A Shakespeare Sketchbook, by Renwick St. James and James C. Christensen (Greenwich Workshop Press, 2001)
Shakespeare on Fairies and Magic, by Benjamin Darling (Prentice Hall Press, 2001)

There’s no doubt that Shakespeare, whether he was a playwright from Avon-on-Stratford, Sir Francis Bacon, Queen Elizabeth I, or a conspiracy of time-traveling aliens, has had a tremendous impact upon Western culture for hundreds of years. Long after his death, his plays continue to be produced by the hundreds and thousands each year, with interpretations ranging from the distant past to the far future, from the feudal society of historical Japan to Manhattan in the 1990′s, from the West Side to distant planets, from grade-school productions of Midsummer Night’s Tale to experimental off-off-off-off-Broadway versions of As You Like It with full frontal hermaphroditic nudity. Perhaps I exaggerate just a little, but the truth is, it’s hard to find a milieu or genre which Shakespeare can’t be translated for. In that spirit, I’d like to offer up a pair of books which reimagine Shakespeare through art and drawing, through the visual mediums while leaving the text to speak for itself.

First up is the absolutely wonderful little volume, Shakespeare on Fairies and Magic, compiled by Benjamin Darling. What Darling has done is to extract those elements of Shakespeare’s plays which deal with the occult, supernatural, fairies, myth, or magic, and find suitable illustrations, drawing upon four hundred years worth of artistic renditions. So while you’ll quite naturally see extensive selections from “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Tempest,” Darling also throws in selections from “Macbeth,” “Julius Ceasar,” “Hamlet,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”

Each of the several dozen selections is laid out in the same fashion, with the quotation and its source laid out on the left-hand page, with a small drawing, painting, or piece of artwork to fill the page if the quote itself doesn’t take up the whole space. Then the right-hand page is home to a full-size illustration, representing the very best of Shakespearian-related art. That way, you get at least two renditions of the same material, reimagining and representing the subject matter from two points of view. In one, Puck might be a full-grown fairy, lecherous and lusty, while on the opposite page he’s more like an infant, albeit one with a most mischievous gleam in his eyes. Titania and Oberon are depicted in various manners by Joseph Noel Paton (1849), Francis Danby (1832), and of course by one of the greatest painters of fairies and the supernatural of his time, Arthur Rackham (1908). In fact, Rackham’s work makes up a significant minority of the collected art to be found in this book, accompanied by Johann Fuseli, William Heath Robinson, H.M. Paget, John Simmons, Charles Altamont Doyle, P. Konekawa, and dozens more.

Combining the classical appeal of Shakespeare’s work, with the primarily (though not exclusively) Victorian charm of the art, this is a book suitable for a wide range of people. Whether you appreciate the words of the Bard, or the work of the artists within, this is recommended. Benjamin Darling has done an exemplary job of putting together this book, producing a work of art in all ways. He truly proves that he’s earned his reputation as an expert on illustrated Shakespeare.

Next on the list is something different, but not too far removed: A Shakespeare Sketchbook, written by Renwick St. James (Voyage of the Bassett, A Journey of the Imagination) and illustrated by James C. Christensen (award-winning artist also known for Voyage of the Bassett and numerous other works).

Quite simply, this is an artistic and introspective romp through Shakespeare’s many works, from the best-known and most-loved like Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet, to the downright obscure or near-forgotten, such as Pericles or Two Noble Kinsman. Every play has its moment on stage in this pageantry dedicated to exploring Shakespeare’s works. There are synopses of each play, grouped into categories like Histories, Romances, Comedies, Tragedies, The Roman Plays, and The Problem Plays. There are amusing sidebars on a number of subjects: men playing women on the stage, famous lines we still use today, the unfortunate incident of Mr. Thomas Bowdler and his insistence upon rewriting the plays to make them family-friendly (Disneyfied), useful Shakespearian insults (would thou wert clean enough to spit upon), witches, the superstitions surrounding Macbeth, the role of the fool, and so on.

