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Ghost Stories (Wordsworth Classics) (Wordsworth Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £1.99
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Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 6404
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 1853267341
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781853267345
ASIN: 1853267341
Publication Date: June 1, 1998
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Not massively scary for the most part, but entertaining... August 25, 2008
The Holy Ferret (United Kingdom)
It's a somewhat uneducated cliché to say 'the old stuff ain't as scary', in an era where horror literature is far more explicit. I'm not an advocate of this school of thought however, proffering to be chilled by the likes of Le Fanu and James rather than grossed out. Dicken's ghost stories are, as the title suggests, stories about ghosts, but do not buy this under the misconception that they are all concocted purely to scare you, for they frequently have designs of a more esoteric nature than that.
'A Christmas Carol' is a morality tale, full of Dickens' often slated sentimentalism, which I nonetheless found infinitely enjoyable. Meanwhile 'The Ghosts Of The Mail' is almost like an adventure story, the likes of which we might expect from Washington Irving. Dickens seems determined to use the ghost story format to explore as many different emotions as possible, so some tales are comical, some sad, and yes some scary. One certainty is that all of the tales contained herein are very entertaining. Dickens' command of prose was, and still is, unmatched and he makes even the slightest details a source of great enjoyment with his profound sense of wit.
As such, I would label this a book of entertaining ghost stories rather than scary ghost stories, though there are exceptions to the rule. 'The Ghost In The Brides Chamber' is very chilling, not to mention rather sinister, and the frequently anthologised 'The Signalman' deserves its frequent 'contender for most chilling tale ever' accolade with absolute worthiness. Both of these tales share much in common with the works of Sheridan Le Fanu in their sense of escalation and presentation of inter-personal relationships, which is a charming comparison if ever there was one.
I'd say this is quite an essential collection, but I think it will appeal to fans of Dickens and/or 19th century literature in general first, ghost story enthusiasts second. It's not as intensely psychological or subtly chilling as many of the canonical authors in this genre, but the tales are so varied in style and effect that I don't consider this to be a negative criticism. What you have here is a collection of well written stories that never fail to being a smile upon ones face, and in light of that I'd thoroughly recommend this book.
Mixed bag, but includes some genuinely creepy stories December 21, 2007
John Hopper (London, UK)
Like most collections of short stories, a bit of a maixed bag, though the positives predominate. The shorter stories (10-15 pagers) are best, esp. A Madman's Manuscript, The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber, Trial for Murder, and The Signalman, all of which are very atmospheric and quite creepy.
A Christmas Carol remains a timeless classic, and deserves to be the most famous ghost story in Western literature. The other longer ones I found disappointing: Haunted Man and Ghost's Bargain, a long one weighing in at 77 pages, I just found tedious and gave up on quite quickly. The Haunted House also was dull and lacking in atmosphere
A mixed bag August 5, 2006
AP (Here)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
Here follows an overview of the contents of this volume, for your convenience:
The Queer Chair (The bagman's story) from The Pickwick Papers - extremely funny.
A Madman's Manuscript from The Pickwick Papers - one of the stories that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
The Goblins who Stole a Sexton from The Pickwick Papers - the predecessor of A Christmas Carol.
The Ghosts of the Mail (The story of the bagman's uncle) from The Pickwick Papers - another funny story.
The Baron of Grogzwig from Nicholas Nickleby - a story that influenced Edgar Allan Poe's The Devil in the Belfry.
A Christmas Carol - no comment needed.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain - a haunting story about the value of suffering.
To be Read at Dusk - a pair of stories concerning dreams and visions.
The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber from The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices - a story about a ghost that is doomed to walk the earth for evermore.
The Haunted House - a pair of stories about a house that is haunted by the narrator's own self.
The Trial for Murder (To be taken with a grain of salt) - a story about a murdered man who comes back to see justice done.
The Signalman - No comment needed.
 Twelve superb stories June 11, 2006
LiteratureLover
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Sooner or later , everyone in their lives will have come across Dickens's output . As I personally am an avid reader of Dickens's books , I was very much content with the purchase of this anthology of ghost stories . I believe that for they who have never had an opportunity to read any of this brilliant author's books , reading 'Ghost Stories ' will allow them to commend the creativity and singularity with which Dickens depicts his characters and narrate the social events that conditioned his life .
The volume consists of twelve ghost stories . Each story was extracted from a variety of sources . Some of them were extracted from material meant to be used for publication ; other ones were taken from Dickens's main novels .
Reading this book offers readers an opportunity to understand one of the main topic that had strong connotations during the author's lifetime : interest in supernatural phenomena .Each story reveals a different approach to supernatual phenomena . They who will have an opportunity to buy this book will notice how the ghosts depicted in each story are very different from one another : Dickens describes some of them with benevolent and sage attributes , such as the three Christmas Ghosts from the story ' A Christmas Carol ' ; on the other hand , other ghosts are narrated in a much gloomier way , such as the apparition from the story 'The Ghost in the Bride's chamber '. Yet , beyond the stories themselves , it's possible for the reader to trace a strong morale message that the author delivers through each of his stories , a message that reveals an unfathomable scepticism and condemnation of the popular practices as well as a possibility - as contadictory as it may seem - to take into consideration the existence of paranormal entities .
In conclusion , the above-mentioned anthology may represent a valid opportunity for many a reader : for readers who are already fond of Dickens's works , it may be an opportunity to find out a new side of the author's lifetime interest in supernatual phenomena ; for they who have never had a chance to become acquainted with Dickens's work , this book pontentially reprents a way for them to appreciate the author as well as it may be springboard to future readings .
the title says it all! May 5, 2001
18 out of 26 found this review helpful
yep thats right. This book does really have the best ghost stories that send a shiver down your spine!if your a fan of ghost stories then this is the one for you!
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