SOLVED. "True" Ghost story collection [s]

[Rebecca]

So, I think I have like 75% of the info. Just need the remaining 25%!

I read this late 80's but it was already a little older at that time, so looking at publish date of 60's-70's.

The title is something like Strange/weird/bizarre/unusual and "but true"...Teen/adult reading level.

It's a collection of "true" ghost stories. The very first one is about a sailor who has the figurehead of his ship carved to loook like his bride-to-be. Everyone tells him it's bad luck, but he does it anyway. He goes off to travel, and during a storm, a rope gets wrapped around the figurehead's neck. He comes home and finds out his fiancée is dead, she accidentally hung herself while trying on her veil.


The cover looks almost exactly like this (little pictures and story previews), but the title is wrong. I tried looking at this author's other books, but the titles/covers aren't right. Mine has a pink background with a brown trim.

[Kris]

Rebecca, about how many ghost stories are in this book?
Is this fiction or non-fiction?

Have you tried the advanced search on www.worldcat.org ?

Title: true | Subject: ghosts | 1950-1995? | Non-fiction? | Book | English

For example:
- 13 Ghosts: Strange But True Ghost Stories (1988) by Will Osborne?
- World's Weirdest "True" Ghost Stories (1991) by John Beckett?
- World's Best True Ghost Stories (1989) by C.B. Colby?

[Rebecca]

There's no number in the title. I don't remember how many stories there were, but each one was about 2-3 pages, and the book was about 150 pages. It advertised itself as being true stories.

It's definitely not the first one, and the covers for the other two aren't right.

[Rebecca]

So; it looks like CB Colby may has written other books.

I can see that the strangled figurehead story is in World's Best True Ghost Stories; but that is for sure not the right book (wrong title and cover).

I searched their other books; and it’s possibly this:
Weirdest People in the World

Again; the cover is totally wrong; but Goodreads says there's another one (which they don't have a picture of); but a Google search shows the correct style I’m looking for.

Without a list of stories though; I can't confirm it's correct. But we're getting close!

[Kris]

Here are more cover images for Weirdest People in the World by C.B. Colby:

- https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.c...
- https://pictures.abebooks.com/BOOKSFR...

[Rebecca]

The red one definitely matches the style I remember; so it's "probably" it. Without a list of contents, I can't be sure.

[Kris]

Here's the text on the red cover of Weirdest People in the World (from www.librarything.com):

- "He walked down a country land - and straight into another century."
- "Safe in her parlor, she suddenly turned into devouring flames."
- "From a watery grave this woman rose to claim her child."
- "The boy who vanished - pulled up into the sky."

[``Laurie]

Into the Strange. by Warren Smith also wrote this type of book in the 70's.

True Ghost Stories

Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places

[Rebecca]

The cover to Into The Strange is the style I'm looking for; but that's not it. It looks interesting though!!

I really think it might be Weirdest People in The World (listed in another comment)...they have a used copy on Amazon for cheap, so I'm gonna buy it to see.

Thank you!

[Rebecca]

Looking at the suggestions above; and the covers that are close to what I remember; I am sure that the book was published by Popular Library; and sometime around 1965-1970.

[Rebecca]

My Amazon order came today. I can confirm it's Weirdest People in the World. Thanks, everyone!

Different cover than this: