The Tractate Middoth | A Ghost Story by M. R. James | A Bitesized Audio Production

An elderly visitor to a certain famous university library is anxious to borrow a particular book, but someone - or something - seems determined to stop him getting his hands on it...
A new, original recording of a classic public domain text, read and performed by Simon Stanhope for Bitesized Audio.
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Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) was a medievalist and scholar, and is probably the best known and most celebrated English ghost story writer of the 20th century, although he actually began composing supernatural tales in the late Victorian era, beginning with 'Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book' (1894). He was born in Kent, but spent most of his childhood in Suffolk, a county which features prominently in many of his stories, including perhaps his most famous 'Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad'. Several of James's protagonists also reflect his own antiquarian interests, with academics and historians featuring regularly. During a long academic career which encompassed several positions at King's College, Cambridge and Eton College, M. R. James developed a tradition of reading ghost stories aloud to a group of friends, most famously on Christmas eve, and the majority of his stories were first heard in that setting.
The original composition date of 'The Tractate Middoth' is uncertain; in James's own 1931 preface in which he gives the history of those stories whose origins he could recollect, it is stated only that it was one of his famous Christmas readings. However, as he does specifically mention that 'The Treasure of Abbott Thomas' was composed in 1904, and 'The Tractate Middoth' is the third story to follow that tale in sequence, we can tentatively date it from around Christmas 1907. It was later published in 1911 as part of James's second collection 'More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'.
Recording © Bitesized Audio 2020.

[@cynthiahawkins2389]

As someone who has a lifelong love of dusty libraries, this story has always been close to my heart....

[@thenathanimal2909]

There are few finer pleasures in life than a ghost story narrates by British man!

[@richmcgee434]

Enjoyable as this was, researching "Picadilly weepers" and "Dundreary whiskers" and their bizarre connection to Abraham Lincoln was even more interesting. Learn something new every day.

[@BitesizedAudio]

I was familiar with the whiskers, but hadn't spotted the Lincoln connection - I just looked it up! Very interesting, thank you

[@roses9339]

Very relaxing listening to his voice. Cheers Rosemary Perth Western Australia (71 yrs)

[@irenabevans3411]

Such a pleasure to hear a well narrated & delivered tale thank you

[@angelachouinard4581]

As a book lover, this is one of my favorites! Thank you for such a beautiful narration.This story, most of which takes place in ordinary settings and in daytime, still manages to be very creepy under your master's hand.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thank you Angela!

[@debjuch1747]

No kidding! Ditto. Books, libraries, book lovers, a ghost, a romance, a villain, a treasure hunt, mystery, and a happy ending brought about by cleverness, wits, luck and good intentions....magic!

[@JohnMiller-oz7gv]

It is good.

[@shanepitt195]

Fantastic. A brilliant author, a brilliant ghost story, and a brilliant narrator...life can be good sometimes and here is the proof.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Very kind, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it

[@desleykakoulidisgallaway3382]

What a lovely thing to say 🙏

[@deborahmeyers7839]

And what a lovely way you put it 🙌

[@marisadallavalle393]

Yes, for me the perfect ending to a not so bad day.

[@wherethecrowflies1965]

Another excellent audio story... perfect for a windy rainy night in England... in my cabin within my park.... thank you

[@BitesizedAudio]

Sounds like the perfect atmosphere for listening! Thanks Bourne Dandy

[@ladybugbaldiga7358]

Your very talented. You made the story come alive. Thank you. Your reading is very appreciated.

[@sarahbradley3387]

Thank you,once again,Mr. Simon Stanhope. Superbly done as ever.

[@BitesizedAudio]

You're most welcome Sarah, thanks for your kind feedback

[@esterherschkovich6499]

Chillin and listening ☺️now,Sunday evening ☺️

[@ninaholmes4120]

Had never read Mr M R James and this excellent short story, especially with this expert narration, was a listening delight. Thank you😊

[@BitesizedAudio]

Glad to know you enjoyed it, thanks for listening and commenting Nina. As it happens I'm working on another M. R. James story at the moment for my next upload, hopefully later this week...

[@trixietru]

You should read M.R.James’s THE CASTING OF THE RUNES. It was a prescribed short story in my first year of high school, and it terrified me.

