Phantoms of Old Louisville: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood [Paperback]

David Domine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2006

In "Phantoms of Old Louisville: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood," Kentucky Author David Dominé conducts a literary stroll through a picturesque Victorian neighborhood where unexplained occurrences abound in grand old homes behind fortress-like walls. He adroitly pulls the reader along on a tour of hidden balconies and secret passage ways while describing architectural facets that make each dwelling unique. Along with fascinating stories and first-hand accounts from home owners and residents, Dominé offers pictures of the alleged haunts to help readers visualize spooks and phantoms as he unfolds his tales of lost spirits and forlorn phantoms. Old Louisville, the third largest historic preservation district in the nation, boasts hundreds and hundreds of opulent Victorian mansions, each of them with a story, and David Dominé brings them to life and takes the reader inside on a sumptuous visual foray. In "Phantoms of Old Louisville: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood," guests are urged to make themselves comfortable and feel at home, but right as they settle in, the author pulls the rug out from under them and defies rational explanation of the would-be paranormal occurrences in his stories. Sure to please both history buffs and ghost story enthusiasts alike, this intriguing collection of supernatural tales peppered with lavish architecture, haunting history and colorful characters makes it a perfect read any time of the year.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...as enjoyable as the first with lots of interesting accounts of ghosts ... well written with first-hand accounts." -- Haunted Travels, October 1, 2006

"...this second book in David Dominé's series on local ghosts is a delightful, easy read." -- The Courier-Journal, October 21, 2006

About the Author

Best selling author David Dominé is a modern-day wordsmith who lives a storied 1895 chateauesque home in Old Louisville, one of the largest historic preservation districts in the country. A series of unexplained occurrences there led him to research the haunted history of the neighborhood, and since then he has delighted countless readers with tales of the supernatural in "GHOSTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: True Stories of Hauntings in America's Largest Victorian Neighborhood" and "PHANTOMS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood." An accredited interpreter and foreign language instructor, he also writes travel pieces and food reviews for various local and national publications. Travel is a great passion for him, and he has lived in the Philippines, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Austria and Germany - all places that allowed him to indulge his passion for food, wine and adventure. He holds post-graduate degrees from the University of Louisville, the University of California at Santa Barbara and Karl-Franzens-Universität in Graz, Austria. When not writing or teaching, he likes to sneak off with his dogs and hunt down new ghost stories in his adopted neighborhood. His most recent projects include a cookbook about new Kentucky cooking written by his alter ego, the Bluegrass Peasant, which was published October 1, 2007 by McClanahan Publishing House, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: McClanahan Publishing House (September 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913383953
• ISBN-13: 978-0913383957
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,211,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Best selling author David Domine is a modern-day wordsmith who lived a storied 1895 chateauesque home in Old Louisville, one of the largest historic preservation districts in the country. A series of unexplained occurrences there led him to research the haunted history of the neighborhood, and since then he has delighted countless readers with tales of the supernatural in GHOSTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: True Stories of Hauntings in America's Largest Victorian Neighborhood and PHANTOMS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood. An accredited interpreter and foreign language instructor, he also writes travel pieces and food reviews for various local and national publications. Travel is a great passion for him, and he has lived in the Philippines, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Austria and Germany - all places that allowed him to indulge his passion for food, wine and adventure. He holds post-graduate degrees from the University of Louisville, the University of California at Santa Barbara and Karl-Franzens-Universitat in Graz, Austria. When not writing or teaching, he likes to sneak off with his dogs and hunt down new recipes and ghost stories around his adopted state of Kentucky. One of his most recent projects include a cookbook about new Kentucky cuisine released in 2007 by his alter ego, the Bluegrass Peasant; additional books include HAUNTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE: Gilded Age Ghosts and Haunted Mansions in America's Spookiest Neighborhood (August 2010) and THE BOURBON COOKBOOK (2011).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Domine delivers with "Phantoms", October 18, 2006

By 

Literate Kentuckian "Literate Kentuckian" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phantoms of Old Louisville: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood (Paperback)

David Domine follows up on last year's "Ghosts of Old Louisville" with this year's just-as-delightful "Phantoms of Old Louisville".

