The Haunted: A Social History of Ghosts

The Haunted is the first exhaustive cultural history of ghosts in England, also exploring the subject in Europe and America. Rather than merely a catalogue of famous hauntings, this book focuses on the changing perception of and interaction with ghosts at different social levels from the medieval period to the present. Ghosts help us understand some surprising continuities and changes in society over time; belief in them has been manipulated for political and religious purposes, generated social panics and scandals, been a perennial source of literary inspiration and learned investigation. This book explores the ideas that, for all the intellectual and scientific advances of the last five centuries, the belief in ghosts continues to be vibrant and socially relevant today, and that an understanding of the history of ghosts helps explain why we continue to feel haunted by the people of the past.

Table of Contents:
Introduction PART I: EXPERIENCE Manifestation Geography of Haunting Seeking Ghosts PART II: EXPLANATION Debating Ghosts All in the Mind PART III: REPRESENTATION Imitating the Dead Projecting Ghosts Treading the Boards and Under the Covers The Future for Ghosts

About the Author :
OWEN DAVIES is Professor of Social History at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. He has appeared as an authority on witchcraft and magic on television and is author of numerous articles and books including Grimoires: A History of Magic Books, Witchcraft, Magic and Culture 1736-1951, A People Bewitched: Witchcraft and Magic in Nineteenth-Century Somerset and Cunning-Folk: Popular Magic in English History.

Review :
'A treasure trove of information and insight.' - Beyond Magazine '...this is exactly what the world needs: a fresh, original and thorough analysis of the torrent of ghost stories that have been with us since probably the beginnings of language...As the book is both informative and enlightening, I've no hesitation in recommending it.' - Bob Rickard, Fortean Times 'A provocative and splendidly, comprehensively researched book.' - Laurie Taylor, Thinking Allowed, BBC Radio 4 'In his exhaustive, intelligent and impeccably researched new book, Owen Davies entertainingly delineates the sheer scope of the phenomenon - from medieval superstition to nineteenth-century spiritualism to the present-day abundance of psychics who haunt the murkier channels of digital television.' - Jon Barnes, Times Literary Supplement 'What is a ghost? Owen Davies suggests that no single definition can cover revenants, angels, devils, fairies, will-o'-the-wisps, or demonic cadavers. The context in which ghosts appear is influenced by contemporary philosophy, religion and science. So, the Reformation in England eradicated the worship of saints and reduced the relevance of angels, leaving ghosts 'the sole manifest representatives of the afterlife for most Anglicans'. Davies is no debunker: with the best rational will in this world (and in the next) he considers the phenomena from the Dark Ages to our own New Age.' - Iain Finlayson, The Times 'An admirable achievement.' - Peter Marshall, University of Warwick, UK 'A fascinating and authoritative cultural history, packed with illuminating stories.' - Malcolm Gaskill, University of East Anglia, UK 'Owen Davies has produced the most comprehensive, lively and perceptive cultural history of English ghosts ever written.' - Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol, UK 'I commend it as one of the best books I have read on the subject' - Peter Maxwell-Stuart, University of St Andrews 'This is a well-written and researched book that gives an interesting overview of the common beliefs about ghosts from the Middle Ages to the 18th century...Recommended.' - The Cauldron 'Davies packs his book with a wealth of detail and constantly referes to contemporary documents, but the wider scope makes for a more interesting read, with the reader able to follow various strands down through the years.' - Peter Tennant, Black Static No. 4 'Over the last few years scholars in the humanities have begun to take historical narratives featuring ghosts seriously and Davies makes a significant contribution to the emerging debates on the subject. In summing up the book I cannot better the view of P.G. Maxwell-Stuart given on the back of the dust jacket, "intelligent, fascinating and very readable.' - John Newton, Journal of the Society for Psychical Research