The ghost stories of M.R. James (MRJ) are widely considered to be the best supernatural literature ever written. "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, Part 2: More Ghost Stories" was his second collection of short stories to be published (1911) and includes seven tales of the supernatural.
However, you might want to spend a bit more money and buy the "The Penguin Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James." If you completely succumb to the refined but potent horror of this author's writings, only "A Pleasing Terror" (Ash Tree Press 2001) will then do. The latter book contains all of MRJ's supernatural literature, including story fragments that were never completed, biographies, bibliographies, commentary, and his fantasy novelette, "The Five Jars."
'More Ghost Stories' consists of the following stories, plus a brief preface by the author:
"A School Story"--MRJ was a dean at King's College, Cambridge and he supposedly wrote this story to entertain the King's College Choir. I believe it is one of his shortest complete stories and it contains several ideas for further tales of the supernatural which were never followed up by MRJ himself. In this tale two middle-aged men are reminiscing about ghosts at boys' schools, and one relates a story of a schoolboy's revenge on a murderous master.
"The Rose Garden"--Features one of MRJ's less sympathetic female characters. The overbearing Mrs. Anstruther gets her supernatural comeuppance when she insists upon the removal of an old oak post in the rose garden.
"The Tractate Middoth"--The young Mr. Garrett is asked to find a copy of the "Tractate Middoth" in a "certain famous library" and stumbles upon a cobwebby mystery. Find yourself a quiet, unpopulated corner in the stacks of an old library and see if you can read this story without looking behind you. This is MRJ at his antiquarian best.
"Casting the Runes"--One of MRJ's most collected stories along with "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad." The villain of tale is sometimes assumed to be based on the self-styled 'Great Beast,' occultist Aleister Crowley. He and MRJ might have crossed paths at Cambridge University although there seems to be no proof that the scholarly Dean ever met the so-called 'wickedest man in the world.' At any rate, this is a tale of a man who unwittingly angers a sorcerer.
"The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral"--This story begins with the obituary of the Venerable John Benwell Haynes, Archdeacon of Sowerbridge and Rector of Pickhill and Candley. He succeeded to his position upon the rather mysterious demise of Archdeacon Pulteney in 1810, but does not find much enjoyment in his new job. In fact, the archideacon's stall with its carvings of a cat, the King of Hell, and Death becomes a particularly haunting spot for the new prelate.
"Martin's Close"--The bit of land referred to in the story's title is "one of the smallest enclosures you are likely to see." It consists of a pond that is hedged all around with no gate or entrance. The tale of its haunting is told primarily through a court record from the time of Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys, he of the infamous 'Bloody Assize' that followed the Monmouth Rebellion. In spite of this rather awkward structure, it is a very frightening tale of supernatural revenge.
"Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance"--Once installed as the new master of his deceased uncle's estate, Mr. Humphreys discovers the plan to an overgrown maze on his property. He decides to investigate the old landscaping feature, which was erected by one of his most notorious ancestors. Mr. Humphreys also discovers a set of stone blocks that were once part of the maze. He reconstructs the inscription on them to read: "Penetrans Ad Interior Mortis."
This is a greatest-hits grab bag of 25 stories from the Grimm's Fairy Tales collection, unillustrated, and apparently taken from the 1884 Margaret Hunt translation. Good collection of the highlights, but there are more complete collections (for example, Household Tales by Brothers Grimm) available for free in the kindle store.
List is:
The Goose-Girl
The Little Brother and Sister
Hansel and Grethel
Oh, if I could but Shiver!
Dummling and the Three Feathers
Little Snow-White
Catherine and Frederick
The Valiant Little Tailor
Little Red-Cap
The Golden Goose
Bearskin
Cinderella
Faithful John
The Water of Life
Thumbling
Briar Rose
The Six Swans
Rapunzel
Mother Holle
The Frog Prince
The Travels of Tom Thumb
Snow White and Rose Red
The Three Little Men in the Wood
Rumpelstiltskin
Little One-eye, Two-Eye, and Three-Eyes