Old Louisville has a rich Victorian history, complete with its own haunted past. Domine brings both of these facets together in a wonderful marriage thanks to his detailed descriptions and narrative skill. Skeptics and "ghost hunters" alike can appreciate the ghostly tales Domine has uncovered in his unopinionated style, and decide for themselves how true these accounts seem to be.

In his writing process Domine has obviously worked hard at doing extensive research, conducting interviews, and verifying stories and alleged "facts" of supernatural occurances to make the chapters as in-depth and fleshed-out as they are (for an added touch, the introductory and afterword sections come penned from Halloween night of the previous year).

The stories he presents to readers are greatly interesting, and some induce chills and definite eerieness. The backgrounds of some of the spirits here range from amusing to melancholy, and the types of supernatural activity reported are just as varied. Not only do we learn of the supernatural, though---all along the way Domine knowledgably points out architectural features of various grand Victorian mansions and old public buildings, giving that feeling of actually being taken back to this bygone era for a brief period. He has certainly studied his Louisville history, too, as is evidenced by his sharing of interesting facts from Old Louisville's true heyday.

Sprinkled throughout the book are some black and white photographs of the different locales. They add a little visual flavor to each of the intriguing accounts. Also, in the front of the volume is a map of the general area with a location key for those readers who want to venture to Old Louisville and visit some of these locations for themselves.

For a splendid read---especially with Halloween coming on in autumn---definitely check out Domine's "Phantoms of Old Louisville", and its predecessor, "Ghosts of Old Louisville". They are fascinating examples of Victorian architecture, city history, and, most importantly for such works, tales merging this world with that of the spirits.

Happy reading.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS A WORTHY FOLLOW UP TO GHOSTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE, November 2, 2006

By 

Randall the Vandal (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phantoms of Old Louisville: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood (Paperback)

In his latest book, Phantoms of Old Louisville: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood, David Domine does an admirable job following up on the chills and thrills of last year's bestselling Ghosts of Old Louisville: True Stories of Hauntings in America's Largest Victorian Neighborhood. In this sequel, Domine has managed to unearth even more tales of the dearly departed in the grandest Victorian neighborhood in the country, and he presents them to the reader with the same engaging prose and mouth-watering descriptions he employed in his first book. And, as before, he has managed to capture a distinct feel for the neighborhood he loves so much, and he successfully uses it to create a mood piece that transports the reader back to a time when spirits from Beyond looked on as bustled ladies served tea in elegant front parlors, servants gathered for modest meals in the back kitchen and the domestic arts (unlike today) occupied a hallowed spot in American households.

I look forward to his next book and recommend this one to all who enjoy a good ghost story with added architectural tidbits and lots of local flavor.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Read, May 21, 2007

By 

C. B. Morgan (Old Louisville, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Phantoms of Old Louisville: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood (Paperback)

I recently moved to Old Louisville and knowing nothing about the area, read the first book by David Domine, Ghosts of Old Louisville. I was sorry when the book ended and started immediately on the second book, Phantoms of Old Louisville. I also took the Ghost Tour of Old Louisville, which was hosted by David Domine himself, last Friday night. I am so glad that he did write about these old homes and the area, otherwise I would not have known any history or folklore to accompany me here, on my move from Los Angeles to Old Louisville this last January. He allowed those of us on his tour into his wonderful home, which was magnificent. I could see the actual place where one of the purported hauntings happened and it was decorated and restored beautifully which made it an extra bonus. These books have given me a perspective on this area that I really would not have had if they weren't available. I am so waiting for October and the "haunting" season to begin. Another aside, I still don't know if I really believe in "ghosts", however, when reading these books late at night, I found myself having to put them down, and listening very closely to the sounds of my own Old Louisville home, and sometimes, I couldn't start reading again until the next day.....just too many chills and possibly a wild imagination at work. I found these books to be wonderful reads, never dragging, held my attention, and I now use them for reference when looking at the places and events described.