The Canterville Ghost

By Oscar Wilde and Mint Editions

Despite multiple warnings, Horace B. Otis and his family move to Canterville Chase, a sprawling English manor with a dark history and a lingering guest. From the brilliant mind of Oscar Wilde, The Canterville Ghost is an irreverent mix of horror and humor.

Canterville Chase is an English estate known for its troubled past. It was previously owned by a nobleman, Sir Simon de Canterville, who suddenly disappeared after the murder of his wife. When the Otis family buys the property they begin to notice a supernatural presence. Yet, unlike the previous residents, they’re more annoyed than afraid. Sir Simon’s scare tactics fall flat, leading to a ghostly identity crisis.

The Canterville Ghost is an entertaining story that subverts the expectations of the horror genre. It’s a family friendly tale with Gothic elements balanced by slapstick humor. Since its publication in 1887, The Canterville Ghost has been adapted across multiple mediums including radio, film and television.

With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Canterville Ghost is both modern and readable.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mint Editions
• Release date: Feb 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781513276212

Oscar Wilde

Born in Ireland in 1856, Oscar Wilde was a noted essayist, playwright, fairy tale writer and poet, as well as an early leader of the Aesthetic Movement. His plays include: An Ideal Husband, Salome, A Woman of No Importance, and Lady Windermere's Fan. Among his best known stories are The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Canterville Ghost.

Book preview

I

When Mr. Hiram B. Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, every one told him he was doing a very foolish thing, as there was no doubt at all that the place was haunted. Indeed, Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most punctilious honour, had felt it his duty to mention the fact to Mr. Otis when they came to discuss terms.

We have not cared to live in the place ourselves, said Lord Canterville, since my grandaunt, the Dowager Duchess of Bolton, was frightened into a fit, from which she never really recovered, by two skeleton hands being placed on her shoulders as she was dressing for dinner, and I feel bound to tell you, Mr. Otis, that the ghost has been seen by several living members of my family, as well as by the rector of the parish, the Rev. Augustus Dampier, who is a Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge. After the unfortunate accident to the Duchess, none of our younger servants would stay with us, and Lady Canterville often got very little sleep at night, in consequence of the mysterious noises that came from the corridor and the library.

My Lord, answered the Minister, I will take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation. I have come from a modern country, where we have everything that money can buy; and with all our spry young fellows painting the Old World red, and carrying off your best actors and prima-donnas, I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we’d have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show.

I fear that the ghost exists, said Lord Canterville, smiling, though it may have resisted the overtures of your enterprising impresarios. It has been well known for three centuries, since 1584 in fact, and always makes its appearance before the death of any member of our family.

Well, so does the family doctor for that matter, Lord Canterville. But there is no such thing, sir, as a ghost, and I guess the laws of Nature are not going to be suspended for the British aristocracy.

You are certainly very natural in America, answered Lord Canterville, who did not quite understand Mr. Otis’s last observation, and if you don’t mind a ghost in the house, it is all right. Only you must remember I warned you.

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A FEW WEEKS AFTER THIS, the purchase was concluded, and at the close of the season the Minister and his family went down to Canterville Chase. Mrs. Otis, who, as Miss Lucretia R. Tappan, of West 53d Street, had been a celebrated New York belle, was now a very handsome, middle-aged woman, with fine eyes, and a superb profile. Many American ladies on leaving their native land adopt an appearance of chronic ill-health, under the impression that it is a form of European refinement, but Mrs. Otis had never fallen into this error. She had a magnificent constitution, and a really wonderful amount of animal spirits. Indeed, in many respects, she was quite English, and was an excellent example of the fact that we have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language. Her eldest son, christened Washington by his parents in a moment of patriotism, which he never ceased to regret, was a fair-haired, rather good-looking young man, who had qualified himself for American diplomacy by

Reviews for The Canterville Ghost

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

a fun little classic snack to read. new world clashes with a ghost in England and handles it rather respectless until the girl feels sorry for the ghost.

[merlucito · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Funny, cute and short. I liked the humor in it and also the criticism! I'm glad that this was my introduction to Oscar Wilde and I can't wait to read more of his work.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sir Simon is not the kind of ghost one might choose to haunt a mansion, being that he is rather a despicable ghost, having killed his wife. He carries on his nefarious deeds even as a ghost, enjoying his escapades in the terrorizing of the people he encounters. But his joy is cut short when an American family moves in and he comes upon twin boys who may actually be more scary than Sir Simon. Oscar Wilde has a way with words, and his stories never disappoint.

