The only annotated edition of M. R. James's writings currently available, Count
Magnus and Other Ghost Stories contains the entire first two volumes of James's
ghost stories, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary and More Ghost Stories of an Antiqu
ary. These volumes are both the culmination of the nineteenth-century ghost stor
y tradition and the inspiration for much of the best twentieth-century work in t
his genre. Included in this collection are such landmark tales as "Count Magnus,
" set in the wilds of Sweden; "Number 13," a distinctive tale about a haunted ho
tel room; "Casting the Runes," a richly complex tale of sorcery that served as t
he basis for the classic horror film Curse of the Demon; and "Oh, Whistle, and I
'll Come to You, My Lad," one of the most frightening tales in literature. The a
ppendix includes several rare texts, including "A Night in King's College Chapel
," James's first known ghost story.
