Ghosts and the Spirit World: True Cases of Hauntings and Visitations from the Earliest Records to the Present Day

by Paul Roland

A fully illustrated journey into the world of the supernatural conducted by an author whose guidance will be invaluable to those who wish to uncover what lies beyond the grave. Includes tales of ordinary families whose lives have been destroyed by malevolent poltergeists, haunted lunatic asylums, and apocalyptic messages from the dead channeled through a succession of mediums. Guaranteed to open your eyes to a world that is normally hidden from view.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal, Ghosts, Horror, History, Occult, Folklore

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Roland

Reviews

[Anna Harbin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is compelling. But there are no footnotes, and no apparent research.
In addition, several of the cases, such as The Winchester Mystery House, did not at all match up to any of the prior research or historical archives.

[Granny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather lame retelling of ghosts stories that I've seen dozens of times in other collections. The positive is that it has some nice photos, and goes into detail about the processes used in creating the so-called "spirit photography" photos used to decieve the innocent. The negative is that throughout the book they include cases which have long since been proven to be hoaxes and cite "experts" like the late D. Scott Rogo, surely one of the most gullible men on the planet.

I look for stories that give me a sense of the eerie and of awe. Sadly, you will find little of that here. There are better collections out there by far.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 stars*

I did not get as much enjoyment out of this book as I thought I would. I am a hopeful skeptic when it comes to ghosts/spirits, so I thought I would really like this book. However, I started this book last year and got about sixty pages into it before I decided I wanted to stop and save it for this year. I started it back up yesterday and found that most of the material just did not interest me or that it was rather hokey. I ended up skipping around a lot and probably read only about 25% of the content. Overall, there were some bits to it that I really enjoyed, but most of it was just blah for me.

[J.L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The ghost stories themselves were entertaining, but it was hard to wade through the author's pretentious commentary. Also, be advised that I found factual errors in the stories about Gettysburg regarding the numbers of soldiers killed, so I think every story needs to be taken with a grain of salt, or at least additional research.

[Louise Bath · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would've given this book a higher rating if it hadn't felt like such a slog to read it. It's great slabs of text without anything to break it up; and what few pictures there are have been lumped together in random blocks in the text, when they should've been placed with/closer to the stories to which they relate. Overall, surprisingly dull.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ummmm...yeah. Not sure what I was thinking from a $5.00 bargin book. There were not near enough photos for reference so I kept having to go to the internet to find the photos the author was talking about. Also, I didn’t feel the research, if any, was done very well at all. Will keep it for now.

[Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. If anyone is looking to delve into the paranormal and wants facts as well this is a good starter.

[Michael John Paul McManus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of enjoyed this book but it would have been better if it had had some photographic evidence between its pages. I had read quite a number of the stories/accounts before in other books. Only three stars for this book I'm afraid.

[Chloe van Gool · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wish it had the accompanying pictures and that it wasn't written so "blah" kinda boring read.

[Simone · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like this book at all, bored me to death an nothing written really seemed like it would be true. Very dissapointing.

[Mars · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a comprehensive collection of information on the history of ghost hunting, the types of ghosts and hauntings said to occur, and stories of ghosts and spirits. While not exactly a believer myself, I found it interesting how this book set out to prove the existence of ghosts throug the stories it told, something that I wasn’t expecting that I picked it up but that wasn’t entirely unwelcome. However, I do wish the author had focused less on proving thier point of the existence of spirits and more on telling the stories themselves. They seem to repeat themselves often when discussing evidence of ghosts that cannot be disproven, and while I appreciate the point they are trying to make, I did find it repetitive at a certain point. However, that is not at all to say that I did not enjoy the book as a whole. In reading it, I learned a lot that I didn’t know about how ghost hunters operate and the societies and organizations that were created around this practice. While it didn’t exactly convince me ghosts exist, something that I feel would likely require a paranormal experience of my own, it did open my mind to other perspectives on the issue and give me a glimpse into the mentality of these spiritualists.

[Jenny H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun read. I enjoyed it. The author mentioned many historical accounds I was not aware of and I learned a lot. I don't believe in ghosts any more then I did before but it was a fun read. Although I found it dragging on by the end. It consists of over 500 pages of first and secound hand accounts of paranormal activity, some more convincing then others. It was thourough, in depth, bias, and spooky. A really good halloween read for anyone who wants to take a ghost trip.

