This is the time of year when we seek out stories to touch something primitive in us—we want to revisit the things that scared us years ago, and dig up those that have scared people through the ages. Most of all, we crave the sensation of fear, whether it’s a shiver or a gasp or—for me—a queasiness that signals dread. To satisfy this perennial hunger, English Heritage (the organization that oversees nationally important sites) commissioned two anthologies. In one, top-notch authors crafted ghost stories in historic settings; in the other, they fashioned tales around figures of legend. Time periods, styles, and messages vary, but all triggered that peculiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. They also gave me an itchy Google-finger. But instead of typing in a search box, I merely flipped to the enlightening endnotes. Both books are the perfect package for any combination of: History Buff, Anglophile, Chill-seeker. Warning: You can try to savor these sixteen stories, but you might end up gobbling them like that bag of fun-size Snickers I imagined was for the trick-or-treaters.