Most excellent collection of old school spook stories. These are Benson's earliest eerie stories and the Jamesian influence is obvious, but Benson has a little more edge. Unlike James, Benson's creeps are not all malevolent but are still generally bad news when encountered. If nothing else, you will never get any sleep, and that's enough to make any house uninhabitable. There are a couple of classics in this early collection: Caterpillars and Terror by Night. The prose is witty and engaging. A perfect January evening book.

Nice little book from Ash-Tree Press. ( )