Charles Keeping's Book of Classic Ghost Stories

Charles Keeping assembled an all-star roster here: Stevenson, Poe, Washington Irving, Oscar Wilde, Daphne du Maurier, M. R. James, Dickens, and A. M. Burrage. Eight stories, all drawn from Victorian and early-twentieth-century tradition, each accompanied by Keeping's distinctive heavy-ink black-and-white illustrations that add genuine atmospheric menace. The story selection balances variety — psychological terror, ghostly visitation, body horror — and the illustration work is artistically significant in its own right. The honest caveat is real: this is sustained horror content. "The Body Snatchers" and "The Black Cat" are not gentle fare. Faith-sensitive readers and younger children should look elsewhere. For mature tweens, teens, and adults who appreciate classic supernatural fiction, however, this is a well-chosen, properly illustrated collection that earns its place.