Scottish Ghosts

by Lily Seafield

Scotland's folklore is rich and varied, with stories passed from generation to generation. This vibrant story-telling tradition is captured in Scottish Ghosts with tales of spectres of past and present from all over Scotland, sometimes in the most unlikely of settings. Fairies, white ladies, tortured souls, poltergeists, malevolent phantoms, hideous creatures--Scotland has them all, ready for those who are willing to hear them, see them or sense their presence. There are tales of sightings that convinced the most sceptical of unbelievers. Whether they are the products of over-fertile imaginations, the desire to keep the memory of a colorful character alive, the simple wish to spin a good yarn by the fireside or whether they are actual sightings is left for you to decide.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Paranormal, Ghosts, History, Scotland, Historical

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

It not only covers the Ghost stories of the country but a lot of local history of some of the towns and villages. Very good read.

[Terri Stokes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short writings about different places and spectres through Scottish history, detailing the going ons and the suspected people behind the hauntings, of who they could've been and why they are haunting that location.
In truth, Lily Seafield created a book which is easy on the information being thrown at you on each page, using simple terminology that doesn't confuse you at all when talking about the different dates that is mentioned throughout the book.

This is the second time that I've read this book now, and I found myself enjoying it even more the second time around, which just proves that sometimes you need to re-read a book to fully enjoy its information.

[Natasza Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghost stories have always been fascinating to me, so when I stumbled across this book in a small shop in Edinburgh, I couldn’t wait to read it.

This particular title features a few compelling tales, especially about haunted Scottish castles and homes. However, some of them are extremely short - only a sentence or two. This made me feel like the book is unfinished and lacks more research.

Overall it was an interesting read, however I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who knows more on this topic. Just a casual read for a casual ghost enthusiast.

[Jess d'Artagnan · Rating 2 out of 5]

10/10/2020: This was ok. Just some basic fireside ghost stories. Nothing spectacular.

[Alison C · Rating 1 out of 5]

One thing I like to do when traveling is to pick up books of local ghost stories; it helps to give a sense of the place much in the same way that going on ghost walking tours does. The quality of the work can vary, though, as is the case with this book. First, there are no photos of places described as “haunted,” a must for tourists to get an idea of the place. Second, the author seems confused about dates sometimes, as in talking about a castle in the 15th Century and then referring to an inhabitant of said castle during the 15th Century who died in 1545! At one point, she even gives the date of the Battle of Culloden as 1746, when it occurred in 1745 as any historian of British history will tell you (to be fair, she correctly cites 1745 in other sections of the book). Also, stories are told in a sentence or two with no context, just added on to a previous paragraph with no apparent connection. In other words, give this one a miss if you want to read about Scottish ghosts; a disappointment.

[Petra Kamlachová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Úžasná knížka. Příběhy řazené do tematických kapitol. Krásně psané, srozumitelné, napínavé. Některé příběhy (hlavně co se týče Edinburghu) jsem znala už z dřívějška z jiné knihy. Zaujalo mě, na kolika místech, která jsem ve Skotsku navštívila, straší (ačkoli jsem tam bohužel žádného ducha nepotkala). A kromě nadpřirozených příběhů je knížka i úžasným exkurzem do historie daných rodů a míst. Vřele doporučuji.

[Shahrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I have read this book before. I did quite enjoy it. It was easy to read and contained some very interesting stories.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite throughly researches. Some of it was interesting, it’s useful as a reference book.

[Shanna Swenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was full of Scottish local haunts and stories of ghosts in various cities and towns, castles, and much more. A good collection, enjoyable read.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and thought-provoking study on the topic of Scotland's highly active paranormal folklore. The stories and ghosts have all been reported and some of the passages make you wonder if ghosts are real - surely they can't just be all weird coincidences - ? Seafield's humorous and obviously well researched stories are surprisingly enjoyable. Never did I think my country had such a extensive paranormal catalog. I'm not a real big believer in myths and ghosts and all that, but this has left me to ponder...

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein Buch, das ich vor mehr als 10 Jahren in Schottland (wenn mich nicht alles täuscht sogar in der Touristenfalle Loch Ness) gekauft habe. Seit dem lag es zusammen mit einem weiteren ungelesen ganz unten im SuB. Die Stories in dem Buch waren teilweise ganz gut. Insgesamt allerdings alles viel zu oberflächlich. Trotzdem ist die Sehnsucht nach Schottland wieder so stark wie nie. Der Plan wieder dorthin zu fliegen steht jedenfalls für 2017.

[Matt Beal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories

[Amanda R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Dayhana Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

ghosts books are awesome