Ghost, paranormal and folklore books
Books about ghosts, folklore, witchcraft, paranormal research, dark history and the unexplained across Britain and Ireland.
1,217 books found
Cover unavailablePoltergeist!: A Study in Destructive Haunting
Colin Wilson examines reported poltergeist activity through accounts of destructive hauntings, unexplained disturbances and alleged mind-over-matter effects. The book considers how such cases have been recorded, investigated and interpreted across different periods and places. Among…
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Cover unavailablePoltergeists
Poltergeists examines reported disturbances associated with raps, moving objects, destruction, assaults and other disruptive events. Alan Gauld and A. D. Cornell assemble case studies from the 16th to the late 20th century, including incidents attributed…
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Cover unavailablePopular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History
Owen Davies examines the role of cunning-folk in English history, presenting them as local practitioners consulted about everyday problems rather than as remote, scholarly magicians. Their reported services included finding lost objects, countering suspected spells,…
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Cover unavailablePortraits of Alien Encounters Revisited
Nigel Watson examines reported UFO encounters in the United Kingdom, drawing on decades of research and conversations with people who describe experiences that move beyond simple sightings. The accounts begin with lights in the sky…
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Cover unavailablePossessed By the Devil
Possessed By the Devil examines the Islandmagee witch trials in County Antrim in 1711, when eight women were accused of bewitching and demonically possessing Mary Dunbar. Her testimony helped drive a prosecution shaped by local…
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Cover unavailablePossession, Puritanism and Print
Marion Gibson examines the Elizabethan controversy surrounding John Darrell, a Puritan preacher accused in 1598 of conducting fraudulent exorcisms. The case sits within a wider study of reported demonic possession, religious authority and the printed…
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Cover unavailablePrehistoric Belief
Mike Williams examines how belief may have shaped human life across approximately 35,000 years of European prehistory. The book considers trance, shamanism, spirits and ideas about the afterlife, while relating them to major changes in…
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Cover unavailablePsychic Detectives
Psychic Detectives examines reported cases in which psychics became involved in criminal investigations, considering dreams, visions, telepathy, clairvoyance, psychometry and dowsing as claimed sources of information. The authors present more than 15 true-crime cases, ranging…
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Cover unavailableQueen Victoria's Other World
Peter Underwood examines Queen Victoria’s interest in death, spiritualism and the unseen, setting reported experiences against the circumstances of her life as princess, monarch and widow. The book considers youthful encounters with occult practices, her…
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Cover unavailableQueens of Ireland in Myth and Legend
Queens of Ireland in Myth and Legend presents Irish traditional narratives centred on queens and female figures of authority. Dáithí Ó hÓgáin gathers material from the island’s mythic and legendary heritage, where royal women may…
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Cover unavailableQueens of the Wild: Pagan Goddesses in Christian Europe
Queens of the Wild examines four goddess-like figures in European culture: Mother Earth, the Fairy Queen, the Mistress of the Night and the Cailleach, the powerful Old Woman of Gaelic tradition. Ronald Hutton follows their…
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Cover unavailableQueer Folk Tales
Queer Folk Tales presents 15 short stories in which LGBTQ+ characters take centre stage, occupying roles traditionally given to princes, heroines, rogues and monsters. Kevin Walker writes in a folk-tale tradition, reshaping familiar patterns while…
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Cover unavailableReal Christmas Ghost Stories
This short collection revisits historical ghost stories connected with Christmas. Wayland follows archival reports of haunted houses, apparitions and unsettling seasonal encounters, including accounts associated with Calverley Old Hall and East Barnet. The selection reflects…
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Cover unavailableRediscovering Renaissance Witchcraft
Rediscovering Renaissance Witchcraft examines how accounts of Renaissance witchcraft entered literature and continued to shape later ideas about witches. Marion Gibson considers the North Berwick trials, Matthew Hopkins and the literary treatment of witchcraft in…
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Cover unavailableRevealing King Arthur
Christopher Gidlow examines what archaeology, early documents and the landscape of post-Roman Britain can contribute to the question of King Arthur’s historical identity. The investigation considers Tintagel, the so-called Arthur Stone, Dumnonia and proposed locations…
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Cover unavailableRevelations of a Spirit Medium
Revelations of a Spirit Medium presents an anonymous former medium’s account of how séance phenomena could be produced through trickery. The text discusses escapes from ropes, sacks and cabinets, alongside methods associated with spirit hands…
