Publisher's Synopsis
What if one scratched padlock-and a name spoken aloud-could summon a predator no wall, prayer, or ocean can keep away?
First printed in 1904, Count Magnus is widely hailed as M. R. James's most perfectly executed tale of terror, where antiquarian investigation collides with primordial evil.
This comprehensive modern edition preserves James's precise atmosphere of creeping dread while gently updating archaic phrasing, giving contemporary readers unfiltered access to every eerily measured sentence, every echoing footstep in the wintry Swedish woods, and every hiss of unseen wings in the night.
Inside you will find:
- A Scholar's Descent - Follow Mr. Wraxall, travel-writer and skeptic, whose calm annotation of parish records slowly mutates into panicked diary entries as he realizes the Count's coffin may be emptier than it appears.
- The Malice of Count Magnus - Explore the chilling lore of a seventeenth-century aristocrat rumored to have practiced black alchemy, signed unknown oaths in his own blood, and led "three little excursions"-none of his companions were seen again.
- Swedish Landscapes Steeped in Dread - From frost-coated manor gates to lonely birch forests and fog-choked lakes, every location is rendered in icy detail, proving that isolation itself can be an accomplice to horror.
- Meticulous Scholarship & Occult Lore - James weaves Latin hexameters, local superstition, and genuine historical documents into a tapestry that feels disquietingly plausible. Footnotes and a concise foreword illuminate references without interrupting the story's mounting tension.
- Influence & Legacy - A new afterword traces Count Magnus through its impact on H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and modern folk-horror cinema, revealing why this tale still defines the "Jamesian" ghost story.
Whether you are a devotee of gothic fiction, a newcomer to classic horror, or simply a reader who appreciates the razor-edge where scholarship meets the supernatural, this edition invites you to walk beside Mr. Wraxall-right up to the iron doors of the Count's vault. Knock if you dare, but remember: something may knock back.
