Classic Ghost Stories

The Doll by Daphne du Maurier

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Doll by Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning was born in 1907 in London in 1931 and died in 1989 in Cornwall. She is a famous n...

A Pair of Muddy Shoes by Lennox Robinson

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A Pair of Muddy Shoes by Lennox Robinson Lennox Robinson was an Irish author, poet, dramatist and theatre produce who was born in Westgrove, County Co...

The Ghost Ship by Richard Middleton

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Ghost Ship by Richard Barham Middleton Richard Barham Middleton was born in 1882 in Staines then in Middlesex, but since 1965 part of Surrey. It c...

The Milk White Child of Ravenglass by Tony Walker

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Milk-White Child of Ravenglass by Tony Walker, is one of mine. As I explain in the notes, this is one of my More Cumbrian Ghost Stories book. You ...

The Entrance by Gerald Durrell

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Entrance by Gerald DurrellGerald Durrell was born in Jamshedpur which was then part of British India, in 1925 and died in St Hellier, Jersey in 19...

The Nameless Offspring by Clark Ashton Smith

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Clark Ashton SmithClark Ashton Smith was an American writer born in Long Valley, California in 1893 who died in Pacific Grove, California in 1961, age...

The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan PoeThe Masque of the Red Death was published in 1842 by Edgar Allan Poe in Graham’s Magazine.  He was pa...

The Eye of The Cat by Ruskin Bond

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ruskin BondRuskin Bond was born in 1934 in Kasauli in Punjab, India. His first novel was published when he was 22, A Room on the Roof and it won the J...

A Night on the Borders of the Black Forest by Amelia B Edwards

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amelia B EdwardsBorn in 1831 in London and died in 1892 aged 60 in Weston Supermare at the seaside near Bristol. She was a novelist, traveller and ent...

The Catacomb by Peter Shilston

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Catacomb by Peter Shilston was recommended by one of my Patreons but it was hard to get hold of. It was published in the early 1980s in a fanzine ...

The Middle Toe of the Right Foot by Ambrose Bierce

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Middle Toe of the Right Foot by Ambrose Bierce is a ghost story set in the late 19th Century in the American south-west. A tightly crafted tale wi...

Mean Mr Mullins by Cathu Sahu

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mean Mr Mullins by Cathu Sahu is an original story by a living author: Cathy Sahu. A tale of a nasty man set in small-town America (at least I think i...

The Secret of the Vault by J Wesley Rosenquest

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Secret Of The Vault by J Wesley RosenquestRecommended by Mary Ware in August 2021. Published in Weird Tales, May 1938J WESLEY ROSENQUEST or Rosen...

The Call of Cthulhu by H P Lovecraft

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Call of Cthulhu by H P Lovecraft was commissioned by Gavin Critchley for me to read for all of you. Thanks to Gavin!The foundation story of Cosmic...

They Bite by Anthony Boucher

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Anthony BoucherAnthony Boucher known as was the pen name of William Anthony Parker White and he was known at Tony. He was born in 1911 in Oakland Cali...

The Crown Derby Plate by Marjorie Bowen

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Crown Derby Plate by Marjorie Bowen is a classic ghost story and much requested. It has a ghost, a remote haunted house, windswept Essex marshes, ...

How Fear Departed The Long Gallery by E F Benson

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

E F BensonEdward Frederic Benson was born in 1867 at Wellington College, where his father was headmaster,  in Berkshire just outside London and died ...

The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap LongFrank Belknap  Long was born in 1901 in Harlem, New York (not the Netherlands) and died in 1992 aged 92 i...

The Sandman by E T A Hoffman

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ernst Theodor Amadeus HoffmanE T A Hoffman, as he is known, was born in 1776 in Konigsberg, East Prussia, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany of syphi...

Out of the Deep by Walter de la Mare

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Walter de la MareWalter de la Mare is most famous as a poet. He was born in 1873 in Charlton in south-east London not far from Greenwich. It was then ...

