Product Description

"The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, Third Edition" includes more than 600 fascinating entries about ghosts, hauntings, related paranormal phenomenon, the people who investigate them, and the key theories about what causes them. Widely regarded as the definitive reference in the field, this encyclopedia provides comprehensive coverage written in an engaging style. Paranormal expert Rosemary Ellen Guiley has compiled extensive research on the most current theories about what causes ghosts and the many new haunting cases documented since publication of the second edition. The third edition has been substantially updated with the addition of more than 130 new entries, more than 20 new black-and-white photographs, and an updated foreword by Troy Taylor, author and founder of the American Ghost Society. Many entries include bibliographical listings for further reading. The new and revised entries include: Amityville case; Apparition; Black Aggie; Eastern State Penitentiary; Electronic voice phenomena; Haunting; Lizzie Borden House; Myrtles Plantation; Possession; Shadow people; and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80252 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Four hundred entries arranged A-to-Z flesh out our beliefs about all that haunts. Illustrations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This encyclopedia is about as fair as one can expect about a subject that many people think doesn't exist. The author ( Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience , LJ 8/91) has tried to read much of the skeptical literature and at least to report what it says. Yes, the believers get much more coverage, but there is an attempt to present both sides. The accuracy of the book is also fairly high. A number of errors do occur, which, surprisingly, seem not to have been copied from other sources but to have resulted from misremembering. These small errors do not significantly affect the utility of the book. A useful addition to the reference collection of any academic or public library.
- Gordon Stein, Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Arranged alphabetically, this compilation of facts pertaining to actual investigations and theories as well as the history of ghosts and hauntings greatly expands the first edition. Entries vary between a few sentences (Afrit , an Arabian demon) and to nearly two pages (Hyslop, James Hervey [1854-1920], who conducted physical research). Many entries are followed by references for further reading, including Web sites. A few illustrations and photos are provided, and see references are frequent. The writing style is very readable, and browsers may find themselves reading the entire work.The only really comparable publication is the British publication Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits by John and Anne Spencer (Headline, 1993), which came out a year after Guiley's first edition. It needs updating and is not nearly as comprehensive as Guiley's new edition. If the first edition was well used, buy reference and circulating copies of the second at this reasonable price. Recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

BEST REFERENCE BOOK AVAILABLE!
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GHOSTS AND SPIRITS For a number of years, I have recommended Rosemary Ellen Guiley's wonderful encyclopedia as an indispensable guide for students of the supernatural. It has been on the top of my list for books that every ghost hunter should have and I consider it a seminal work in the paranormal field. There exist so few books on the market that can be used as extensively, and with as wonderful a result, as this book can be.

I have searched long and hard for a book that can be used as effectively as this one can and have been unable to find it. I believe that there exists perhaps no greater reference work pertaining to the history of ghosts, hauntings and spirits and for this reason alone, Rosemary should be commended for the tremendous amount of work that has gone into this book. This is an essential guide and I encourage you to read it from cover to cover. We all have much to learn when it comes to the supernatural and if you desire information, then this book makes an excellent source!

TROY TAYLOR AUTHOR & AMERICAN GHOST SOCIETY PRESIDENT

The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits
I own the hardcover edition of this book. It has cool artwork on the front and contains almost every haunting documented and everything pertaining to ghosts and spirits. They have everything from the afterlife to zombies. A great resource and has tons of information. Its been a year since i got this and im still finding interesting facts and whenever i hear about a haunting or somthing else i just pick it up and look in the book and there is the story about the case or subject im looking for and i can read all about it. Very compehensive and interesting book, great for people interested or curious in the paranormal or someone who just likes to read stories about ghosts and hauntings. Recomended.

Excellent...
I picked this up with several other volumes on ghosts and was pleasantly surprised. It looks like a not-very-serious coffee table book, but when you dive into it you find that it's a serious piece of work. I read or skimmed all of the entries over a period of evenings and learned much that I didn't know before. The author seems to have a balanced perspective, and the nit-picking by the one reviewer below probably tells you more about the reviewer than about the author. Bear in mind that it's focus is limited to ghosts -- it doesn't purport to be a general encyclopedia of the paranormal, such as Nandor Fodor's classic work. Having said that, I would put this on a par with Fodor's book (albeit with a narrower focus). Bear in mind as well that it's an encyclopedia and that the discussions are necessarily brief -- this book will steer you to others containing more comprehensive discussions if a particular entry piques your interest...