To coincide with the 120th anniversary of its original publication in December 1904, here is the complete recording of M. R. James's first collection of supernatural tales, 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'. Story timestamps can be found below. These stories are already available on the channel as individual uploads if you prefer to listen that way. (Note: as they were recorded episodically between 2021 and 2024 you may notice a slight variation in acoustic/audio quality between stories.)
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:00 Contents List and Author's Note
00:02:42 Canon Alberic's Scrapbook
00:37:32 Lost Hearts
01:05:22 The Mezzotint
01:35:29 The Ash-Tree
02:11:54 Number 13
02:55:03 Count Magnus
03:32:42 Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad
04:26:15 The Treasure of Abbot Thomas
05:16:47 Credits, thanks and further listening
Narrated/performed by Simon Stanhope, aka Bitesized Audio. If you enjoy this content and would like to help me keep creating, there are a few ways you can support me (and get access to exclusive content):
* Occasional/one-off support via Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bitesizedaudio
* Monthly support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bitesizedaudio
* Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HMMUWZ7URN26A
* Visit my Bandcamp page to hear more of my performances of classic stories, and you can purchase and download high quality audio files to listen offline: https://bitesizedaudio.bandcamp.com/
* Become a Bitesized Audio Classics member on YouTube, from $1 / £1 / €1 per month:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BitesizedAudioClassics/join
About the author: Montague Rhodes James (1862–1936) was a medievalist and scholar, and is probably the best known and most celebrated English ghost story writer of the 20th century, although he actually began composing supernatural tales in the late Victorian era, beginning with 'Canon Alberic's Scrapbook' and 'Lost Hearts'. Both these tales are recorded as having been read aloud at Christmas 1893, although you may notice that M. R. James himself in his Author's Note states that the former story was written in 1894. During a long academic career, M. R. James developed a tradition of reading his ghost stories aloud to a group of friends, most famously on Christmas eve, and the majority of his published stories were first heard in that setting.
Canon Alberic's Scrapbook | 00:02:42
In the decayed Pyrenean town of St Bertrand de Comminges, an English academic stumbles across a unique book, a collection of writings and illustrated manuscripts dating back many centuries. It's incredibly rare, and yet the owner of the book seems surprisingly happy to part with it...
Lost Hearts | 00:37:32
Newly orphaned Stephen Elliot arrives to live under the care of his much older cousin, Mr. Abney, at his house in Lincolnshire. But Stephen soon discovers that he's not the first young person to have been given a home at Aswarby Hall...
The Mezzotint | 01:05:22
"It was a rather indifferent mezzotint, and an indifferent mezzotint is, perhaps, the worst form of engraving known... What in the world Mr. Britnell could mean by affixing the price of £2 2s. to such an object was more than Mr. Williams could imagine."
The Ash-Tree | 01:35:29
Sir Matthew Fell inherits Castringham Hall in 1735 and has ambitious plans to improve it; but his ancestor's involvement in a notorious local witch trial 45 years earlier casts a long shadow...
Number 13 | 02:11:54
While researching church history in Denmark, Mr. Anderson notices that the inn where he is staying has no room numbered 13. Or does it...?
Some notes on the text:
– "The old terrier of the Bishop’s property" mentioned by the Archivist: "terrier" is an historical term for an inventory or catalogue of assets, in this case belonging to the church.
– The Latin words from the Psalter, taken from Psalm 150, quoted by Herr Jensen, "omnis spiritus laudet Dominum", translates roughly as: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."
Count Magnus | 02:55:03
‘Are you awake, Count Magnus? Are you asleep, Count Magnus?’ While travelling in Sweden, Mr. Wraxall becomes fascinated by the legend surrounding Count Magnus De la Gardie, a nobleman of evil memory. He soon regrets his curiosity...
Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad | 03:32:42
Professor Parkins is not superstitious. So when he digs up an old whistle while investigating the site of some ancient ruins, he is not afraid to blow it. He would have been wiser to take heed of the cryptic inscriptions...
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas | 04:26:15
For centuries, clergy and scholars have puzzled over the whereabouts of the treasure hidden by Abbot Thomas of Steinfeld, until antiquarian Mr. Somerton discovers some stained glass which appears to hold the key to the mystery. He hastens to Germany to follow the clues amid the Abbey ruins... but has the Abbot set a trap for the unwary treasure seeker?
Recordings © Bitesized Audio 2021–24.