The Uncommon Prayer-Book (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

M. R. James

Jan 2016 · Read Books Ltd

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An antiquarian's exciting find: a seemingly rare and beautifully bound old prayer-book acquired at an estate sale. However, the book's contents are subtly wrong. Its unusual text and peculiar illustrations hint at a deeper, sinister history. The scholar soon discovers that this is no mere curiosity; it is an object carrying a malevolent presence from the past. Whispers, cold spots, and terrifying visions follow, proving that the book is an unholy conduit for a powerful, vengeful entity bound by an ancient curse.

This story is a quintessential example of James' genius for building palpable creeping dread from an everyday object, making it essential reading for fans of classic ghost stories and supernatural fiction, and proving that some relics are best left unopened.

From the mind of M. R. James, the acknowledged master who redefined the ghost story for the 20th century and founded the 'antiquarian ghost story' genre, comes a chilling tale where piety becomes peril. An antiquarian's exciting find: a seemingly rare and beautifully bound old prayer-book acquir...

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About the author

M. R. James was born in Goodnestone, Kent, England on August 1, 1862. He was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905-1918) and of Eton College (1918-1936). He is best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. He began writing his ghost stories as an entertainment for his friends; he would read these stories each year at Christmas to his colleagues at King's College. The earliest of these tales include Canon Alberic's Scrap-book and Lost Hearts, both of which were later collected in his first anthology of supernatural fiction, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904). Perhaps his single greatest story is the profoundly disturbing Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad (1904). He died on June 12, 1936.

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