"Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book" is a

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

story by British writer M. R. James, which was written in 1894 and published the following year in the '' National Review''. It was included in his first short story collection, ''

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary ''Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'' is a horror short story collection by British writer M. R. James, published in 1904 (some had previously appeared in magazines). Some later editions under this title contain both the original collection and its su ...

'' of 1904.

Plot summary

The story has a detailed and realistic setting in the tiny decaying cathedral city of

Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges (, literally ''Saint-Bertrand of Comminges''; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Sent Bertran de Comenge'') is a Communes of France, commune (municipality) and former episcopal see in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, ...

, at the foot of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. An English tourist spends a day photographing the interior of the eponymous cathedral and is encouraged by the

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...

to buy an unusual manuscript. This, he concludes, had been created long ago by Canon Albéric de Mauléon (an invented character, said to be a collateral descendant of the real 16th-century bishop Jean de Mauléon), who had cut up volumes in the old cathedral library. A disturbing illustration of

King Solomon King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and a

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

in the back of the book is a key to the story's suspenseful arc.

Adaptations

The story has inspired a musical composition by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, ''St. Bertrand de Comminges: "He was laughing in the tower"'', first performed in 1985 by

Yonty Solomon Jonathan "Yonty" Solomon (6 May 193726 September 2008) was a South African pianist. He played with many of the world's best-known orchestras. Biography Solomon was born in Cape Town, the youngest of seven children of a family from Lithuania. At ...

. In 2020, the story was adapted into a full-cast audio drama for the second season of '' Shadows at the Door: The Podcast''.

References

External links

* * *
Full text of "Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book"
* Helen Grant,

in ''Ghosts & Scholars Newsletter'' no. 7 (2005).
Works by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
1894 short stories Horror short stories Church buildings in fiction Demons in written fiction Short stories by M. R. James Works originally published in National Review (London) {{1890s-horror-story-stub