Though born in Leicester, William Croft Dickinson became a historian of Scotland, particularly John Knox and the Reformation, which apparently occasioned some controversy, he being too favorably disposed towards the Covenanters. He was also awarded a Military Cross for actions at Ypres, in WWI and, as a professor at the University of Edinburgh, was known for stewarding returned WWII veterans. But he is probably best remembered to day for his ghost stories and books for children.

The Work of Evil is a classic riff on the forbidden text form, the book of arcane knowledge that destroys its readers. Tony Walker from the Classic Ghost Stories Podcast reads it beautifully here.

(Reviewed:08-Sep-24)

Grade: (B) Orrin C. Judd

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William Dickinson Links:

    -WIKIPEDIA: William Croft Dickinson
    -PAPERS: Ms lecture notes and research notes of Professor William Croft Dickinson (University of Edinburgh)
    -BOOK SITE: Dark Encounters: A Collection of Ghost Stories by William Croft Dickinson (Birlinn Press)
    -ENTRY: William Croft Dickinson facts for kids (Kiddle)
    -INDEX: William Croft Dickinson (Internet Archive)
    -ENTRY: William Croft Dickinson (Internet Speculative Fiction Database)
    -ESSAY: Scotland and the Scots (William Croft Dickinson, Spring 1955, The American Scholar)
    -AUDIO STORY: The Work of Evil by William Croft Dickinson (The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast, 6 September 2024)
    -AUDIO STORIES: BBC Radio: William Croft Dickinson - Strange & Sinister
    -AUDIO STORY: The Strange and the Sinister - 1. Sweet Singers, by William Croft Dickinson (BBC: The Stange and the Sinister)
    -AUDIO STORY: 2. Let the Dead Bury Their Dead, by William Croft Dickinson (BBC: The Stange and the Sinister)
    -AUDIO STORY: 3. Return at Dusk, by William Croft Dickinson (BBC: The Stange and the Sinister)
    -AUDIO STORY: 4. The Work of Evil, by William Croft Dickinson (BBC: The Stange and the Sinister)
    -STORY: Return At Dusk (William Croft Dickinson)
    -AUDIO: The Keepers Of The Wall - William Croft Dickinson (Windy Night)
    -TRIBUTE: William Croft Dickinson: A Memoir 1897-1963 (John Imrie, April 1966, The Scottish Historical Review)
    -TRIBUTE: A Bibliography of His Writings William Croft Dickinson (The Scottish Historical Review, April 1966)
    -TRIBUTE: An Appreciation of Professor W. Croft Dickinson, C.B.E. M.C. D.Lit. Hon.LL.D. (St Andrews) (Gordon Donaldson, April 1966, The Scottish Historical Review)
    -VIDEO ARCHIVES: William Croft Dickinson (YouTube)
    -ARCHIVES: “william croft dickinson” (InNternet Archive)
    -REVIEW: of Dark Encounters: A Collection of Ghost Stories by William Croft Dickinson (Gina Collia, Haunted Library Blog)
    -REVIEW: of Dark Encounters (to the ends of the word...)
    -REVIEW: of Dark Encounters (Margaret Chrystall, Inverness Courier)
    -REVIEW: of Dark Encounters (Vault of Evil)
    -REVIEW: of Borrobil by William Croft Dickinson (Rob Maslen, City of Lost Books)
    -REVIEW: of Borrobil (A Gallimaufry)
    -REVIEW: of Borrobil (Fantasy Reads)
    -REVIEW: of Borrobil (Charlotte’s Library)
    -REVIEW: of Borrobil (Metaphorosis Reviews)
    -REVIEW: of Scotland from the Earliest Times to 1603 by William Croft Dickinson (Maurice Lee Jr., The Canadian Historical Review)
    -REVIEW: of Scotland from the earliest times to 1603 (F. M. POWICKE, The English Historical Review)
    -REVIEW: of John Knox's History of the Reformation in Scotland, edited by William Croft Dickinson (John T. Mcneill, Princeton Theological Seminary)

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