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.

This book brings together fourteen of the most ambitious and thought-provoking recent essays by David Punter, who has been writing on the Gothic to academic and general acclaim for over thirty years. Punter addresses developments in Gothic writing and Gothic criticism since the mid-eighteenth century, by isolating and discussing specific themes and scenarios that have remained relevant to literary and philosophical discussion over the decades and centuries, and also by paying close attention to the motifs, figures and recurrences that loom so large in twenty-first-century engagements with the Gothic. This book, while engaging deeply with Gothic history, constantly addresses our continuing immediate encounters with Gothic tropes – the vampire, the zombie, the phantom, the living dead.

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.