Customer Reviews

The Ghost Hunter's Guidebook

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Ghost-Hunters Guidebook is the premiere book on ghost hunting in the English-speaking world. It is imitated and plagiarized outright on the web, but most notably on MTV's Fear website. It's not hard to see why. It is the most complete book on the subject. Author Troy Taylor covers everything from the history of spiritualism to the late, great ghost-hunter Harry Price. This book also has the most complete ghost hunting how-to anywhere

The best thing about this book, in my opinion, is the lack of spiritual garbage that is normally attached to books like it. I think the most dangerous thing about ghost hunting is not the fact that you are searching for phantoms, spooks, and specters, as some people might tell you but rather the religious and spiritual propaganda that the "so called" experts have laced their books with. Any book, or anyone for that matter, that tells you to say a special prayer or cast a spell before you enter a graveyard, is not looking at ghost hunting from a scientific point of view. Taylor's book gives you the facts and teaches through his experience. It's straightforward and to the point, no voodoo or hoodoo. All you are going to find here is facts, history, and education about his subject. It's books like this that are going to get the scientific community to someday pay attention. The Ghost-Hunting Guidebook is a must-have for anybody who calls himself a ghost hunter, even the one that drinks chicken blood before an investigation.

As a researcher of the paranormal, I have seen many so-called handbooks and guidebooks on the subject of ghost investigation. Some are little more than ego vehicles for their authors; others are more entertaining collections of investigations stories. Troy Taylor, president and founder of the American Ghost Society, has brought a new level of professionalism to the field with "The Ghost Hunter's Guidebook," which stands as the best and most authoritative book written to date on ghost investigation. Both beginners and experienced investigators should make this book their bible. Taylor gives his readers thorough coverage of the subject: historical background; explanations of ghosts, poltergeists and hauntings; high-tech tools; photography techniques; mediumistic approaches; how to conduct sound investigations; and how to work with the media and public. Pros, cons and cautions are given careful discussion. "The Ghost Hunter's Guidebook" is the product of Taylor's own first-hand experiences in numerous investigations. Troy is a careful researcher dedicated to promoting professional, responsible research in a field vulnerable to the media's appetite for the sensational. "The Ghost Hunter's Guidebook" gives the straight savvy. The material is grounded, practical and informative. It comes as no surprise to me that Taylor's book has gained international praise, including high marks from some of England's most discerning ghost investigators. "Thoroughly recommended," says Alan Murdie, chairman of the distinguished Ghost Club of London. I couldn't agree more. -- Rosemary Ellen Guiley, author of "The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits"

You might be able to find a few helpful hints for the amateur ghost hunter. However, I felt that the author was insulting to his target audience, and disdainful of others who are active in his field. Within the first three pages he calls those who investigate cemeteries "Silly", which offended me deeply. He was implying that you have to check the history of an area before investigating it, but HELLO? If it is a CEMETERY, especially an older one, chances are it is haunted, and ghost photographs can be found there. He then went on to state that people who do the majority of their ghosthunting in cemeterys were not investigators, but merely people going out there for fun being "Silly" to get shots of ghosts. I do not believe that a person has to do investigation within a home or building to prove that they are ghost investigators/ researchers. It about keeping and collecting data, not location that makes a scientist. He has filled a 140 page book with about 40 pages of the history of spiritualism, which is not what I am looking for in a ghost hunter's guide book. If I want a book on Spiritualism then I will buy one, although in my opionion it has been done to death in ghost books. Also he is repetitive, and has chapters in the book that are not very informative, as in, "Are Ouija boards dangerous?" Throughout the chapter he says, I'm not sure, I don't know, no answer at this time... Then why have it in the book at all? For being a leading professional ghostbuster, I question a lot of what he wrote down, although he does present some information that is valuable to individuals who do not have access to the Internet to find this information out for themselves from other ghost hunting websites. I was very disappointed in this book and will not buy from this author again, even though I am a ghost hunter myself and very interested in this field.

There is a newer edition available (2004) but for some reason, it's not available on Amazon (as of 7-25-05). It's been expanded and updated - just an FYI

I have to say that i was really impressed by this book. There are many subjects on the matter of ghosts the "what", "why", "where" and the "who". What i really like the most is that the author is very forward on filling what needs to be told which is very interesting.
I really have to say, that this is one of the better books on ghosts that i like the most. However, what i didnt like is how the author disclaims that "graveyards are not "true" research"..which in my view is false cause ALL research is at value. Anyways, besides that he does make a point and i agree on some of what the author says. Worth the time and the money.

This is one of the most worthless ghost hunting books that I've ever read. It only list basic stuff that you can find on any website and never digs into the heart of ghost hunting. It babbles on about spiritualism and doesn't explain how ghost hunts should be done from start to finish. It is vague and incomplete in my opinion. It was a complete waste of money. If readers what to see what a really good ghost hunting book is made of I suggest the check out a book called, "The Ghost Hunter's Bible." That book is fantastic!

What is it about books about ghost hunting? Many of them seem to be full of typos and this one is no exception.

This is one of the best handbooks written on the subject and I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about hunting ghosts, however the book is riddled with typos and errors in editing.

There are quite a few stories about the early days of spiritualism (about 1/3 of the book!) but hardly any information about particular modern day investigations.

The book does supply a good deal of useful information about ghost hunting and about some equipment you can use for your investigations. Like all investigators, Troy Taylor seems to have his own techniques and preferences. For example, he claims that digital cameras are completely useless for ghost hunting and that digital recording devices are not reliable for recording EVP. Other investigators will tell you that digital cameras and camcorders are quite useful and that digital recorders are fine for recording EVP, so take everything with a grain of salt.

To be fair, the author states that this book is not the final word in ghost hunting and he says to take from it what you will, while adding your own theories and techniques. I understand that this book is used as the textbook for courses offered by the American Ghost Society. I would be sure to add another book or two to your stack of textbooks.

Overall, this is a must-have book full of useful and entertaining information, but let's hope they hire a proof reader for the next edition!

If you want a similar book with much more technical detail, I would recommend How To Hunt Ghosts by Joshua P. Warren.

Although the book covers a few points some new comers would overlook, it is not worth reading more than once. In fact, you can learn much more using the Internet if comparing the amount of "useful" information contained in this book.

I found this book to be focused more on a "history" lesson than actually helping a researcher with the knowledge he or she "really" needs. Don't waste your money, try a library first to see why.

I am in the middle of this book, and I am enjoying it so far. The author provides a lot of information and history on parapsychology and Spiritualism. The only problem I have with this book is the editing; tons of errors!

Mr. Taylor gives an excellent starting blue print for hunting ghosts yourself. Not only does he give a run down on the history of spiritualism and early ghost hunters, he also tells the reader where to find ghosts and how to use equipment. Mr. Taylor is one of the more credible authors in this field. He is not a "ghost buster" and does not profess to be an expert in ghost hunting (there are no experts in this field. There are things about ghosts we just do not know.) and this makes him very credible. He presents the evidence he has collected from his experiences and lets the reader judge for him/herself. I would recommend any of his books whole heartedly.