James Machin
@jfmachin.bsky.social
Editor, proof reader, writer, researcher etc. Recent books: The Strange Stories of John Buchan (British Library Publishing, 2025) The Stark Munro Letters by Arthur Conan Doyle (Edinburgh University Press, 2024)
Had a great time chatting with the estimable Alex Monk about Arthur Machen, John Buchan, Conan Doyle, and no doubt other digressions ...The Logic of the Cat alexmonk.substack.com/p/arthur-mac...
Arthur Machen, John Buchan & Arthur Conan Doyle (LTOC #2)
Wandering on the Edge of Mystery with James Machin
alexmonk.substack.com
Really enjoyed Friday’s Conan Doyle’s Orient event @ies-sas.bsky.social with 6 great papers which explored Conan Doyle’s representations of Asia and Africa, empire, race, Orientalism, health, travel and tourism @jfmachin.bsky.social @profdarryljones.bsky.social 🌎🌏
Matthew Harle and James Machin examine one of Alan Clarke's most eccentric works, the psychogeographical fantasia, Penda's Fen Penda’s Fen re-examined #ThePortal: Your Weekly Quietus Archive Dive buff.ly/C4zkvSK
Very much looking forward to this -- fast approaching!
Institute of English Studies@ies-sas.bsky.social · 2mo agoJoin us in person to investigate Arthur Conan Doyle’s representations of and ideas about Asia and Africa, exploring themes and issues such as empire, race, Orientalism, health, travel and tourism 🎟️ Ticket price: £20 ⏰ Friday, 2 Oct 2026, 10am - 5:30pm 🔗 ies.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
Join us in person to investigate Arthur Conan Doyle’s representations of and ideas about Asia and Africa, exploring themes and issues such as empire, race, Orientalism, health, travel and tourism 🎟️ Ticket price: £20 ⏰ Friday, 2 Oct 2026, 10am - 5:30pm 🔗 ies.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
People have been messaging me for months, Ash, Ash, why has there been no short fiction from you for ages, only your short fiction can save the world? Well, the wait is over, Hip Priests and Kamarads. I give you, DIM STARS in Supernatural Tales 62. More soon
Edinburgh University Press Ebook sale! -- all Conan Doyle titles only £9.99 edinburghuniversitypress.com/series/serie...
The Edinburgh Edition of the Works of Arthur Conan Doyle
<p>Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) has been called the greatest genre writer Britain has ever produced, and Britain’s last national writer. His stories were popular in his lifetime, and continue to fas...
edinburghuniversitypress.com
We've got a new website 💻️ Check it out for news and upcoming events as well as new releases, older publications and (soon) info about our authors!
Thrilled to see Locus's 'Year's Best' fund in a day. Reminder that our little 'Best Of' could use some pre-order love, as well. If you're able and inclined. We think it's pretty good. You might, as well. undertowpublications.com/shop/best-we...
The Best Weird Fiction of the Year, Vol. 2 — Undertow Publications
Pre-Order. Shipping October 2026. Cover art by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis PRAISE FOR THE BEST WEIRD FICTION OF THE YEAR “Momentous... an indispensable guide to the state of the weird in ...
undertowpublications.com
Forthcoming volume in the Edinburgh Edition of the Works of Arthur Conan Doyle: Douglas Kerr's scholarly edition of The Tragedy of the Korosko and The Fires of Fate with The Nile Journal. Discount code here, and encourage your library to get a copy!
@kickstarter.com now live! Annotated Facsimile #MRJames manuscript bit.ly/OhWhistle Contributors include: @accordingtojond.bsky.social @helengrantsays.bsky.social @manoghosts.bsky.social @theprofrog.bsky.social @nunkie.bsky.social @profdarryljones.bsky.social @jfmachin.bsky.social
Coming soon: The Haunted Archive - A Ghost Story Manuscript of M.R. James
A beautiful annotated facsimile manuscript edition of M.R. James's classic ghost story 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'.
bit.ly
This just in: Felix John Taylor’s “The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: Magic Arts and the Occult Revival” not only offers an overview of the storied Victorian secret society, but argues that it was a magnet for creatives of all stripes, from poetry and literature to the visual arts.
I've had a glimpse of the proofs -- it looks amazing! Get kickstarting if you're an M. R. James fan.
Roger Luckhurst@theprofrog.bsky.social · 7mo agoM. R. James and #WeirdFiction and #GhostStory people might be interested in this Kickstarter, which is to help fund a print run of annotated manuscripts of James's most famous stories. You can find out more on this project at the website, crumpledlinenpress.com
Cover reveal! Thanks to the fabulous @sarahcoomer.bsky.social, we have a cover for our facsimile manuscript edition of 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad.' The Kickstarter pre-launch page is going live in the next few days. Stay tuned! #MRJames #Ghoststories #manuscripts
The Strange Stories of John Buchan, edited by James Machin (2025) – published by the British Library #weirdfiction #horror 💙📚 shop.bl.uk/products/the...
