Ghosts & Scholars 42

Ghosts and Scholars 42, guest edited by Carole Tyrrell, is the latest issue of the long-running M R James journal. It includes a comparatively rare, unfinished M R James story, newly completed by John Linwood Grant.

As founding editor Rosemary Pardoe notes in her introduction, ‘M.R. James's almost complete, untitled draft of this story was first published in The Ghosts & Scholars M.R. James Newsletter 7 (2005) under the title "Speaker Lenthall's Tomb".  Unfortunately, the manuscript has one or perhaps two missing pages, close to (but not at) the end’. John Linwood Grant has supplied the missing section in expert sympathy with James’ tale.

G&S 42 also includes an informal photograph of M R James, accompanying Jim Bryant’s article on MRJ’s cycling holidays with friends in the Pyrenees; new Jamesian fiction by Victoria Day; Lady Wardrop’s notes on MRJ and dogs and cats; Rick Kennett on Jamesian podcasts; and an extensive review section. The front and back covers feature collage artwork by Rosemary Pardoe.

This issue was much in demand. We usually print enough copies for our existing subscribers, plus a bit extra. This time we increased our print run by over 20%, but this sold out on the day the copies arrived from the printer.

We can’t print a whole lot more because we are kindly given some copyright permissions on the basis that we are a short-run small press journal – and also because we’re volunteer-run and only have so much capacity!

Update: now out of print.

Note: All copies to existing subscribers have been posted.

(Mark Valentine)