Famous Modern Ghost Stories, a collection of ghost stories written by notable authors, most of whom were born in the 1800's, was selected by Dorothy Scarborough and published in 1920. 'Modern' is retained in the title of this book out of respect for Dorothy Scarborough's work in writing and editing, even though many of the stories are now over 100 years old. The collection, however, is notable as a collection of many of the best ghost stories of the time, written by authors who pioneered in the field. Dorothy Scarborough (1878-1935), an American writer of folk culture, cotton farming, and ghost stories, graduated from Baylor University, studied at the University of Chicago and Oxford University and received a doctorate of literature from Columbia University in 1917, where she taught until her death in 1935. Her dissertation The Supernatural in Modern English, regarded as a basic information source was published in 1917 and remains in print today. In addition to teaching and writing she edited Famous Modern Ghost Stories and several other collections of ghost stories.