The Treasure of Abbot Thomas | A Ghost Story by M. R. James

The Treasure of Abbot Thomas | A Ghost Story by M. R. James | A Bitesized Audiobook

Рет қаралды 52,621

Күн бұрын

For centuries, clergy and scholars have puzzled over the whereabouts of the treasure hidden by Abbot Thomas of Steinfeld, until antiquarian Mr. Somerton discovers some stained glass which appears to hold the key to the mystery. He hastens to Germany to follow the clues amid the Abbey ruins... but has the Abbot set a trap for the unwary treasure seeker?
Narrated/performed by Simon Stanhope, aka Bitesized Audio. If you enjoy this content and would like to help me keep creating, there are a few ways you can support me:
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00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:09 The Story begins
00:51:49 Credits, thanks and further listening
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' (1893). He was born in Kent, but spent most of his childhood in Suffolk, a county which features prominently in many of his stories, including '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. James published four volumes of ghost stories in his lifetime: 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary' (1904), 'More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary' (1911), 'A Thin Ghost and Others' (1919) and 'A Warning to the Curious and Other Stories' (1925).
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 his ghost stories aloud to a group of friends, most famously on Christmas eve, and the majority of his published stories were first heard in that setting. 'The Treasure of Abbot Thomas' was first published in 1904 as the last story in James's first anthology 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'.
Recording © Bitesized Audio 2022.

Пікірлер: 150

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:09 The Story begins 00:51:49 Credits, thanks and further listening

@waningmooncancer9628 Жыл бұрын

HI SIMON!!! MISS ME?!? 😁😁😁 I'm first and about to listen to another one of your fine performances 😁😁🤪👏👏👏👏👏

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Hello Nancy, lovely to hear from you! I hope you enjoyed it

@waningmooncancer9628 Жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio Of course I enjoyed it. How could I not? Can't help but wonder why anyone would search for a treasure or relic, whatever, when they are warned of a guardian protecting it. That would be a big clue for me to get real comfortable doing without. Love the way you show the different characters with change of tone/accent. Your portrayals paint the scenes in my mind. Great work 👏👏👏👏🙌👌

@alansorensen1141 7 ай бұрын

I would love to see you narrate the P. G. Wodehouse books. You would be the worthy successor to Jonathan Cecil.

@eleshasmith6064 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the consistently professional quality, frequent, reliable postings without a shadow of inferior or rushed results, and keeping these gorgeous tales so very alive!

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much Elesha for your very generous support, and your kind comments

@mjrussell414 Жыл бұрын

Not gonna lie, but I have played this a few times at bedtime and I fell asleep every time. But hey, I let the ads play for our dear friend Simon (I love the new intro style, by the way, where he shows his handsome face, thereby making it clear once again to KZfaq that he is the actual creator of this wonderful content). When I was a teenager in the 80’s, I was kind of sad they didn’t teach Latin in Canadian schools anymore because I wanted to be an English teacher one day and had also studied the classics. I loved researching the etymology of words. I actually bought a Latin/English dictionary in the hopes I could find a class, but sadly never did, so it never got used. But I am sure his Latin pronunciation is accurate because it sounds good to me! Now if I could just stay awake long enough tonight to find out what this story is actually about…

@patriciajrs46 Жыл бұрын

@@mjrussell414 Very nice comments. Thanks. Simon is so good.

@exileinderby51 Жыл бұрын

You have introduced me to many new authors, but you can't beat a bit of classic MR James.

@CONNELL19511216 Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad attention is still being paid to a period that produced such excellent short stories.

@susangordon1153 Жыл бұрын

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Simon, you are a one man oral theatre! I loved the way you did the vocal fade out and in at the beginning. So very effective! Another perfect performance! ❤

@mjrchapin Жыл бұрын

You are the only reader who does MR James justice. So glad to see a post from you and James at that!

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thank you, much appreciated!

@alchemicalalek7535 5 ай бұрын

Christopher Lee did him justice too!

@jamesblahut5008 Жыл бұрын

Thank you Simon!

@code-52 Жыл бұрын

All the narrations,are a perfect trip, to the Victorian world.

@St.Linguini_of_Pesto Жыл бұрын

Just getting to the five minute mark, I read the name "MR James" and knew I must listen. "Oh, Whistle..." is one of my favorite short stories.

