All About Ghosts

The World of the Unknown

by Christopher Maynard, Reece Shearsmith (Foreword)

First published in 1977, this cult classic has been reissued for a new generation of ghost-hunters. This book is for anyone who has shivered at shadowy figures in the dark, heard strange sounds in the night or felt the presence of a mysterious 'something' from the unknown. Ghost stories are as old as recorded history and exist all over the world; described in this book are haunting spirits, screaming skulls, phantom ships, demon dogs, white ladies, gallows ghosts and many more.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you were a child of the 70s and had even the remotest interest in the supernatural then chances are good that you owned Usborne's THE WORLD OF THE UNKNOWN: ALL ABOUT GHOSTS. A superb pictorial journey through ghosts and their ways - the fakes and the mysteries - lavishly illustrated with full colour artwork and a handful of black and white "ghost photos".

And here it is again. Republished by Usborne in 2019 and virtually identical to the original. We now have a nice foreword by Reece Shearsmith on the inside front cover, quotes from celebrity fans on the inside back cover, and revised blurb. But the book is the same as it always was - now with a much nicer semi-gloss paper quality which really make the illustrations pop. Buy this book - especially if you have childen interested in the weird and the strange.

I still own my original copy (peeking out in the photo) but I had to get the new edition so I own a pristine copy. There were two other legendary books in the series: MONSTERS and UFOs. Both were just as fascinating and enjoyable as GHOSTS, and also long out of print. Here's hoping that Usborne republish those too!

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was obsessed with this book when I was a kid. I used to get it out of the library all the time and read it cover to cover, feeding a fascination with the supernatural formed from listening to my parents trading ghost stories over drinks with their other Irish friends. So I decided to try and hunt down a copy on ebay, and drowned under a wave of nostalgia when it arrived and I realised just how much of it I had remembered.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! This cover! I'm pretty sure I had this in grade school.

[Pamela (Here to Read Books and Chew Gum) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, there's very little not to love about Usborne's The World of the Unknown Series. All About Ghosts was one of my favourite books when I was a kid. I think I almost permanently had it on loan from the library (sorry fellow children of Elwood!) and would devour it under my blankets with a torch.

When a Change.org petition started to have this out of print gem re-issued, I was among the first signatures. And the second the re-release was announced, I was one of the first to pre-order. It's shorter than I remember, but isn't that always how childhood memories go?

I think what I love about this the most (despite the pleasant nostalgia that comes with it) is the fact that it's neither full-believing nor completely sceptical. It simply gives an overview of the different types of ghosts that a child might hear stories about, their origins, and where they might be found. It's incredibly matter-of-fact and doesn't pass any judgement as to the veracity of ghostly claims. Because of that, it appeals both to the sceptics among us, and the true believers. There's something in here for everyone!

There's not a lot of depth - it is a children's reference book, after all - but it gives enough information for a decent snapshot, and encourages readers to learn more. It even provides a handy little reference list.

I am certainly not disappointed by my purchase of this re-issue. It's nice to have my own copy of it now, and who knows, maybe one day my children will derive the same, chilling joy from All About Ghosts as I did as a child.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for trainee paranormalists.

[forolibro · Rating 5 out of 5]

– GUSTARÁ:
A todos aquellos a los que la nostalgia les ata con fuerza a sus recuerdos. También será para deleite de todos los amantes de lo oculto de todas las edades. FANTASMAS habla al niño explorador y buscador de respuestas, pero también al adulto con ganas de seguir aprendiendo y que se plantea preguntas alejadas del circuito racionalista establecido.

– NO GUSTARÁ:
Al público que solo transita por los caminos previsibles de la realidad y, en particular, a los detractores de todo lo que huela al doctor Fernando Jiménez del Oso, Javier Sierra, Iker Jiménez, J.J. Benítez…

– LA FRASE:
«La creencia en los fantasmas es tan antigua como la historia. En la Edad de Piedra los humanos enterraban a sus muertos de una manera que sugiere que creían en los espíritus; se han encontrado esqueletos apresados con piedras o con las manos y pies atados. Quizás era una manera evitar que el fantasma del muerto se levantara y empezara a deambular».