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Cover unavailableRitual 'Litter' Redressed
Ritual 'Litter' Redressed examines ritual deposition in the contemporary West, where objects are placed in particular settings as part of personal, communal or symbolic practices. Ceri Houlbrook considers roadside memorials, love-lock bridges, wishing fountains and…
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Cover unavailableRiver Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland
River Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland gathers traditional stories associated with the rivers, lakes and streams of Britain and Ireland. Lisa Schneidau follows waterways from mountain sources towards estuaries and the sea, bringing together…
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Cover unavailableRobin Hood
Robin Hood examines the uncertain boundary between historical person, outlaw archetype and Greenwood myth. Fran Doel and Geoff Doel consider how the figure may have developed from traditions of a man who leaves ordinary society…
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Cover unavailableRoscommon Folk Tales
Roscommon Folk Tales gathers traditional stories from across County Roscommon, tying local legend to the landscape in which each account is set. Pat Watson includes tales connected with Queen Maeve, the warrior queen associated with…
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Cover unavailableRoyal Witches
Royal Witches examines the lives of Joan of Navarre, Eleanor Cobham, Jacquetta of Luxembourg and Elizabeth Woodville, four powerful women caught in the political struggles of medieval England. Their stories encompass royal marriage, dynastic rivalry,…
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Cover unavailableRudi Schneider: A Scientific Examination of his Mediumship
Harry Price’s account examines 26 experimental séances held in London during 1929–30 with the Austrian medium Rudi Schneider. The sessions were conducted through the National Laboratory of Psychical Research and used an electrical control installation…
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Cover unavailableSacred Waters: Holy Wells and Water Lore in Britain and Ireland
Sacred Waters examines the holy wells, springs and water customs of Britain and Ireland, bringing together folklore, traditional belief and the changing religious meanings attached to local water sources. Janet and Colin Bord consider how…
View book details →Scary Stories: A Supernatural Yearbook
Scary Stories: A Supernatural Yearbook is a 1991 collection of supernatural and paranormal material by Jenny Randles and Peter Hough. The title places it within the tradition of the yearbook: an accessible record of reported…
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Cover unavailableScience and the UFOs
Science and the UFOs examines UFO reports through the competing demands of evidence, investigation and scientific explanation. Jenny Randles and Peter Warrington begin with the subject’s history, considering claims about UFO evidence, official involvement, the…
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Cover unavailableScotland's Ghosts and Apparitions
Scotland's Ghosts and Apparitions brings together more than 100 tales associated with Scottish ghosts, apparitions and other reported mysteries. Terence W. Whitaker distinguishes between figures belonging to folklore, familiar through tradition but not necessarily witnessed,…
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Cover unavailableScotland's Stories
Scotland’s Stories gathers historic tales, folklore, myths and legends rooted in the country’s castles, lochs, glens, islands and battlefields. Arranged by region, it links familiar landscapes with the stories attached to them, from the kelpie…
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Cover unavailableScotsferatu
Scotsferatu examines the place of the vampire in Scottish culture, history and folklore, challenging the assumption that undead blood-drinkers belong mainly to continental Europe. Dee Lawlor traces Scottish traditions and reported encounters, including the Highland…
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Cover unavailableScottish Borders Folk Tales
Scottish Borders Folk Tales gathers traditional stories rooted in the region’s landscapes, history and storytelling culture. Among its characters are the Lochmaben Harper, Tam Linn and Thomas the Rhymer, alongside Muckle Mou’d Meg and Michael…
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Cover unavailableScottish Fairy Belief: A History
Scottish Fairy Belief: A History examines how fairies were understood in Scotland from the 15th to the 19th century, drawing on historical records, witch trials, ballads and literature. The authors consider fairy belief as part…
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Cover unavailableScottish Folk Tales for Children
Judy Paterson retells Scottish folk tales involving sea monsters, water-horses, talking animals, witches, giants, trolls and the Wee Folk. The collection includes ‘The Water Horse of Loch Garve’, ‘The Changeling of Kintalen’, ‘The Puddock’ and…
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Cover unavailableScottish Folk Tales of Coast and Sea
Tom Muir gathers 35 Scottish folk tales shaped by the sea, drawing on stories from coastal communities, lochs and islands. The collection includes selkies, mermaids, pirates and the Devil, alongside tales of shipwrecks, whirlpools and…
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Cover unavailableScottish Folk Tales of Love
