• Ghost Stories, Volume One

  • By: M. R. James
  • Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
  • Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,018 ratings)
Ghost Stories, Volume One  By  cover art

Ghost Stories, Volume One

By: M. R. James
Narrated by: Derek Jacobi

Publisher's summary

Sir Derek Jacobi reads a collection of tales from the master of ghost stories, M. R. James, whose stories have for many years inspired the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas TV adaptations. M. R. James was described as "a man who, in company with Sheridan le Fanu, is the best ghost-story writer England has ever produced".
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Ghost Stories, Volume One

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible Narration for M.R. James Classics!

I have found my new favourite narrator, Derek Jacobi! He's incredible at narrating these classic ghost stories by M.R. James - the way he acts out the conversations between characters is amazing! Here is a listing of the stories read:

A View From a Hill
Rats
A School Story
The Ash Tree
The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance

If you're a fan of M.R. James or classic ghost stories, do not pass this one up! Get it now!

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51 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Delightful narration of classic creepy tales - 1

Since there is no "track listing" of the stories in this title's description, allow me to provide them to you here, so you don't do as I did and end up purchasing recordings of individual stories by M.R. James which overlap with these:

Ghost Stories Volume One:
1. A view from a Hill
2. Rats
3. A School Story
4. The Ash Tree
5. The Story of a Disappearance, and an Appearance

Ghost Stories Volume Two - (sold separately):
1. A Warning to the Curious
2. The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral
3. After Dark in the Playing Fields

Enjoy!

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An (Almost) Excellent Introduction.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book, and volume two, are very good for the newcomer to M.R. James's work. The only downside to this anthology is perhaps the fact some of his best stories are not included. I would have loved to have heard Jacobi's take on "Casting The Runes".

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Cute, good, fun, definitely recommend!

What did you love best about Ghost Stories, Volume One?

The narrator! Some of the stories weren't necessarily that scary but the narrator made everything feel spooky! It was great! definitely

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the story of the "special binoculars" very spooky and with such cute characters!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Strange and wonderful paths of darker worlds that you can't help relish meandering through.

Any additional comments?

I thought this was a short, fun little collection of short stories. I will be purchasing more volumes for more fun spooky nights.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Long Live Audible Plus

Though a medievalist himself, M. R. James freed the ghost story from its gothic roots, achieving a greater creep factor by locating his tales closer to, if not in, his own times. Like the classical Greek dramatists, he understood that the horror is always more horrible when it happens offstage. And frankly, any author who had the clear-sightedness to call James Joyce "a charlatan" has my whole-hearted sympathy.

This is one of those titles that would have languished on my wish list for years, teetering in that never-never land between just-too-expensive-to-buy, but not costly enough to justify a credit. Like Alexander with the Gordian Knot, Audible Plus solved the impasse with one blow. And I can’t imagine a better reader for these stories than Derek Jacobi.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Jacobi is good, but....

I didn't really find these stories by M.R. James to be all that scary or memorable, compared with say H.P. Lovecraft. Not sure how I'd feel about other stories by him, but Jacobi makes a good narrator

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply superb. Fit for a stage.

Derek Jacobi brings the dialects and idioms of M.R. James' writing to life beautifully. The turns of phrase are notably archaic, and might otherwise be lost on modern readers how some characters are ironically pendantic or very 'working class.' I hope he will be hired on to read more turn of the century works.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful version of M.R.James best..

I've been a huge fan of M. R. James since I was a teen, and Derek Jacobi is a treat with these stories...
perfectly written to elicit shivers and questions... but the narration is peerless.
Listen to these on a hot, sunny day and you won't feel the heat.
Be careful if you prefer to listen while alone at night...

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Spooky

one word... spooky. I loved the accented dialing and voices. great stories even after all this time. loved it and them.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Do not download

Audible asked me to provide my opinion of this book for the benefit of other listeners. I hope you heed my warning. Do not download this book. The book is boring. It will be a waste of your time and money. The stories are not scary. They are long tedious stores that lack appeal to both children and adults. My recommendation is to pass this one up. Title sounds promising but the content is terrible.

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3 people found this helpful