A weekly podcast that reads out ghost stories, horror stories, and weird tales every week. Classic stories from the pens of the masters Occasionally, we feature...
Denys Val Baker (1917-1984), a prolific author and editor, made significant contributions to British literature, particularly in short fiction and regional writing. His work often drew inspiration from his adopted home of Cornwall, where he settled in 1948. "The Face in the Mirror" is the title story from Val Baker's first American collection, published by Arkham House in 1971. This limited edition of 2,045 copies introduced Val Baker's unique blend of everyday observation and uncanny elements to a new audience. The collection showcases his ability to capture the essence of human experience with both humour and poignancy, traits that had already established him as a notable figure in 20th-century British letters. "The Face in the Mirror" exemplifies Val Baker's skill in crafting tales that blur the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
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56:37
An Adventure by Charlotte Moberley and Eleanor Jourdain
My voice has given up so I can't record a story without it sounding like a rubber tyre riding on polystyrene. So, I dug into the archives and found an old 'true ghost' / timeslip story I narrated on an H5 zoom in a closet using the H5 Zoom built in microphone. As such, forgive the audio.
On 10th August 1901, two English women walked into the past.
During a visit to the Palace of Versailles, on the anniversary of the French Revolution, two ordinary women saw the French Queen, Marie Antoinette sitting in the gardens in front of them, along with nobles, gardeners, houses, bridges and stones that when they went back, were no longer there.
Backed up by a decade of research, the two women decided to publish their extraordinary adventure in 1910. Their timeslip experience has become known as the Ghosts of the Petit Trianon.
Did these two Edwardian women actually experience time travel, or did they see the ghosts of things that had been?
Previously, out of print, this is a new edition, edited and translated for the modern age, with additional material that looks at subsequent timeslip type experiences at Versailles
An Adventure Ebook For You To Read Along
Here's a link to a PDF I made of the book so you can read along and see where I made mistakes.
An Adventure by Charlotte Moberley and Eleanor Jourdain
Book Club
Áine Moroney has asked me to remind you of the existence of The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast Book Club to be found on Discord. Please use this link to join.
https://discord.gg/tZQrbsCf
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3:44:42
The Open Window by Saki and The Return by R. Murray Gilchrist
The Open Window by Saki
In this masterful tale by Saki, a nervous man arrives for a formal call, bearing a letter of introduction. Greeted by the niece of his intended hostess, he finds himself drawn into an unsettling conversation. As they await the lady of the house, the young girl recounts a tale of family tragedy, casting a shadow over the pleasant autumn afternoon. Despite his best efforts, the visitor finds his eyes straying to the open window, unable to shake a growing sense of unease. Saki's sharp wit and keen observations of Edwardian society shine through every carefully chosen word.
Plus +++
The Return by R. Murray Gilchrist
What spectres haunt the moors of Derbyshire? In this chilling Gothic tale by R. Murray Gilchrist, a man returns to a remote rural village after decades away, seeking his long-lost love. Mist-shrouded orchards and decaying manor houses harbor dark secrets, while ghostly figures flit through moonlit corridors. As he searches, reality warps and time unravels. Gilchrist's prose drips with dread and melancholy, weaving a tapestry of promises kept and promises broken.
⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐
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Go here for a library of ad-free stories, a monthly members only story and early access to the regular stories I put out.
You can choose to have ghost stories only, or detective stories or classic literature, or all of them for either $5 or $10 a month.
Many hundreds of hours of stories. Who needs Audible?
Or, if you'd just like to make a one-off gesture of thanks for my work
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40:50
Kerfol by Edith Wharton
In Edith Wharton’s story Kerfol, published in 1911, a solitary traveller visits an ancient house in Brittany—a place shrouded in silence and mystery. Wandering the grounds, he encounters a pack of strange, silent dogs, their watchful eyes heavy with meaning.
But Kerfol is no ordinary house. Its walls seem to echo with an unspoken history, a lingering presence that refuses to be forgotten. What happened within its cold stone halls? And why do the dogs remain?
Step into this haunting tale of solitude and shadows. Listen now and let Kerfol draw you into its unsettling secrets.
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1:32:44
The Jolly Corner (1908) by Henry James
Can be haunted by your unlived life?
Henry James, master of psychological fiction, invites us into the labyrinth of the human mind with his haunting tale, "The Jolly Corner." Spencer Brydon, returning to his childhood home after decades abroad, becomes ensnared in a web of regret and possibility. As he prowls the empty rooms, James's acute psychological insights illuminate the shadows of Brydon's consciousness. The line between reality and imagination blurs, leading to a chilling confrontation with the specter of an unlived life. This is no mere ghost story, but a profound exploration of identity, choice, and the paths not taken. Allow James's exquisite prose to guide you through the corridors of memory and the depths of the psyche.
⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐
https://patreon.com/barcud
Go here for a library of ad-free stories, a monthly members only story and early access to the regular stories I put out.
You can choose to have ghost stories only, or detective stories or classic literature, or all of them for either $5 or $10 a month.
Many hundreds of hours of stories. Who needs Audible?
Or, if you'd just like to make a one-off gesture of thanks for my work
https://buymeacoffee.com/10mn8sk
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A weekly podcast that reads out ghost stories, horror stories, and weird tales every week. Classic stories from the pens of the masters Occasionally, we feature living authors, but the majority are dead. Some perhaps are undead.
We go from cosy Edwardian ghost stories (E. F. Benson, Walter De La Mare) to Victorian supernatural mysteries (M. R. James, Elizabeth Gaskell, Bram Stoker, and Charles Dickens) to 20th-century Weird Tales (Robert Aickman, Fritz Lieber, Clark Ashton-Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft) and wander from the Gothic to the Odd, even to the Literary, and then back again.
Each episode is followed by Tony's take on the story, its author, its content and any literary considerations, which may be useful to students!
Here's a poll that helps me plan future stories, if you have the time to fill it in. It's short!
https://bit.ly/gqform
Get exclusive members episodes on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/barcud