Time once again today for another general site update. My apologies for the somewhat sparse recent posting – alongside my regular day job I have embarked upon a programme of volunteer work and postgraduate study, and as a result additional space left for Jamesian pursuits has been somewhat lacking. Nevertheless, I have added a few new pages to the collection area detailing some of my newest acquisitions. The first of these I’d actually been sitting on since toward the start of the year and realised I’d somehow neglected to add it to the site. The book in question is a beautifully rebound copy of A Supplement to Blomefield’s Norfolk – an impressive tome published as a limited run in 1929 to provide additional supporting material to Francis Blomefield’s expansive 18th century work, and containing two contributions from M. R. James on church wall paintings in the county.
A holiday to Cromer, Norfolk earlier in the summer led to the discovery of the second gem in a rather eccentrically maintained bookshop (as we all know, the best kind) – a first edition copy of MRJ’s Old Testament Legends; a 1913 volume of biblical apocrypha aimed at a younger audience and featuring some wonderful illustrations by H. J. Ford.
The final two books were purchased on the doorstep of King’s College, Cambridge right after my recent chat with Mr. Robert Lloyd Parry of the Nunkie Theatre Company. Following the conclusion of our conversation we each headed over to St. Edward’s Passage, located just off King’s Parade, to visit the Cambridge bookselling institutions The Haunted Bookshop and G. David Bookseller. In the former I happened upon a copy of The Aldine Bible New Testament, Vol. 3, edited by James in the last year of his life, while in the latter I was lucky enough to acquire the elusive Magdalene College manuscript catalogue. My sincere thanks must go to Robert for spotting the catalogue hiding on a shelf I’d unsuccessfully scanned several minutes prior!
Aside from these acquisitions, for those interested I have a couple of very exciting M. R. James items in the pipeline which I hope to be able to share with you in the coming months. In addition, I am planning a number of new pieces of MRJ-related content, at least one of which I expect to publish before the end of the year, and have also recently obtained permission to include several more of James’ unfinished ghost stories on the site. Expect these to be added shortly.
In other Jamesian news Stephen Gray, proprietor of thin-ghost.org, has recently launched a new site, The Ghostly Fu Emporium, to showcase and offer for sale his fantastic spectral artworks and replicas. Anyone with an interest in M. R. James’ stories will love Stephen’s “Jamesabilia”, and I would advise you all to pay a visit and marvel at his creations.
Duncan J. Rule.
Antiquarian Ghosts 