Ghosts: A Haunted History

by Lisa Morton

From that cheerful puff of smoke known as Casper to the hunkiest potter living or dead, Sam Wheat, there is probably no more iconic entity in supernatural history than the ghost. And these are just recent examples. 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, Lisa Morton uses her scholarly prowess—more powerful than any proton pack—to wrangle together history’s most enduring ghosts into an entertaining and comprehensive look at what otherwise seems to always evade our eyes.  

Tracing the ghost’s constantly shifting contours, Morton asks the most direct question—What exactly is a ghost?—and examines related entities such as poltergeists, wraiths, and revenants. She asks how a ghost is related to a soul, and she outlines all the different kinds of ghosts there are. To do so, she visits the spirits of the classical world, including the five-part Egyptian soul and the first haunted-house, conceived in the Roman playwright Plautus’s comedy, Mostellaria . She confronts us with the frightening phantoms of the Middle Ages—who could incinerate priests and devour children—and reminds us of the nineteenth-century rise of Spiritualism, a religion essentially devoted to ghosts. She visits with the Indian bhuta and goes to the Hungry Ghost Festival in China, and of course she spends time in Mexico, where ghosts have a particularly strong grip on belief and culture. Along the way she gathers the ectoplasmic residues seeping from books and film reels, from the Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto to the 2007 blockbuster Paranormal Activity , from the stories of Ann Radcliffe to those of Stephen King.

Wide-ranging, informative, and slicked with over fifty unearthly images, Ghosts is an entertaining read of a cultural phenomenon that will delight anyone, whether they believe in ghosts or not. 

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Horror, Paranormal, Ghosts, Africa, Supernatural

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2015

About the author

Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author of horror fiction, and Halloween expert. She is a winner of both the Black Quill and Bram Stoker Awards, and her short stories have appeared in more than 50 books and magazines. Her first novel, THE CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES, was released by Gray Friar Press in 2010, and her first collection, MONSTERS OF L.A., was published by Bad Moon Books in October 2011. She is a native and lifelong resident of Southern California, and currently resides in the San Fernando Valley.

Reviews

[Nostalgiaplatz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Di solito mi fido a occhi chiusi dei titoli de Il Saggiatore, e se l’argomento mi interessa compro il libro senza preoccuparmi di cercare pareri o recensioni… prima o poi, quindi, la delusione doveva capitarmi. In questo caso la colpa è un po’ dell’autrice e un po’ dei refusi… o di quelli che mi auguro siano refusi.
In generale, in questo libro ci sono alcune informazioni interessanti, ma mi sembra che il discorso si mantenga sempre piuttosto superficiale, e Lisa Morton, scrittrice e sceneggiatrice horror, sembra più un’appassionata del genere che una storica di professione. Il che andrebbe anche benissimo, un appassionato può avere una vastissima cultura sull'argomento che gli sta a cuore, ma in questo caso ho trovato troppo da storcere il naso.
La prima volta, quando trovo piazzata la XXI dinastia egizia nel 1000 d.C. circa; qui, appunto, mi auguro tanto che si tratti di un refuso, una distrazione, e non un attacco alle coronarie degli storici di tutto il mondo.
Più avanti, altro pasticcio con le date: lo scrittore Lafcadio Hearn che si trasferisce in Giappone nel 1980; chiaro scambio con 1890… una sciocchezza, ma sommato al resto infastidisce.
Il fastidio massimo l’ho provato però nel trovare più volte il Medioevo definito “secoli bui”, con affermazioni che mi fanno sospettare la Morton abbia un’idea di tale periodo legata più a superstizioni e maldicenze che alla storia.
Viene citata l’isola di Poveglia e la sua storia, e la fama che a guadagnato da quando è comparsa in uno show americano di cacciatori di fantasmi… ma senza specificare che la sua presunta infestazione è invenzione di sana pianta di tale trasmissione: non esistono leggende veneziane che riguardino fantasmi a Poveglia. Racconta Alberto Toso Fei in un’intervista al Cicap:

«Durante la registrazione della puntata, la troupe della Fox Channel è venuta ad intervistarmi, in qualità di esperto di leggende veneziane. Volevano a tutti i costi che gli parlassi dei fantasmi di Poveglia. Io ripetevo loro che non mi interesso di fantasmi ma di tradizione scritta e orale veneziana e in tutta questa vastissima letteratura non c’è la pur minima traccia di presenze spettrali a Poveglia. E questo è anche quanto gli hanno detto e ripetuto tutti gli altri studiosi ai quali si sono rivolti. Ma non è stato sufficiente a convincerli. Non gli importava nulla né della storia, né della letteratura o della tradizione scritta e orale di Venezia. Avevano scelto quell’isola per girare un documentario sui fantasmi di Venezia, mescolando un po’ di tutto a casaccio, e così han fatto»

Quindi quando la signora Morton parla di ‘isola più infestata del mondo’ e della sua fama sinistra presso i veneziani, evidentemente ignora che i veneziani dell’infestazione di Poveglia non ne hanno mai saputo nulla. Ha preso per buona l’invenzione di un gruppo di buffoni americani, invece di documentarsi sulla realtà dei fatti come un autore serio avrebbe fatto.

Più avanti, un altro errore. Viene citato Stephen King, e il suo romanzo Carrie, che per protagonista “un ragazzo con capacità telecinetiche”. Carrie, un ragazzo? Un maschio? Si tratta di un doppio refuso, di un incredibile errore di traduzione, di un'ancor più incredibile ignoranza da parte della Morton? A questo punto non credo di volerlo sapere.

Come dicevo, il libro contiene anche informazioni interessanti, su spiritismo, leggende, tradizioni… ma dopo aver riscontrato certi errori e imprecisioni, non puoi fare a meno di chiederti “posso fidarmi di ciò che sto leggendo?”.

Giudizio, due stelline e mezzo.
L’edizione è molto bella, con parecchie fotografie e la copertina fosforescente al buio, ma proprio non mi sento di consigliare questo libro, mi spiace. Se l’argomento vi interessa, provate piuttosto “Storia degli Spettri” di Massimo Scotti.

PS: visto che la faccenda di Poveglia mi ruga parecchio, vi lascio l'articolo del CICAP
https://www.cicap.org/n/articolo.php?...

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5) A good potted history of the ghost, tracking the development of belief in ghosts around the world, scientific attempts to prove their existence (or otherwise), and their representation in literature, film and TV. A bit general on some points – you'll want to look elsewhere if you're after an in-depth analysis of ghosts in pop culture. But it's a really solid place to start, and particularly useful as a concise summary of ghost traditions in Western, Asian and Latin American societies.

TinyLetter | Linktree

[Siobhan Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but I found it to be a little surface-level. It was an interesting topic and I love that Morton delved deeper than just western ghosts. My only problem was that this book was just too short! It would have been really nice for the book to have been a big longer so that there was more space for detail, rather than just scratching the surface of ghosts and ghost lore.

I loved that Morton talked about ghosts and ghost stories from around the world, including ghosts' inclusion in modern media. I would have loved to learn even more about the evolution of ghost stories around the world throughout time, particularly more about how the stories influenced each other. All of these things were included to some degree, but at ~200 pages, there just wasn't enough detail! A great read, but too short!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good introduction to the history of ghosts. Morton looks far more than Western culture as well, so that was nice.

Though in some parts it feels very general. And it was strange that she didn't mention Poltergeist the Legacy the tv series.

Yet the book is an good read.

[Ape · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given it's a relatively slim book and Morton endeavors to cover everything world wide in ghost culture, this is really an introduction or summary to the subject. Some aspects and continents only get a paragraph or a sentence if that, leaving you wanting to read more. But then she probably wasn't going for the definitive encyclopaedia on the subject.

This is a popular non-fiction/historical/cultural look at the phenomena of ghosts, and makes no comment on whether such things really, truly exist. Starting off at the beginning of recorded human experience, with a ghost popping up in the ancient story of Gilgamesh, Morton works through history looking at folklore and superstition, history, literature and the arts, through the centuries and across the continents to see when, where and how the concepts of ghosts pop up. She doesn't delve enough into why they might be popping up as they do in many cases, as much as I would have liked. Folklore and superstition can be a fascinating way to delve into the mindset of a community of that time and place. But then, as mentioned before, this book feels somewhat more of an introduction.

