M. R. James
20th century British author, medievalist scholar and provost (1862-1936) · United Kingdom · On the map · Writers · Died at 73
Montague Rhodes James was an English medievalist scholar and author who served as provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905-1918), and of Eton College (1918-1936) as well as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge (1913-1915).
M. R. James is read about 433 times a day, in 25 languages.
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![M. R. James's scholarly work uncovered the burial places of the abbots of Bury St Edmunds Abbey in 1903 (from front to rear): Edmund of Walpole (1248-1256); Henry of Rushbrooke (1235-1248); Richard of the Isle of Ely (1229-1234); Samson (1182-1211); and Ording (1148-1157).[16]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Dead_abbots_Bury_St_Edmunds_Abbey.jpg/500px-Dead_abbots_Bury_St_Edmunds_Abbey.jpg)
M. R. James's scholarly work uncovered the burial places of the abbots of Bury St Edmunds Abbey in 1903 (from front to rear): Edmund of Walpole (1248-1256); Henry of Rushbrooke (1235-1248); Richard of the Isle of Ely (1229-1234); Samson (1182-1211); and Ording (1148-1157).[16]
Illustration by James McBryde for M. R. James's story "'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'". James was close friends with the illustrator, and the collection Ghost Stories of an Antiquary in 1904 was intended as a showcase for McBryde's artwork, but McBryde died having completed only four plates.
The Virgin Mary: page from a 15th-century book of hours from the catalogue of the Fitzwilliam Museum
Page of a 12th-century English manuscript from the catalogue of the McClean Collection, CambridgeAwards
About this person
James's scholarly work is still highly regarded, but he is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are considered by many critics and authors as the finest in the English language and widely influential on modern horror.
