JAMES, M. R. (Montague Rhodes, 1862-1936)

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary ["The Mezzotint"]

London: Edward Arnold 41 & 43 Maddox Street, Bond Street, 1915. First Edition. Hardcover. A superb Ninth Impression of these tales that "have come to be seen as the epitome of the English ghost story." (Literary Encyclopedia) Demy 8vo (211 x 145mm): xii,270pp, with four illustrations by James McBryde. Original beige linen stamped in black and red, fore- and bottom edges untrimmed. Fine and tightly bound, light sporadic spotting (occasionally moderately so) to pages (not plates). Provenance: The Stuart B. Schimmel collection of M. R. James. Bleiler (Checklist), p. 108. Sullivan, pp. 233-35 ("some of the most alarming and unforgettable ghost stories in the English language"). Jones & Newman, pp. 61-64 ("the most important and influential figure in the horror field"). Rogers 84 (for first and new editions). Fine. Item #BB2630

The first work of fiction by one of the greatest ghost-story writers of all time, originally published in 1904, collecting eight creepy tales, two of which appeared previously, in the National Review (“Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook”) and the Pall Mall Gazette (“Lost Hearts”). Most were composed to be read aloud for the entertainment of James’s colleagues and students at Christmas gatherings, held annually in his rooms at King’s College, Cambridge, where James was a fellow and, later, Dean. The third tale, “The Mezzotint”, frequently anthologized, concerns a haunted painting that changes gradually to dramatize the snatching away of a baby by a vindictive corpse. This volume was followed, in 1911, by More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, containing a further seven stories on similar themes. Had he not written in the genre, Rhodes would have been remembered an expert on apocryphal literature and medieval manuscripts, as director of Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum, and Provost of Eton. Instead, we know him as a masterful narrator who "surpassed most writers of ghost stories in the eeriness of his atmosphere, the individual and peculiarly creepy quality of his plots, and the vindictiveness and malignancy of his ghosts." (Kunitz & Haycraft). N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).

Price: $499.00