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In the twentieth-century literature of the supernatural, the single most important book, in the opinion of most scholars and enthusiasts, is Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, by M.R. James.
First printed in 1904, it is the landmark book that established the modern horror story. It has been reprinted more times than any other book in this field, and it contains several of the best ghost stories in the English language.
The antiquary here is M. R. James, Provost of Eton, one of the most formidable scholars that England has ever produced, who has drawn upon an unmatched knowledge of the hidden byways of the past to form a series of inimitable stories.
“These are stories meant to be read aloud at night, preferably by candlelight, when the shadows in the corners of our rooms could be hiding horrors. M. R. James has a well-deserved reputation for terrifying his readers. Most of his ghosts are only sketchily described, often only seen in brief glimpses, out of the corners of our eyes, yet the stories are more terrifying than any ‘slasher’-type horror movies. No one has ever told a better ghost story.” —Classic Mysteries
(A special thank you to book club member, Christine Jensen for the suggestion.)