@thomasswafford250 Жыл бұрын

M.R. James wrote a number of stories that are canon in supernatural literature. He put his academic career first and foremost, so that limited his output. Originally, he wrote for friends till a friend convinced him to put out a collection.

@MsDormy 7 ай бұрын

He also was a brilliant linguist and expert in ancient churches - he did a fantastic translation of Homs Christian Andersen’s tales, and also visitors guides to abbeys and churches of Great Britain - he was quite a prolific academic. Merry Christmas 🎄❤️

@bonniebarbee7984 Жыл бұрын

Thanks!Your stories are such a blessing to unwind by in the evening . You do such a wonderful job of narration.

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for your support Bonnie, much appreciated

@shannondore Жыл бұрын

M.R. James read by you Simon is a lovely gift after a hard days work. Very much enjoyed this one. Thank you!😊

@richardstrachmesserschmiti4979 Жыл бұрын

Excellent- voice over Wow Support your local Simon Stanhope Good job

@earthcat Жыл бұрын

M.R. James has always scared me to death 💀

@smythharris2635 Жыл бұрын

James had all the qualifications, medievalist, academic, antiquarian, no wonder. He was marinated in spookery.

@earthcat Жыл бұрын

@@smythharris2635 Absolutely

@snippycutwell9878 Жыл бұрын

Treasure hunting is never simple is it. Thank you for the story!

@KiKiabout Жыл бұрын

Excellent... Thank You!

@ChristopherStump Жыл бұрын

Simon, M. R. James's stories are so well suited to your voice. Or is it that your voice is so well suited to M. R. James's stories? Either way, I'm correct. You're an absolute master.

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Chris, very kind of you!

@mrs.cracker4622 Жыл бұрын

I'm so grateful for your channel, the wonderful stories, and perfect narration. Many thanks again!

@Paxtonparsnip Жыл бұрын

Reading that lot precisely and correctly and maintaining the interest of your listeners - I wouldn’t dream of trying! I think the author wrote it to foil any attempt at trying! You’ve done it! First class!

@Rossion64 Жыл бұрын

Thanks

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your support!

@susansherlock6934 Жыл бұрын

Beautiful narration, thank you Simon. M.R. James's stories really crawl under your skin as he presents in great detail, but so calmly, he doesn't appear to use creeping horror as a lot of ghost writers are apt to do, and that's what makes his art all the more terrifying...x

@eliasblum753 Жыл бұрын

Bless you, Simon. I'm cold, tired, shivery, and going back to bed feeling rather sorry for myself - and being able to close my eyes and listen to you performing an M R James story makes it better.

@saran.4001 Жыл бұрын

Hope you feel better soon.

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Glad to help! Get well soon...

@sams5963 Жыл бұрын

Hope you're feeling better by now.

@eliasblum753 Жыл бұрын

@@sams5963 Oh yes, thank you. Just one of those normal flus. Rest, plenty of tea and paracetamol, and I was fine after 2 days. (Took a couple of covid texts, both -ve.)

@beluch2768 Жыл бұрын

A fine reading of this especially antiquarian story. You dealt nimbly with the decryption section, and it was a good idea to "fade out" from the first paragraph in Latin. Thanks for the pleasure!

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thanks beluch. Yes, I did consider doing the whole of the introductory section, but thought it might try the patience of listeners! Glad to know you enjoyed it

@bonniebarbee7984 Жыл бұрын

So glad to see you again . I’ve been going over my favorite for the second time for bedtime stories. I’ve missed you .

@michelle15598 Жыл бұрын

Bravo! 👏👏👏 As always. You are my absolute favorite! Seeing that you've added to your repertoire makes my heart leap and is well worth the wait. Thank you Simon!

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

What a lovely comment, thank you Michelle!

@barbarafleming8881 Жыл бұрын

Love everything you do with these splendid productions. You are the best in the whole Internet.

@adjones3937 Жыл бұрын

Ooooh, lovely!

@chrismurphy2420 Жыл бұрын

I’ve been waiting for this one and I was not disappointed.

