"An Evening's Entertainment is a tale that lives up to its deceptively quaint title, offering not comfort, but a slow, tightening dread. In the hands of master ghost-storyteller M. R. James, a quiet rural setting becomes the stage for something far more sinister—where folklore whispers, tradition conceals, and the past refuses to stay buried.
Dripping with unease and the chill of things half-seen, this is a story to be heard in silence, with the lights low and the wind outside. It is not simply entertainment—it is an invocation.
Let the evening begin."
"The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance is M. R. James at his most disquieting: where festive streets darken quickly, dreams twist into warnings, and something grotesque walks just beyond the edge of understanding.
Blending holiday cheer with a creeping sense of dread, this tale invites the listener to question what hides behind tradition, and what slips through the cracks of propriety.
Laced with unease and subtle horror, it is not merely a ghost story—it is a disturbance in the fabric of the ordinary."
"An Episode of Cathedral History is one of M. R. James's most quietly chilling tales—a masterwork of subtle horror, antiquarian mystery, and creeping dread. Behind the stone walls of a venerable English cathedral, the past stirs with a presence that should have remained undisturbed.
In this haunting narrative, the mundane slips imperceptibly into the macabre. A scholar's inquiry unlocks a forgotten secret; shadows lengthen; and something long sealed away begins to wake. With James's signature blend of erudition, atmosphere, and mounting unease, this tale draws the listener into a world where ancient relics conceal more than dust, and history is anything but dead.
Perfect for a candlelit evening or a solitary walk through fog-bound streets."
"A mournful cry, a well that echoes the past, and an invitation to remember the forgotten.
In Wailing Well, M. R. James crafts a haunting tale of mystery and spectral terror, where the quiet of a rural landscape is disturbed by a cry from the past—an eerie wail that resonates through time.
As James unearths the secrets buried in the forgotten well, he masterfully builds a sense of creeping dread and inevitable doom, reminding us that some things—once heard—can never be forgotten. With his signature style of subtle horror, James plunges the listener into a chilling world where even silence can be deadly."
"A relic buried. A secret watched. A warning unheeded.
In this chilling tale by master of the supernatural M. R. James, the boundaries between legend and reality dissolve into coastal mist. A Warning to the Curious draws the listener into a bleak and beautiful world where ancient guardians still linger—and curiosity can awaken things best left undisturbed.
A haunting meditation on the price of trespass, this is classic ghost storytelling at its most precise and unnerving."
"In the shadowed corners of Barchester Cathedral, a dark and unsettling secret lies hidden, waiting to be uncovered. M. R. James, master of the eerie and the supernatural, weaves a tale of mystery that drips with suspense and an ever-looming sense of dread. The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral invites listeners to step into the quiet, yet perilous world of ancient stone and whispered prayers, where the past's vengeful spirits are not content to remain forgotten. The story entangles curiosity with fear as it explores the strange occurrences in a sacred space, offering an atmospheric journey into the unknown. Prepare to be both mesmerized and unnerved by this hauntingly atmospheric tale of forbidden knowledge and the restless dead."
"'I dare say the place is very picturesque, but it doesn't look exactly cheerful.'
Step into the quiet English countryside, where serenity hides shadows, and ancient grounds guard forgotten secrets. In M. R. James's chilling tale The Rose Garden, a simple act—planting roses on a peaceful estate—unearths more than just soil. Whispers in the wind, a cursed corner of land, and a long-buried injustice begin to stir.
Elegant, eerie, and steeped in the uncanny, this masterfully told ghost story unfolds with James's signature subtlety and scholarly dread. The Rose Garden lures listeners into a world where the past never truly rests—and where even the most beautiful places may conceal the most disturbing truths.
Perfect for fans of classic ghost stories and lovers of refined horror."
"Some histories refuse to stay buried. In A Neighbour's Landmark, M. R. James offers a haunting meditation on place, memory, and the quiet persistence of old wrongs. Through gentle suggestion and masterful restraint, James evokes a creeping dread rooted in the land itself—a whisper of something long forgotten, but never forgiven. This is not merely a ghost story, but a tale where the landscape remembers, and where every stone may carry a secret. Subtle, strange, and unsettling, this is classic James at his most disquieting."
"A gentleman stumbles upon a curious old diary—an innocent discovery, or the key to something far more disturbing? In The Diary of Mr. Poynter, M. R. James once again conjures an atmosphere thick with dread, beauty, and the uncanny. This is a tale where the most ordinary object can become a gateway to forces beyond reason, and where curiosity may lead to quiet terror. With James's trademark subtlety and scholarly unease, the story whispers rather than screams—unsettling the soul long after the final word. Haunting, intricate, and elegantly unnerving."
"On a winter's night, as the old year slips silently into the new, shadows stir in forgotten corners, and the past refuses to rest. In The Experiment, M. R. James once again proves himself a master of quiet horror—where the chill creeps not from the cold, but from something far older, and far less forgiving. Subtle, strange, and unsettling, this is a tale that whispers its secrets, if you dare to listen. Perfect for a solitary listen by candlelight, just as midnight strikes."
"The Treasure of Abbot Thomas draws its listener into a labyrinth of ancient secrets, cryptic clues, and a warning that should never have been ignored.
In this masterwork of antiquarian dread, M. R. James summons a world where curiosity is a dangerous impulse, and knowledge—particularly the hidden kind—has its price.
With echoes of stone chambers and whispered Latin, this is a tale not merely of treasure, but of the peril that guards it. Let your ears adjust to the dark—and beware what answers back."
"A sacred volume, a forgotten ritual, and the lingering presence of something not entirely gone—The Uncommon Prayer-book whispers of devotion turned to dread.
M. R. James crafts a world where piety and peril overlap, where quiet study leads not to understanding, but to unease. This tale moves with the hush of cloisters and the rustle of ancient pages, all the while drawing the listener ever closer to an encounter best left unwritten.
Dark, refined, and utterly disquieting."
