Welcome back for the first post of the new year, in the depths of the dark season. I had originally begun to put something together for a planned pre-Christmas post, but it ended up a somewhat directionless ramble on the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas strand that I ultimately decided not to publish. While enough has probably been said about that particular series over the years, I’m sure that I’ll return to the subject in detail at some point when I’m able to organise my thoughts on it slightly more coherently.
Nevertheless, as is traditional over the festive period I did sit down to re-watch many of the classic MRJ adaptations that make up the bulk of the AGSfC strand thanks to the DVD set released several years ago by the BFI, as well as the repeat of Mark Gatiss’ 2019 adaptation of Martin’s Close on BBC Two on Christmas Eve. I always find it difficult to choose a favourite from the series (leaving the 1968 Whistle… to one side in this instance as it’s technically not part of the series proper), although I increasingly find myself drawn to The Stalls of Barchester as my go-to adaptation, in no small part due to the beautifully dark cinematography made possible by the somewhat unusual decision to shoot both interiors and exteriors on film rather than video (a trait thankfully carried through the original run). Generally the series’ low points are few, although for some reason I also decided to watch the decidedly un-Jamesian original story The Ice House again, which left me feeling as bored and confused as I have been on all previous viewings. A somewhat sad way to officially end the original series, but at least we have 1979’s Schalcken the Painter which may as well have been an episode and provides a more fitting conclusion. I’d love to know my readers’ favourite adaptations, so please leave a comment below with yours.
Over the last couple on months I’ve also developed a bit of a backlog of books to add to the collection pages, and have made an initial update with four newly acquired titles – James’ manuscript catalogue for Queens’ College; a copy of Arthur Christopher Benson as seen by some friends, which features a contribution by MRJ on his late friend; a bound volume XXII of the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and Natural History, which contains a short catalogue by Monty of Mss. in Ipswich Public Library; and finally a copy of the sole published work of James’ father Herbert, The Country Clergyman and his Work.
I have a number of others to add over the coming weeks, including a copy of the Eton College catalogue of Mss. received as a Christmas gift, which contains a number of interesting letters relating to some research carried out in the early 1970s. I’m planning to put together a more detailed piece on this particular acquisition in due course.
Duncan J. Rule.
Antiquarian Ghosts 