Release date is 2005-02-22

The willows / Algernon Blackwood -- The shadows on the wall / Mary E. Wilkins Freeman -- The messenger / Robert W. Chambers -- Lazarus / Leonid Andreyev -- The beast with five fingers / W.F. Harvey -- The mass of shadows / Anatole France -- What was it? / Fitz James O'Brien -- The middle toe of the right foot / Ambrose Bierce -- The shell of sense / Olivia Howard Dunbar -- The woman at Seven Brothers / Wilbur Daniel Steele -- At the gate / Myla Jo Closser -- Ligeia / Edgar Allan Poe -- The haunted orchard / Richard Le Gallienne -- The bowmen / Arthur Machen -- A ghost / Guy de Maupassant.

E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Karina Aleksandrova, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team

"Famous Modern Ghost Stories" by Dorothy Scarborough, Ph.D. is a collection of ghostly tales selected from various authors and compiled in the early 20th century. The anthology presents a diverse range of supernatural narratives that explore themes of the unknown and the eerie, showcasing how ghost stories have evolved over time. With contributions from different writers, this collection targets readers interested in the chilling allure of ghosts and the supernatural. The opening of the anthology features an engaging introduction that reflects on the enduring fascination humans have with ghosts and the supernatural. Scarborough discusses the modern ghost's complexity, creativity, and the varied roles they play in literature, shifting from simple hauntings to more vivid and personalized experiences. She suggests that contemporary ghosts are more relatable and integrated into society, often reflecting human emotions and societal changes. The introduction sets the stage for the stories to follow, emphasizing the essential ties between the spectral and human experience, highlighting both the terror and beauty found in ghostly tales. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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