@DreadArkive Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much

@maxgc6413 Жыл бұрын

A marvelously creepy tale! I am an aspiring writer and your stories have inspired me to write again! Love your readings and I hope for some good tales in October! Also friendly reminder that Ghost stories for Xmas is getting a blu ray release in December, a worthwhile purchase indeed :)

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Wonderful, I'm glad to know that

@sharonwhiteley6510 Жыл бұрын

Better than most TV today

@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo Жыл бұрын

We got rid of our TV and radio. its just low quality, shallow smut, filth, propaganda and degeneracy. No TV and no radio is absolute heaven.

@synesthete23 Жыл бұрын

A treasure tale with a ghost guardian! I think about the ghost pirates guarding their treasures in the movies... and how greed can lead us to unpleasant places. Thank you dear Simon for your masterful narrations! 🎩

@lukepenkett3116 Жыл бұрын

Heard this with my carer at the end of my birthday. It was the icing on the cake. Thank you. A monk.

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Belated happy birthday! Thanks for listening

@lyndarowland7507 Жыл бұрын

Great story Great narration thank you so much

@Micky-yo3ng Жыл бұрын

I listen to these stories at night while I'm asleep and so I'm not fully conscious of the stories but my dreams surely are! I dreamt of Cthulhu, must have been those tentacles round the protagonist's neck.

@greedyfirstalgorithmlast26 Жыл бұрын

thank you sir for bringing books to an 73 year old who cannot read books due to Cataracts

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Glad to help! Thanks for listening and taking the time to comment

@irenabevans3411 Жыл бұрын

Glad to see you back, really enjoyed the creepyness of this tale, superb narration as ever thank you

@GradKat Жыл бұрын

Perfect! Thank you Simon!

@caroleastwood9386 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely top notch narration Simon As Ever..

@spews1973 Жыл бұрын

Always love hearing some Monty. And the way the Latin at the start was cut short was a particularly fine bit of editing.

@lesleylakos2417 Жыл бұрын

A Beautifully Constructed Story very well Read ....Thank You Simon

@m.a.3083 Жыл бұрын

I’m not sure where I got the idea that I don’t like ghost stories as much as mysteries, but you are quickly disproving it with your latest uploads!

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thanks @M. A. Of course, this particular one is a bit of both!

@jimmillward3505 Жыл бұрын

great work Simon

@maxgc6413 Жыл бұрын

The transition from reading Latin to English was real smooth. Also I laughed when I heard Florida haha

@martiwilliams4592 Жыл бұрын

One of my M.R. James favorites enhanced by your gripping presentation. Thank you so much!!!

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Glad to know that, thanks Marti!

@peterprice6871 5 ай бұрын

Love MR James and you do him full justice with your beautifully crafted narration

@BitesizedAudio 5 ай бұрын

Thank you Peter, much appreciated

@jack8841 Жыл бұрын

October is the perfect time for all of this love this

@thewildbirds6070 Жыл бұрын

What an absolute delight Simon. Thank you

@katyvdb5993 Жыл бұрын

Brrr! Very effective! Thank you, Simon, for your wonderful rendering of these superb stories.

@thelastsausage635 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely loved this story, hadn’t heard it before, brilliantly read as always by Simon ❤️👍🇦🇺

@mickho7910 Жыл бұрын

I enjoy all your readings, but especially M R James.

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thanks Mick

@manasbose8817 Жыл бұрын

Oh this is great Simon. A tale from the masterful M R James I haven't heard before read by you a masterful narrator. Also very gratified I still understood some of the Latin 50 years after doing it for O Level🤣

@imlistening1137 10 ай бұрын

I would love to hear a reading of ghost stories on Christmas Eve! What a spooky tradition!

@holymags2495 Жыл бұрын

Looking forward to this one. Saving til time for bed!

@krishnasen397 Жыл бұрын

Love MR JAMES ghost stories..Great selection and marvelous narration . Sincere thanks and regards

@barbaraprest783 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much

@januzzell8631 Жыл бұрын

Ahh one of my favourite ghost writers read by one of my favourite readers - gorgeous!

@billtomson5791 Жыл бұрын

Thank you Simon. Looking forward to more.

@RosesAreForever1871 Жыл бұрын

Thank you. I’ve got several knitting projects lined up and this will definitely help me finish them💐

@junewoolerton5210 6 ай бұрын

Terrific stuff, just as enjoyable as reading the original tale!

@jojoe4093 Жыл бұрын

This story left me shakingall over!