Interspersed between these, on every page, are sketches and full-blown drawings from Christensen, depicting scenes and characters and incidents in all their glory. They’re beautiful, noble, sly, wry, whimsical, knowing, cunning, sober, dramatic, romantic, accidental, incidental, and unearthly. The ultimate telling piece would have to be “All The World’s A Stage,” the frontispiece which puts together some three dozen and more characters all onto one stage for the ultimate cast party, with their creator and storyteller, Shakespeare himself, in the center.

Again, this is designed to highly appeal both to lovers of theatre and literature, and to lovers of art. The author and artist, noteworthy collaborators for their previous endeavors as mentioned above, have outdone themselves with this offering, which is both intelligent and accessible. Its mixture of entry-level Shakespeare education and entertaining trivia should make this useful for anyone with even the slightest interest in the material.

While these are but two of the many, many Shakespearian-related books and items available on the market today, there’s no doubt but that they’re both high-quality, and worth picking up. Join me next time, for a look at several more books along these lines.

Tags: Green Man Review

Charleston Ghosts, by Margaret Rhett Martin (University of South Carolina Press, 1963)
Ghosts of the Carolinas, by Nancy Roberts (University of South Carolina Press, 1962)
The Haunted South, by Nancy Roberts (University of South Carolina Press, 1988)
North Carolina Ghosts and Legends, by Nancy Roberts (University of South Carolina Press, 1959, 1991)
Ghosts of the Southern Mountains and Appalachia, by Nancy Roberts (University of South Carolina Press, 1988)

We’re fascinated by what’s gone before us, learning from history so that we can grow for the future. However, there’s one area of our cultural history that both intrigues us and amuses us, a facet of belief that some take seriously, some refuse to accept, and no two people can agree upon.

Ghosts. Call them spirits, haints, poltergeists, phantasms, shades, apparitions, ghosts, spooks, or what-have-you, there’s no doubt that the average person loves a good ghost story. What’s better than turning the lights down on a dark and stormy night, huddling close together under the blankets, and telling stories about things that go bump in the night? Who hasn’t swapped a good spook story around a campfire at least once in their life?

The Carolinas, Appalachians, and the South in general are some of the oldest settled parts of America, and as such, they have a long and rich tradition to draw upon, dating all the way back to the first folks to brave the mountains and wilderness of the region. It took a special, determined, stubborn kind of person to make a go at living in this area, and for whatever reason, the Carolinas have produced a great many ghost stories.

Nancy Roberts, well-known for her numerous collections of ghost lore and folklore, has become known as the “First Lady of American Folklore” and the “custodian of the twilight zone” as a result of her decades-long endeavor to share the mysteries and enigmas of the past with the readers of the present. In books like The Haunted South, North Carolina Ghosts and Legends, Ghosts of the Southern Mountains and Appalachia, and Ghosts of the Carolinasshe has gathered together dozens of tales of hauntings, each one lovingly and thoroughly rendered in the voice of a true storyteller. She doesn’t just tell ghosts stories, she reenacts the events leading up to the ghosts, be it a hanging, a murder, a desperate chase, a bitter slave striking his master, or what-have-you.

Now, I’d go into more details about the stories contained within these books, but it’s nearing 3 AM, and a cold chill’s running down my back. I’ve got an active imagination, and the last thing I need is to start telling ghost stories before going to bed. I -like- my sleep, thank you. And were I to open up one of these books, and read even one story, I’d probably be tossing and turning. Why, if I were to take Ghosts of the Carolinas, and flip it open to a random page, and recount “The Witch Cat,” the tragic story of a miller, his wife, and a witch in the form of a cat, compete with its accompanying picture of a cat that looks just like my own tabby….

Thanks. Now I’m awake, and -not- looking behind me. These stories have power.

Roberts is a trained storyteller, and one made expert through her decades of chronicling the supernatural in her nearly two dozen books. Any story you choose to read is likely the one that’ll send a shiver down your spine, and make the hairs on the back of your neck rise.

