Editor's note: Now out in an E Book version, this essential work is made even more so by the convenience and power of the E Book format, as well as the extremely low price. This book is great for reference, and great for reading on the hoof. No matter who you are, this book will serve you well for years to come.
Some books are just great books. Others are great Event Books. 'A Pleasing Terror' may sound like a contradiction in terms in these hyper-media days, but this collection from Ash Tree Press was no doubt one of the biggest Event Books of 2001. When it was published, it was a hard book to find, so hard that I had qualms about reviewing a fantastic volume that not everyone is going to have an opportunity to buy. Copies are still available used, but the prices are rather dear. It's fortunate, even for those who own the original, then, that Ash Tree has issued an electronic copy that readers should pick up without hesitation.
If this were simply a collection of all of Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) supernatural fiction, put into one volume, it would still be an Event Book. But 'A Pleasing Terror' is so much more than simply a collection. It is a work of scholarship and care, beautifully bound and illustrated, and filled with extra material that itself could be collected into a work of great import. Is there such a thing as an 'Ultimate Book'? If there is, then 'A Pleasing Terror' is certainly pictured in the dictionary definition.
'A Pleasing Terror' collects all the supernatural stories of M. R. James. The chances are that you've read some M. R. James, or seen at least the most famous film of his work, 'Curse of the Demon', by Val Lewton. This book brings together all his supernatural stories, his short novel 'The Five Jars', story fragments, articles about supernatural fiction by M. R. James, and a number of the most important articles about M. R. James. It is awesome in its completeness.
Each story is fully footnoted. These footnotes offer a fascinating insight into the writing and thoughts of the author, and of James scholars on the work at hand. In the Kindle version, the footnotes are links. But in the reading experience of the overall collection, the stories in effect become hypertext, with links to one another and other supernatural fiction of the time. The effect on the reader is to offer a very Jamesian scholarly overlay for each of the stories, something one senses that the author himself would approve. There are also a number of excellent articles by leading James scholars, each one fascinating and different.
Beyond the scholarship, the study and care taken in this volume, there's another layer — this it is a flat out beautiful book. Paul Lowe's black and white drawings, done in a variety of styles, all set the perfect note of subtle and overt terror that James himself brings to the stories. If there were but a few, this would be wonderful. But there is an illustration for every single story in this collection. The illustrations themselves are a remarkable feat, and one of the great pleasures of 'A Pleasing Terror'.
The Ebook preserves much of the charm and adds what seems now to be an essential convenience in terms of moving around and electronic footnoting. The type and presentation are crisp and clear. Given the import of the material here, having it to hand is the equivalent of having an encyclopedia of ghost lore and literature. Moreover, James' work is short, sharp and to the point, which makes it ideal to have always at the ready on one's phone. Alas, the illustrations are not included. But given the price, this is a value not to be missed, whether or not you own the original. It's a great way to keep great work ever on the ready.
Over the years, one might well expect one's opinion of a book to change. 'A Pleasing Terror' is still an outstanding book, one that every reader will find of value. If anything I think more of this book now than when it came out. In a better world, these books would be bestsellers. But as it is, at least we now have an electronic edition that is superb, offering all the written content with the convenience and accessibility of the form to the peerless work.
What can one single out of this fantastic volume? Nothing — everything is letter and picture perfect. 'A Pleasing Terror' is simply one of the best books of this — or any year.
New to the Agony Column
09-18-15: Commentary : William T. Vollman Amidst 'The Dying Grass' : An Epic Exploration of Simultaneity
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with William T. Vollman : "...a lot of long words that in our language are sentences..."
09-05-15: Commentary : Susan Casey Listens to 'Voices in the Ocean' : Science, Empathy and Self
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Susan Casey : "...the reporting for this book was emotionally difficult at times..."
08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]
07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."
04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It