[James Oltrogge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads very much like a text book. The short stories are pretty good but most were all stories I have already read.

[Brennon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up in the impulse bargain buys section near the registers at Barnes and Noble. It was $10. Never before has a book’s price more accurately described its worth.

The writing is bad and the stories are nearly all incomplete, leaving you wanting more detail but too annoyed to seek it. The worst offense was the several pages devoted to John Edwards, the charlatan douche who tricks (or tricked? is he still a thing?) sad people into believing he could communicate with their dead loved ones on TV.

Still: it was $10; I knew what I was getting into; and if you live anywhere near me, check the sidewalks, as this’ll soon be plopped there to nab for free.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same as the uncountable other books on this subject, Paul Roland's Complete Book of Ghosts is not a definitive work. I have always been a fascinated believer in ghosts; naturally I have read many books about them. Some are great, some are good, many are just a forgettable rehash, meant, I suppose, for readers who are newer to the field.
Presentation is, at least on the surface, excellent. Ironically I found this on a shelf of left-over books in my grandparents' church in Yorkshire, and so got it basically new for about two pounds. It is a good-looking, more recent publication. Yet beyond its meretricious appearance, the photographs are actually quite unnecessary, mostly irrelevant to the text and far less notable than any hundreds of better ones you can find with a simple internet search. Returning to my mention of many of these books simply rehashing often-retold stories and events, this is unfortunately another one of those. All the accounts in this book were either already familiar to me, or else were not that interesting in the first place.

On a more positive side, I did like the broader scale Roland took here. He doesn't just set out to share a bunch of creepy "real" ghost stories - in fact, he mostly follows through on his stated intention of portraying ghosts in a way that isn't scary. Typical and to be expected from a newer work, he does give credence to many of the skeptical arguments against the existence of ghosts in many particular scenarios and encourages would-be "ghost hunters" (a phrase I dislike) to be aware of their own biases, misinterpretations, desire for results and other such factors so often to blame for the public discredit of actual supernatural happenings.

Where personal enjoyment is concerned, I'd be more inclined to rate this two-stars. It was not as satisfying as I had hoped. However, I would say it has merit for anyone who is new to the subject. Had I not read any or many other such books before, I could well have enjoyed this one much more. I would just have changed the title to An Introduction to Ghosts - it is not the "complete" books of ghosts. If you are serious about these things, there are many superior books out there - of which I myself have probably only read a few. Most of them, unfortunately, are about as arbitrary as this one.

[Alfredo Maceda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the book "The Complete Book of Ghosts" because it has actual facts and it has evidence that we live with the ghost with out even know it. There are many storys about them and theres also many pictures that people have taken and some that have been made after what they saw.
one of the moust convincing evidence of the soul's survival after they die is soul tolking it shows that there are many spirits thet stay alive after they die.after all of the storys there you will understand the life of the ghosts.
There are many chapters in the book but but some of the moust in important ones are the ones that tolk about how they saty alive after the body dies. On the chapter #5 there are parts where it said that there are many ways to find out how ghost exist, like they try to tolk to us but we tent to block them out because we are afraid of what can happen. this book can show you ways on how to pay good attention and lissen to the ghost. I recommend this book to everyone that want to learn about ghost.

[Gina Clabo · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I will say the cover is so awesome. I was disappointed that it did not have more stories. Roland did his research on what people had said, but really just going on spirit sights and getting stories was little disappointing. I can't judge anyone's story, because I wasn't there.. I do have to say some stories were creepy. Over all this book was ok for me, but would recommend to 17yrs and up. Gina Clabo.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the truth is to be told, this book doesn’t fall into my usual reads.

The book was handed to me by a relative as a general interest kind of read, as something she thought I might enjoy. It was interesting, I will say that, but I cannot see myself going out of my way to read it again and again or to read that many more books like it.

It was simply something different to pick up and read.

[Sharon]

I've read better, admit that I tended to skip read this, only reading the parts that intrested me.

[Addison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's play a game called mental illness is not possession because the author sure as fuck never did.

[Emily Glende · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't actually finish. It sounds horribly immature of me to say this, but I found it too history oriented. Not what I expected of it.

