Ghoulies and ghosties, long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night. Curl up and enjoy some tasty Hallowe’en treats.
The Book of Hallowe’en by Ruth Edna Kelley, read by Sibella Denton. An account of the origin and history of Hallowe’en, illustrated by selections from ancient and modern poetry and prose.
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, read by David Barnes. An American family have bought an English stately home, complete with resident ghost – blood-stains, clanking chains and all.
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James, read by Peter Yearsley. James’s stories often use rural settings, with a quiet, scholarly protagonist getting caught up in the activities of supernatural forces.
Famous Modern Ghost Stories, compiled by Dorothy Scarborough, is an entertaining selection of stories, read by various readers. As the compiler wrote in 1921: “Life is so inconveniently complex nowadays, what with income taxes and other visitations of government, that it is hard for us to have the added risk of wraiths, but there’s no escaping.”
The Beetle by Richard Marsh certainly counts as being creepy enough for Hallowe’en: a story about a mysterious oriental figure who pursues a British politician to London, where he wreaks havoc with his powers of hypnosis and shape-shifting. Narrated from the perspectives of four characters, this is recorded by four different readers.
For a goodly helping of ghosts and witches, how can I possibly leave out the Librivox recording of Shakespeare’s Macbeth?
Nachtstücke von E.T.A. Hoffmann, gelesen von Rainer. Die “Nachtstücke” sind eine Sammlung von unheimlichen Geschichten, die der Romantik zuzuordnen sind.
Animal Ghosts by Elliott O’Donnell, read by Allyson Hester. Supposedly true stories of hauntings by many different kinds of creatures…
And now for a little non-fiction, though these are certainly long-leggedy beasties… The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre, read by various readers.
And, if you finally want to get rid of all those ghouls and get to sleep, how about trying The Ghost Extinguisher by Gelett Burgess, a short story read by Gregg Margarite for one of our many collections of ghost and horror short stories?
Thanks to the volunteer who put in the work to tie all these links into one post. I’ve linked this page to my library’s blog (with a bit of a fan shout out for Ghost stories of an antiquary, which is a great book, with a great read.)
Thanks! This is great!
100% wicked awesome!
I can can heartily recommend Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James. Peter Yearsley does a masterful job with the tales. Thank you
I love these lists. It would be awesome if you could do more. Maybe once a month with themes. I’ll volunteer to make the list if you need someone!
Super job on the site. How do you catalog everything? I will be checking back often thank you.
How long has this site been up there is an incredible amount of great high quality stuff here thank you so much.
Terrific place to be. I love the work you are doing thank you. I enjoy all the Halloween stories. The Canterville one is best.
Well the little ball keeps going round and round I assume the server is busy etc but will eagerly watch the video on how to when it gets going congratulations to whomever made it.
Glad you all found us. LibriVox has been going since the end of 2005, and has now catalogued over 3000 free audiobooks, which would keep you listening for two years solid, 24 hours a day.
Come and join us at the forum where it all happens. Readers, listeners and friends all welcome. http://librivox.org/forum/
Ruth
I love the site I travel often and listen to the books as I go. Radio puts me to sleep but the books are fascinating thank you.