If M.R. James was the king of the British ghost story, E.F. Benson ranks as a prince or archduke. Not quite as good as the Cambridge don, Benson nevertheless wrote many fine, chilling tales when he wasn't busy with Mapp and Lucia. Highlights here include two classic vampire tales ("Mrs. Amworth" and "The Room in the Tower"); proto-Lovecraftian glimpses of space-time deconstruction ("In the Tubeway" and "Bagnell Terrace"); and stories of horrible entities from the Other World ("Negotium Perambulans" and "And No Bird Sang"). A good, thick anthology for reading by firelight on a winter's night. ( )

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