@Maud87 5 ай бұрын

As always superb! Thanks Simon

@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo Жыл бұрын

Love all these old stories. ANd what a very good reading voice you've got.

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thank you Gretchen, much appreciated

@deborahmeyers551 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your beautiful reading 📚 like no other 👌

@Maud87 5 ай бұрын

As always Simon, superb! 🙏

@LadyBronwynn1400 Жыл бұрын

Love it, just love it. Thank you.

@tinawelch3005 3 күн бұрын

Prior posted comments conveybmy thoughts. Thank you for excellent narrations!

@donnasmall2172 Жыл бұрын

Yet another fantastic story

@petercalderwood2876 Жыл бұрын

Happy to find this channel. A perfect pairing with my doses of NyQuil. Happy Holidays!

@SpuktasticAudio Жыл бұрын

An M. R. James tale that was unknown to me. You spoil us, cher Simon. You really do. ❤❤

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Glad to know I can still surprise you! Thanks Bob

@annnovy4537 Жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed these spooky stories. Well read too Simon

@mammaminecraft4038 8 ай бұрын

I started listening to this to go to sleep and here I am, very much awake now .

@BitesizedAudio 8 ай бұрын

Oh dear! I hope you managed to get some sleep in the end...

@richardcychowski8380 Жыл бұрын

Great story.... brilliantly told

@patriciajrs46 Жыл бұрын

Latin sounds like one of the romance languages. If it is, you make it sound lovely. Thank you, Simon. I too, love languages. A very interesting story.

@conlaiarla 7 ай бұрын

Latin is the romance language. All romance languages are derived from it.

@Linda-rs5qt Жыл бұрын

Thank you!! I love listening to your stories at bedtime while I embroider or crochet and unwind from the long day 😊

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Much appreciated, thanks Linda

@davidbixby8682 Жыл бұрын

Splendid reading as always Mr. Stanhope, hope you can get to "Lost Hearts" and "The Ash Tree".

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thank you David. They're on my list, although I'm hoping to do Count Magnus and Number 13 ... but will certainly do more James in the future

@jayanthisrinivasan9055 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the pure pleasure 🙏. I adore your voice and narration. From India with ❤️

@jackalina91 Жыл бұрын

Thank you Simon I enjoyed this story very much. ♥️♥️♥️

@thehobbyzoo6124 Жыл бұрын

Your pronunciation of Latin is pretty decent

@saran.4001 Жыл бұрын

Yes, he made me nostalgic for my Catholic upbringing. I went on a tour here of the Candler mansion and they had a stained glass window with Latin passages. . The guide asked could anybody translate, I did. Astonished my Baptist friends.

@grannykiminalaska Жыл бұрын

❤️

@idontknowpreston3673 Жыл бұрын

Very nice new intro.

@MajorDan1138 Жыл бұрын

Great audio effect at the beginning, fading out the Latin as the English story begins, sort of high-end, eh? Great story, and Thank you!

@StalinLovsMsmZioglowfagz Жыл бұрын

But WHY would the Abbott claim that he would not “hold it against anyone who should find it”, was he evil?

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Interesting question. Mr Gregory's suggestion at the end (Spoiler alert for anyone who's not listened yet) is that he's come back to enjoy the success of his trick, which implies an impish spirit rather than completely evil intent. And the guardian of the treasure is far more forgiving of the transgression than the ghost in the much later James story 'A Warning to the Curious'...

@thurayya8905 5 ай бұрын

I was wondering why the abbot hid a treasure in the first place if he was so opposed to anyone finding it. Why hide it away at all? Why not spend it on what he deemed a good cause or leave it to a specific person or persons? Of course, then we wouldn't have a cracking story😁.

@lizday8140 Жыл бұрын

I have heard this story before! It reminded me of another story I have viewed on KZfaq, where there is a slimy black ooze that comes out of a wall, protecting some treasure or something like that. Does anyone know the one to which I am referring?

@davidbixby8682 Жыл бұрын

It's the same one, the BBC adapted it for their "Ghost Stories for Christmas" specials in 1974.

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Hello Liz, as David says, I think it sounds like you're referring to the BBC TV adaptation of this story from 1974 - it varied from the original in several aspects, including making Somerton a clergyman, eliminating some characters and adding in others, but the overall story line is the same and the climatic moment in the well is indeed rather dramatic...

