Synopses & Reviews
Who better to investigate the literary spirit world than that supreme connoisseur of the unexpected, Roald Dahl? Of the many permutations of the macabre or bizarre, Dahl was always especially fascinated by the classic ghost story. As he realtes in the erudite introduction to this volume, he read some 749 supernatural tales at the British Museum Library before selecting the 14 that comprise this anthology. "Spookiness is, after all, the real purpose of the ghost story," Dahl writes. "It should give you the creeps and disturb your thoughts." For this superbly disquieting collection, Dahl offers favorite tales by such masterful storytellers as E. F. Benson, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Rosemary Timperley, and Edith Wharton.
Review
"An outstanding idiosyncratic selection of creepiness from a writer who ought to know, plus a characteristically provocative preface." The Times Literary Supplement (London)
Synopsis
Who better to investigate the literary spirit world than that supreme connoisseur of the unexpected? From the author of such beloved books as James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Witches comes a collection of spooky tales carefully curated by the author himself, Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories.
Of the many permutations of the macabre or bizarre, Dahl was always especially fascinated by the classic ghost story. As he relates in the erudite introduction to this volume, he read some 749 supernatural tales at the British Museum Library before selecting the 14 that comprise this anthology. Spookiness is, after all, the real purpose of the ghost story, Dahl writes. It should give you the creeps and disturb your thoughts.
For this superbly disquieting collection, Dahl offers favorite tales by such masterful storytellers as E. F. Benson, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Rosemary Timperley, and Edith Wharton.
About the Author
Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was the beloved author of such classics as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, and Matilda, among other works.
Table of Contents
Introduction Roald Dahl
W.S. L. P. Hartley
Harry Rosemary Timperley
The Corner Shop Cynthia Asquith
In the Tube E. F. Benson
Christmas Meeting Rosemary Timperley
Elias and the Draug Jonas Lie
Playmates A. M. Burrage
Ringing the Changes Robert Aickman
The Telephone Mary Treadgold
The Ghost of a Hand J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Sweeper A. M. Burrage (Ex-Private X)
Afterward Edith Wharton
On the Brighton Road Richard Middleton
The Upper Berth F. Marion Crawford