Free Downloads The Oxford Book Of English Ghost Stories (Oxford Books Of Prose & Verse)
The thrill and chill of the ghost story is displayed in all its variety and vitality through this marvelous anthology. Ranging from the early 19th century to the 1960s, the collection reveals the development of the genre, and showcases many of its greatest expositors - from Sir Walter Scott, H.G. Wells, M. R. James, T.H. White, Walter de la Mare, and Elizabeth Bowen in the UK to Edith Wharton in America. Though its heyday coincided with the golden age of Empire in the nineteenth century, the ghost story enjoyed a second flowering between the two World Wars and its popularity is as great as ever.
Series: Oxford Books of Prose & Verse
Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (December 15, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 019955630X
ISBN-13: 978-0199556304
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 1.3 x 5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #528,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #200 in Books > Literature & Fiction > British & Irish > Horror #394 in Books > Literature & Fiction > British & Irish > Literature #464 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Anthologies
The horror genre is cluttered with hackwork, and imitations of hackwork--H.P. Lovecraft seems to have spawned a particularly virulent strain of the latter. However one of its subgenres, i.e. the ghost story seems to attract a better quality of writer--perhaps because a truly frightening tale of the returned dead is so difficult to write. (Believe me, I've tried and after almost half a century of trying, have sold exactly one ghost story).L. P. Hartley, who wrote "The Travelling Grave" and other great stories of the supernatural, described the ghost story as "certainly the most exacting form of literary art, and perhaps the only one in which there is almost no intermediate step between success and failure. Either it comes off or it is a flop."Cox and Gilbert have collected mostly successes (and one or two flops) in "The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories" and its companion volume, "The Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories." If you suffer from what Virginia Woolf called "the strange human craving for the pleasure of feeling afraid," both of these volumes will satisfy. Each contains a good mix of familiar and lesser-known ghost stories.Here is a sampling from 'English Ghost Stories':"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs -- A horrible variant on 'Be careful what you wish for. It might just come true.' This is a sad, frightening story--maybe 'the' perfect tale of the supernatural."The Confession of Charles Linkworth" by E.F. Benson -- A telephone call from a hanged man."Man-Size in Marble" by E. Nesbit -- An overly sweet Victorian marriage comes to a tragic end on All Saints' Eve.
Thus go the words in the Introduction to "The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories", edited by Michael Cox and R.A. Gilbert. Usually, I try to revisit my favorite supernatural authors as often as I can, especially the works of masters such as M.R. James, J.S. LeFanu, and Edgar Allan Poe. I enjoyed reading The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales and when I came across this title, I was drawn to it mainly because it listed Michael Cox as one of the editors. I have enjoyed other Cox compilations so I picked this up. I'm glad I did as the anthology contains a wonderful collection of English ghost stories to delight, chill, and enthrall.Here's a listing of the stories to make it convenient for customers looking to purchase this book:The Tapestried Chamber (1829) - Sir Walter ScottThe Phantom Coach (1864) - Amelia B. EdwardsSquire Toby's Will (1868) - J.S. Le FanuThe Shadow in the Corner (1879) - M.E. BraddonThe Upper Berth (1886) - F. Marion CrawfordA Wicked Voice (1890) - Vernon LeeThe Judge's House (1891) - Bram StokerMan-Size in Marble (1893) - E. NesbitThe Roll-Call of the Reef (1895) - Sir Arthur Quiller-CouchThe Friends of the Friends (1896) - Henry JamesThe Red Room (1896) - H.G. WellsThe Monkey's Paw (1902) - W.W. JacobsThe Lost Ghost (1903) - Mary E. Wilkins'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad' (1904) - M.R. JamesThe Empty House (1906) - Algernon BlackwoodThe Cigarette Case (1911) - Oliver OnionsRose Rose (1911) - Barry PainThe Confession of Charles Linkworth (1912) - E.F. BensonOn the Brighton Road (1912) - Richard MiddletonBone to His Bone (1912) - E.G. SwainThe True History of Anthony ffryar (1919) - Arthur GrayThe Taipan (1922) - W.
The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories (Oxford Books of Prose & Verse) The Oxford Book of Children's Verse (Oxford Books of Verse) The Oxford Book of Children's Verse in America (Oxford Books of Verse) True Ghost Stories & Tales of Hauntings. Stories of Ghosts & Demons.: True Ghost Stories New Testament Study Guide: Matthew Through Revelation/Verse by Verse True Ghost Stories and Hauntings: 10 Spine Chilling Accounts of True Ghost Stories and Hauntings, True Paranormal Reports and Haunted Houses I Love My Dad (English Korean Bilingual books, korean kids books): korean childrens books, english korean books for kids (English Korean Bilingual Collection) (Korean Edition) I Love My Mom (english korean books for kids, Korean bilingual books,ESL for kids, korean kids books, korean english bilingual,Korean childrens books) (English Korean Bilingual Collection) I Love My Mom (English Russian Bilingual books, russian childrens books): russian kids books, english russian children's books (English Russian Bilingual Collection) (Russian Edition) How I Became A Ghost - A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story (Book 1 in the How I Became A Ghost Series) I Love to Brush My Teeth (english korean books,korean childrens books ): korean bilingual books , korean kids books,bilingual korean books (English Korean Bilingual Collection) (Korean Edition) The Oxford Picture Dictionary: English-Spanish Edition (The Oxford Picture Dictionary Program) (English and Spanish Edition) The Oxford Picture Dictionary English/Japanese: English-Japanese Edition (The Oxford Picture Dictionary Program) The Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories Books for Kids: Lily the Little Mermaid (Mermaid Books for Kids, Children's Books, Kids Books, Bedtime Stories For Kids) (The Mermaid Stories: Kids Fantasy Books Book 2) I Love My Dad (English Korean bilingual, Korean children books, Korean kids books, ESL for Koreans) korean english books, bilingual children, ESL for kids (English Korean Bilingual Collection) I Love to Brush My Teeth (korean english childrens books, bilingual korean english, bilingual korean books, korean kids books, korean for children) (Korean English Bilingual Collection) Ghost Racers (Secret Wars: Battleworld: Ghost Racers) Collected Ghost Stories (Oxford World's Classics) I Love My Dad (English Japanese bilingual books, japanese children books): japanese kids books,japanese children stories (English Japanese Bilingual Collection) (Japanese Edition)
