review, but here goes anyway. GHOSTS AND SCHOLARS (1979)Editor & Publisher - Rosemary Pardoe CONTENTS –"Shadows of the Master" by Mike Ashley The first article in the first issue pretty much sets out G&S's stall by detailing the influence of M.R. James on his peers and followers, in particular those who came from antiquarian backgrounds similar to MRJ's. The article can be read online at the G&S website - www.pardoes.info/roanddarroll/ArchiveShadows.html"The James List" by Hugh Lamb (with additional contributions from Mike Ashley & Ro Pardoe) Picking up where Mike Ashley's article leaves off, the first iteration of a list of Jamesian authors that would expand over the years and form an indispensable shopping list for Jamesian readers. (Even now, I'm finding new things to follow up on, and have just bought Medley Macabre based on the recommendation here.) "Old Johannes" by Peter Shilston (illustrations by David Lloyd) The first piece of Ghosts and Scholars fiction and, as with the other two stories in this issue, there are as many scholars as there are ghosts, as each tale revolves around universities, students, lecturers or academics. As Dem mentions in his own review, there are shades of The Tractate Middoth to this tale of something lurking among the library stacks when a student attempts to follow in the footsteps of an earlier scholar in studying the works of an ancient alchemist. Perhaps what happened to that earlier student, whose mental health deteriorated while pursuing his studies, should have served as a warning to anyone curious enough to follow. "A Serious Call" by George Hay More abandoned studies - this time of the works of M.R. James himself - when the narrator's attendance of a lecture on the subject of the changing face of evil in our modern world is apparently disrupted by the very elements. Between the flashes of lightning we're given a wonderful snapshot of 1970s academic life, though there's something very contemporary in phrases like; 'Those who favoured the conspiracy theory tended to sum up economic chaos and political terrorism in terms of bankers' cabals and shadowy links between Moscow and Washington. There could be truth here.' "An Incident In The City" written and illustrated by A.F. Kidd When I encountered this story in The Best of Ghost and Scholars I summed it up briefly; The discovery of an old guidebook leads an academic called Sandford to attempt to find a particularly elusive church in the heart of the City of London. This was the first of A.F. (Chico) Kidd's many Jamesian tales - most of which would appear in later editions of G&S, and were collected in Summoning Knells from Ash-Tree Press. It's a stylish and engaging debut, and I've enjoyed it even more with each revisit. "M.R. James: A Portfolio" by Russ Nicholson A selection of vivid full page illustrations of scenes from Canon Alberic's Scrapbook, The Residence at Whitminster, Count Magnus, Lost Hearts and Rats. Notes on the Authors and ArtistsOTHER ARTWORK -Stephen Jones - (Front Cover - The Tractate Middoth) John Stewart - (Inside front & back - The Ash-Tree) Jim Pitts - (Oh, Whistle... & Count Magnus) Martin Helsdon - ( The White Sack by A.N.L. Munby) Dave carson - ( Count Magnus & Oh, Whistle...) |
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Post by helrunar on Dec 18, 2017 1:48:00 GMT
Thanks, Lurker. Interesting to see a tale from the pen of George Hay. He also "edited" an "edition" of the Necronomicon which came out from Skoob press circa 1980--it was a favorite of a couple of late friends of mine, and I keep a copy on my shelves in their honor.
cheers, H.
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Post by helrunar on Dec 18, 2017 1:52:31 GMT
And having checked out Dem's synopsis of the Hay yarn, it sounds as if the latter may have been inspired by the early Seventies Night Gallery skit, "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture": vimeo.com/207959724cheers, H. |
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Dec 18, 2017 10:33:47 GMT
And having checked out Dem's synopsis of the Hay yarn, it sounds as if the latter may have been inspired by the early Seventies Night Gallery skit, "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture": vimeo.com/207959724cheers, H. I can see why it might look that way from the synopsis - and may well be the case, for all I know - though the similarities are superficial, and the tone is very different from the jokiness of the Night Gallery segment. |
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Post by ropardoe on Dec 18, 2017 11:29:34 GMT
And having checked out Dem's synopsis of the Hay yarn, it sounds as if the latter may have been inspired by the early Seventies Night Gallery skit, "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture": vimeo.com/207959724cheers, H. I can see why it might look that way from the synopsis - and may well be the case, for all I know - though the similarities are superficial, and the tone is very different from the jokiness of the Night Gallery segment. George Hay was a complete one-off, as were his stories in G&S! |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Dec 18, 2017 14:16:50 GMT
Ghosts & Scholars 7 was the first one I bought. Going by memory, I was so impressed that I immediately bought a copy of each of the available back issues (3, 5 and 6). It was sometime after that when Rosemary mentioned in a newsletter that a dealer had a copy of the the first issue for sale. I ordered it and realize now how lucky I was to get it. I later got copies of 2 (More Ghost & Scholars) and 4 from A.F. Kidd, who had contributed to both. She must have had spare copies as you'd have to pry my complete collection out of my cold dead hands. Rosemary, don't tell anyone where I live!
