A Thin Ghost and Others

Montague Rhodes JamesProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.4

Word count: 166K words
Chapters: 17

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Thin Ghost and Others by M. R. JamesAuthor: James, M. R. (Montague Rhodes), 1862-1936,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jan 16, 2007

Editor's review

M. R. James is a representative writer of the English classical ghost story, and this book collects several of his short ghost stories in his characteristic restrained style: rather than gore, he uses everyday objects—old manuscripts, antiques, country houses—as triggers, letting unease build slowly within calm narration. For readers familiar with the English originals, the rhythm of the language and period atmosphere are part of the pleasure; newcomers can treat it as an introductory sample of the Western short ghost-story tradition. The Project Gutenberg edition is free and easy to get on electronic devices, suited to reading in short sittings on a commute or before bed; each story is brief and leaves an aftertaste, and invites discussion with friends about its hints and gaps.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers who enjoy classical ghost and Gothic short stories
Literature lovers who want to trace the roots of the Western ghost story
Learners needing short English texts for reading practice
Readers who prefer suggestion to bloody horror

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting modern, fast-paced, high-thrill horror
Those with weak English who do not want to look up words
Readers impatient with old-fashioned narrative pacing

Reading tips

Read each story on its own; pause briefly before starting the next to let the aftereffect settle.
Mark unfamiliar words and look them up after finishing a story, so the atmosphere is not broken.
Read alongside background on the author's life and the English ghost-story tradition.
Before bed, keep to one or two stories; reading several in a row weakens the suspense.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

The records show the book is in English; it is a free Project Gutenberg ebook, and reading it requires some grounding in English.

Can I read it without having read other works by M. R. James?

Yes. It is a short-story collection; the stories are largely independent and do not depend on earlier works, so it works as an entry point to the author.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading, but the text has an old-fashioned style and its sentences and vocabulary differ from modern English, so it suits readers with some foundation who want to sense the language.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Montague Rhodes James Author · British · 1862–1936

M. R. James (Montague Rhodes James, 1862–1936) was a British medieval scholar, biblical scholar, and writer of ghost stories. He served as Provost of King's College, Cambridge, Headmaster of Eton College, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Though distinguished in scholarship, he is better known for his ghost stories, including Ghost Stories of an Antiquary and its sequel More Ghost Stories, as well as A Thin Ghost and Others, The Five Jars, and Old Testament Legends. His supernatural tales often revolve around old books, manuscripts, and antiquities, creating a restrained yet convincing atmosphere of dread. He is credited with founding the so-called antiquarian ghost story tradition and is widely regarded as one of the finest ghost story writers in the English language.