The Tractate Middoth (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

M. R. James

Jan 2016 · Read Books Ltd

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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 academic rivalry uncovers a terrifying spectral curse.

A young, unassuming librarian is tasked with locating a specific, obscure book known as the Tractate Middoth for a wealthy, peculiar client. The request draws him into a convoluted plot involving a bizarre will, an immense inheritance, and a relentless legal quest. Soon, the librarian realises the text is guarded not just by legal documents but by a grotesque, spirit figure whose elongated form and terrifying visage appear in the shadows of the library stacks. The pursuit of the ancient text becomes a frantic, chilling struggle for survival against a highly malevolent guardian.

This story is a quintessential example of James' genius for combining scholarly investigation with palpable creeping dread. It is essential reading for fans of classic ghost stories and supernatural fiction, proving that some knowledge is eternally cursed.

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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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