Spectral Edition: Ghost Reports from U.S. Newspapers, 1865-1917

Between the American Civil War and the nation’s entry into World War I, a wave of ghost reports appeared in U.S. newspapers. Haunted houses, haunted roads, haunted families, and other spectral manifestations were treated as legitimate news. Tim Prasil has collected hundreds of these articles, and Spectral Edition: Ghost Reports from U.S. Newspapers, 1865-1917 displays the scariest, strangest, funniest, and most intriguing of them.

Along with nearly 150 complete ghost reports, Prasil includes a well-researched Introduction, useful footnotes, rare newspaper illustrations, and an essay about how an alleged ghost encounter in Memphis ignited a debate about responsible journalism. Spectral Edition explores a curious chapter of U.S. newspapers and an era when the American press challenged scientific and religious skepticism with open-minded consideration of the possibility that specters return to haunt us!

READ THE INTRODUCTION

To get a sense of Spectral Edition, here’s a .pdf version of the introduction:

Spectral Edition Introduction

(Scholars: despite appearances, the pagination here is different from the actual book, so cite this source as a .pdf retrieved online.)

AN INTERVIEW

I was interviewed about Spectral Edition by Patrick Keller on his Big Séance Podcast. Follow this link to listen to that interview.

A SPECTRAL EDITION VIDEO

In this video, two special guests and I read ghost reports not found in Spectral Edition. I open with background on how my spectral stairwell inspired the book.

MORE HISTORICAL GHOSTLORE

Interested in the long history of ghosts and ghost hunting? Please consider these non-fiction books:

---