M. R. James wrote his ghost stories to entertain friends on Christmas Eve, and they went on to both transform and modernise a genre. James harnesses the power of suggestion to move from a recognisable world to one that is indefinably strange, and then unforgettably terrifying. Sheets, pictures, carvings, a dolls house, a lonely beach, a branch tapping on a window, ordinary things take on more than a tinge of dread in the hands of the original master of suspense.

Considered by many to be the most terrifying writer in English, M.R. James was an eminent scholar who spent his entire adult life in the academic surroundings of Eton and Cambridge. His classic supernatural tales draw on the terrors of the everyday, in which documents and objects unleash terrible forces, often in closed rooms and night-time settings where imagination runs riot. Lonely country houses, remote inns, ancient churches or the manuscript collections of great libraries provide settings for unbearable menace, from creatures seeking retribution and harm. These stories have lost none of their power to unsettle and disturb. This edition presents all of James's published ghost stories, including the unforgettable 'Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad' and 'Casting the Runes', and an appendix of James's writings on the ghost story. Darryl Jones's introduction and notes provide a fascinating insight into James's background and his mastery of the genre he made his own. --! From publisher's description.

It may not be the longest, deepest or widest river in the world but few bodies of water reveal as much about a nation's past and present, or as suggestive of its future, as England's River Thames. Tales of legendary lock-keepers and long-vanished weirs evoke the distant past of a river which evolved into a prime commercial artery linking the heart of England with the ports of Europe. In Victorian times, the Thames hosted regattas galore, its new bridges and tunnels were celebrated as marvels of their time, and London’s river was transformed from sewer to centrepiece of the British Empire. Talk of the Thames Gateway and the effectiveness of the Thames Barrier keeps the river in the news today, while the lengthening Thames Path makes the waterway more accessible than ever before. Through quiet meadows, rolling hills, leafy suburbia, industrial sites and a changing London riverside, Mick Sinclair tracks the Thames from source to sea, documenting internationally-known landmarks such as Tower Bridge and Windsor Castle and revealing lesser known features such as Godstow Abbey, Canvey Island, the Sandford Lasher, and George Orwell’s tranquil grave.

breadth of range attention to the psychological meanings of various forms of the Gothic inclusion of material on some of the best-known Gothic texts, including Frankenstein and Dracula.

Montague Rhodes James--M. R. James--was an English academic and provost of King's College and Eton. He started writing ghost stories to entertain his friends. . . one hundred and fifty years after his birth he is now revered as the father of the modern English ghost story. This gorgeous hardback collection contains all thirty-five of M.R. James's highly acclaimed ghost stories, including the classics: "Oh Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" and "Canon Alberic's Scrapbook."

The second edition of Urban Geographycontinues to provide an authoritative and stimulating global introduction to the study of towns and cities. The text synthesizes a wealth of material to provide unrivalled depth and breadth for students of urban geography, drawing on a rich blend of theoretical and empirical information with which to advance the knowledge of the city. The new edition has been extensively revised to reflect feedback from users and to incorporate the latest research and developments in the field. The text is divided into six main parts that explain and discuss: * the field of urban geography and the importance of a global perspective * the historical growth of cities from the earliest times and the urban geography of the major world regions * the dynamics of urban structure and land-use change in Western cities * economy, society and politics in the Western city * the economic, social, political and environmental challenge faced by the third world city * an overview on the future of cities and cities of the future. Featuring over one hundred and eighty case study and explanatory boxes, this book draws insights from across the globe and contains a glossary of key terms and words, chapter summaries, key points, study questions and annotated further reading.

A guide to the wildlife of Washington D.C. includes information on parks, animals, plants, fungi, and geology.

The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James is an omnibus collection of ghost stories. Many of these stories are time-tested classics. Montague Rhodes James is best remembered for his ghost stories, which some consider among the best in the genre. He redefined the ghost story for the new century by abandoning many of the formal Gothic clichés of his predecessors and using more realistic contemporary settings. However, his protagonists and plots tend to reflect his own antiquarian interests. Accordingly, he is known as the originator of the "antiquarian ghost story". H. P. Lovecraft was an admirer of James's work, extolling the stories as the peak of the ghost story form in his essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature". CANON ALBERIC’S SCRAP-BOOK LOST HEARTS THE MEZZOTINT THE ASH-TREE NUMBER 13 COUNT MAGNUS THE TREASURE OF ABBOT THOMAS A SCHOOL STORY THE ROSE GARDEN THE STALLS OF BARCHESTER CATHEDRAL THE DIARY OF MR. POYNTER AN EPISODE OF CATHEDRAL HISTORY THE STORY OF A DISAPPEARANCE AND AN APPEARANCE AN EVENING’S ENTERTAINMENT A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS A NEIGHBOUR’S LANDMARK THE UNCOMMON PRAYER-BOOK THE HAUNTED DOLLS’ HOUSE WAILING WELL THERE WAS A MAN DWELT BY A CHURCHYARD RATS AFTER DARK IN THE PLAYING FIELDS THE EXPERIMENT THE MALICE OF INANIMATE OBJECTS A VIGNETTE

"Many parents work more hours outside of the home and their lives are crowded with more obligations than ever before; many children spend their evenings and weekends trying out for all-star teams, traveling to regional and national tournaments, and eating dinner in the car while being shuttled between activities. In this vivid ethnography, based on almost 200 interviews with parents, children, coaches and teachers, Hilary Levey probes the increase in children's participation in activities outside of the home, structured and monitored by their parents, when family time is so scarce. As the parental "second shift" continues to grow, alongside it a second shift for children has emerged--especially among the middle- and upper-middle classes--which is suffused with competition rather than mere participation. What motivates these particular parents to get their children involved in competitive activities? Parents' primary concern is their children's access to high quality educational credentials--the biggest bottleneck standing in the way of, or facilitating entry into, membership in the upper-middle class. Competitive activities, like sports and the arts, are seen as the essential proving ground that will clear their children's paths to the Ivy League or other similar institutions by helping them to develop a competitive habitus. This belief, motivated both by reality and by perception, and shaped by gender and class, affects how parents envision their children's futures; it also shapes the structure of children's daily lives, what the children themselves think about their lives, and the competitive landscapes of the activities themselves"--

The art of telling a ghost story is a refined one, and Montague Rhodes James was a master of the genre. Complete Ghost Stories is part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library, a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics bound in real cloth with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features an afterword by author and playwright David Stuart Davies. M.R. James draws the reader into narratives which, seeming innocuous, become darker and darker in gentle turns – and then confront readers with some of the most unforgettably frightening images in British literature. Complete Ghost Stories contains every timeless masterpiece from each of his four collections: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904), More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911), A Thin Ghost and Others (1919), and A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories (1925).