I hope that’s my cat behind me. This house isn’t that old, but still, Virginia’s in the South, and you never know….

It doesn’t matter which book you pick up, really. They’re all the same in some fashion, each collecting a number of spooky tales from a specific region, and retelling them in Roberts’ unique style, each one accompanied by a mood-setting photograph, dark black and white pictures of fuzzy mansions, burnt-out houses, shadowy riders, faces in the trees, and so forth. The photos are all attributed to Bruce Roberts, whose relationship to Nancy Roberts isn’t exactly spelled out. Frankly, his use of shadows and light is downright eerie, with some pieces, like the transparent woman descending the staircase, doing as much to set the mood as the words do. No story is more than a few pages, making it easy to read just one before putting it down and looking for a warm blanket, or someone to cuddle for comfort.

All four of the above books, by the way, are available from the University of South Carolina Press, and come with a uniform identifying look, making it easy to group them together on your shelf. The USC Press seems to specialize in these sorts of books, and as a result, they do good work.

Just thinking about the stories I’ve flipped through and read has made me wish I’d waited until daylight to write this review. But that wouldn’t have been appropriate, no. I -know- that that’s just the wind in the trees outside, but for just a second….

The last book in the set I was given is Margaret Rhett Martin’s Charleston Ghosts, and if, by now, you can’t figure out the subject, go back to the top and start reading again. Martin looks at, what else, ghosts of the Charleston, West Virginia area. Now, while Roberts takes the stance that she’s just telling stories, stories that happened to people once upon a time and may or may not be real, Martin firmly claims that these were real people, that they lived in real houses, and that, suspension of disbelief willing, these are real ghosts.

Martin flat out states that she believes in ghosts, and has actually seen one, the subject of the first story of the book.

Is she right? You be the judge. Martin is an adept storyteller, with a keen sense of dialect and dialogue. However, she’s not quite as skillful or smooth as Roberts, in my opinion. Also, the lack of photographs, after seeing the power they bring to Roberts’ books, loses points for Martin overall. But this is just a stylistic complaint on my part. I like atmosphere. I want to look over my shoulder as I go to bed, and dive under the covers, and think of anything but ghosts, knowing that the effort will turn my mind towards what’s scraping at the window.

I’ve scared myself enough. Now it’s your turn. Find these books, read a few stories, and see if they have the same power over you. Just a few stories, mind you. These are to be savored, not devoured. Maybe read them aloud, with a few friends, on a night when the moon is full and the wind is strong. Just don’t read them to your children….

Sleep tight. Sweet dreams.

I hope my wife’s not asleep.

Tags: Green Man Review

The Field Guide To North American Hauntings, by W. Haden Blackman (Three Rivers Press, 1998)
The Cold, Cold Hand, edited by James Burchill, Linda Crider and Peggy Kendrick (Rutledge Hill Press, 1997)
The Encyclopedia of Ghosts, by Daniel Cohen (Avon, 1984)
Victorian Ghost Stories, by Michael Cox and R.A. Gilbert (Oxford University Press, 1992)
The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, edited by Rosemary Ellen Guiley (Facts On File, 1992)
Haunted Places: The National Directory, by Dennis William Hauck (Penguin, 1996)
The Ghosts That Walk In Washington, by Hans Holzer (Ballantine, 1974)
Hollywood Haunted, by Laurie Jacobson and Marc Wanamaker (Angel City Press, 1999)
Haunted Hotels, by Robin Mead (Rutledge Hill Press, 1995)
Ghosts of the Old West, by Earl Murray (Tor, 1998)
Coffin Hollow and Other Ghost Tales, by Ruth Ann Musick (University Press of Kentucky, 1977)
Haunted Heartland, by Beth Scott and Michael Norman (Warner Books, 1985)
Ghost Ships, by Richard Winer (Berkley, 2000)

I’m not planning to sleep tonight. My wife has to work this godawful graveyard shift, and I’m at the point where it’s hard to fall asleep without her there for company. Pathetic, huh? I like to call it romantic. Anyhow, since sleep’s not really an option, I decided that I’d tackle a Herculean task, and write up one massive review of every ghost book I could find lying around my newly-cleaned basement-office.
When I turned up thirteen books in total, I knew it had to be a sign.
I suggest you dim the lights, put on something warm to drink, check the windows, and settle in with me. This may take a while.

