Appearances of the Dead: Cultural History of Ghosts

by Ronald C. Finucane

. 1982, bright clean copy, with dustjacket, neat name on endpaper, no other markings, light shelfwear to edges, Professional booksellers since 1981

1000 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Julicke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting study of reports and stories of ghosts through the ages. The idea of ghosts is so entrenched within our popular consciousness, that it's easy to overlook the fact that they have a history. They haven't always appeared as the translucent and mute spectres in haunted houses we know today from movies and ghost stories. This book explores how the way the dead were said to appear to the living reflected common ideas and fears of the time. I found the way they reinforced beliefs about purgatory in the middle ages particularly interesting.

That said, it is very eurocentric (which the author does acknowledge) as well as anglocentric in the later chapters (which he tends to gloss over). In an effort to identify trends, there is also a tendency to (over)generalize. Still, for anyone with a passing interest in the history of ghosts this is a useful resource.