Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936), who used the publication name M. R. James, was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918) and of Eton College (1918–1936). He is best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. One of James's most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by dispensing with many of the formal Gothic trappings of his predecessors, and replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings. At the same time, James' protagonists and plots tend—like himself—to be absorbed with antiquarianism. As such, he is known as the originator of the "antiquarian ghost story".

Review

"David Collings reads wonderfully well. Craftsman has produced a beautiful package of CDs, elegantly bound and including an extra CD offering articles in PDF format and track listings." Kim Bunce in The Observer, 24th June 2007. --The Observer, 24th June 2007

Product Description

(Unabridged, 8 CDs, 8 hours 30 minutes) For the first time, in this definitive two-volume unabridged recording, are collected all of M. R. James's published tales of pleasing terror. The 14 stories featured in Volume One are: Canon Alberic's Scrap-book; Lost Hearts; Count Magnus; Number 13; Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad ; The Mezzotint; The Ash-tree; The Treasure of Abbot Thomas; The Rose Garden; A School Story; The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral; The Tractate Middoth; Casting the Runes and Martin's Close.