For ease and convenience, I’ve taken the liberty of dividing the collection up into several subcategories. You have the books of ghost stories and tales, the straight encyclopedia references, and the ones that are more reference or travelogues. Let’s start with the encyclopedias, before moving on to the really good stuff, shall we?
I’ve already talked about the fascination we have with ghosts and hauntings in a previous article, so I don’t need to lecture on that overmuch this time around. Suffice it to say, we’re morbidly fascinated with ghosts stories. They serve as explanation, cautionary fable, spooky entertainment, and a whole host of other purposes.
Whether we’re approaching ghosts from the deadly serious (Poltergeist) to the morbidly comic (Ghostbusters) to the romantic (Ghost) to the fantastic (Chinese Ghost Story), we’re doing so from a position of ignorance. The best we can do is make up stories, and try to attach meanings to that which we don’t fully understand.

Hence these books. Some of them look at ghosts and hauntings from a tourist point of view, some merely catalogue the supernatural, and some treat them as the next best thing to fiction. Nothing in these books is true, unless you want it to be. On with the show.

Rosemary Ellen Guiney’s *The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits is an oversized book which approaches the ghostly phenomenon from a purely referential point of view. Over 400 entries cover the gamut, including specific ghosts, people associated with the field, places known for hauntings, and specific events likewise associated with the paranormal. This book is very good for looking up beliefs, lores, and superstitions regarding hauntings and the afterlife, and its documentation regarding famous researchers, writers, psychics, mediums and the like is extensive. Written in an accessible yet scholarly manner, this book manages to cover the subject fairly well, and fits into a niche that most of the other books in my collection do not. With entries on Abraham Lincoln, James Dean’s supposedly-cursed car, Hull House, Egyptian and Native American beliefs, and much more, it’s both entertaining and informative. It treats the subject with dignity and objectivity, and is highly recommended for anyone needing an entry-level ghost/paranormal reference manual. Points as well for the helpful index, the numerous illustrations and photographs, and the further reading recommendations after every entry.

On the other hand, we have Daniel Cohen’s *Encyclopedia of Ghosts, which is a lot more sensational, going by the cover copy (which proclaims it to be comprehensive, authoritive, fascinating, and bizarre.) It’s set up as more of a popular book, its numerous entries divided into sections including Poltergeists, Animal Hauntings, Classic Cases, and Ghostly Legends. It’s not so much an encyclopedia as it is a compendium of stories, ranging from ghosts of the famous to urban-style legends. A section of black and white photos adds a little variety into the mix, but otherwise it’s your typical paperback. Where its strengths lie are in the variety of ghost stories told, and in the clarity of its writing. This is a good casual read, set up so you can read a few at a time if you so desire. It may not send shivers up your spine, but it’ll definitely enlighten and entertain. This book also comes recommended, due to the overall usefulness and quality. However, it doesn’t stand out overall. It’s worth a look, but it’s exactly what it aspires to be: a supermarket book.

