The Diary of Mr. Poynter

"The Diary of Mr. Poynter" is a short ghost story by the British author M.R. James. It was first published in 1919 as part of the anthology A Thin Ghost and Others.

The story's protagonist is an antiquary from Warwickshire named James Denton. At the start of the story, Denton is in the process of furnishing a new house which he has recently had built for himself and the aunt who is his only living relative. From a London auction house, Denton acquires a four-volume diary which was written by a well-known antiquary named William Poynter who lived in Warwickshire nearly two centuries earlier. A piece of cloth is found in one of the volumes of the diary. There is a design printed on it which resembles human hairs. Denton's aunt finds the design very attractive so Denton has curtains made with the same pattern on them. Denton soon comes to dislike those curtains.