Ghosts

by Ronald C. Finucane

Throughout history, people have reported seeing "ghosts." But a Victorian ghost is in many respects a very different phenomenon from a ghost in Classical Greece, or in medieval Europe. Finucane surveys reports of ghosts from ancient Greece, the early Christian era, the Reformation, the Victorian age, and through the twentieth century. He asks such questions as: How have the physical aspects claimed for ghosts varied from age to age? What differences...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573920681
• ISBN13: 9781573920681
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Very Thorough Accounting of Cultural Phenomenae

This is perhaps the most exhaustive, scholarly account of ghosts yet written. In a meticulous (yet somewhat dry) style, Finucane makes a strong argument that ghosts - as we know them - are psychological and cultural expressions, much like our art. Finucane does not try to "debunk" the existence of ghosts; rather, he gives lucid examples of how apparitions (and our perceptions of them) have evolved as mankind has evolved.Though his writing is a bit stodgy, Finucane's book is nevertheless compelling reading for anyone with a more-than-passing interest in ghosts and other cultural phenmenon. Well worth the read.