Next on our tour, as we begin a look at ghosts books dealing with specific areas, is Robin Mead’s *Haunted Hotels. You can guess what the subject matter of this one is. That’s right, it’s billed as a “guide to American and Canadian inns and their ghosts.” This is the book for those of you with some extra money and vacation time, and the desire to sleep in a genuine haunted hotel. (Poltergeists are extra.)
The introduction states, however, that “This is not a book for or from the lunatic fringe. It is, first and foremost, a hotel guide.” So with that caveat in mind, it proceeds to dish up a generous serving of hotels and inns which come with a little extra. Over one hundred hotels, covering 27 states and Canada, are listed, complete with address and phone number. You won’t find detailed, complex ghost stories recounted here, however. Just the facts, ma’am. Each hotel listing is made up of the regular listing, which gives brief details about history and setting, and the ghost listing, which details what sort of legend or haunt one will find associated with the hotel. For instance, take the Martha Washington Inn, in Abingdon, VA. The listing covers the basics, like location, history, what makes it unique, and so forth. Then it talks about “Beth,” the resident ghost, supposedly a young woman who was a student at Martha Washington College during the Civil War. There’s also the ghost of a Confederate soldier who died for love, and a ghostly riderless horse. Frankly, this book is a treat, just for something different and amusing. Possibly even intriguing. If you like your vacations with a little spook and shiver, consider using *Haunted Hotels to plan your stay.

While you’re at it, you might consider a copy of Blackman’s *Field Guide to North American Hauntings, which I guess is sort of like bird-watching, but with the paranormal. (Red-bellied sapsucker, check. Jewel-crested hummingbird, check. Free-roaming full-torso vapor, check. Transluscent riderless horse, check.) Seriously, folks. This is another interesting reference work. Its chapters include True Haunted Houses (Hull House, Amityville, Winchester Mystery House),
Haunted Vessels (USS Constellation, Queen Mary, Hanger 43), Haunted Cemetaries, Natural Haunts (Niagara Falls, Devil’s Tower), Other Haunted Sites (Highway 666, Alcatraz) and Ghost Hunting. And let me admit now that this book sends shivers up my spine. I can’t say exactly why, except that it presents the intrusion of the supernatural into the rational world with such seriousness and professionalism that one finds it hard to disbelieve, especially at night. It takes the subject matter seriously, assuming that you’re really planning to go hunting for ghosts. The typical entry includes data on Location, Number of Ghostly Residents, Identities of the same, Type of Activity, Demeanor of said residents, and the likelihood of encountering the ghosts. As I said, this is serious stuff. Approach at your own risk, and –do- avoid Highway 666. This is a good read, but I’ll trust you to follow your own judgment where actively seeking these ghosts out is concerned.

For something a little friendlier, consider *Hollywood Haunted. As the title suggests, this book is primarily concerned with the people who couldn’t leave Hollywood, even after death, and the places they gravitate towards. The first chapter covers certain ghostly superstars, like Clifton Webb and Sharon Tate. Next is a lengthy list of paranormal hot spots, such as Hollywood and Vine, Lucille Ball’s home, Madonna’s Castillo Del Lago, and the Four Oaks Restaurant. Finally, haunted studios, theaters, and hotels. This really is, as the cover says, a ghostly tour of filmland, never forgetting what makes Hollywood different from the rest of reality. Well-written, with numerous photos, it’s a nice treatment of ghosts in Hollywood. Of course, it helps if you like the subject matter. It’s not as thorough or detailed as some ghost books, but it’s high on the quality chart.

*Haunted Places is another travelogue-style book, with hundreds of entries arranged alphabetically by state, covering all fifty of the United States, plus bibliography and index. The cover bills this as covering “ghostly abodes, sacred sites, UFO landings, and other supernatural locations,” so be advised that it deals with a wide variety of paranormal and unexplained occurrences within the boundaries of the United States. But with over 2,000 such listings, it’s easy to find somewhere close to you. For instance, there’s two haunted locations in my general vicinity. On the other hand, this book is apt to wander a bit, so that you’ll find haunted houses on the same pages as “vortexes of psychic energy” and supposed UFO landing sites. A bit on the dry side, it makes a nice reference book or travel guide, but fairly dull bedtime reading. I enjoyed reading this book, but it’s definitely not as exciting as some of the offerings on my list. Your mileage may vary. Highly recommended as a reference book, less so if you’re looking for ghost stories themselves.

