Customer Reviews

The Ghosts of Virginia, Vol. 2

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Last year, I took a trip to Washington D.C. and eventually, Williamsburg. Before I review this book I must say to anyone who has never been to Williamsburg...GO! Anyone who has a remote interest in history and especially colonial times, the Colonial Williamsburg area will revive your interest. After visiting the main street and Basset Hall (an optional but must-see attraction, must make reservations) former home of John D. Rockefeller Jr. night fell. My family and I had seen several advertisements for the 'Ghost Tour' and being rather interested in the subject and a huge history buff, I jumped at the chance. Before embarking on the tour (no high heels ladies, my sister had to sit this one out) I stopped by the nearby bookstore and bought L.B. Taylor's fantastic books, The Ghosts of Williamsburg, and it's sequel, just having come out. Having little time to read them, I left on the tour. Let me just say that the tour seemed way too short and that the books provided me more than enough reading material and intrigue for the plane trip home and well after. L.B. Taylor's unique blend of historical and journalistic style make them very informative and interesting. It is rare to find an author who writes about the supernatural who also delves into the history books and the witnesses minds so well. I have recently decided to create a website and documentary about the ghosts of Virginia (most likely Williamsburg) as a sort of 'demo' for my media company. Will post a bit about that if it gets rolling. In other words...buy L.B.'s books if you visit any of the areas he has written about...you won't ever regret it.

Recently, I had an aunt pass on from Cancer. Living in New Jersey, I had to travel to my birthplace, Suffolk, Va. several weekends in a row in the final stages and upon her passing. My co-author travelled with me, and we picked up a copy of this book at Shirley Plantation on our way on the first trip down. As I drove, my Co-author, Diana Sinclair, read each story aloud as we drove. I was so engrossed in the tale that I missed several turns along the way. We simply could not stop reading it. The book is well written, concise, complete with locations (We actually visited some of the sites) and informative in historical and geographical detail. An excellant read. In fact, we are going to Williamsburg this weekend, and we have volume two to keep us company....

L.B. Taylor,Jr. has a masterpiece in The Ghost Of Virginia. As a Virginian, I know about many of these true happenings. All through the book he provides pictures with loads of information. I would advise anyone who is interested in true ghosts tales to get this book.

Not only was this a fascinating book with excellent, "bone-chilling" ghost stories; there are wonderful, very well researched descriptions and history(s) of the areas where the stories take place. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in ghosts, or in Virginia's colorful past. I would also highly recommend reading some of Taylor's other books on Virginia ghosts.

No matter where you travel in the US, you can always find books about local and regional ghosts and other stories of the supernatural. I travel extensively, and I make a point of visiting bookstores, just to add such books to my collection. The quality of these books varies, so when I find an author with a flair for telling a good ghost story, I feel as though I've discovered a local gem. I must say that of all such books that I've purchased, Mr. Taylor's collections of Virginia ghost stories have been my favorites.

Luckily for Mr. Taylor (and for me!), Virginia seems to be overrun with ghosts, and so he's had plenty to write about. I believe that, to date, his "Ghosts of Virginia" series is up to volume 8, and none of these volumes are slim by any means; a couple are quite robust. The one thing they have in common is that they are all extremely entertaining and well-written. We should thank Mr. Taylor for his efforts in compiling these stories, as he spends much time, money, and effort in rooting out the wealth of eerie tales and legends of this fabulous state. For my sake, I hope his efforts continue for years to come. So long as they do, I can assure him that I will continue to add his volumes to my bookshelves.

L. B. Taylor himself came out to see my home "Hewick" as he was preparing to write his 2nd book on the "Ghosts of Virginia". He included us in his second volume, and dedicated ten pages asking if "Hewick" is Virginia's "Most Haunted" house? We often have people come by Hewick Plantation and ask if it is really true that we have ghosts here??? This is a fascinating book and I have all of books he has written and look forward to each one as they come out. Maybe one of these days he will make another visit here, and my youngest daughter can relate to him an experience she had during the night when she was eleven years old.....

With at least 18 books on Ghosts of Virginia you would think L.B. Taylor Jr. is a believer, though he professes not to have experienced any ghostly phenomena. Having read and collected most of his Virginia Ghosts series, you would expect me to be a true believer...and I am. Not of ghosts, as such, but rather of good writing. Taylor collects stories and eyewitness accounts, retelling them in an easy style characterized by the history, culture, and architecture of the area he is describing. The Ghosts of Williamsburg ... and Nearby Environs is his first and probably best book on the subject.