[@christinethornhill]

What a delightful surprise, now I can put my feet up and indulge myself for almost a whole hour with the splendid voice and wonderful story, absolutely marvellous . 👌🏼

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thanks for your continued support Christine

[@christinethornhill]

Bitesized Audio Classics Many thanks to you , Simon . You're a treasure . ❤️

[@richstrange6170]

Lovely Simon. Nothing dry and cobwebbed about this reading. For what it's worth I listened to the first half on Saturday night cooking Spaghetti sauce from scratch, and the second half with a cup of assam early on Sunday morning. Thanks for keeping me company.

[@rosalindbrown1537]

I've heard M R James narrated by Christopher Lee, a hard act to follow but your narration was very enjoyable and suit these tales.

[@BitesizedAudio]

A very hard act to follow! Thanks Rosalind, appreciate your feedback

[@boredwarlock5216]

I love his Fireside Ghost stories!

[@cassandraseven3478]

@@BitesizedAudio He has a marvelous timbre, surely, but does he assume different "voices" for different characters?

[@williamhagen2792]

Excellent narrator with a great voice.

[@jackiehamilton2738]

Around the 6:22 mark was a reference to "speaking up on the tube".That certainly dates it. Speaking Tubes were most likely the origin of the now equally dated phrase "to get someone on the blower". Apparently you began the conversation by blowing into them. Later it was amended to refer to telephone calls.

[@boredwarlock5216]

I vote for more M.R. James!

[@BitesizedAudio]

Absolutely, I've lots more of his stories on my list for future recordings!

[@pesnevim1626]

Lovely narration of an interesting, straightforward old school ghost story. There are no ads making it even better for undisturbed listening.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thanks for your ongoing support pes nevim. Actually the channel was recently approved for monetization, although I've set it up to (I hope) avoid the most disruptive ads - that you haven't been disturbed by them is a good sign! I appreciate it can sometimes seem intrusive from a listener's point of view, however the upside is that if I can generate a little income I'll be able to justify spending more time on the channel and record more stories!

[@pesnevim1626]

@@BitesizedAudio Fine by me and I think most people who listen to you. Thank you and keep up the excellent work.

[@possumaintdead]

Another brilliant reading of a story by one of my favorite authors! Always a pleasure to listen.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thanks Nancy, delighted you enjoyed it

[@8739PS]

Excellent! Another brilliant ghost story from Bitesized. Thank you again.

[@shannonhall9094]

That was fantastic! Your narration is perfect for MR James. Thank you!

[@BitesizedAudio]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for listening

[@nefelidemetriou7254]

Looking forward to this tonight. Thank you.

[@hereticsaint100]

Another great MR James tale.

[@nonatie8514]

Alls well that ends well. Greed never pays off. At least with total satisfaction to the greedy, my fellow ghost story lovers. Peace and joy wishes for you all

[@waningmooncancer9628]

"The things we do for love.... Like walking in the rain and the snow and......" seeing a dead man in a library, as well as large black - eeeewww 😬😱 - spiders, and having your wits scared out of you. May the young man enjoy his reward.

[@thomasswafford250]

Thank you. James was so important to Weird Fiction.

[@lydiamarks8577]

Most enjoyable! Thank you so much for uploading this story 👍👍

[@catherinedoyle1194]

Life is good with a fine ghost story.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thanks for listening Catherine

[@anjaknatz7157]

A ghost story with a happy end to it! How wonderfull to listen!!🎉

[@KiKiabout]

Excellent... Thank you!

[@katiedotson704]

On 7 May 1951, an American television adaptation of the story was broadcast as "The Lost Will of Dr. Rant", as part of the Lights Out mystery series. It starred Leslie Nielsen.[1][2] On 26 February 1966, a version of the story adapted by Dennis Webb was broadcast by ATV and Thames Television as part of the Mystery and Imagination series of ghost story adaptations. It starred Giles Block, David Buck, and John Crocker. The episode was wiped after broadcast, and only audio recordings are known to have survived.[

[@alexandracolmant9983]

Thank you for keeping us so well entertained. Your narration is so distinct and manages to pull out nuance & meaning from these stories. M.R. James is a good one...and would you consider recording "The Parasite" by Conan Doyle? I can hear it in your voice, rich with intonation, texture and implication.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thanks Alexandra for your very generous comments. I certainly will consider The Parasite, I'm a great fan of Conan Doyle and always enjoy reading his stories. That particular one is quite lengthy so I'll need to give some thought to when I might fit it in... I may not get around to it for a while, but will keep you posted!