@lizday8140 Жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio That was it! I thought I remembered the adaptation as being different from another audiobook version of the same story I had heard previously, too. "Artistic license", I suppose. 🙂 Thanks!

@spacehound3355 Жыл бұрын

Revenge is a dish best severed cold a klingon proverb and its indeed cold when it comes from the grave. 👻👍

@christabedwin 6 ай бұрын

Ah Treasure. Always bad news. !!

@barbaratozzano6364 Жыл бұрын

I have always loved "Victorian" ghost stories, and M.R. James is one of my favorite authors. I must say that your voice is the perfect medium of narration for this genre. Keep up the good work!

@BitesizedAudio Жыл бұрын

Thank you Barbara, appreciated!

@sittnknittnwatchn3980 Жыл бұрын

💙🎙📚💙

@EleanorPeterson Жыл бұрын

SPOILER ALERT! Please note, dear reader, that this comment contains some musings which may constitute a partial 'plot spoiler' connected with this story. By all means, enjoy Simon's splendid reading before continuing...🙂 I've often wondered at the use of darkness and night in ghost stories. Naturally it taps into our earliest fears of the unseen and the unknown, but why should rational adults - who have seen and know - continue to be upset by childhood superstitions? We know now about lots of hitherto unexplained or unseen things. We can amplify, magnify and rationalise almost everything. From ebola to eclipses and from epilepsy to earthquakes, we've gradually robbed the unknown of its power to hold our reason to ransom. (Do you suppose that the traditional ghost stories of the lost Aztecs and Incas, of the Australian Aboriginal people, and of India, China and Africa also rely on our fear of the dark? 🤔) Infra-red sensitive cameras have shown us that darkness is largely meaningless to many creatures - cats can see as well at night as we can by day. This is obviously why moggies don't write ghost stories 🤭. But they're not evil or touched by the claw of Satan - they're just adapted to be nocturnal. And we now know exactly why bats don't crash into things in the dark. So... darkness falls as the planet revolves. And, as Shakespeare said, "Night's dark agents to their preys do rouse...". But then the darkness goes away again. Um. So? I must be missing something. In this story, we are told that the mysterious 'guardian' is a creature of the night, and thus can only do its duty in the Earth's cosier latitudes. Would it be rendered powerless in northern Norway or at the extreme south of the planet? How would it guard its treasure in lands where there isn't any night? I imagine that if people lived their whole lives in sunlight they'd just have to find something else to scare their children with. It's odd that we should still be ruled by instincts from a time when we didn't know much about celestial mechanics. The idea of 'Light is good, dark is bad' is as old as we are, but we've known for a long time that the thing that went bump in the night was actually Tiddles the cat jumping off the fridge to catch a spider at 3 in the morning. No wonder modern 'scares' eschew mere darkness and seek their thrills elsewhere. Mood-altering plagues, genetic engineering gone wrong, and hordes of indestructible brain-eating zombies - all three things being conspicuously diurnal - have taken over from a night full of bats and unseen squidgy monsters conveniently concealed by the gloom. You may be wondering why I make 'spoilsport' comments like this, so perhaps I should say that I'm not just a grumpy so-and-so out to spoil everyone's fun; I get tremendous enjoyment from listening to Simon's wonderful storytelling and find these old tales fascinating for what they reveal about human nature. I'm interested in what makes people 'tick'. When I watch a puppet show, I first of all enjoy the action, but I also like to see the rods and strings moving. In literature as in life, it's intriguing seeing how changes in society affect our hopes and fears; wholesome (fundamentally Christian) ghost stories of good versus evil were very much in vogue in Edwardian and Victorian times. After the Great War people had other things to worry about besides hauntings and spectres, and after WW2 we were scaring ourselves with science, aliens, and alien ideology (which for some people is even scarier!) instead of simple spooks. Yep. Life was easier when we couldn't see what was pulling our strings.😁

@bluegreenglue6565 Жыл бұрын

I enjoyed your cogitation on this and its ancillary topics -- the kind of conversations I used to have with my late husband about movies, about books, about events, history, music, etc. It's nearly impossible for me to just "read (or listen to) a story." I have to consider it, muse over what it means in the grand scheme. I don't want to stop feeling that way about everything. It makes life more interesting, and helps shave the sharp edges off of the trials of just existing as a human.