A classic collection of Victorian ghost stories by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, edited by M. R. James for the Wordsworth Classics edition. First published in this edition in 1994, it gathers some of Le Fanu's finest supernatural tales, showcasing the author widely regarded as one of the greatest ghost-story writers of the nineteenth century and a major influence on writers such as Bram Stoker.

The collection includes the haunting title story "Madam Crowl's Ghost", along with celebrated tales such as "Squire Toby's Will," "Dickon the Devil," "An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street," "Sir Dominick's Bargain," and several other supernatural stories rooted in Irish folklore and Gothic tradition. Rather than relying on graphic horror, Le Fanu creates an atmosphere of creeping dread through abandoned country houses, ancient family secrets, mysterious apparitions, curses, and psychological unease.

In the title story, an elderly nurse recounts a terrifying childhood experience while serving in the decaying Applewale House, where the sinister Madam Crowl hides a dark secret that refuses to remain buried. Throughout the collection, ordinary people find themselves confronting ghosts, demonic bargains, haunted estates, and supernatural forces that expose guilt, greed, revenge, and long-forgotten crimes. The stories masterfully blur the boundary between psychological terror and the supernatural, leaving readers uncertain whether the horrors arise from ghosts or the human conscience itself.

Rich in Gothic atmosphere and elegant Victorian prose, Madam Crowl's Ghost and Other Stories remains one of the finest introductions to classic supernatural fiction.