The Music of Erich Zann by H P Lovecraft

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Music of Erich Zann by H P Lovecraft. I recorded it ages ago and I can't believe I never posted this before!Support the showVisit us here: www.gho...

Thirteen At Table by Lord Dunsany

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron DunsanyEdward John Moreton Draw Plunkett, or Lord Dunsany was known to his friends as Eddie. Lord Dunsa...

The Crowd by Ray Bradbury

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A man in a car crash starts wondering how come the crowds gather so fast, and then he wonders why they all look so familiar. He researches the answer ...

SO311. The Man Whom The Trees Loved by Algernon Blackwood

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A tale of the New Forest in England where Mr and Mrs Bittacy settle after years abroad. A painter with a certain talent for painting trees awakens som...

S03010 The Picture of Dorian Gray Chapters 16-20

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Picture of Dorian Gray is now done. Hooray. That's it done. The commentary at the end is slightly nutty because I was tired and slightly manic. Ma...

S0309 The Picture of Dorian Gray Chapters 13-15

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Picture of Dorian Gray. Here's the latest. For those of you who are loving it, I hope you continue to enjoy this episode. For those of you who are...

S0308 The Picture of Dorian Gray Chapters 10-12

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Picture of Dorian Gray. I have had one of those Mandela Effect mind blips. I have thought and continued to write" A Portrait of Dorian Gray when ...

S0307 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Chapters 7-9

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian is rather unpleasant and comes home to see his portrait knows what he's done. More wit and malice from Oscar WildeS...

S0306 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Chapters 4-6

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Here's another hour of Dorian Gray in which Dorian is very excited, Lord Harry is languid, Basil the Painter disapproves, Sibyl Vane is ecstatic, her ...

S0305 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Chapters 1-3)

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The beautiful story of a beautiful man living a beautiful life that starts in a beautiful garden and ends this week at a rather splendid lunch with a ...

S0304 Beyond The Door by J. Paul Suter

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Beyond the Door is a story of a haunting. A man is haunted by visions of something coming out of the well in his cellar and by the scratching sounds i...

S0303 Number 13 by M R James

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Number 13 by M R JamesNumber 13 by M R James is a spooky story of a missing room and its missing inhabitant. Including old churches, musty documents, ...

S0302 The Earlier Service by Margaret Irwin

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Earlier Service by Margaret IrwinThe Earlier Service is a tale of what happens in a remote English church late at night. A Listener suggested I re...

S0301 The Fair Family by Tony Walker

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A timid man and his worried wife take a trip through Wales. The weather is awful and they worry they will be late for a Christening. That is the least...

S02E64 The Pleasure Pilgrims by Ella D'Arcy

31 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Pleasure Pilgrims by Ella D’ArcyThe Pleasure Pilgrims can be seen as a love story, a murder tale or a sort of Christmas Story (though it’s not...

S02E61 The Piano by Tony Walker

25 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A short Christmas Ghost story. A couple move into an old house, a house whose foundations go back centuries. Once in there they begin to suspect it's ...

S02E60 Surprise View by Tony Walker

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A man who has lost everything goes to a remote part of the country for Christmas. In that beautiful landscape it seems the air is full of spirits: bot...

S02E63 Thrawn Janet by Robert Louis Stevenson

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thrawn or Twisted Janet is a tale of devilish possession written in broad Scots. A chilling tale, if you can understand it. My commentary at the end h...

S02E62 Sir Gawain & The Green Knight

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Gawain & The Green KnightSir Gawain and The Green Knight is the original Christmas Ghost Story. Or technically a supernatural story set at Christm...

S02E59 Harry by Rosemary Timperley

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Harry by Rosemary TimperleyThank you to Steve Cuff for suggesting I read this story. Rosemary Timperley was born in 1920 in North London and died in ...

S02E58 Taig O'Kane and The Corpse by Douglas Hyde

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An Irish story told by Douglas Hyde, first president of Ireland and the craoibhinn aobhinn himself. I thought it was about time we did an Irish story ...

S02E57 Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo? by Gerald Kersh

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Gerald KershFirstly, I need to thank Gavin Critchley who commissioned me to record this for his birthday in August and then very generously allowed me...