The Strange Stories of John Buchan
Celebrate the 150th birthday of Scottish author John Buchan with this playful collection of his most intriguing strange stories. Curated by weird fiction expert James Machin, this volume brings togeth...
shop.bl.uk
The next two books from myself and Trevor Kennedy's MISLAID BOOKS imprint (Trevor does all the heavy lifting). These should both be out by the end of April.
Contributors include Jim Bryant, Peter Bell, @manoghosts.bsky.social, Brian Corrigan, @accordingtojond.bsky.social, @helengrantsays.bsky.social, Darryl Jones, @nunkie.bsky.social, @theprofrog.bsky.social, @jfmachin.bsky.social, Rosemary Pardoe, @edwardgpettit.bsky.social and Mark Valentine.
“Buchan’s tales of trust and treachery, public duty and private doubt, still have questions to ask – and answers we might not entirely expect” THE BOTTLE IMP tracks the many paths of one of Scotland’s most surprising storytellers in his 150th year 💙📚 1/8 www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2025/12/the-...
The Reign of Saturn - The Bottle Imp
The life of John Buchan reads like one of his adventure stories: as a storyteller and statesman, intelligence officer and international thinker, he roamed both continents and careers alike, leaping fr...
thebottleimp.org.uk
“Identifying the supernatural as a consistent theme of Buchan’s fiction… reinforces Buchan’s status as a pre-eminent exponent of the supernatural tale and helps us to understand his wider oeuvre” @jfmachin.bsky.social on Buchan as a writer of the weird 2/8 www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2025/12/john...
John Buchan and the Supernatural - The Bottle Imp
When writing the introduction to the recent collection of John Buchan’s ‘strange stories’ for the British Library, I was hesitant in making my argument that Buchan should rightfully be considered alon...
thebottleimp.org.uk
Really pleased to have an essay in the new issue of Gothic Studies -- it's a special edition on Algernon Blackwood. It's also OPEN ACCESS so free for anyone to enter its region of singular loneliness and desolation. Many thanks to Henry Bartholomew for inviting me on board and putting it together.
Henry Bartholomew@henrybartholomew.bsky.social · 12mo agoPublication day! My special issue on Algernon Blackwood and the Gothic is officially out: www.euppublishing.com/toc/gothic/c... My heartfelt thanks to all the contributors. So much in here - will cover in future posts. The issue positions B as a major force in C20th British Gothic.
22% off ILLUSIONS OF PRESENCE over on that globalist shopping website.
Illusions of Presence: Lost Christmas Ghost Stories: 21 (British Library Gilded Nightmares): Amazon.co.uk: Johnny Mains: 9780712355933: Books
Buy Illusions of Presence: Lost Christmas Ghost Stories: 21 (British Library Gilded Nightmares) 1 by Johnny Mains (ISBN: 9780712355933) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery ...
amazon.co.uk
Publication day! My special issue on Algernon Blackwood and the Gothic is officially out: www.euppublishing.com/toc/gothic/c... My heartfelt thanks to all the contributors. So much in here - will cover in future posts. The issue positions B as a major force in C20th British Gothic.
Edinburgh University Press Journals - Table of Contents - gothic: Vol 27, No 3
euppublishing.com
This Thursday evening will be discussing Conan Doyle's Tales of the Supernatural with the estimable Edward Parnell -- details in link ... thelasttuesdaysociety.org/event/arthur...
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Tales of the Supernatural - by James Machin - Zoom - The Last Tuesday Society
The creator of the arch-rationalist Sherlock Holmes also had a fascination with the supernatural, which found expression in his eerie tales.
thelasttuesdaysociety.org
Learnt recently that AI "tells" now include em dashes. As a long-term em dash enthusiast and advocate, this feels weirdly personal and cannot stand.
Today's $2.99 Kindle deal is not to be missed! Karl Edward Wagner's IN A LONELY PLACE (1983) is one of the best modern horror collections, featuring some of this master storyteller's best work. Grab it at a bargain price today online on Kindle worldwide! www.amazon.com/Lonely-Place...
Happy birthday John Buchan, writer of famous spy-thriller The Thirty-Nine Steps and lesser known stories of weird fiction... The Strange Stories of John Buchan is a collection of his most intriguing and obscure spooky tales 👻. shop.bl.uk/products/the-strange-stories-of-john-buchan
The Strange Stories of John Buchan
Celebrate the 150th birthday of Scottish author John Buchan with this playful collection of his most intriguing strange stories. Curated by weird fiction expert James Machin, this volume brings togeth...
shop.bl.uk
John Buchan Fact of the Day (261/365) The story 'The Shut Door' was first published in The Boys' All-Round Book of Stories, Sports and Hobbies in 1926. It is included in The Strange Stories of John Buchan, ed. by James Machin [The British Library, 2025] #JBFactOfTheDay #JohnBuchan #books #booksky 💙📚
