Get ready for Prime Day
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals and award-winning movies and TV shows.
£10.99
FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, 23 June. Details
Or fastest delivery Sunday, 22 June. Order within 2 hrs 36 mins. Details
Only 2 left in stock.
££10.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
££10.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Delivery cost, delivery date and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Dispatches from
Amazon
Amazon
Dispatches from
Amazon
Sold by
Amazon
Amazon
Sold by
Amazon
Returns
Returnable within 30 days of receipt
Returnable within 30 days of receipt
Item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund within 30 days of receipt
Read full Amazon return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Lisa Morton
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Ghosts: A Haunted History Paperback – 1 Aug. 2017

by Lisa Morton (Author)
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"£10.99","priceAmount":10.99,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"81MwZOFb1ygcQ%2BlnDigT62mHwTz3AfVtlFmexywSSMv7BvWHpJJEYHA87ouqlsToMZqYrk4j7WSWNdfSZCahW2mY2H20M4tDGtlaKbymBVrieMfFpmHHQMMejkjJVrwj","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

In the history of the numinous there are few things more common than the belief in ghosts. From the earliest writings such as the Epic of Gilgamesh to today’s ghost-hunting reality TV shows, ghosts have chilled the air of nearly every era and every culture in human history. In this book, now available in B-format paperback, Lisa Morton wrangles together history’s most enduring ghosts into an entertaining and comprehensive look at what otherwise seems to always evade our eyes.
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    208 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Reaktion Books
  4. Publication date
    1 Aug. 2017
  5. Dimensions
    12.7 x 2.03 x 19.69 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1780238436
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1780238432
Next slide of product details
Save 15% on Baby Einstein

Product description

Review

"Ghosts is intelligent and well structured. It's also well informed, which is apparent in the sheer volume of spectral examples that Morton has collected, yet her writing style remains accessible. . . . The perfect companion for those who err towards skepticism over embellishment yet still find themselves riddled in goose-pimples when they hear a creak in the floorboards in the dead of night."-- "Rue Morgue"

"As Morton shows in this spine-tingling study, belief in ghosts is nearly universal, though the form taken by the 'undead spirit' varies across time and space."-- "Guardian"

"Halloween isn't the only time for ghosts and ghost stories. . . . Lisa Morton offers a compact account of the human propensity to believe in otherworldly apparitions. She discusses, among other matters, haunted houses, spiritualism, ghost-hunting, 'Day of the Dead' and spectral terrors in literature, film and popular culture. To give body and shape to these phantoms and airy nothings, Morton packs her book with images--of paintings, creepy spirit photographs, movie stills and even a full-page illustration of Casper the Friendly Ghost. . . . abounds with phantasmic lore of every kind. . . . reminds us that it's when the days are shortest and the nights darkest that we most need warmth and light and family. Paradoxically, it's at this same time of the year, and under just those cozy conditions, that we most enjoy spooky stories. 'There was a man dwelt by a churchyard, ' whispers a character in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale and then breaks off. No matter. People have been imagining, and telling, what happened next ever since."-- "Washington Post"

"Morton's admirably cool and dispassionate summary incorporates an astonishing range of reference, covering phantoms, spirits, and wraiths worldwide, including the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival, the Japanese holiday known as Obon (during which families leave food for wandering souls), the Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, and the various ghosts and legends of Brazil, Africa, Australia and India. The book's geographical scope is matched by its historical sweep, which begins with a discussion of the edimmu of ancient Mesopotamia and the various spirits of the classical world, and continues all the way through the Middle Ages, to nineteenth-century spiritualism and beyond."-- "Spectator"

"Morton's brisk, handsomely illustrated Ghosts: A Haunted History canters through millennia of supposed uncanny interruptions with a kind of puckish skepticism. . . . Morton excels at presenting us with instances of the persistence of belief, across all times and cultures. . . . there are moments all the same when the hint of something truly uncanny is permitted to intrude." -- "Times Literary Supplement"

"This year's Halloween has passed, but for many the interest in things that go bump in the night is alive and well. From classic ghost stories told around a campfire to the slew of recent ghost hunting TV shows, ghosts have been the most prevalent otherworldly beings around for years. Luckily for those of us who love a good ghost story, Morton has written the ultimate guide on the shadowy superstars of the supernatural realm."-- "PopMatters"

About the Author

Lisa Morton is an award-winning author and widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on the supernatural. Her previous books include Ghosts: A Haunted History (Reaktion, 2015).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Reaktion Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 Aug. 2017
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Annotated
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1780238436
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1780238432
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 204 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.7 x 2.03 x 19.69 cm

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author of non-fiction books, award-winning prose writer, and Halloween expert whose work was described by the American Library Association's READERS' ADVISORY GUIDE TO HORROR as "consistently dark, unsettling, and frightening". She began her career in Hollywood, co-writing the cult favorite MEET THE HOLLOWHEADS (on which she also served as Associate Producer), but soon made a successful transition into writing short works of horror. After appearing in dozens of anthologies and magazines, including THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF DRACULA, DARK DELICACIES, THE MUSEUM OF HORRORS, and CEMETERY DANCE Magazine, in 2010 her first novel, THE CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES, was published to critical acclaim, appearing on numerous "Best of the Year" lists. Her book THE HALLOWEEN ENCYCLOPEDIA (now in an expanded second edition) was described by REFERENCE & RESEARCH BOOK NEWS as "the most complete reference to the holiday available," and Lisa has been interviewed on The History Channel and in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL as a Halloween authority. She is a six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award®, a recipient of the Black Quill Award, and winner of the 2012 Grand Prize from the Halloween Book Festival. A lifelong Californian, she lives in North Hills, California, and can be found online at www.lisamorton.com.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
49 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Top reviews from other countries

  • bzellmann
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough. Interesting.
    Reviewed in the United States on 24 May 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Great book. Lots of history, Asian culture too.

    Heard about from Chinwag podcast with Paul Giamatti and Steve Asma.
    Report
  • Elford Alley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for fans of ghost stories
    Reviewed in the United States on 19 May 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A well-written and detailed look at the history of ghosts and how cultures around the world view/fear/celebrate them. Fantastic read.
    Report
  • Katie Lee
    4.0 out of 5 stars Decent
    Reviewed in the United States on 7 March 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This is a great book with a lot of historical information about the history of ghost sightings and stories. But I had read her newer book, The history of seances, first and have found that the two books have a lot of the same information except the newer book has a lot more and is layed out much better as well. I think if you're interested in this type of topic like I am get her newer book instead of this one. Don't get me wrong it is a great book and Lisa Morton does an amazing job digging up all that history about such a niche topic then arranging it in chronological order making it easy to follow and her references are all listed in the back as well as every single source she used to acquire thus information. But for me I really didn't need this book after reading the newer one.
    Report
  • Bruce E Kreuger
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ghosts: A Haunted History
    Reviewed in the United States on 4 April 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Very interesting book. I haven't read it yet, but I am looking forward to it. I have never seen it before, and it was priced very reasonably. Package arrived fairly quickly.
    Report
  • TK
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very Spooky
    Reviewed in the United States on 5 November 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book is really great for ghost lovers. I highly recommend!
    Report