The Christmas Ghosts of E. F. Benson are perhaps not as famous as M. R. James’. E. F. Benson was the middle child of the famous Benson Brothers (A. C. older and R. H. younger). If we judged on volume, Benson would have James beat easily. He produced 52 to James’ 25. But quality does play a factor. Benson is often anthologized like James, but certain stories tend to show up more often: “Caterpillars”, “Mrs. Amworth”, “The Bus-Conductor” and “The Room in the Tower” and “In the Tube”.
Not all of Benson’s collections are available for free online but here are a few to get you started.
A Double Overture by E. F. Benson (1894)
Across the Stream by E. F. Benson (1919)
The Countess of Lowndes Square and Other Stories by E. F. Benson (1920)
Spook Stories by E. F. Benson (1928)
Now, if you are like me, you’d rather have someone with an English accent read these stories to you. Here are some audio version for your Yuletide enjoyment.
The Room in the Tower, and Other Stories (1912)
“The Confession of Charles Linkworth”
“How Fear Departed the Long Gallery”
“The House With the Brick Kiln”
Visible and Invisible (1923)
Spook Stories by E. F. Benson (1928)
More Spook Stories (1934)
“The Hanging of Alfred Wadham”
Others
Conclusion
The Christmas Ghosts of E. F. Benson have their charms. My favorites include the cryptoids in “The Horror Horn” (to which I wrote a sequel) as well as the slug monster in “Negotium Perambulans”. I’ve bitched about “How Fear Departed the Long Gallery” several times but really like the first half.
“Mrs. Amworth” was an important story in that Benson, a Victorian writer really, showed the Pulpsters how to modernize an old chestnut. He did it in 1922, seventeen years before John W. Campbell invented Unknown, a magazine dedicated to that type of fantasy.
In the Halls of Ghost Story Fame Benson comes in at the top ten, after M. R. James, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Charlotte Riddell, Amelia B. Edwards and perhaps, Algernon Blackwood. Only Blackwood can compare to EFB for sheer volume.
Enjoy the spooks and have a great holiday!
