The Ghost Club

by Kate Winkler Dawson

*Length: 4 hours 1 minute

For more than a century, some of the world’s most important thinkers and leaders—men like Arthur Conan Doyle and William Butler Yeats—gathered once a month and discussed the supernatural at The Ghost Club in London. In the early 1900s the club’s chairman was Harry Price, the world’s most well-known ghost hunter. He and other members, like Harry Houdini, sought to debunk the charlatans who preyed on vulnerable people with fake seances, tarot readings, and spiritual encounters.

Price went to war with other researchers, as well as fake mediums, like the “witch” Helen Duncan. Price’s dramatic confrontation with Duncan during one of her seances ended with her arrest—she would be the last person in Europe ever tried under the Witch Act.

But Price’s best-known case, and largest experiment, was the year he spent living in the Borley Rectory in southeast England. Price was determined to prove (or disprove) the existence of poltergeists in the famed rectory using gadgets that many looked at with mistrust. Price’s conclusions would solidify both his reputation as the world’s greatest ghost hunter, as well as the Borley Rectory’s designation as the most haunted house in England.

The legends of The Ghost Club and the Borley Rectory still endure one hundred years later, ripe for fresh investigation.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, True Crime, Ghosts, Paranormal, Adult

5 pages, Audiobook

Published March 21, 2023

About the author

Kate Winkler Dawson joined the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism as a senior lecturer in 2009. Before then, she was on the faculty of Fordham University's Marymount College for two years. A seasoned documentary producer, news writer and TV news producer, her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, United Press International in London, WCBS News, ABC News Radio, Fox News Channel, “PBS NewsHour” and “Nightline.” She's on the board of the Texas Center for Actual Innocence and lives in Austin, Texas with her family. This is her debut book.

Reviews

[Trin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt sloppy, with a lot of repetition, contradiction, and timeline confusion. I listened to this while folding laundry, doing the dishes, etc. and while for the most part it washed over me, mildly interesting, I did find myself with some frequency pausing in my tasks to think, "You said that already!" or "That doesn't track." For something from which I required relatively little, it disappointed.

[Nav · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could do with some streamlining and some better organization.

[Laura Ruttle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been and should have been a podcast instead of an audiobook. Just not enough to call it a book in my opinion. Started a while back and it didn’t hold my interest. Finally done.

[Broken Lifeboat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook 4:00 hours
Read by author who sounded like it was the first time she read this book

Fun topic but bad execution

The writing is bad and disorganized. I went with the audiobook which was a regrettable choice because this lady reads as well as she writes so I kind of got a double dose of her that I didn't enjoy.

I won't be leading her next fan club meeting and this stinker is quickly forgotten.

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

some famous old white men were into ghosts 🥱

[Avid Reader and Geek Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Rating 4.0 stars
A brief history of the "Ghost Club" a historical exclusive society of London's elite that was entranced by the supernatural, especially communing with the dead.
This was a good, quick read. Good for if you want something not super dark or gory but still spooky and non-fiction.

Narrator Rating: 5 stars
The author narrates this, and she has a great voice! I love her podcast with Paul Holes. Her voice is excellent for spooky historical tales.


Extra ratings: Fluff-NA Heartfelt -NA Helpful -NA Horror-0.5/5 Inspiration-NA Love aka Romance-NA Mystery-NA Predictability -NA Spice -NA Suspense-1/5 Tear-1/5 Thrill-NA Humor-1.5/5

Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Child Death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury

[Marcella Halverson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was Harry Price a brilliant investigator of the paranormal or serial fraudster?

Once again, my fave historical true crime podcaster has entertained & educated me - this time on the British masonic-like Ghost Club, members known as “Brother Ghosts” - a secret society, along with the likes of the Society for Psychical Research, who have studied & educated on mediums, spirtualism, psychics, & paranormal activities since the mid-1800’s. The members used their combined book smarts to attempt to prove or de-bunk claims of the otherworldly.

Her approach to research & reporting on science-y themed historical & true crime subjects are what make her work so interesting to me. Her podcasts, Tenfold More Wicked & Buried Bones, are must listens & I esp loved her book ‘American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI’ about Edward Oscar Heinrich (in fact, Sherlock Holmes’ creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, was also a member of The Ghost Club, as was Charles Dickens!). You learn a lot from her extensive research, but it also leaves me with a taste for more. I’ll be doing a further deep dive into the Borley Rectory, the spiritualist Fox Sisters of NY, The Davenport Brothers, famous spiritual photographer William Hope (thanks to early double exposure techniques), and William Butler Yates’ relationship with the paranormal.

