Book review: The Haunted Library: Classic Ghost Stories, selected by Tanya Kirk

We’re living in times when consuming horror content is the ‘IT’ thing (got the movie reference?). But not just screams and sudden shocks, if you’re a fan of spooky tales that get heavy on your mind as the story progresses, you might want to get a copy of The Haunted Library: Classic Ghost Stories, selected by Tanya Kirk.

The lead curator of Printed Heritage Collections 1601–1900 at the British Library, Kirk has picked works — ghost stories from the golden age of the genre in the early twentieth century — by famed writers such as MR James and Elizabeth Bowen. And mind you bibliophiles, most of these eerie tales are centered around books — from a mysterious book that can possess the one it isn’t intended for, to warnings transmitted through the pages of an old Bible. Or, an old, shadowy library with dark secrets!

One after the other, the stand-alone chapters — with strong, descriptive plots — keep the reader hooked, although for some, the archaic storytelling (language and the phrases used) can get a tad difficult to comprehend. But that won’t deter your will to keep going to reach the end of the story as the mystery unfolds. I’d say, give it a try!

Title: The Haunted Library: Classic Ghost Stories
Selector: Tanya Kirk
Price: Rs 450
Publisher: Niyogi Books