– RESEÑA:
Hubo una época en la que el contenido literario, televisivo y cinematográfico para niños y jóvenes fue pura magia. Tras la Dictadura, la censura, que ya llevaba algunos años de capa caída, se disipó del todo. El efecto fue inmediato. En el apartado infantil y juvenil comenzaron a publicarse una serie de interesantísimas obras de ficción con tintes pedagógicos y educativos. Llegó la editorial Plesa y nos brindó en bandeja de plata lo mejor que se le puede ofrecer a un chaval: ficción, exploración, misterio, prehistoria, naturaleza, tecnología, ciencia… Fueron los años 80 una década de descubrimiento en todos los apartados artísticos. Una etapa en la que la corrección política e ideológica aún no había contaminado todos los estratos de la sociedad y a los niños se les trataba con el respecto que se merecen. No había padres «helicóptero» ni parques infantiles de PVC y suelos acolchados. Los niños se abrían la cabeza con la lógica de su edad y, tras el llanto, volvían a la batalla con un bocata de pan con chocolate.

Los contenidos espoleaban a los chavales a descubrir un mundo virgen. Convivían las versiones edulcoradas de Disney con las originales de los cuentos clásicos mucho más cruentas (hoy en día solo quedan las primeras y hay que bucear en una librería infantil para encontrar las segundas). A los niños se les dotaba de estatus de madurez en casi todos los contenidos (Véase La bola de cristal o Planeta imaginario). Ahora la mayoría de productos viene de serie, mascado y con instrucciones de uso y disfrute. No queda serie televisiva que no lleve algún aviso genérico de contenido inadecuado (antes con solo dos rombos se solucionaba el asunto). Mientras fumar está feo o directamente se elimina de las nuevas series (te escapaste por los pelos Thomas Shelby) no hay problema en que las cabezas se hagan pulpa (¿verdad, The boys?). Hipocresía al servicio de coartar el libre pensamiento y la creatividad de los futuros votantes. Todo sucede mientras que en lo que antes era «la hora de la merienda» se instalan programas de desfile de fulanos y fulanas apestando a cerrado y a analfabetismo.

Pero en toda dictadura cultural siempre hay un espacio para la resistencia y creemos que Diábolo cómics pertenece a esta. Con un contenido que va desde la fantasía, al terror, pasando por la nostalgia y el material descatalogado que recuperan y al que le dan una segunda vida, se están haciendo acreedores de que un amplio plantel de seguidores confíe en esta editorial nacida en 2006 y que ya fue galardonada en los Premios Diario de Aviso 2008. FANTASMAS es un buen ejemplo de ello.

Toda una generación crecimos con estas guías que mezclan de una manera endiabladamente eficaz la realidad con la ficción. Su tono científico y solemne en la explicación de los distintos fenómenos fantásticos, pero unido a toda una imaginera adaptada a los sueños de la chavalada se consiguió alzar como un fenómeno de masas. Ahora Diábolo Ediciones recupera estos vestigios de un pasado soñador y se lo presenta a las nuevas generaciones para que puedan comprobar que la mirada al abismo de lo oculto y de la fantasía nunca pasa de moda. Una edición en tapa dura para que el paso del tiempo la pueda respetar, al menos, hasta el siglo XXII y unas ilustraciones a todo color soportadas en un papel de calidad hacen de esta obra un imprescindible para veteranos y noveles que se quieran adentrar en los misterios de este mundo y en el más allá…

[Claire Kibble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had most of the originals of these books when I was a kid, so when I saw that they had been reissued I had to get the ghost one as it was my favourite.

I used to use these to help inspire story writing and they definitely could still have the same effect now. It's so nostalgic and although some stuff is out of date (like things that weren't proven to have a mundane explanation then having one now) it is still so much fun looking at the different stories and reasons people think there are ghosts or hauntings.

I also cannot wait to share this book with my oldest nephew to see what he makes of it!

Absolutely brilliant. I'm going to buy the rest of the reissues!

[Starry Night · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember always checking this book out from my elementary school library

[The Smoog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although somewhat dated, a beautiful presentation and some truly charming artwork make this book a delightful trip down memory lane. I can say with a fair degree of certainty that this won’t be the last time it read this book!

[Matthew King · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mainstay of my childhood, All About Ghosts is a fantastic book, filled with creepy illustrations and stories of the facts and fancies of ghosts and ghost hunting.
This new edition has a foreword from Reese Shearsmith, a fellow ghost fan. Good for spook loving kids or adults who remember reading it the first time around. My favourite part by far is the section on ghost hunting through the ages.
Brings back many happy memories of late night reading by candlelight.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit that when I first heard that this book was going through a re-print I thought it was a joke. Do not get me wrong I remember this book and the series it came from (very fondly and with just a little awe as when I first read it - it scare the hell out of me and my brother).

