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Robertson Davies
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High Spirits: A Collection of Ghost Stories Paperback – October 27, 1983

by Robertson Davies (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 84 ratings
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  1. World Fantasy AwardWinner, 1984
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Presents an entertaining and witty collection of eighteen stories about ghosts, including such notable literary apparitions as Ibsen and Charles Dickens
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  1. Print length
    208 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  4. Publication date
    October 27, 1983
  5. Dimensions
    5.2 x 0.45 x 7.86 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780140065053
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0140065053
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0140065059
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 27, 1983)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780140065053
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140065053
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.45 x 7.86 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 84 ratings

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Robertson Davies

Robertson Davies

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
84 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Robert M. Bliss
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to one of Canada's greatest writers.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Brilliantly spooky and funny, especially good reading for those spooks who inhabit colleges.
    One person found this helpful
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  • A. Wood
    5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful writer and amusing stories.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2013
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    Robertson Davies taught graduate literature [and writing?] at U of Toronto and every Halloween he would make up a Halloween story to be read at a party of his graduate students. Each story used a thinly disguised version of one of his students as the main character. My friend, a student of his, told me he was in one of the stories and let me guess which one. I did, even though the magical Halloween horror twists all ordinary characteristics out of proportion. All the tales were good.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Kathryn F. Larsen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Highly recommend!!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2023
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    Wonderful book!
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  • Plato
    5.0 out of 5 stars Academic Ghosts
    Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2014
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    A superb collection of ghost stories written for an academic setting by the ebullient Canadian novelist and Master of Massey College, providing part of the college's annual Gaudy Night festivities. Each of the stories is sheer enjoyment, but "The Ghost Who Vanished by Degrees" should be mandatory reading for all graduate students in whatever field of endeavor.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Daniel Z. Jagendorf
    5.0 out of 5 stars like the book
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    which is why I ordered it in the first place. I had read a library version of it years ago and wanted my own copy.
    It arrived on time and in great shape.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Anne Macpherson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exploring Roberston Davies
    Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Another great tale by this master story teller, This collection will have you laughing all the way through never met so many funny ghosts
    One person found this helpful
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  • The Sanity Inspector
    3.0 out of 5 stars A romp through the graves of academe
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2005
    What a fun book this is! These pieces, originally written for the amusement of his colleagues from the early 60s to the late 70s, work just fine as cozies for an educated general audience. The stories are literate, if somewhat samey, and very droll, in that understated Canadian way reminiscent of Stephen Leacock. It would indeed be great to have an audiotape of this, as many of the passages beg to be read aloud. Some fair use excerpts:

    "Women always think that if they tell a man not to be pompous that will shut him up, but I am an old hand at that game. I know that if a man bides his time his moment will come."

    "I am a democrat. All of my family have been persons of peasant origin, who have wrung a meagre sufficiency from a harsh world by the labour of their hands. I acknowledge no one my superior merely on grounds of a more fortunate destiny, a favoured birth. I did what any such man would do when confronted with Queen Victoria; I fell immediately to my knees."

    "The devil gave me a look which made me profoundly uneasy. 'Just because I am enjoying your sympathy, don't imagine that I cannot read you like a book,' he said. 'You think you are cleverer than I; it is a very common academic delusion.'"

    I'm unfamiliar with Davies' "serious" works, but any major writer who isn't afraid to show his readers a good time is all right with me.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Titurel
    1.0 out of 5 stars Tedious - BEWARE
    Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2024
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    If you are looking for macabre ghost tales this is NOT the book for you. First all the stories are humorous. Which would not be totally awful except each and every story is humorous in the exact same way. The "humor" is all inside jokes about Massey College along with some obscure literary "jokes" which even if you get them simply aren't that funny. Add some more obscure jokes about Canadian politics and you have EVERY single story in this collection. I have a bad habit of finishing every book I start but this was a monumental struggle to get through and a total waste of time. I'm sure the other Deans at his college thought this was clever - no one else will.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Elizabeth
    5.0 out of 5 stars You can't beat Robertson Davies
    Reviewed in Canada on January 21, 2024
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    Davies is one of the best all-time Canadian authors. Everything he writes is engaging, rich and evocative. And I know - I've read them all.
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  • 70 plus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good collection of stories
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2021
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    Good collection of stories ,well written :)
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  • Claire Logan
    5.0 out of 5 stars a classic by a Canadian master
    Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2019
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    I had given my own copy of this book as a present, so bought this copy to replace it. This collection of humorous ghost stories is a wonderful introduction to Robertson Davies for people who have not read his novels.
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  • Waingroves
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cracking book at a cracking price.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Item described perfectly on the web.
    It was delivered promptly and was well packaged
    A good read to dip into for a short ghost story.
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  • B. Lovric
    3.0 out of 5 stars Some stories are so boring and ridiculous
    Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Some stories are so boring and ridiculous, I can't believe that R. Davies (who wrote a brilliant 'Cornish Trilogy') actually wrote them. Very disappointing.
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