[@alexandracolmant9983]

Your channel brings joy to many as your viewership shows. The collection of stories acts as a virtual fireside of the imagination...so nice!

[@gforgojira2579]

Ah, The Parasite is a great favorite of mine as well...I second the request for this strange, wonderful Conan Doyle story..

[@BitesizedAudio]

Hello Alexandra, I just wanted to let you know that I've recorded 'The Parasite'! Working on the edit now, not sure how long it will take as it's rather longer than my usual pieces... but hoping to upload before the end of the week. Thanks again for the request/suggestion, hope you enjoy it.

[@alexandracolmant9983]

@@BitesizedAudio This is going to be fun! It's such an odd tale, but many of the Conan Doyle horror stories are just that. I so appreciate what you do. Your splendid and thoughtful readings and the care you put into it. Thank you for all this, especially at this time. Be well.

[@kirpalani-griffin3706]

I entreat you all to get the measure of this great story and great reading! Thank you!

[@rjfscrappingaustralia5281]

No problem listening to a couple of adds before these excellent ghost stories, beautifully read. A lovely touch to have a photo of the author for viewing! Tfs. Rebecca

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thanks Rebecca, really appreciate your comments

[@tesshiva]

Excellent telling, as always - Many Thanks!

[@feralbluee]

i’ve heard this story a while back, but forgot some of the parts, so i enjoyed it again. i really like your reading. you read like you were a normal curious person discovering interesting things as he went along. nothing sinister, just a story as one would read it. thanks so much - glad i discovered you :) Keep safe 🌷✨🌿🌸🌱🌼🌷

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thank you Alexa - glad you discovered me too! Thanks for listening and for your very kind feedback

[@davidespinosa2576]

This is the best reading of this great MR James story I have heard. Thank you!

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thanks David, very kind!

[@christopherblades5515]

@@BitesizedAudio zzzlik

[@loonylinda]

i sat with my eyes closed and imagined i was sitting in a room in front of a roaring fire on a winter night..listening to you, and i found it very relaxing and absorbing thanks

[@wiliamsmith4304]

GREAT, as usual.

[@lesliehatton1493]

Thank you. I have really enjoyed finding stories by this author.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Excellent, thanks for listening Leslie

[@beherenow5466]

Truly appreciate these stories🙏🏻

[@BitesizedAudio]

Glad to know, thanks for listening and for taking the time to comment

[@johngoodman616]

Read Casting the Runes-the story upon which the Dana Andrews movie the Curse of the Demon is based! Niall McGinnis does a marvelous job as the evil magician! (night of the demon in England)

[@BitesizedAudio]

It's on my list - others have already requested it - may not be for a while but I hope to do it at some point. Thanks John

[@shannonmarie2250]

Worth the wait! Loved it, thank you.

[@rachweatherilll69]

Loved it, thankyou 😊

[@BitesizedAudio]

Glad to know that, thanks Rach

[@sands7779]

a very good reading - kept me at the edge of my seat - thank you

[@BitesizedAudio]

Wonderful, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for listening and taking the time to comment

[@susanbeesley8299]

Wonderful story x

[@russellflacco7811]

Excellent story without any useless fluff.

[@mfranssens]

Listened to this maybe 20 times, thank you. The reading is great, it suits the story so well.

[@johngoodman616]

Thank you for the reply! Looking forward to it! Marvelous reading!

[@spacehound3355]

M R James is very subtle and some story's you have to listen to again to understand the story.👻👻👻

[@ruthhase-gutierrez9830]

Oooh, I really enjoyed this one. The story on its own is fantastic, but that final sentence made it even more fantastic.

[@foofy3406]

if i ever receive the unemployment i was approved for four months ago, i will happily become a patron! such a wonderful channel! i enjoy it much

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thank you, glad to know you enjoy the stories, appreciate your feedback

[@totoro9590]

Loved this story, thanks for sharing this much appreciated ❤❤❤

[@catmomjewett]

Thanks!

[@eliasblum753]

The only M R James story with a Hallmark ending.

[@lyndaa7560]

Love this book xx

[@frederickwallace6552]

As always, excellent

[@BitesizedAudio]

Many thanks Frederick

[@raulbotero982]

Excelente audio

[@deborahmeyers7839]

My best narrator 🙌

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thank you Deborah, extremely kind of you to say so!

[@babybooandherhumandeb3188]

Thank you 😷

[@kaf890890]

You read MR James so well!

