A Selection of Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories

By: E. F. Benson, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, F. Marion Crawford, Charles Dickens, Amelia B. Edwards, Fergus Hume, M. R. James

Narrated by: Simon Stanhope

A selection of 17 classic stories of horror and the supernatural by some of the greatest writers in the genre. This compilation includes a mix of well-known classics by authors such as Charles Dickens and M. R. James, alongside several unjustly overlooked gems by less familiar names who were hugely popular and prolific in their day. The stories are:

1. "The Phantom Coach" by Amelia B. Edwards
2. "The Signal-man by" Charles Dickens
3. "An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
4. "The Shadow in the Corner" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
5. "The Upper Berth" by F. Marion Crawford
6. "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" by M. R. James
7. "The Story of Salome" by Amelia B. Edwards
8. "John Charrington's Wedding" by Edith Nesbit
9. "The Corpse Light" by J. E. Preston Muddock
10. "The Thing in the Upper Room" by Arthur Morrison
11. "The Sand-walker" by Fergus Hume
12. "Rose Rose" by Barry Pain
13. "The Tomb of Sarah' by F. G. Loring
14. "The House with the Brick-kiln" by E. F. Benson
15. "In the Dark" by Edith Nesbit
16. "The Story of the Green House, Wallington" by Allen Upward
17. "Mr. Humphreys and His Inheritance" by M. R. James

Public Domain (P)2021 Simon Stanhope

Fun stuff

The style of the writing and narration evokes all the fun of the naïveté of the nineteenth century

Great stories from their age but some are well outdated

The narrator has a great voice that lends itself to many of the stories. However some of them are so old or have been surpassed by stories during or since their time that they’re really not that enjoyable.

An Outstanding Short-but-Sweet Collection

I’ve listened to a number of classic ghost/horror story anthologies and this one, though all too brief. is among the best of them. Excellent narration vivifies these chilling and atmospheric tales.

Good selection So so narration

There’s some overlap with other classic ghost story collections, but not as much as with some other titles. The stories are great… creepy, atmospheric and well written. The only drawback here is the narrator. He isn’t a very skilled actor. He doesn’t even attempt to find a voice for individual characters. His strength is his idiomatic accent, which sits halfway between Hans Conreid and Mr Sherman from Sherman and Peabody. His phrasing tends toward repetitive singsong, but not so bad that it isn’t listenable. I wouldn’t want to hear a whole novel by him, but it works for a short story before bedtime.

A very good collection wonderfully narrated

This is a great collection of stories but I want to focus on the narration. Expertly read. Not voice acted. The stories are read as written, no gendered voices, at an appropriate pace with appropriate accentuation. Excellent.