Synopsis: From back cover: The celebrated writer M. R. James (1862-1936) is arguably the most significant author of ghost stories in the world. His macabre work has terrified and fascinated readers for over a hundred years. Now collected in one volume, here are twenty-nine essays on his ghostly tales and themes by editor and James scholar Rosemary Pardoe. Plus eight further essays on other authors, including Fritz Leiber, E. G. Swain and Manly Wade Wellman, and a fascinating miscellany of nine additional pieces on a variety of topics.