Having said that, there is a predominance towards western culture and a lot on the spiritualism movement. All very interesting. She does put in a fair amount on China and Mexico, both which have their own cultural ghost festivals. With nods to the rest of Latin America, Asia, and skimming through the whole of Africa, Australia and other places. I imagine the more you dig for ghost traditions, the more you find.

Minor quibbles with the early chapter on historical ghosts. She didn't seem to completely make her mind up as to what was a ghost and what wasn't. In on instance, she's saying that there isn't much in Arabia as they're all other types of supernatural beings. But in other regions she's lobbing all kinds of other supernatural beings under the heading of "ghost". The medieval Icelandic vampires, draugr/revenant (for the word vampire didn't exist then) get dragged into the mix and I would argue that they're something very different. And even the fairies from Celtic culture get jumbled up in the mix.

But interesting, intelligently-written book on the subject. I am curious to read her book on the spiritualist movement.

Borrowed from the library.

[Magdalena Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read and really enjoyed a few non-fiction books by Lisa Morton, and Ghosts: A Haunted History was next on my list. At 180 pages, it is a very good introduction to ghosts in history, in different cultures, literature, film and tv. But that all it is - Morton touches on so many brilliant things, but she has no time (or enough pages) to elaborate on any of it. There's a ton of examples, films and books to make note of, but the various fascinating spectres and ghostly traditions are covered in a very short paragraph each. It's a shame as I wanted so much more (and definitely more pages!) from this book, but then again, it's a fun and interesting intro.

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghosts and autumn--what could be a better combination! I enjoyed Morton's tales of ghosts not only from the west, but the eastern hemisphere and even some of the southern cone. Ghosts are a universal, and she takes the subject seriously but with an even hand. The illustrations were an added bonus. I wrote more about this book on my blog: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.

[April Dalby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read, doesn't skip a region or period when it comes to the world history of ghosts. Added a few things to my reading list just from this

[Fedri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho da sempre, come molti, una paura mista ad assoluta fascinazione per le storie di fantasmi. L'horror sovrannaturale è per me come un frutto proibito, al quale raramente oso avvicinarmi, per evitare settimane se non mesi di incubi (il fatto di aver sofferto per molti anni di episodi di paralisi del suono sicuramente non ha aiutato, in questo senso: la mia immaginazione era già fin troppo vivida per fornirle ulteriori spunti). È forse proprio per questo che ho apprezzato il lavoro di Lisa Morton: Fantasmi offre una panoramica ampia e abbastanza sintetica dell'evoluzione del rapporto dell'uomo con l'aldilà attraverso secoli, culture e nei diversi media di intrattenimento. Per chi, come me, ha una sete da spegnere ma ha paura di confondere l'acqua col fuoco, questo libro è un ottimo punto di partenza, fornisce una bibliografia ampia e variegata e tutti gli strumenti di navigazione giusti. Forse però, chi invece ha già una discreta familiarità con l'argomento, non troverà spunti di riflessione particolarmente illuminanti.

[silviottide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il libro è sicuramente un ottimo punto di partenza per scoprire le origini delle credenze sui fantasmi in vari luoghi del mondo. Troviamo alcune tra le storie di infestazioni più famose, antiche leggende e tradizioni popolari legate ai fantasmi o agli spiriti in genere, fino ad arrivare ai giorni nostri e alle produzioni letterarie e cinematografiche. Però. C'è un però. Spesso molti elementi che sembrano in procinto di essere approfonditi meglio vengono liquidati in poche parole, e via, si passa a una tematica diversa. C'è anche qualche refuso, e qualche errore (l'attentato a Francesco Ferdinando reca la data sbagliata), ma in ogni caso mi ha piacevolmente intrattenuto e mi ha fatto scoprire alcune cose che non conoscevo riguardo un argomento che mi interessa molto.