His accounts frequently provide a worthwhile human interest angle, are sometimes flavored with a little respectful humor, and he supplies enough facts--even contrary evidence when available--to allow a reader to come to their own conclusions. But does a reader get that slow, creepy tingle from L. B. Taylor Jr. that they might also get from Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King or other masters of supernatural literature? Let's just say I know people who have quit reading him and are afraid to continue because the stories are "too real!"

However, you really don't have to believe in ghosts to enjoy Taylor's books. I find his descriptions of the sites, architechure of the homes and other buildings, and backgrounds of the historical families that lived in them to be informative and enjoyable. On at least two occasions while I lived in Virginia I realized that some of these stories involved families that I knew, but they had never let on about it.

I highly recommend The Ghosts of Williamsburg ... And Nearby Environs to anyone who is interested in American History, period architecture, planning a visit to Virginia (or perhaps interested in the family histories of their neighbors), or maybe just looking for some credible stories about supernatural phenomena.

THIS BOOK IS HIGHLY INFORMATIVE. IT COVERS ALOT OF HISTORY ALONG WITH THE GREAT STORIES. I PERSONALLY USED IT AS A SORT OF TOUR GUIDE WHILE VISITING WILLIAMSBURG. QUITE A FEW OF THE PLACES WRITTEN ABOUT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. REALLY FUN WAY TO LEARN ABOUT HISTORY AND GET A FRIGHT AT THE SAME TIME.

I have read every one of Mr. Taylor's books on Virginia's ghosts from the specific areas and their surrounding environs, Civil War Ghosts to Volumes 1,2 and 3 not once but a million times. Since I am a Virginian, it made it all the more fun and I have had the pleasure of visiting alot of the haunted places he writes about. What I can't wait for is Vol.4. I sincerely hope Mr. Taylor does't stop now, I believe there are alot of ghost in the Old Dominion State who still need their stories told and tons of people waiting to read about them. Thanks for all you research hours and interviews. Hurry up with Vol.4

G.L. Meadows

The "Ghosts of Virginia" series has 13 volumes, each with around 400~ pages -- a 15-year "project" published from 1993-2008. That has to make this series the most extensive collection of ghost-lore ever brought together for any one state. In fact, it's probably the most extensive collection of folklore in general for any one state. The only folklore collection I know that comes close is Henry Hyatt's 5 volume, 5,000~ page "Hoodoo" books, and they don't cover a state but a region, the South. I have all 13 of them and as someone who has collected folklore since I was young, I consider it one of the best, and most fun collections I've ever come across.

These books are a browser's dream, chapters cover a specific ghost/place/event and they're often kept fairly short and to-the-point; no over-dramatization and atmospherics yet they're well-written, full of oral accounts and tidbits of local lore. They're typically about the grand old houses of Virginia, but will often concern isolated sections of the countryside where battles or various tragedies have occurred over the centuries. You really never know where he might take you next, there's haunted houses, rocking chairs, even a haunted sawmill blade! Taylor has culled much information from old books and newspapers, which I often find as interesting as the oral narratives. Short as the chapters are they're stuffed with information. Throughout the volumes he has chapters that will focus on a particular topic like witch legends, ghost dogs, etc with multiple stories that are typically a page or less in length. He tends to show a preference for tales a century or more old.

It feels like a very knowledgeable person has taken you by the hand and is leading you on a tour of haunted Virginia, speaking directly to the people who claim to have experienced them. There's a lot of black and white pictures of the places he's speaking of which is helpful, and there's folksy ink illustrations as well. These don't feel like "ghost hunter" books where someone is trying to convince you of the veracity of ghosts based on the author's own experiences or pseudoscience, thankfully.

To some peoples chagrin he does occasionally focus more on the history and merely cap the tale with something like "and some say his ghost still walks the halls..." But this isn't the norm by any means, as it is too often with other ghost books. These are still interesting for the local lore, although not always for the ghost. If I had one complaint about the series, it would be the binding of the books isn't the best -- the glue is very rigid, more apt to crack than bend, but that's no fault of the author's. It would be nice if there was an index for all 13 volumes made available -- there's so much material here. It's amazing that a series like this has been produced, the amount of material here, for those who are interested in ghost-lore is simply mind-boggling! Excellent reading on a porch on an October afternoon!