Ghost Stories of an Antiquary [Audiobook, Classical] [Audio CD]

Naxos Audio books has finally released
GHOST STORIES OF AN ANTIQUARY by M. R. JAMES.
A 4CD set.

When getting the Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, I was thrilled; merely excited on finally getting something new and totally different. Being true and huge fan of Horror and the Supernatural my waiting though was not in vain. I wanted to see what M. R. James was like but fearing that I wasn't going to like his tales since he is a English writer and he might be too English or too Old-English tongues for me to understood (for being a American or Yankee) on what he was trying to say.

Look what happened to Shakespeare and the American Education department.
Floop!!!!!!!

Well to tell you the truth Ladies and Gentlemen, James had suddenly raised my appetite without warning. I was hooked and I was spooked. Not a small shock of being slightly scared to a trauma of leaving the lights in my room on all night, or always looking behind my shoulder; but being unquestionably horrified. After listening to his stories of the strange, the unknown and the supernatural I was hungry for more.

I only had listened to a few of his stories such as RATS, OH, WHISTLE, & I'LL COME TO YOU, MY LAD, THE MEZZOTINT as well as LOST HEARTS from other audio books including Classic Ghost Stories and even Great Chilling Tales; both by Naxos also. But this collection has things or materials that none other has and it had expanded my consideration of what is reality, superstition and what is real and dangerous. James has introduce me and others into a world were the common-everyday Skeptic unexpectedly comes across something that would changed their beliefs and their sanity for the rest of their natural or unnatural lives. They soon become believers on what he or she in these stories encounters (both by accident or in tensional or by sheer bad luck) and some of these meetings don't always end happily.
Well is supposed to be horror stories and not romantic tales.

James has a great sense of telling the stories as if telling it from his own lips or by someone else's. James has a great gift of telling each tale like he had actually happened to him or someone he knew.

Afterwards on listening to the 4 stories I have mentioned earlier, I was hooked or addicted or bewildered. These three stories had changed my perspectives of listening to old-fashioned Ghost Stories and James' shadow and dark worlds of his collections had made me a fan. If you like ghost stories, GSOAA will be a great present for you. If features never-be-release stories such as Canon Alberic's Scrapbook, The Ash-Tree and even Lost Hearts which are very creepy, other stories in this collection are The Mezzotint, Number 13 and even Count Magnus which are very disturbing. The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, Rats and Oh, Whistle, & I'll come to You, My Lad are classics and of course spooky to say more.
However the bad news is that this is only the first of the collections, Naxos is perhaps planning to release another volume of M. R. James' ghostly tales in a later date and time in the future. Quite possibility featuring classic stories such as Casting the Runes, James' legendary A Warning To The Curious, A View From A Hill (One of my favorites) The Stalls of Bar Chester Cathedral, Martin's Close, A Story of a Disappearance and An Appearance, An Episode of Cathedral History & James' most infamous tale Mr. Humphreys & His Inheritance. Of course I am only guessing here and we don't know if Naxos Audio books is planning or ever going to release a second volume here or not.

I have ordered The Complete Ghost Stories of M. R. James Vol: 2 from England and from Craftsman Audio. I am hoping to get it sometime in the middle of April or May to see if it's a good item and a expansion of James' tales. I hope so.

Other James' stories are available from BBC Audio featuring the narrations of Sir Derek Jacobi, though only volume 1 is available and not 2...yet. Also Craftsman Audio has released two volumes titled THE COMPLETE GHOST STORIES OF M.R. James that I have said earlier, both read by British veteran David Collings. Good ratings by others, but they are from England and none from the U.S. or even Canada.

Featuring in this album are the narrations of Stephen Crichlow who has done both Oh, Whistle, & I'll come to You, My Lad, The Mezzotint and Rats and David Timson who has done a vast series of Naxos' collections of Sherlock Holmes mysteries and other books by BBC Audio and Naxos Audio books.
Both are great. This audio book has the creepiest classical music of all time featuring before and after in these never-before-release tales of the true Godfather of Ghost Stories.
Still, this series of stories does have a great sense of dread, fear, horror and the unknown of the supernatural and other tipsy-topsy things that go BANG!!!! in the night. If you love ghost stories, or a horror Buff, than Ghost Stories of an Antiquary is definitely for you and your listening pleasures, hope that when you listen to them, keep the lights on and listen during the day.

› Go to Amazon.com to see the review  4.0 out of 5 stars