The Antiquary's Ghost Stories

James is considered the founder of a special "antiquarian" branch of Gothic storytelling. Important roles in his stories are played by ancient documents, manuscripts, scrolls, engravings, and the action unfolds in churches and cathedrals, colleges and museums, archives and libraries, the serene peace of which is disturbed by strange, eerie, and invariably hostile supernatural beings. A born storyteller, James masterfully escalates tension, skillfully balances between plausibility and unrealism, and frightens the reader with a sense of the inevitability of a tragic ending. This edition includes the author's collections "The Antiquary's Ghost Stories" and "New Antiquary's Ghost Stories," which are regarded as the peak of James's work. Many stories have been adapted for the screen, and "The Antiquary's Ghost Stories" has become one of the one hundred best books ever written in the horror genre.