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Dec 18, 2017 14:50:06 GMT
Ghosts & Scholars 7 was the first one I bought. Going by memory, I was so impressed that I immediately bought a copy of each of the available back issues (3, 5 and 6). It was sometime after that when Rosemary mentioned in a newsletter that a dealer had a copy of the the first issue for sale. I ordered it and realize now how lucky I was to get it. I later got copies of 2 ( More Ghost & Scholars) and 4 from A.F. Kidd, who had contributed to both. She must have had spare copies as you'd have to pry my complete collection out of my cold dead hands. Rosemary, don't tell anyone where I live! My collection starts in earnest with Number 7, due to a very fortuitous job lot turning up on eBay some years ago, along with a copy of The Best of Ghosts and Scholars. Since then, I've been able to gather issues 4 and 5, while someone once kindly supplied me with photocopies of issues 1 and 3, which I'm basing my write ups on. More Ghosts and Scholars and Issue 6 remain stubbornly out of reach - likewise the first 6 issues of the G&S Newsletter (alas the copies of Newsletter 1 & 2 on AbeBooks for £82 and £62 apiece outstrip even my obsessiveness) - but it's good to have a goal to strive towards, and often the search will turn up other treasures. So, Michael, that tall, darkly clad but bone-pale figure you fear is now lurking within every shadow in your wake is merely a figment of your imagination, nothing more... |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Dec 18, 2017 14:56:27 GMT
Ghosts & Scholars 7 was the first one I bought. Going by memory, I was so impressed that I immediately bought a copy of each of the available back issues (3, 5 and 6). It was sometime after that when Rosemary mentioned in a newsletter that a dealer had a copy of the the first issue for sale. I ordered it and realize now how lucky I was to get it. I later got copies of 2 ( More Ghost & Scholars) and 4 from A.F. Kidd, who had contributed to both. She must have had spare copies as you'd have to pry my complete collection out of my cold dead hands. Rosemary, don't tell anyone where I live! My collection starts in earnest with Number 7, due to a very fortuitous job lot turning up on eBay some years ago, along with a copy of The Best of Ghosts and Scholars. Since then, I've been able to gather issues 4 and 5, while someone once kindly supplied me with photocopies of issues 1 and 3, which I'm basing my write ups on. More Ghosts and Scholars and Issue 6 remain stubbornly out of reach - likewise the first 6 issues of the G&S Newsletter (alas the copies of Newsletter 1 & 2 on AbeBooks for £82 and £62 apiece outstrip even my obsessiveness) - but it's good to have a goal to strive towards, and often the search will turn up other treasures. So, Michael, that tall, darkly clad but bone-pale figure you fear is now lurking within every shadow in your wake is merely a figment of your imagination, nothing more... To protect myself, I checked your name on Google Images and this came up:  I've informed the police. |
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Dec 18, 2017 15:06:31 GMT
To protect myself, I checked your name on Google Images and this came up: I've informed the police. Tcheh! Foiled by electrickery! Come away, Touchwood, nothing works! |
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Post by dem bones on Dec 18, 2017 22:18:44 GMT
And having checked out Dem's synopsis of the Hay yarn, it sounds as if the latter may have been inspired by the early Seventies Night Gallery skit, "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture": vimeo.com/207959724cheers, H. I can see why it might look that way from the synopsis - and may well be the case, for all I know - though the similarities are superficial, and the tone is very different from the jokiness of the Night Gallery segment. Take it from me, Steve, Lurkio's synopsis is by far the more accurate. On the subject of "your first G & S," mine was #8, bought at cover price from the (Ted Ball - Dave Gibson era) Fantasy Centre in Jan. 1989. Was so impressed I sent off for a subscription and received G & S #9 and When The Door Is Shut by return post, plus a warm letter of welcome from Ro. My very first experience of the small presses. Don't know why I picked on G & S: I like MRJ well enough, but, you know, I liked lots and lots of stuff even then, little of it great "literature" according to those who decide such things, and to be fair, they are probably right. Tony Patrick's cover illustration definitely played a part, and the whole package looked so interesting. The following Friday, it was back to Holloway Road to pick up earlier issues spotted the previous week. Got what we now think of as #1, More Ghosts & Scholars, the Best Of and (I think), A Graven Image - to this day I marvel that Ted & Dave never upped the prices; or, if they did, it wasn't by more than a few pence - plus Vampirella 3: Deadwalk, a tatty Web Terror Stories (non-Jamesian), and the - aptly named, as it turned out - Terrible Tales Of The Italian! |
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Post by ropardoe on Dec 19, 2017 9:58:26 GMT
On the subject of "your first G & S," mine was #8, bought at cover price from the (Ted Ball - Dave Gibson era) Fantasy Centre in Jan. 1989. Was so impressed I sent off for a subscription and received G & S #9 and When The Door Is Shut by return post, plus a warm letter of welcome from Ro. My very first experience of the small presses. This has really cheered me up. Thanks, Kev. And I wonder what happened to Tony Patrick. If I remember rightly, I received a bundle of artwork from him which I used over several issues, but never really heard from him again. Was it something I said?? |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Dec 20, 2017 14:49:21 GMT
On the subject of "your first G & S," mine was #8, bought at cover price from the (Ted Ball - Dave Gibson era) Fantasy Centre in Jan. 1989. Was so impressed I sent off for a subscription and received G & S #9 and When The Door Is Shut by return post, plus a warm letter of welcome from Ro. My very first experience of the small presses. This has really cheered me up. Thanks, Kev. And I wonder what happened to Tony Patrick. If I remember rightly, I received a bundle of artwork from him which I used over several issues, but never really heard from him again. Was it something I said?? was my first experience of small presses also. It was advertised as a magazine in Book and Magazine Collector, so its format was not what I expected (not that I'm complaining). |
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