Scottish Folk Tales of Love brings together 24 traditional stories shaped by love in its many forms, from devotion between partners to bonds between families, friends and communities. Tom Muir’s retellings move between Celtic myth…
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Cover unavailableScottish Ghost Stories
Scottish Ghost Stories gathers 16 reported cases linked to places across Scotland, from Pitlochry and Edinburgh to Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Glamis. Elliott O’Donnell presents accounts associated with houses, hotels, castles, roads and battlefields, preserving…
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Cover unavailableScottish Spectres
Scottish Spectres brings together more than 200 reported hauntings from across Scotland, ranging geographically from the Borders to Shetland. Dane Love gathers accounts of apparitions and other spectral encounters alongside descriptions of the places with…
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Cover unavailableScottish Urban Myths and Ancient Legends
Scottish Urban Myths and Ancient Legends gathers tales from across Scotland, bringing ancient traditions into conversation with more recent stories circulated through communities, schools, the internet and campfires. Grace Banks and Sheena Blackhall present folklore…
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Cover unavailableScream Queen: A Memoir
Yvette Fielding’s memoir combines her rise from child television presenter to one of Britain’s best-known paranormal broadcasters with accounts from a long career investigating reported hauntings. She recalls séances, Ouija boards, table tipping and unexplained…
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Cover unavailableSearch for Truth: My Life for Psychical Research
Search for Truth presents Harry Price’s autobiographical account of a career spent investigating mediumship, alleged hauntings and other psychical claims. He describes the experiences that drew him towards the subject, his work as a conjurer…
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Cover unavailableSecond Book of Irish Ghost Stories
Second Book of Irish Ghost Stories gathers reported hauntings collected by Patrick Byrne, including accounts linked to Ireland’s revolutionary past. The stories come from correspondence and testimony associated with his work on the Dublin Evening…
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Cover unavailableSecond Sight: Its History and Origins
Lewis Spence examines second sight as a reported faculty of pre-vision, tracing the term’s meaning and distinguishing it from dreams, divination and prophecy. His account places particular emphasis on Celtic traditions, the Scottish Highlands and…
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Cover unavailableSecret Black Country
Andrew Homer explores lesser-known episodes from the Black Country’s history, combining royal visits and industrial heritage with darker local stories. Accounts include the nineteenth-century robbery and murder associated with Fir Tree Hill and the death…
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Cover unavailableSecret Gateshead
Kirkup explores lesser-known stories from Gateshead's past, combining local history with crime, punishment and unusual events. Among its stranger episodes are the haunted reputation of Dead Man's Arch in Bensham and a reported attempted alien…
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Cover unavailableSeeing Myself: The New Science of Out-of-Body Experiences
Seeing Myself examines reported out-of-body experiences through Susan Blackmore’s personal history and a career spent investigating consciousness. She begins with an intense experience during her student years, then traces her search for explanations through spirituality,…
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Cover unavailableShadow of Pendle: A Collection of Short Stories and Verse
This anthology brings together new fiction and poetry inspired by the Pendle witches and their continuing place in Lancashire’s imagination. Edited by Barry McCann and David Saunderson, it approaches the subject through a range of…
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Cover unavailableShadows in the Nave
Shadows in the Nave presents reported hauntings associated with 75 churches, chapels and churchyards across England. The book considers the histories of these religious buildings alongside ghost stories and local traditions attached to them, bringing…
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Cover unavailableShadows in the Nave: A Guide to the Haunted Churches of England
Shadows in the Nave gathers reported hauntings from 75 English churches, chapels, churchyards and related ecclesiastical buildings. Adams, Brazil and Underwood arrange the entries by region and county, combining local history with accounts of apparitions,…
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Cover unavailableShadows in the Sky: The Haunted Airways of Britain
Shadows in the Sky gathers reported aerial mysteries from Britain, ranging from 18th-century lights and phantom airships to modern UFO encounters. Neil Arnold also considers ball lightning, unexplained sounds and accounts associated with pilots, airfields…
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Cover unavailableShadows of Evil
Shadows of Evil is a collection of reported hauntings and uncanny tales centred on trees, woods and the apparitions associated with them. Its subjects include Herne’s Oak, haunted ash trees, a haunted Christmas tree and…
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