So when I saw that no it was not a wind up and that in fact it was a reissue promoted and supported by one of its greatest fans I had to have a copy to add to my library since I am sure that originals have long since fallen apart.

Well on the whole I can say I was not disappointed although I do not remember it being that thin on pages. Do not get me wrong it was all there, well at least that which I could remember we are talking the late 70s.

I guess paper quality and thickness has changed over the years but the content was still as fun and ever so tongue in cheek as I remember it. Yes when you were 10 these things can really catch your imagination but now - now I think it was more for the thrills and wry smiles but like the new introduction says you cannot dismiss the impact it made on a generation of readers.

The question is - will we see the other books in the series get the same treatment.

[Willow Redd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a handy beginner's guide to ghosts and spirits that I found at the local library sale a while ago. I wasn't sure on the value of the information, but knew it would either be a nice addition to my own paranormal shelf or to my Little Free Library, especially with Halloween approaching.

There is some really good information in this book. It's well researched and combined with pictures and illustrations that really help the topics being discussed. Starting with what a ghost is, Maynard also goes into the history of ghost stories, a few haunted locations and well known hauntings, and even the basics of researching claims with basic ghost hunting techniques (the book was originally written in 1977 and updated in 1991, so the equipment mentioned isn't recent, but it is still viable, especially for a beginner that can't necessarily afford fancy meters and digital readers).

All in all, a handy little book and a worthy addition to my paranormal shelf.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Objectively this is absolute bobbins but I felt so much joy poring over all the images that utterly haunted and thrilled me as a child.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fixture of libraries in the UK in the late 1970's and 1980's and I suspect many readers who were children in this time will remember how captivating, enthralling and genuinely creepy this book was.

I was certainly one of those kids and it's notable that as soon as I saw this book had been reissued I was instantly taken back to the illustrations in the book, my memory scarred for over thirty years by the images within.

The book is PERFECT for children's imaginations - I'd say ages 8-12 are just right for this. My eight year old is a really good reader for her age and I think she'd be fine (but terrified). I did buy this as a Christmas gift for my eleven year old but it's notable that I spent an hour with it this morning reliving my own childhood terrors!

It's a short book (31 pages) and covers 'what is a ghost' then jumps into different types of ghosts (things like haunted houses, ghost animals, ghosts from non-Western cultures). The book then has a couple of sections on investigating ghosts and spotting fake ghosts.

It is the illustrations that make the book though - each of them are lurid, and captured in a 1970's pallette of oranges, browns and yellows with some great drawings of sinister and threatening ghosts. They are at just the right level to capture a child's imagination - I loved them!

The foreword is by Reece Shearsmith and I wonder if this reissue is aimed more at people like me revisiting childhood. I showed a page to my eight year old and she seemed far more rational about phenomena than I was at that age (or now...). I do hope my youngsters enjoy it though and it gets them like it got me.

A minor point is that when writing about ghosts outside the UK some of the language reflects the standards of the time (this was originally published in 1977). There are a few references along the lines of 'North American tribes' and similar. non-Western cultures wouldn't be referred to in the same way (hopefully) in children's fiction today.

That said, I had a lot of fun re-engaging with a classic from my youth and I hope my kids love it too.

[Perky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book doesn't need my awesome review, because it already has a cult following. In fact, it was brought back from being out of print! I recently purchased a copy, not knowing it was a reprint (the library edition I read as a child was, in fact, hardcover). I recommend that you purchase the hardcover, if you can! This is one of those books that you can dip in and out of- you don't need to read it cover to cover. The illustrations, photographs, and the fact that there's SO MUCH in here is a selling point. I took the book out of my school library as an eight year old, and I still remember the day that I read it- it was a grey, windy, autumn day, which was perfect for this selection. Not to mention my parents had the television on and those creepy Time-Life "Master of the Pan-flute" commercials kept coming on, which made the perfect background music. One book that has Gef the talking Mongoose, Lincoln's ghost train, ghosts of the living, and a three meter tall phantom monk? Amazing. (I may have had the American edition, where the ghost was estimated to be around ten feet tall). That photograph really got to me, as there was no evidence that it had been faked.