[@BitesizedAudio]

Very kind of you to say so, thank you! Also, I see you've just joined as a channel member - thanks so much for your support, it's hugely appreciated. Best wishes

[@kaf890890]

I just wish I could support you in the style you deserve to become accustomed to!

[@paulbangash4317]

Great stuff , thank you.

[@BitesizedAudio]

You're most welcome, thanks Paul

[@blixten2928]

WHERE did you find the gorgeous photo of an old and beautiful library? -- A pity, just,that it had to be invested by an overwhelming smell of dust and mildew, round-about the shelf of the Tractate Midoth (1707).....

[@BitesizedAudio]

Do you know, I can't quite remember where this image came from, I'll have to check (it was a while ago). I used to have a subscription to an image library and it probably came from there... if memory serves, it is the library at Trinity, Cambridge

[@blixten2928]

@@BitesizedAudio They have it good in Cambridge, the students. When I think of the ugly metal shelves and dusty corridors of Harvard... (shudder)...No self-respecting Tractate Midoth would set its foot in the place!

[@darlenecuker9711]

Thank you! Nice voice.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Kind of you to say so, thank you!

[@Tina06019]

I really enjoy listening to you reading these stories. Thank you! Mr. Eldred’s name reminds me of the adjective “eldritch.” Very appropriate, eh?

[@BitesizedAudio]

Very kind of you to say so Tina, thanks for listening!

[@Tina06019]

I believe my brother and sister may enjoy this channel as well, so I’ll pass along information about it to them. (He is an Anglophile and she is a professional writer.)

[@BitesizedAudio]

Wonderful, thank you for sharing!

[@dugldoo]

For supernatural tales that are both better stories and better writing, try another James ... Henry James: The Romance of Certain Old Clothes (1868), The Ghostly Rental (1876), Sir Edmund Orme (1891), The Private Life (1892), Owen Wingrave (1892), The Friends of the Friends (1896), The Turn of the Screw (1898), The Real Right Thing (1899), The Third Person (1900), The Jolly Corner (1908) and more.

[@cwbrooks5329]

One of my absolute favorites, THANK YOU. And now to sound like a spoiled brat . . . I wonder if you would ever consider recording "By One, by Two, and by Three" by Stephen Hall. You would be the perfect reader for it, and nobody on KZbin has done it at all. It's the tale of a university student who gets in over his head when he decides to dabble in a bit of black magic. It has the same sort of underlying feeling that one senses in James or Lovecraft. If you aren't interested in recording it, I hope you will still read it. It's online for free and I think you'd enjoy it. Sorry if this came off as presumptuous, I just thought it couldn't hurt to ask. (Oh and if any US listeners are reading, you might remember this story shot as "There Aren't Anymore MacBanes" starring Joel Grey from the old Rod Serling's Night Gallery series.) Sorry for the LONG comment.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thanks CW Brooks, I'm always happy to consider requests. The main consideration for me is copyright as - unless I have the author's permission - I can only read texts which are in the public domain worldwide... this usually means 70 years after the death of the author in the UK, and/or stories published before 1925 in the US. Hence I've largely restricted myself to the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The story (and author) you mention aren't familiar to me at all, so I shall look them both up!

[@cwbrooks5329]

@@BitesizedAudio OMG. THANK YOU for responding. I am a HUGE fan of yours. I listen to your channel every day and would be embarrassed to tell you how many times I have listened to some of your recordings. Thank you also for considering reading "By One, by Two, and by Three." "Stephen Hall" was one of the nom de plumes used by Arthur Ropes. He was an Cambridge don, and a friend and colleague of MR James, so I believe copyright would be no problem. I think you would really like his writing, it has a sort of "wink" in it, if you know what I mean. There are some witty lines mixed in with the general feeling of dread. Also while I'm at it, I hope you will someday consider reading Oliver Onion's "The Beckoning Fair One." I know it's maybe a little bit more than "bitesized" but it's definitely a "classic" and you would be the hands-down PERFECT no-others-need-apply reader for it. In any case, THANK YOU again for all.

[@h.calvert3165]

Don't be sorry. We scary story people love to commune with one another about our favourites! 😄

[@cwbrooks5329]

@@h.calvert3165 Ha. Thanks Dude. Nice to know that I'm not out here alone . . . in the dark.