This isn’t a book about whether or not you believe in spirits, psychics and paranormal or not - it’s about the people behind the phenomena (Harry Price, The Fox Sisters, The Davenport Brothers, Helen Duncan), the places they studied (like the formerly infamously haunted Borley Rectory in Essex), it’s study & history - and at least one woman imprisoned for witchcraft because of course, the patriarchy.

The audiobook clocks in at 4 hrs, narrated by KWD, so about the same as a long-form podcast. I’m giving it 5⭐️ because she can do no wrong for me - there’s some things it used as examples that I wanted more info on, so I’ll be doing more research on my own…😄 Does that make me an unofficial Sister Ghost? BTW, ladies were only later allowed in as members or invited guest speakers because “females” told the stories of their paranormal experiences much better & had different perspectives. The club was also known for their attention to detail in their lavish dinners, and not serving the standard “bland” English fare.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, not Kate Winkler Dawson’s best work. She’s usually such a compelling storyteller, and this was not it. Very much reads like she slapped together the odds and ends from some of her other projects into a book that even she wasn’t that interested in narrating. As a fellow academic though, girl, I relate. I too am trying to sell off the ugliest parts of my dissertation to whoever will publish it. Get that bread where you can fam.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was a really interesting premise but the execution was boring.

[Maggie May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting with some information that you don’t come across all the time in books about the history of ghost beliefs. It could be organized better. I am not at all clear why we kept jumping back to the Borley Rectory in the middle of unrelated narrative. I wish the rectory had been less of a focus of the story since it’s the part that is not new or lesser known information. A straight narrative of the Ghost Club, chronologically, would have been preferable.

[Jenn ~ Smalltown Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first nonfiction read about paranormal in awhile. If you enjoy learning about early days spiritualism, this is a good place to start. It’s only made me desire to learn more about ghost clubs.

The really cool thing is that I work at a library and just today learned about a “folklore investigation” group that existed in my area in the 50s. And we have their books!

Thank you for researching and writing this. It has further fueled a desire for more study on the subject.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to dive into this, but it turned out it feels more like reading a bibliography than a book. It wasn't even as exciting as an encyclopedia article about the history of paranormal investigation and mediumship would have been. It literally felt like listening to a timeline with nothing other than names and bulleted lists of events. I absolutely do not recommend this unless you're looking to write a research paper on the subject.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, sometimes there is just something about learning a bunch about a weird topic you knew nothing about.

[Jerrid Kruse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of skeptics and believers investigating the supernatural.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uh, it was lack luster, not memorable.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an quick and interesting listen. I'm very interested in the spiritualism movement of the late 1800s/early 1900s, so I found this very compelling.

[Kate Grabowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Kate Winkler Dawson and I love ghost stories, but this book didn't make a bit of sense to me.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, was an interesting concept and was a quick listen but it probably could have been a short podcast.

[Olivia Renfro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep up with all three of the author’s podcasts and unsurprisingly really enjoyed this book! Highly recommend for anyone interested in the Spiritualism movement of the 1800s.

[Aliyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little read about the real life club of men who believed in ghosts and exchanged ghost stories and studies ft. Arthur Conan Doyle, W. B. Yeats, and Charles Dickens

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the subject matter but seems to jump around a bit.

[Lady Megan Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Kate Winkler Dawson. Her podcasts and books are always so well-researched, plus she’s a Texan, and it’s a delight for me to hear that familiar drawl in her voice.

The Ghost Club is exclusively an audiobook, and at about 4 hours long, makes for an excellent spooky season listen.

As usual, it’s clear that Dawson has done tons of research in preparing this story — a fascinating history of the real life Ghost Club, its interest in the paranormal and psychical research, and its notable members, including Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle. And it’s also evident that she loves this story, is excited to tell it, and thinks it’s just as cool as we do.

I enjoyed listening and learning, but I found the format to be less than thrilling. It’s not quite a linear history - which is fine - but it was often a bit confusing and disjointed. I found some things repetitive, and also heard things that sounded like lapses in editing - something I don’t associate with Dawson’s work at all. By the end, I had the impression that it was a bit of a rush to get this book out, and I’m not sure any book ever benefits from that.

Also, I think this would have been better - for me, anyway - as a podcast. Broken into episodes with natural breaks and quick recaps, I think this story would have fallen into the rhythm of Dawson’s other podcasts and been much more successful.

Having said all that, this was still a fun listen, and The Ghost Club is well worth learning about. Especially since it still exists!

[Hanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate Winkler Dawson is one of my favorite podcast hosts, so I was excited to listen to this new audiobook. It only comes in audiobook form, which is interesting, and I liked treating it as an extra long podcast to listen to. The subject matter isn't something that I am particularly interested in, but it was fun to learn something new.