Along these same lines, we come to a curious little book. *The Ghosts That Walk In Washington. Yes, it’s the ghosts of Washington, DC. Professor Hans Holzer undertook a serious study of the spirits and legends of Washington, and came back with an extensive list of oddities and mysteries. It covers the Kennedys, Woodrow Wilson, Lincoln and the White House, and a number of other areas that have enjoyed visits from beyond. It tackles the subject matter from a parapsychologist’s point of view, treating the ghosts as psychic phenomena for the most part. As the author says, “[this book] is the report of the psychic investigator, corroborated and authenticated whenever that was possible.” It’s an oddity, and of such an age that you’d best look for copies in the used book stories if you must have it. It’s well-written, but definitely not as good as it could be.

*Haunted Heartland is more like it. Covering the states of Illinois, Ohio, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Indiana, this book recounts dozens, if not hundreds of ghostly happenings, hauntings, and encounters. Retold for a more popular and accessible point of view, it’s a very nice collection of ghost stories with a regional feel to it. I can admit that there were times when it made me look around just to be on the safe side. Read this book, and believe that there –are- things out there that can’t be easily explained away. It contains the wide variety of stories, going beyond the basic fare. Vanishing people, ghostly ships, premonitions and precognitive visions, places trapped in time, and so forth. I’d go into more details, but frankly, I’m not sure I need to feed my imagination much more at the moment.

Instead, I’ll move right along, back in time to the Victorian era, which ought to be safer. *Victorian Ghost Stories is essentially an offering from the popular Oxford Book series, and is a collection of classic ghost tales dating from 1852 (The Old Nurse’s Story, by Elizabeth Gaskell) to 1908 (The Kit-bag, by Algernon Blackwood.)
Frankly, it’s a rather mixed bag. First, you have to like Victorian-era stories, and second, you have to accept that not everything will suit one’s tastes. While crowd-pleasers like Jerome K. Jerome and Rudyard Kipling make appearances, there’s a number of less-remembered authors as well. My opinion? It’s pretty good overall, but I haven’t managed to read more than about half of the stories within. I’m afraid that I’m a child of the modern era, and I have trouble adjusting to the writing styles of the Victorian years. What I have read, however, suggests that there are some true gems buried within. Henry James, George Macdonald, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Arthur Conan Doyle all have selections in this book. This is pure fiction, unlike many of the other books I’ve covered so far in my retrospective, but it stems from the same basic desire to explain and entertain. Feel free to give this one a glance with a clear conscience.

From Victorian to Western, we’re covering a wide range of genres and locations tonight. The next book on my list is Earl Murray’s *Ghosts of the Old West, a recent release from Tor, and the latest in a long series of books by Murray. He bases his interest in the supernatural in a ghostly experience of his own from 1970, thus giving the book something of a “believer” slant to it. He’s thus collected two dozen stories of hauntings and supernatural occurrences based in, inspired by, or related to the mystique of the Old West. Thus, we’re treated to stories about old forts and battlefields (such as the multiple phantoms of Fort Laramie, Reno Crossing, and Hat Creek), hotels and mansions (starting with the famous Winchester Mystery House, and going on to speak of Chico Hot Springs, the Lost Trail Hotel, the Sheridan Inn and more), old trails and ghost towns (especially the ghost town of Old Garnet, and Sinks of Dove Creek, where laborers worked on the trans-continental railroad), and finally a chapter on Native American spiritualism. Murray does quite well at expressing the restless nature of the Old West’s memories, and the unnerving aspect of its ghosts. It’s a well-written book, with just enough spook to it to help you envision the phantoms he describes. All of the stories in this book are based on truth, though in some cases the names have been changed by request. This is certainly a great representative of the vast unexplained nature of the Old West, a time of restlessness, adventure, and hardship, full of later legends. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and once again, I’d have to recommend it if your tastes swing towards the Old West. (And if you like that, I also recommend Midori Snyder’s novel, *The Flight of Michael McBride, also from Tor.)