[Stefano Cucinotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un saggio sui fantasmi nella cultura popolare di tutto il mondo. Ottimo per un primo approccio all'argomento, un po' superficiale se si cerca un approfondimento maggiore. La prima parte del testo è probabilmente quella più interessante e ben documentata: un'overview su credenze popolari nei vari continenti, su riti e superstizioni vecchie e nuove. La seconda parte, dedicata alla cultura pop, è quella un po' troppo rapida, e spesso si limita ad un elenco di romanzi o film senza troppo contesto né analisi. Tutto sommato un buon testo, che funziona d'appoggio con volumi più verticali sui diversi argomenti.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid but extremely compact overview of ghosts in cultures, literatures, films, etc. Even though the space constraints usually limit Morton to very quick (and often unsurprising) comments on her examples, she nevertheless stretches the meaning of "ghost" to include various other kinds of supernatural entities. I was glad that she saw more than one kind of ghost in Native and Indigenous spooky stories. But, in the end, I wanted at least a little deeper diving into some of the more complicated stories she touches on. This book is kind of like ghost wikipedia only better written. 3.5 stars.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really informative and wasn’t really what I had expected. It was really useful for looking at theories and different references. There were a couple of things that surprised me. To have the art of the ghost from the tale of Genji in the Chinese portion confused me, but also it isn’t referenced to at all later. I was also surprised that the Warrens weren’t mentioned at all in the book (or maybe I missed it?). I don’t personally like the Warrens but you have to admit they had a huge influence on the paranormal community for a long time.

[Noemi Mastio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro interessantissimo per chi da sempre è appassionato di spiritismo e di storie di fantasmi. Peccato che nella versione italiana ci sia un errore non da poco. Comunque sono contenta di averlo letto, terminato in una sera🙂

[Giovanni Pepa · Rating 3 out of 5]

un'infarinata leggera della tradizione dei fantasmi in (quasi) tutte le culture e le arti, dall'antica roma a resident evil. il libro è superficiale ma interessante, scorrevole e pieno di immagini, non pretende di essere più di ciò che è: un collettore di storielle da approfondire

[Adelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good overview that was extremely accessible. Mortan has a great voice through out this book that kept you engaged and the sheer number of references to ghosts throughout the last 500 years was amazing. I definitely got down some ghost media I'll be checking out thanks to this one.

[Mason Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and easy to read! I just wish things were separated a bit better sometimes paragraphs will end and another will start in the same section that is completely different from the last but otherwise I really enjoyed it!

[Ilaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un saggio super interessante per coloro che sono interessati al tema. Ripercorre la storia del rapporto dell'umanità con i fantasmi in ogni parte del mondo, fino ad arrivare ai nostri giorni e agli approcci più (para)scientifici.

[Emily Purcell · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average folkloric exploration of ghosts. Interesting but no chills.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read

[Elford Alley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written and detailed look at the history of ghosts and how cultures around the world view/fear/celebrate them. Fantastic read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick easy read. A potted history of ghosts across time and space. How much was author's opinion and how much was actual research was never clear. Fewer stories with more detail would have been a better approach as everything felt skimmed and a bit haphazard.

[Chris Lund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read, although not entirely what I was expecting it to be. Lots of "quick hits" and in many parts read more like a series of short ghost stories from around the world rather than any sort of analytical overview. I wouldn't suggest this if you're looking for a comprehensive history of ghosts in our culture, but if you're interested in a diverse sampling of stories from across a wide range of times and places, then this isn't a bad way to scratch that itch.

[Paul Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief run through of ghosts through the ages (and across several continents…), which makes for an entertaining although somewhat unrevealing alternate history. Some further insights into victorian spiritualism and a longer time dwelling on specific hauntings, such as the Borley Rectory, would have made for a more interesting read.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough. Really leaned on historical origins of the concept of ghosts, alternating mostly between continents, but it wasn't more than a superficial look at some well-known traditions, and ended up feeling inessential.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty dry study of the topic of history and ghosts, but that's not a bad thing. I just wish there was more material in the book.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very dry compendium of any mention of ghosts in history and culture - really nothing new or interesting.

[Mills College Library]

133.109 M8899 2015

[Travis Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of the history of ghost with a great reading list if you want to research the subject further