The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories

When little Cockney Jimmy Rogers dies of typhoid fever he finds himself in a grey world of wraith-like beings. Here he learns that it is possible to return to the real world and reincarnates himself into another quite different person whose behaviour leads him into the path of mysticism and a series of bizarre encounters.

1907:THE GHOST by Arnold Bennett

In pursuit of Rosetta Rose, a beautiful singer, Carl Foster survives a series of disasters: a train crash, a shipwreck and even attempted murder. On each occasion he sees a sinister figure, who proves to be the ghost of Lord Clarenceux, once in love with Rosa and now deeply jealous of his rival. It takes the intervention of the girl herself to enable Carl’s love to succeed.

1907:ALICE FOR SHORT by William De Morgan

A beautiful woman in 18th century clothes and a man with a sword repeatedly re-enact a murder haunt in an old house in Soho. The arrival of little orphan Alice Kavanagh eventually leads to the discovery of the woman’s bones buried in the basement as well as a surprising revelation about the child’s ancestry.

1909:THE GHOST PIRATES by William Hope Hodgson

The old ship, the Mortzestus, is beset by mysterious phenomena – shadowy figures emerging from the sea, men hurled from aloft by invisible hands and the vessel itself seemingly trapped in a world of mist. The horrors reach a climax when ghost pirates swarm aboard to sink the ship and only one man survives to tell the story.

1911:AN EXCHANGE OF SOULS by Barry Pain

Dr Daniel Myas is carrying out experiments in order to transfer human souls. When the doctor dies suddenly from an overdose of drugs, his special apparatus transfers him to the body of his fiancée, Alice. The girl herself dies shortly afterwards in a train crash and the ghosts of the two endeavour to resolve their endless future.

1911:THE WHITE PEOPLE by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Isobel Muircarrie grows up in the Scottish Highlands where her gift of “Second Sight” enables her to see the phantom White People and communicate with a ghost child. When she moves to London as an adult and falls in love with a stricken young man, Hector MacNairn, who dies shortly afterwards of a heart attack, her ability enables her to “see” him as a spirit.

1911THE HAUNTED PYJAMAS by Francis Perry Elliott

After spending three years in England, the Harvard educated narrator returns to America with a pair of pyjamas said to be over 4,000 years old. These can transform the wearer into a phantom-like figure and the young man uses them in a number of seductive exploits with very unexpected results.

1912THE GODS OF THE DEAD by Winifred Graham

Matilda Turnus has inherited the poise and beauty of an Egyptian princess as well as ancient supernatural powers that she uses to great effect. Aware of a ghostly figure hovering over her in moments of crisis, she uses her ability to fend off unwanted suitors and advance the career of her young lover into the highest echelons of society.

1918THE GHOST GARDEN by Amelia Rives

The ghost of a wilful and vicious young woman, Melany Horsemanden, haunts a house in colonial Virginia. When, years later, another young girl named Melany settles in the house and attracts a lover, the spirit of the deceased woman intervenes to frustrate their courtship. Ultimately, only the power of love can overcome the vampire-like powers of the undead.

1919SINISTER HOUSE by Leland Hall

The ghosts of a man and woman haunt the new housing development at Forsby near Boston, sapping the vitality of a young wife, Julia Grier. They are identified as the former owners of the land who have been tricked out of their property by fraud. It requires a cruel revelation and the fortitude of Julia to finally lay the two spirits to rest.

1920FROM THE VASTY DEEP by Marie Belloc Lowndes

A ghost that is initially seen only by the servants disturbs a house party at Wyndfell Hall. However, when the spirit appears more distinctly to several of the guests, it is recognised as the deceased owner of the property. Holding a séance provides the resolution to an old and terrible crime.

1921THE HAUNTING by Catherine Dawson-Scott

Set in 19th-century Cornwall, Gale and Pascoe Corylon are half-brothers drawn together in an uneasy alliance carrying out shady deals in which both suspect the other of making more profit. When Gale poisons Pascoe, he suffers a series of hauntings that finally drive him to seek a desperate solution in a sea cave.

1921THE SHADOW OF FEAR by Nina Toye