[@h.calvert3165]

@@cwbrooks5329 In the night. In the dark. In Hill House. 😵

[@mijiyoon5575]

I chose this not only b/c it is a movie but, I wanted to hear you pronounce *Tractate Middoth*

[@manjulavanka7186]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻👍

[@budahbaba7856]

Something that is almost funny, M R James, perhaps the best writer of ghost stories, and an astoundingly brilliant academic, may have been even more lonely than our generations that have grown up with the internet as their social circle. I am not using his example for you to use him for an excuse for not having a real life. Go outside friends! Live! Love! :)

[@dugldoo]

If you'd like to read supernatural tales that are better stories and far better writing, try another James ... Henry James: The Romance of Certain Old Clothes (1868), The Ghostly Rental (1876), Sir Edmund Orme (1891), The Private Life (1892), Owen Wingrave (1892), The Friends of the Friends (1896), The Turn of the Screw (1898), The Real Right Thing (1899), The Third Person (1900), The Jolly Corner (1908) and more.

[@suitov]

I only wonder how they mistook English for Hebrew - mirror writing, perhaps? Anyway, another corking tale ably read. :)

[@BitesizedAudio]

Good question - yes, some sort of mirror / backwards / upside down writing seems the most likely explanation...

[@nielsebbesen7821]

I think it's less (or perhaps more) complicated than that - Just like we use the Latin alphabet to write several different languages, one can use different systems of writing to write the same language. What I am suggesting is that while the characters of the will were Hebrew, the words were English. Which is why they cannot make sense of the text at first - They expect to the words they are reading to be Hebrew.

[@richmcgee434]

@@nielsebbesen7821 Seems likely, that was my first thought as well.

[@nielsebbesen7821]

@@richmcgee434 It certainly is my experience when reading the Runic script, that not knowing which language it is in, or assuming it's one that it's not, can certainly complicate the process.

[@dugldoo]

Not a mystery. Yiddish is mostly an old Germanic dialect written right to left with Hebrew characters. With a command of the Hebrew alphabet one could do roughly the same with English, as the curmudgeonly Anglican cleric of the story apparently did.

[@ruthamyallan1]

'According to legend, Christian Rosenkreuz was a doctor who discovered and learned esoteric wisdom on a pilgrimage to the Middle East among Turkish, Arab and Persian sages, possibly Sufi or Zoroastrian masters, supposedly in the early 15th century (see § Symbolism of the numbers in the Manifestos); returned and founded the "Fraternity of the Rose Cross" with himself (Frater C.R.C.) as Head of the Order. Under his direction a Temple, called Sanctus Spiritus, or "The House of the Holy Spirit", was built. It is described that his body, as discovered by a Brother of the Order, was in a perfect state of preservation 120 years after his death (which occurred in absolute secrecy) - as Rosenkreuz had predicted - in a heptagonal chamber erected by himself as a storehouse of knowledge. It is described that on the Sarcophagus in the centre of the Crypt of Christian Rosenkreutz were written, among other inscriptions the words, "Jesus mihi omnia, nequaquam vacuum, libertas evangelii, dei intacta gloria, legis jugum" ("Jesus is everything to me, by no means empty, the freedom of the gospel, the untouched glory of God, the yoke of the law"), testifying to the builder's Christian character. Rosenkreuz's crypt, according to the description presented in the legend, is located in the interior of the Earth, recalling the alchemical motto V.I.T.R.I.O.L.: Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem ("Visit the interior of the Earth; by rectification thou shalt find the hidden stone").' From Wikipedia, Christian Rosenkreuz en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Rosenkreuz AGE OF DECEIT* (FULL) Fallen Angels and the New World Order . kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZvQd6Buha6tbq8

[@stuartsimmons3470]

i do belive there are some carnacki stories crying out for some bitesize treatment ...i'll just leave this here :)

[@BitesizedAudio]

Thanks Stuart. As it happens, I've had 'The Horse of the Invisible' on my list for a while, hoping to get round to it later this year... any others you'd particularly recommend?

[@Thicketworks]

@@BitesizedAudio The House Among the Laurels! 👻

[@stevebinning977]

"The Hog" would be my recommendation.

[@babybooandherhumandeb3188]

Thank you 🧐

[@BitesizedAudio]

You’re welcome 😊

[@dugldoo]

The reading was excellent. But the story is seriously flawed, relying as it does on the almost impossible co-incidence that Mr. Garrett finds himself in the train coach of Mrs. Simpson and her daughter as he heads south for his week of recovery.

[@marisadallavalle393]

Thank you, excellent!