The collection consists of a total of Eight stories, each exploring the theme of the supernatural and the macabre. Included in this volume are eight of James's most classic ghost stories, including "Canon Alberic's Scrap-book", "Lost Hearts", "The Mezzotint", "The Ash-tree", "Number 13", "Count Magnus", "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" and "The Treasure of Abbott Thomas".

Each story is crafted with an intelligent and subtle approach to horror. James's scholarly protagonists encounter uncanny and often malevolent entities linked to artifacts or locations steeped in history. The book is celebrated for its suspenseful narrative and for replacing the gothic settings typical of the genre with more everyday, contemporary environments.