I don't know if I wasn't paying attention or that it just wasn't written well, but some of the parts did seem a little confusing to me, as some other reviewers have pointed out. I did get the overall gist of the story, and I wasn't ever super invested in it so it very well could have been that I wasn't focusing on what was being said, and I would have understood it better had I thought more actively about what was going on. The storyline jumps between two timelines, which I think could have been better delineated.

Overall, this book was really interesting - I learned about something that I had never heard of before, and it was very interesting to learn about all the people of note who were part of The Ghost Club. That time period is also very interesting to me, and I liked seeing the rudimentary scientific techniques that were utilized to prove or disprove the existence of ghosts and the supernatural.

This was a fun listen, but I like KWD's podcasts and other books overall. Partly because of the content/subject matter, but partly because I think the storytelling in the others are better. I did enjoy listening to it overall though!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

The Ghost Club was an all-male British association that examined paranormal phenomena or spiritualism. Charles Dickens helped found the organization in 1862. Over the years, prominent members included Arthur Conan Doyle and William Butler Yeats. Several weeks ago, the New York Times Book Review recommended this audio-only book read by author true crime podcaster Kate Winkler Dawson. In the spirit of Halloween and escapism, I decided to try it, and I was disappointed.

In all fairness to the author, the source of my disappointment was my expectations, which weren't entirely fair. I was curious about why and how writers like Dickens, Doyle, and Yeats became involved and why interest in the paranormal peaks during specific historical periods. While the author touches on these issues superficially, the book emphasizes Ghost Hunters such as Harry Price and their role in the club. Central to the narrative are investigations of places like Borely Rectory, which according to Price is the most haunted house in England.

Dawson believes in paranormal phenomena and explains its investigation well. If this is your interest, the book is for you.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this ALC from Libro.fm in exchange for an honest review. I have very mixed feelings on this book. There was a lot of information. I enjoyed hearing about the history of spiritualism and the history of the famous ghost club. The writing itself though was very disjointed.

The author jumped from the timeline of the Ghost Club to stories of the Borely Rectory. It was unclear as a reader if that was the tell the events going on there in step with the timeline of the club or if she was using it as an example… The investigation by Price at the Bodley Rectory didn’t happen until later in the Ghost Club’s overall timeline she was covering.

There also felt like a lot of repetition. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. While I enjoyed the information presented the writing style was lacking.

Thank you Libro.fm for my ALC of this title.

[Elysya Scerbo-pasta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nice to listen to passively in the background. It's not long, and the history of the Ghost Club is interesting, but I felt something was missing. Sometimes the events and timelines seemed a little jumbled. I tuned out a lot, and in the end I felt that I had learned something neat but mostly if not entirely forgettable. It could be that because it was such an overarching look at the club and culture at the time that I felt no deeper interest towards any of the historical figures or events. Kate Winkler Dawson is a wonderful journalist who tells compelling well-researched stories, so this was a bit of a disappointment. I don't think I would particularly recommend this, but if the topic interests you it's not a waste of time!

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. I agree with other reviews that this felt disjointed and kind of all over the place in terms of providing a clear thesis (or general point). What was the author trying to do here?

I'm left with more interest in the topic, but is that bc I was genuinely interested in the club(s) or is it bc I'm interested and didn't get a whole lot out of this book? IDK but what I do know is the author should've had someone else narrate, would help with the blandness I'm sure.

From reading the reviews, I learned the author is a podcaster. Maybe I would've liked this more if I was familiar with the podcast?

[CJ Opal · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is so messy. Is it about the Ghost Club? Is it about Harry Price? Is it about the Borley Rectory? I have no idea because it never fully committed to any of these things and instead jumped from focus to focus, often repeating itself, and didn't deliver a satisfactory amount of information for any of the three subjects. It's also written without any discussion of class or race, but continually restates the exclusion of women from the club up until it reveals the meeting in which women (or woman) were finally welcomed, making it just another book written through a historical lens in which people of color have absolutely no impact despite definitely being present. No thanks.

[Megan Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Kate Winkler Dawson's work. I'm an avid listen of her podcasts and have read her other books as well. I was really interested in the premise of this book, but I found it hard to listen too. I felt like Kate was all over the place here. She seemed to ramble more than usual and the through line on the different people didn't track well for me. I did enjoy the stories about the old farmhouse where she grew up and a few other tales that were shared between the Ghost Club members.

This probably would have worked better in a long series podcast format where she could parse out the players and tell their story alone.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure why I chose to read this. It is not something I normally pick up. I'm not really a person who actively pursues ghosts and their stories, but I'm not anti-ghost. So I'm not really sure that this book is that well written or all that interesting. Harry Price sounds like a tool who probably made a lot of money off ofntrue believers. It is fascinating that William Butler Yates was a member of the ghost club and I'm never going to read "The Second Coming" the same way after reading this. But other than that, it just feels like a mishmash of retelling of stuff that's probably out already out there.