The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Rosemary eLLEN Guiley (Author)

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Facts on File; 1st edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081602846X
• ISBN-13: 978-0816028467
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,259,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I work fulltime investigating and writing about all things paranormal, which means I lead a most unusual and highly adventurous life. I have written more than 45 books, including single-volume encyclopedias, on a variety of topics, A-Z, angels to zombies and everything in between. I'm interested in the entire spectrum of the paranormal, for everything fits together. I go off in the field to investigate reports of ghosts, UFOs, aliens, ultraterrestrials, Shadow People, Bigfoot, mysterious creatures, Djinn, demons, angels, fairies and more. I am frequently out on the road, and I've had plenty of first-hand experiences of many of the things I document in my books. My work is part of my spiritual journey; probing into the Unknown, the Other Side, and other dimensions is my search for Truth.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST REFERENCE BOOK AVAILABLE!, April 17, 2000

By 

Troy A. Taylor (Decatur, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits (Paperback)

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

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, April 8, 2004

By 

Amy Lynn (Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits (Paperback)

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.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent..., April 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits (Hardcover)

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...