Dangerous Ghosts

by Daniel Cohen

A collection of particularly scary ghost stories follows the adventures of people who have been harmed by ghosts, from a headless woman and a cannibalized sailor in bloodstained bandages to a spirit dog that bites.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Nonfiction, Ghosts

85 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Daniel Edward Cohen was born on March 12, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois. His parents divorced when he was very young and his mother, Sue Greenberg, married Milton Cohen, a veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Daniel Cohen attended Chicago public schools and was a "hanger-on" in the bohemian community around the University of Chicago while in high school in the early 1950s. He attended the University of Illinois at Chicago where he abandoned an interest in biology for journalism. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in journalism in 1958. Cohen married Susan Handler, a writer, on February 2, 1958. He briefly worked as a proofreader for Time, Inc. in Chicago; but, demoralized by the paternalistic organizational culture, he took a job as assistant editor of Science Digest magazine in 1959. He was transferred to New York City shortly after being hired.

In addition to his editorial work, Cohen wrote articles for Science Digest and for other publications. Encouraged by praise of his articles on paranormal subjects, Cohen published his first book, Myths of the Space Age, a collection of skeptical essays on paranormal creatures and phenomena, in 1967. The Cohens moved to a farmhouse in Forestburgh, New York, in 1969 so Daniel could write full time. He originally planned to write popular science books, but the demands of the market led him to concentrate on books about ghosts, monsters, UFOs, and psychic phenomena. Since then, Daniel Cohen has written on an astonishing variety of subjects beyond just the paranormal: historical and current biographies; advice for teenagers; world history; science and technology; animals and nature; urban legends; and popular television, music, film, and sports personalities. He has noted that he writes mass-market paperbacks for children who are reluctant to read and not especially gifted. Thus, he chooses subjects of interest to such readers.

Susan Cohen was born on March 27, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, to Martin and Ida (Goldman) Handler. She earned a B.A. degree from the New School for Social Research in 1960 and an M.S.W. degree from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, in 1962. She worked as a social worker in the mid-1960s before writing The Liberated Couple, a feminist tract, in 1971. She wrote eleven gothic romances and mysteries under the penname Elizabeth St. Clair between 1974 and 1981. Susan and Daniel Cohen began collaborating on books in 1982 to help alleviate Daniel's workload. They have written books primarily on popular entertainment, advice for teenagers, and animals. The Cohens currently live in Cape May Court House, New Jersey.

Reviews

[Stef · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Daniel Cohen's ghost story collections growing up and read this for nostalgic purposes. The stories in this definitely would've scared me as a kid. As an adult, I would've liked to see a bibliography or some kind of behind-the-scenes notes about the stories and to how true any of them were. The last story also gave me pause (or should I say "paws"?)-- was is it a joke story? I'm not sure it was told as effectively as it could've been.

[Paula Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for those who love ghost stories.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of a skeleton hand with only a ring on its finger to a headless woman and more are all found in this book. All the stories are based off true, legends, or folklore and they are quite fascinating.

The author, Daniel Cohen, admits in the beginning of the book that he is not a believer in ghosts. He knows many things about the paranormal, goes to conferences and other things, but as he explains, his rational mind just can't believe in ghosts.
I am a believer in the paranormal, with having many experiences since I was a kid, and usually skeptics annoy me. They annoy me because nothing can ever, ever be paranormal. Daniel Cohen, however, is quite different and this is the third book I have read by him. I enjoy his books because although he himself is not a believer, when he writes the stories he leaves his opinion out and leaves it up to you to decide whether you believe the story happened, or not.

Daniel Cohen may be non-believer in the paranormal, but he writes very good paranormal books that I recommend to anyone that likes reading ghost books.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seventeen reputedly true ghost stories. These stories are scary enough for young readers without being gory or likely to induce nightmares. The final story should be read last.