S02E56 The Beast of Blanchland by Rowan Bowman

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A man driving home on a winter's night thinks he sees a big cat stalking the moor. He crashes his car and then the weirdness really begins. An origina...

S02E55 The Haunting of Unit 409 by Tony Walker

31 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Haunting of Unit 409 is an original horror story by me, Tony Walker and will be part of my forthcoming More Cumbrian Ghost Stories collection. Thi...

S02E54 The Girl With The Hungry Eyes by Fritz Leiber

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The story of a female vampire, a femme fatale, a girl who just one day walks into a photographer's studio and wants to do some modelling.Get my audiob...

S02E53 Laura Silver Bell by J Sheridan Le Fanu

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A dark fairytale set in the wild moors of the North of England. A foolish girl falls in love with a tall, dark handsome stranger who stepped out of th...

SO2E52 The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the Backwoods, they do Bad Things. or "Be A Sport, Tessie!"My reading and analysis of The Lottery by Shirley JacksonJackson's 1948 masterpiece of n...

S02E51 The Pomegranate Seed by Edith Wharton

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Get a great discount on my Horror Stories For Halloween audiobook & ebook bundlehttps://spirit.ghostpod.org/horror-stories-for-halloween (https://spir...

S0250 Dragoon by DeWayne Hayes

25 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Towards the end of the American Civil War in north west Arkansas, an old woman is faced with a dilemma. Her son is dead after falling in battle, and h...

S02E49 The Night Wire by H F Arnold

18 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Well after midnight in a newsroom high up above the city, a strange story comes tip-tapping in down the night wire. John Morgan, the night wire expert...

The First Sheaf by H R Wakefield

11 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The First Sheaf is a folk horror story set in the backwaters of rural England. A new vicar goes to a rural parish that has suffered a terrible drought...

S02E48 The Reluctant Bride by Iqbal Hussain

11 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In rural Pakistan, a rickshaw driver stops by a Peepal Tree and a beautiful bride steps out from the shadows. Of course, at first he thinks she must b...

The Shining Pyramid by Arthur Machen

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over in the Wild West of Wales, (despite him calling it England, the village is Croes y Ceiliog after all), strange signs appear, a girl disappears an...

S02E47 W S By L P Hartley

04 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In which a writer starts to receive mysterious and increasingly menacing postcards from an apparent stranger. He asks his friends what to do. He goes ...

S02E46 The Lodgers by Joan Aiken

28 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joan AikenJoan Delano Aiken was the daughter of Conrad Aiken, whose story Mr Arcularis we read out on The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast. Her elder sis...

S02E45 The Amorous Ghost by Enid Bagnold

21 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Edith BagnoldEdith Bagnold, later Lady Jones was born in 1889 in Rochester, Kent and died in 1981 in London . She was most famous for her novel *Natio...

S02E44 The Door In The Wall by H. G. Wells

14 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

H G WellsHerbert George Wells was born in 1866 in Bromley, Kent just outside London. He Died aged 79 at his grand house in Regent’s Park in London.H...

S02E43 The Grey Woman by Elizabeth Gaskell Part Three.

07 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Grey Woman Part 3In which Anna and Amante go on the run, meet some good souls, some bad ones and accomplish miracles with corks and home-made waln...

S02E42 The Grey Woman by Mrs Gaskell Part Two

31 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brief NotesTrusty Amanate is someone she can talk to.The expedition by candlelight through the castle passagesThe withheld lettersShe is a prisonerAnn...

S02E41 The Grey Woman by Elizabeth Gaskell Part One

24 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Grey Woman by Mrs Elizabeth GaskellElizabeth GaskellElizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell was born in London in 1810 and died in the country in Hampshire in ...

S02E40 The Lost Tragedy by Denis Mackail

17 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A comic ghost story from Edwardian London–perfect to relax to and not scary at all.The Lost Tragedy by Denis MackailDenis Mackail was born in 1892 ...