[Angelina Pelova · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was interesting to read through the reviews about this book and find out how many people are disappointed in it. I approached it as pretty much a reference book and from that point of view found it very useful. It is not an easy read, as it is rather dry and factual. I would highly recommend it to those interested in ghosts and the paranormal who don't know much about all this. I read on with curiosity and did learn a lot. It is written systematically and factologically, so you could skip some chapters if you wish to. I didn't.

The book didn't quite hold my attention throughout, and I did get a bit bored at some point, but I kept going, and at some point it got too interesting to put down.

What I enjoyed a lot was the author's individuality shining through the narration. He does show critical thinking and clearly demonstrates that he is not always convinced something is a paranormal event, which grounds things and keeps them real. I found it reassuring that he tries to find logical explanations of events; this makes me think I can trust his judgement.

The odd expressions of his sense of humour are amusing and made me chuckle.

Overall, it is definitely worth the read.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️.5

I picked this up hoping for a deep dive into chilling accounts of hauntings and spirit encounters, but what I found felt more like a surface-level collection of anecdotes. Most of the stories read like hearsay—secondhand accounts that were never really fleshed out or examined in detail. Instead of digging into the history, context, or possible explanations behind the cases, the book tends to gloss over them, moving quickly from one to the next without much substance.

Paul Roland clearly has a wide knowledge of the subject, and there are a few intriguing moments scattered throughout, but the lack of depth kept me from really being drawn in. Rather than feeling eerie or convincing, the cases blurred together and left little lasting impression.

If you’re looking for a light overview of ghost stories to flip through, this might suit you. But if you’re after well-developed, thoroughly explored accounts of hauntings and visitations, you’ll likely be left wanting more.

[Siri Olsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explains the ghost phenomenon as a result of human energy. Especially apparitions of living people are explained in connection to out-of-body experiences and a good deal of the book details what actually happens during an out-of-body experience and how to do it oneself. While this is a fascinating theory indeed, and while the book contains numerous stories of ghostly encounters sure to please anyone interested in "real" ghost stories, the approach in the book is rather uncritical and the author does not make an effort to communicate any information not in accordance with his theories. It would have suited the book to include a few accounts where evidence had been faked and/or a few natural explanations for the encounters. All in all, an entertaining and thought provoking read, but the uncritical approach makes parts of the book seem somewhat naive.

[Katrina Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thoughts were definitely provoked during this book. It brought up points I had never considered before, and solidified my belief in the paranormal. I’m sure that multiple stories in here had to do with varying circumstances and not real ghosts, but some of them seemed pretty undeniable.

The idea that so many people have seen the paranormal in so many different ways since the beginning of history is so intriguing to me. And I can think of multiple people in my life who also have first hand ghost stories.

I can’t give the book five stars simply because it became slow and repetitive towards the end for me. But definitely glad I read this one!

Another interesting thing, you hear all the time about skeptics becoming believers in the paranormal, but hardly hear about it going the other way around. Food for thought.

[Doug Mueller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anecdotal evidence without citation

You can't prove something doesn't exist ( God, nessie, Bigfoot, ghosts). Anecdotal evidence is weak evidence because of bias. This book seems to say you have to be in one of two camps while it seems to be firmly in the belief camp. The scientific method ( not necessarily the scientists) is designed to work out the bias. A complete book of ghosts or any scientific exploration should avoid the argument of belief and present evidence, weak or not, and site sources.
Fun to read, but in the end, it's just a collection of ghost stories.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an interesting read. I've even heard of a couple stories in this book which really surprised me. I think although a little unbelievable via there was no sources cited in the book it was cool to read nonetheless. Even if you don't belive in ghosts or the paranormal it's still a fun read and I recommend it. It's no steven king novel mind you and I think the criticisms given to this book are harsh. I enjoyed this book a lot.

[Becky Morris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bailed 196 pages in when the author very explicitly implied that The Night of Broken Glass in 1938 wasn’t caused by Nazis, but actually Jewish women playing parlor games and summoning a malevolent spirit.

What proceeded that was exactly 0 cited sources for numerous stories and facts. Just a mess of a book but the Nazi thing really took me out.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes you back in time to the beginning of Spiritualism in the 1800s forward to modern times by giving you some of the earlier known cases of hauntings, to the first known ghost hunters, psychics, clubs that were dedicated to all things paranormal related.

[Katelyn R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. If the spirit world interests you, it's an easy read and it has lots of stories and historical events alike. There are also some great pictures and illustrations. It is one of the better ghost books I've read!