THE ICE PICK

The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, by Rosemary Ellen Guiley. 2nd ed. N.Y.: Checkmark Books, 2000. Illus. 430 p. $19.95. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8160-4086-9.

This is a comprehensive look at the world of ghost lore and the paranormal, and for those of you, especially, who write horror, it is a treasure house of goodies.

It is arranged in alphabetical order, and many of the entries have lists of books for further reading.

Specific locations believed to be haunted are included along with details on how and when ghosts are said to appear and what the manifestations look and feel like. These places include the well-known "haunts," like London’s Adelphi Theatre and the less famous, like the Decatur House in Washington, D.C.

Societies and organizations of ghost investigators and paranormal debunkers are discussed along with biographies of mediums and psychic researchers. And there are entries for famous people who experienced the paranormal, like Abraham Lincoln, and ghosts themselves, like Chicago’s Resurrection Mary.

Notorious frauds like 18th-century-London’s Cock Lane Ghost and the Schneider Brothers are fully explained, from the motivations to the sentences of the perpetrators, if any.

Guiley has included phenomena and lore from many different cultures around the world.

If you seek information about a specific thing, such as the acheri of India, the Jewish dybbuk, the Japanese gashadokuro, or Yorkshire’s Jack-in-Irons, you may find it here.

Or if you need an idea for a story, you can browse the encyclopedia and be inspired by things like the Arab afrit demon, Brazil’s Jabuticabal Poltergeist, or the more commonly known Voodoo zombie. Some of the entries are brief, others, like the zombie entry, are very extensive.

Guiley has also included discussions of spiritual things like afterlife, near-death experience, and angels.

Necromancy, possession and other broad topics, as well as specific kinds of phenomena, such as orbs and poltergeists, are explained in detail.

Superstitions concerning objects like mirrors, meteors, and the Moon are also covered.

This second edition has been expanded by about one hundred entries over the first edition, and there seem to be more illustrations. I’m not sure if that justifies purchasing this newer edition if you own the older one. Also, the print on this new edition is a bit smaller to read, although not by much. Personally, I would say the first edition is still adequate.

All-in-all, I found the book fascinating and fun to read, and if you do not have the first edition, I recommend it very highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Oct. 2002.}