S02E39 Oke of Oakhurst by Vernon Lee (Part 3)

10 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Oke of Oakhurst Part 3How awful Alice Oke is. Though the narrator praises her as a wonderful woman she seems wholly unpleasant to me, and though Willi...

S02E38 Oke of Oakhurst Part 2

03 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Oke of Oakhurst by Vernon Lee Part 2So the story develops. It begins by our painter narrator noting the strange fascination Alice Oke has for her name...

S02E37 Oke of Oakhurst by Vernon Lee

26 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Oke of Oakhurst by Vernon LeeVernon LeeDespite sounding so masculine, Vernon Lee was actually a woman called Violet Paget, born in France in 1856 and ...

S02E36 Minuke by Nigel Kneale

19 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Minuke by Nigel KnealeNigel KnealeNigel Kneale was born in Barrow in Furness in 1922, which was then part of Lancashire “North of the Sands”, and ...

A Dog in Dürer’s Etching “The Knight, Death and the Devil” by Marco Nevi

12 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A Dog in Dürer’s Etching “The Knight, Death and the Devil”Albrecht DürerAlbrecht Dürer was born in Nuremberg, a Free Imperial City of the Hol...

S02E35 Green Tea by J Sheridan Le Fanu

05 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joseph Sheridan Le FanuLe Fanu was an Irish writer born in Dublin in 1814 and who died in Dublin in 1873. In his time he was the leading writer of gh...

Chimes At Midnight by Paula Readman

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A gothic story of a wronged bride who returns from beyond the grave to right the injustice visited upon her. Written by Paula Readman an award-winning...

S01E34 The Sandwalker by Fergus Hume

22 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fergus HumeFergus Hume was born in Powick, Worcestershire in England in 1865. He died in Essex in 1932.  His given first name was Ferguson, which was...

S01E33 Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

08 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nathaniel HawthorneHawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachussetts. He died in Plymouth New Hampshire. One of his ancestors was John Hathorne who ...

The Owl by Anatole Le Braz

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This is the cleaned up audio of a Youtube Video I did. The audio isn't as good as when I do the podcast purely as an audio project. The video of me re...

S02E32 Pickman's Model by H P Lovecraft

24 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pickman's Model by H P LovecraftThis story was written in September 1926 and first published in the October 1927 edition of Weird Tales. The narrator...

S02E31 The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe

10 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Edgar Allen PoePoe was an American writer born in 1809 in Boston who died aged only forty in Baltimore in 1849. He is one of the best-known American w...

S02E30 His Beautiful Hands by Oscar Cook

27 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

His Beautiful Hands by Oscar CookThis will be the second of Oscar Cook's stories we have read, the first being Boomerang. Boomerang is https://player...

S02E29 Lady Ferry by Sarah Orne Jewett

13 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Orne JewettThis episode is a real treat for me for a number of reasons. One is that this was my first commission! Susan Foust very kindly introd...

S02E28 The Cold Embrace by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

27 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Elizabeth BraddonAnother accomplished woman novelist of the Victorian period. Mary Elizabeth Braddon was born in 1835 in London and died in Richm...

S02E27 The Spider by Basil Copper

13 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Spider by Basil Copper@stuieburley on Twitter put me onto Basil Copper. He had recommended the Janissaries of Emilion. I'd never heard of Basil s...

S02E26 Music Hath Charms by L T C Rolt

30 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Music Hath Charms by LTC RoltLionel Thomas Caswall Rolt, was an English writer born in 1910 and who died in 1974, therefore for us, he's a recent writ...

S02E25 The Story of Salome by Amelia B Edwards

16 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Story of Salome by Amelia B EdwardsWe did https://player.captivate.fm/episode/9913ad9b-e382-4acb-a42a-1000157a734c (The Phantom Coach )by Amelia...

SE02E24 Rosalind by Richmal Crompton

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Richmal Crompton Richmal Crompton was born in Bury, Lancashire in 1890 and died in Bromley, Kent in 1969, aged 78. She was the daughter of a clergyma...

