On the Track of the Poltergeist

by D. Scott Rogo and Scott Rogo

Book Overview

There is no mystery greater than that posed by the poltergeist. The "noisy ghosts" of legend and folklore represent some of the most complex phenomena known to-but generally ignored by-science.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0136344372
• ISBN13: 9780136344377
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Fireside Books
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Surprised I'm the first review!

Very surprised I'm the first review! This book is actually a reprint of a 1986 book by parapsychologist Rogo by a low budget publisher (hence the lame cover art), and is definitely worth a read for anyone looking for a serious analysis of the subject matter. I've been reading a number of books recently on the paranormal and supernatural for a project I'm working on, and I should clarify my interests. First, I'm only interested in well-researched cases, as opposed to historical folklore about, say, a house that's said to have been haunted for hundreds of years by a former owner. I'm also interested in a scientific bent to the writing, as opposed to the spiritual. Rather than starting from a top down approach (there are ghosts!) I prefer to work my way up (strange disturbances...what could they be?). I'm surprised there aren't more reviews of Rogo's book. I would recommend it as a serious look by a parapsychologist working in the field about 20 years ago. It actually acts as a great companion to a book I coincidentally happened to read before, The Poltergeist by William G. Roll. Written in the 1970s, I would highly recommend tracking down a used copy of this out of print book, as Rogo learned from Roll, and you can get an excellent feeling of what changed in the 16 years between both books. Both Roll and Rogo prescribe to the belief that poltergeist activity stems from repressed psychological energy manifesting itself in the physical world. In other words, you're not going to find any spooks or specters in the pages of their books, but it's a very refreshing change for those that immediately jump at the idea of an invisible spirit being the culprit behind unexplained occurrences. I certainly don't rule out the possibility, but it seems as great a leap as early man thinking the sun is some sort of god to be worshiped. I would recommend picking up this book, especially if you're looking for a serious study of the subject matter. There are about 8 cases detailed, and you'll probably have opinions on the legitimacy of each (one of the disappointing things about these cases is that, because of the cost of video cameras at the time, they went very undocumented by anything other than words). But they'll all make you wonder.