[Rarebooks] FS: M.R. James, 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary' -1905 2nd prtg.

[Joslin Hall Rare Books, ABAA]

>From our new 'A GRAVE AFFAIR' catalog-
<http://www.a-grave-affair.com/Catalog_288.htm>

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James, Montague Rhodes. GHOST STORIES OF AN ANTIQUARY. London; Edward
Arnold: 1905. 2nd prtg. The second printing of the author’s first book.
This classic creepy collection was published a few months after the first
printing of 1904.

      M.R. James was the prototypical English antiquarian- a scholar of
apocryphal Biblical literature and Medieval manuscripts, he served
as provost of both King’s College and Eton. In his spare time he
turned his antiquarianism to the creation of some of the creepiest,
most perfectly-realised ghost stories in the English language, and
his work is considered by many to mark the beginning of modern ghost
story.

      James’ stories were distinctly understated- no wailing goblins here.
His main characters were usually antiquaries much like himself,
often visiting small churches, cathedrals or libraries where they
stumbled onto books or artifacts which it would have been better if
they had left alone. One famous story, included here, centers on a
haunted mezzotint.

      If the stories are understated, the singular vindictiveness of his
ghosts is not. James’ spirits, though not usually described in
detail, remain perfect examples of the supremely creepy and
malignantly evil. Even a hundred years after he wrote them, these
stories will still send chills up your spine and should definitely
not be read after 10 p.m. in an old, creaky house with shadowy
corners...

      Hardcover. 6”x8.5”, 270 pages, 4 b/w plates by James McBryde.
Publisher’s oatmeal-colored coarse cloth, black lettering with red
rules; covers with the tiniest wear at the tips, bookplate on the
front pastedown with slight offsetting shadow on the endsheet; a few
tiny finger smudges on some page edges, etc., but a very nice,
tight, clean copy. [09760] $600.00

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JOSLIN HALL RARE BOOKS, ABAA
Fine books of the 16th-20th centuries
on the decorative and fine arts & design

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