S02E23 The Story of A Disappearance and An Appearance by M R James

25 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

THE STORY OF A DISAPPEARANCE AND AN APPEARANCE by M R JamesThe Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance is one of the few M R James stories actually...

S02E22 A Christmas Carol The Spirit of Christmas Future

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A Christmas Carol Part 4: The Spirit of Christmas Future & The End of ItThe Ghost of Christmas Future is the scariest of the ghosts. No jovial sprite ...

SO2E21 A Christmas Carol: The Spirit of Christmas Present

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A Christmas Carol Part 3: The Spirit of Christmas PresentHe brought a tear to my eye and halt to my throat, did Old Dickens in this episode. I think h...

S02E20 A Christmas Carol: The Spirit of Christmas Past

19 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

 Christmas Carol Part 2. The First Spirit.I am enjoying this story. It's a long time since I've read it, and I'd forgotten a lot of the detail. I do ...

S02E19 A Christmas Carol — Marley's Ghost

12 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Charles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England in 1812. He died in Higham, Kent in 1879, aged only 58 and was b...

S02E18 The Ghost of Christmas Eve by J M Barrie

05 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

S02E18 The Ghost of Christmas Eve by J M BarrieJames Matthew Barrie was born in Kirriemuir in Angus in North East Scotland in 1860. His father was a w...

S02E17 The Turn Of The Screw Part 8

01 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

PhewIt's done! This is the final part of our reading of the The Turn Of The Screw novella.While, I'm pleased the job is done, the race is run and I ca...

S02E16 The Turn Of The Screw Part 7

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

S02E16 The Turn Of The Screw Part 7Forgive me not saying much in these show notes. We have one last part of The Turn Of The Screw after this. I hope t...

S02E15 The Turn Of The Screw Part 6

29 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We continue with Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. His language is getting easier. I think he's given up trying to impress me and is just getting o...

S0214 The Turn Of The Screw Part 5

28 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Turn Of The Screw Part 5, being chapters 12, 13, 14 and 15.Hope you're enjoying this. I'm doing lots of recording and editing to finish it before ...

S0213 The Turn Of The Screw Part 4

21 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Turn Of The Screw Part 4, being chapters 9, 10 and 11.Minimal show notes this week as I plough on trying to record and edit this novella.Visit the...

S0212 The Turn Of The Screw Part 3

14 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Part 3 of The Turn Of The ScrewOur part three, not Henry James's. We're getting through the story. It's a good story! The characterisation is skilled....

S0211 The Turn Of The Screw Part 2

07 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

S0211 The Turn Of The Screw Part 2I'm not going to say much. James's parenthetical insertions of information interrupt the flow of his sentences. He s...

S0210 The Turn of the Screw Part 1

31 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

So we begin The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. I have wanted to do this story for a long time but have hesitated because it's so long!Of course, we...

S0209 The Maker of Gargoyles by Clark Ashton Smith

24 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

S0209 The Maker of Gargoyles by Clark Ashton SmithClark Ashton Smith was born in 1893 in Long Valley, California and died in California in 1961. He be...

S0208 The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood

17 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

https://tonywalker.substack.com/ (Subscribe here, support The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast and obtain exclusive content.)S0208: The Empty House by Al...

S0206 Sanatorium Under The Sign of the Hourglass by Bruno Schulz

03 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bruno SchulzBruno Schulz was a Polish writer. He was born in 1892 in Austrian Galicia. In those days that part of historical Poland was under the cont...

S0201 A Journey of Little Profit by John Buchan

19 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is a subscriber only episode, so come on and sign up at tonywalker.substack.comJohn Buchan: John Buchan, officially 1st Baron Tweedsmuir was bor...

Episode 66 The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe

13 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Fall of The House of Usher- Classic Ghost Stories Podcast has done a Poe story before: [https://player.captivate.fm/episode/08a6766c-18ad-4ec7-9c1...

S0202 The Twisted Wood by Tony Walker

13 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

https://tonywalker.substack.com/ (Subscribe here, support The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast and obtain exclusive content.)The Twisted WoodWell, it's t...