Book excerpt: Ghost stories reached the height of popularity in the late nineteenth century. As the nights draw in, close the curtains and relish this collection of the very best spine-tingling ghost stories from the masters of the genre. Many of the contributors are amongst the most famous writers in the English language led by the master of the genre, M. R. James. What all the stories have in common is that they give the reader a delicious sense of terror but in different ways. Rudyard Kipling in ‘The Phantom Rickshaw’ and Charles Dickens in ‘The Signalman’ expertly twist their protagonists’ emotions, creating fear and dread. Mary Elizabeth Braddon and E. Nesbit aim for downright terror in their tales ‘The Shadow in the Corner’ and ‘Man-Size in Marble’ and there’s even room for some spooky humour with Saki’s tale, ‘Laura’. With tales of revenge, supernatural malevolence and ghostly goings on, this anthology is full of expertly crafted and terrifying ghost stories. Dracula, Frankenstein and The Hunchback of Notre Dame are also available in this series of gorgeous pocket-sized paperbacks from Macmillan Collector's Library which celebrates the very best Gothic and horror literature, teeming with monsters, misfits and ghosts.