[finxy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review from BadelyngeNo tour through the literary landscape of The Ghost Story would be complete without Oscar Wilde's clever little tale The Canterville Ghost. He turns the whole concept on its head with the ancient titular ghost, who has spent several centuries not paying for the sins of his life by blithely terrifying the old house's residents and visitors to death and insanity, being driven to his own wits end by the American family who bring their own blithe modernity to bear in dealing with him. The results are very funny; Wilde is justly famous for his wit and his command of satire. It's not just a comedy though. There are more serious themes at work, not least the chance for redemption. Wilde also can find time between the fun to show he can use lyricism to evoke pathos with equal mastery. This is one you can read more than once, because like good poetry it doesn't always give everything up with the first reading.

[pa0ro · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about one rich family and ghost.Mr.Otis is American person.And his family moved to England.Their new house was told that there was a ghose.But Mr.Otis's family didn't mind about that.So the ghost didn't satisfied about this.I know this book by textbook of reading class.This book is easy to read and interesting.So I like this book.

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a quaint, short, and neat little tale by Wilde. I thought that it got to the purpose, the epitome, of the story in an efficient way. However, it did not have the same majesty of language that Wilde possessed with his other works and I felt that to be a lacking quality about it. Nevertheless, the ending was fulfilling and the developments that occurred during it were palatable. For a quick, swift, and short read (for those interested in Wilde), I recommend this one.3.5 stars.

[andreablythe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Picked this up on recommendation from another LTer and I'm so glad I did. It's charming ghost story about a ghost that can't quite figure out how to haunt the new American family that has come to his home — with many hilarious shenanigans that ensue. It's such a quick read and so much fun. A great book to recommend to young people as an introduction to the classics.

[the4otts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fabulous illustrations with hilarious story. Lisbeth Zwerger is a favorite illustrator of Carole Joy Seid. Boys ages 11 and 13 really enjoying the tale.Wish it was available in Hardcover!Ordered the DVD starring Patrick Stewart.

[shaunesay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quick and fun! Poor old Simon! Those silly Americans can't even allow themselves to be haunted properly! what's a ghost to do? I read this in 4 installments through the Serial Reader App and really enjoyed it!

[murderbydeath · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I fell in love with the TV adaptation of this story decades ago, but only recently went searching of the original story. Well, of course, the two are very different. Oscar Wilde's book is much more about the ghost's comeuppance, with a firm jab at American consumerism and involves a lot more children in the household. Those kids pranked Sir Simon so ruthlessly I felt sorry for him as I was giggling. Virginia's efforts to help the ghost move on hardly take up a chapter and there's nothing at all about what happens to her after she passes through that wall with Sir Simon. Of course I like the book better; but the TV adaptations have their charm too; they are almost equivalent to fan fiction, as they take the story between Virginia and Sir Simon further than Wilde did. I think this might be a fun one to read to my nieces next Halloween.

[lydia1879 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oscar Wilde, the King of Satire.

I don't want to give too much away because it is only a short story but essentially this story is about a ghost of a manor who just can't seem to scare the new American owners, who are totally unperturbed by his attempts to scare them.

Oscar Wilde is the right amount of funny, smart and snarky for this sort of story. I found it super light and readable and felt pity for the poor Canterville Ghost, whose favourite past times include holding his head away from his body, making blood stains on the carpet and scaring the maids into mental institutions.

A fun lil romp and something I would not have read if it weren't for Serial Reader. c:

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Humorous story about a ghost that haunts an ancient mansion of Canterville Chase. The new occupants are undisturbed by the ghost's presence. A humorous take of the classic Gothic ghost story.

[seldombites · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story may be short, but it is highly amusing. I did not experience a single second of boredom when reading this. I felt so sorry for the poor ghost, having to deal with obnoxious Americans who refused to pay him the respect he deserved. This entertaining tale from Oscar Wilde is definitely worth reading!

[arkrayder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was great re - reading The Canterville Ghost. I've always loved this story and never get tired of Sir Simon and Canterville Chase. This is a perfect book to read when it's raining and there's a log fire in the hearth. Pleasant memories with this one.