The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce

A thrilling new collection of the greatest supernatural tales This definitive and wide-ranging collection brings together some of the best ghost stories ever written. From Elizabeth Gaskell's "The Old Nurse's Story" to Edith Wharton's "Afterword," The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories features the finest writings from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century, by masters including M. R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu, and Ambrose Bierce, among others. With stories from America, Ireland, and England, this volume includes all of the works that define the genre, from its beginning to its apex. Weaving in details about individual authors and their most famous tales, Michael Newton's absorbing introduction explores the ghost story's history and influences, as well as its changing nature and the reasons for its ongoing popularity.