Heading Eastwards, we come to *The Cold, Cold Hand, Stories of Ghosts and Haunts From The Appalachian Foothills. This is definitely less of a scholarly effort and more of the traditional folklore/storytelling vein. As such, it places great detail on the lurid nature of the events leading up to, and describing such apparitions. It collects the stories right from the mouths of the tellers, ranging from teenagers who’ve held séances to elderly women recounting what happened ‘long ago’. This is the sort of book you read aloud at night to terrify your friends. There’s not much else I can say about it, except that the name is self-explanatory, and the stories are, for the most part, quite well-done. This is a superior book, a good example of what a book of folktales or ghost stories should be. There’s always been a strong sense of mystique about the Appalachian communities, the feeling that anything goes when no one’s watching, and these stories help to reinforce that sense of the unreal. Definitely give this one a shot if folktales and ghost stories are your interest.

Still remaining in the haunted hills of Appalachia, but focusing more on West Virginia, we come to *Coffin Hollow and Other Ghost Tales.
You’ve guessed it, friends. Faces in the window, dogs that vanish in the light, mysterious hitchhikers, perpetually wandering lovers, premonitions, and the usual staples of haunting are retold here in ninety-six spooky stories. Sadly, they range from eerie to bland, and most are brief and to the point. These tales have been collected from assorted tellers, and not all can do justice to the material. It’s a fine collection, but nothing extraordinary. What sets it out from the others, however, is a section of notes in the back. Each story has a listing, including the source (with story teller, date, and location), and the particular motif evoked by the story. These include E234.4: Ghost an unjustly executed man, E281: ghosts haunt house, E231.1: Ghost tells name of murderer, E610: Reincarnation as animal, E332.3.3.1: The vanishing hitchhiker, E363: Ghost returns to help living, and so forth. Thus, despite the sometimes-disappointing nature of the retellings, this book makes up for it in other ways. As a folklorist’s reference, it’s a treasure. The introduction is also worth a look, as William Jansen of the University of Kentucky explains why some stories seem ‘too polished’ while others are too bland: Simply put, the students aiding Dr. Ruth Ann Musick in collecting and transcribing the stories ignored much of the ‘voice’ of the teller in favor of writing the stories down in a literary manner. This book’s great for the folklorists and casual readers, but lacks on the “edge” that good ghost stories should have.

Our final offering of the night is *Ghost Ships, which bills itself as “true stories of nautical nightmares, hauntings, and disasters.” Thirty-three chapters detail dozens of bizarre happenings related to the sea, which is unquestionably a realm of inexplicable events, mysterious disappearances, freak occurrences, and great tragedies. This book reminds us that we’ll never master the oceans, nor will we understand them. The vast depths are littered with broken vessels and drowned sailors, victims of freak storms and human error. Unnamed creatures swim where the light never reaches, and the world takes on a whole new aspect when you’re a thousand miles from land. From the Coast Guard’s encounters with sinister fog banks, to crewless ships to cursed vessels to floating coffins to freak meteorological events to islands of death, the stories in *Ghost Ships fully detail the stranger nature of the seas. Richard Winer has done his homework, and knows his nautical world well, and conveys it in his writing. Not only are these stories bone-chilling, they’re evocative and thorough. An expert on the phenomena surrounding the Bermuda Triangle, he’s applied his talents towards the less-known and even stranger things that go on at sea. Thus, this book is highly recommended. It’s whetted my appetite for more of the same.

Thirteen books, covering a variety of aspects of ghosts, hauntings, and supernatural phenomena. We’ve seen regional books on the Old West, Appalachia, the sea, and Washington, DC. We’ve looked at haunted hotels, haunted Hollywood, and haunted places in general. I’ve shown you encyclopedias and references, and books of pure stories. Still, we’ve barely scratched the surface, for everywhere and everyone has a ghost story to be told. I hope I’ve enlightened, and given you something to look for the next time you’re in the mood to consider what lies beyond the shores of rational thought.

Enjoy, and sweet dreams. If something visits you in the night, don’t be –too- afraid. And don’t be too nervous when the door slams, the window opens, or the pictures fall off the walls. Maybe there’s a rational explanation.

Or maybe not.

Sleep tight.

Tags: Green Man Review