[Germán · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probablemente uno de los libros que más me obsesionó y releí de niño en su versión ochentera de Plesa. Objetivamente, desde un punto de vista adulto no llega al 5/5, pero como libro para niños que es (por más que en alguna gran superficie lo haya visto junto a los libros de esoterismo, en vez de junto a los de niños) es casi un 6/5: hace volar su imaginación hasta límites insospechados, no los trata como idiotas y, algo que me ha llamado mucho la atención y relacionado con el punto anterior, no se limita a contar historietas o te dice que tales cosas existen, sino que o bien expone cómo algunos casos son falsos, o bien lo deja en "no se ha podido explicar". Reedición de una auténtica joya que deja en muy mal lugar a cualquier material actual.

[Eddie York · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing about writing haunted house stories is having an excuse to buy books like this.
A mainstay of my childhood, All About Ghosts is a fantastic book, filled with creepy illustrations and stories of the facts and fancies of ghosts and ghost hunting.
This new edition has a foreword from Reese Shearsmith, a fellow ghost fan. Good for spook loving kids or adults who remember reading it the first time around. My favourite part by far is the section on ghost hunting through the ages.
Brings back many happy memories of late night reading by candlelight.

[Mark Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have then( and indeed now) for lovers of all that is creepy in that particular 70s way.
This and I think the other one was The Hamlyn Book Of Ghosts really made an impression on me.The art work in the book is deliciously spooky and set my mind racing as a kid( especially the hooded spectre on the front), the different aspects of ghosts are tackled in an enlightening and entertaining way throughout the book.
The re print I purchased in 2019 has a lovely foreword by Reece Shearsmith and is well worth buying if you didn't keep yours from back in the day.

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a bit of a cult following. I hadn’t read it as a child, myself, but my fiancé did and when he found out it had been reissued, he bought a copy. We even listened to a podcast about the book, which included an interview with one of the artists who worked on it.
Originally published in the 70s. Apart from a new introduction for the reissue, the rest appears to be the original content. Yes, some of it is very dated, but that would appeal to adult readers who seek a bit of nostalgia.

[Michael John Paul McManus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can recall when this book originally came out and was aimed at children. Now it's available once more, and one of my sisters posted it to me as she knew I might be interested in reading it. As a paranormal investigator for nearly thirty years now I found it quite dated in some sections hence only a four star rating. Maybe Usbourne could update it with extra pages focussing on more up to date hauntings. Still, good fun to read.

[Dittar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like most children of my generation this book fascinated me when I was growing up. Rereading it now it still has all the charm and ability to instill fear that it did back then. Usborne published some wonderful books in this period and I hope they reissue more. I would love to read their Guide to Being a Detective and their Guide to Being a Spy again.

[Rosy (SparklesBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is extremely short, it is the perfect level for children and young teens that are into the supernatural, recent republished to mark the anniversary of the original, you can now pick this up in paperback but with the vintage illustrations still in tact. I bought this for my eldest child and she really enjoyed it.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had all three of these books in my youth, being Monsters, UFOs and of course Ghosts. This was my favourite, inappropriate as children's book now but it was just the best. It is 32 pages of letting your imagination run wild, as you explore everything that is scary and makes you question is it real or nor.
Great trip down memory lane and the drawings are just wonderful.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many, many years ago and remembered loving it. After a re-read, I am happy to say that I enjoyed it just as much this time. The information is nicely balanced and not sensationalised. I liked the wide range of information, the history of ghosts, different kinds, the cultural variations, fakes and frauds etc. I still liked the pictures, although slightly dated, and overall this was still a really good book on ghosts for children.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benchmark non-fiction book on ghosts: what is a ghost, different types, where ghosts gather, phantom hounds, the haunted house (what an excellent description here with all the haunted points), ghosts around the world, ghost hunting, ghost stories explained, clever fakes, sense or nonsense... so many fascinating illustrations and photos inside. Highly recommended classic!

[Kerry Setterfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to borrow this book a lot from my local library when I was a child so reading the new imprint was very nostalgic for me. Still interesting but now very dated, although it did give me the heebie jeebies still!

[Martin Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the World of the Unknown book I remembered the least about. I thought that might mean it wasn't that great, but I think it's because the art is so spooky that young me couldn't read it very often.

[Selene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgia at its best!

[Ned Netherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more can I say about this child-disturbing classic?

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as I remember from my childhood. A great guide to ghosts and all things spooky.

So glad Usborne have finally reprinted this