M. R. James (1862–1936) is probably best remembered as a writer of chilling ghost stories, but he was an outstanding scholar of medieval literature and palaeography, who served both as Provost of King's College, Cambridge, and as Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, and many of his stories reflect his academic background. His detailed, descriptive catalogues of manuscripts owned by colleges, cathedrals and museums are still of value to scholars today. James' catalogue of the extensive manuscript holdings of Gonville and Caius College was first published in two volumes in 1907–8, and a supplement appeared in 1914. Now reissued in this two-volume set, it will be welcomed by librarians and researchers alike.
