Publisher's Synopsis
This selection of 42 stories written between 1829 and 1981 presents the full range of the English tradition of literary ghost fiction by demonstrating its historical development as well as its major themes and characteristics. It combines a serious literary purpose with the intention of arousing fear at the doings of the dead and the important contribution of women writers is indicated by the eight stories included, from Amelia Edward's "The Phantom Ghost" to Elizabeth Bowen's "Hand in Glove". The fictional ghost story is dominated by English authors, from J.S.Le Fanu and M.R.James to Walter de la Mare and Robert Aickman, and by American authors, such as Edith Wharton, writing in the English tradition.
