M. R. James

M. R. James (1862–1936) was a distinguished medieval scholar and provost of King’s College and Eton who, in stories read aloud to friends at Christmas, perfected the English ghost story. ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’, ‘Casting the Runes’ and ‘“Count Magnus”’ define the subtle, scholarly, terrifying ‘Jamesian’ tale that has influenced horror ever since.