World of the Unknown: Ghosts: 1

A decent reprint with a new foreword by one of the writers from BBC's League of Gentlemen. It gives a variety of ghostly tales and types from across the world. From Native American spirits to ghost ships upon the sea and a handy guide for anyone wishing to investigate the Paranormal. With assorted illustrations , full colour, what big or little kid won't be thrilled by this foray in legends and spookiness?

Discovering this book, which I read avidly as a child in the 90s, was like finding an old friend. Yes okay, it’s dated and a product of the 70s - but it’s captivating for primary school aged children. The layout is similar to comic book style, with easy to follow short chunks of texts and wonderful illustrations. Really great introduction to the idea of ghosts and ghost stories, great for the imagination and my 9 year old loves it like I did.

I remember finding this book in the children’s section of my local library back in the early 80s. I had already discovered my love for all things ghostly after buying “Haunted houses” by Aidan Chambers at my primary school book sale so this book seemed right up my street, and it was! The book that first introduced me to my all time favourite supposed real ghost photo- the Newby church monk (still love that one and it still gives me the spooks when I see it!) I purchased this reprint for my 10 year old nephew and he loves it! Some of the pages and info may be a little dated (cassette player as ghost hunting equipment as one example. Not sure children of today would know what that is to be honest) but on the whole it holds up really well considering it was first printed in 1977! Illustrations are brilliant and memorable. They make the book in my opinion. Lots of information on the subject written in a way that is easy to understand and entertaining for children but not patronising. A classic for many of my generation.

If you were a child of the 70s and had even the remotest interest in the supernatural then chances are good that you owned Usborne's THE WORLD OF THE UNKNOWN: ALL ABOUT GHOSTS. A superb pictorial journey through ghosts and their ways - the fakes and the mysteries - lavishly illustrated with full colour artwork and a handful of black and white "ghost photos". And here it is again. Republished by Usborne in 2019 and virtually identical to the original. We now have a nice foreword by Reece Shearsmith on the inside front cover, quotes from celebrity fans on the inside back cover, and revised blurb. But the book is the same as it always was - now with a much nicer semi-gloss paper quality which really make the illustrations pop. Buy this book - especially if you have childen interested in the weird and the strange. I still own my original copy (peeking out in the photo) but I had to get the new edition so I own a pristine copy. There were two other legendary books in the series: MONSTERS and UFOs. Both were just as fascinating and enjoyable as GHOSTS, and also long out of print. Here's hoping that Usborne republish those too!

A wonderful blast-from-the-past, this is a reprint (complete with Reece Shearsmith foreword) of the classic 1977 edition. Well illustrated, this was the perfect book for ghost-mad kids back in the day and still works well now. Covering everything from explaining what a ghost is and how they’ve appeared in history, where they’re likely to gather and how literature has presented them, through to a helpful map of a haunted village, this has it all. With a healthy scepticism (it debunks several myths), this also presents the photographs that terrified me as a child, including the old lady in the back seat of a car (and you can tell me a million times her scarf is over part of the car frame, I still won’t believe you). Essential reading and a wonderful nostalgic blast, highly recommended.

Wow that brings back memories. I remember reading that in the early 80s, now I read it to my little girl.

On the rare occasions when my older brother lent me this book, the cover alone scared me silly because every word of it sounded real to my young mind. And this is the magic of this book: it is aimed at the impressionable age when you want to learn and anything in print seems unquestionably true. The section on the 12 haunted house must-haves is a case in point - of course disembodied hands playing a funeral march are what is inside EVERY spooky mansion! Duh. The delight of being scared and, as Christopher Lee said, the release of fear that it brings, give this book a special place in so many reader’s journeys.

I got this for my husband, he loves it and has found it very informative, at least it keeps him quiet! Very good readings so far, will look for some more at a later date.

Great book

WORLDS OF THE UNKNOWN: GHOSTS ist ein Buch, welches für viele, viele Menschen reinsten Kultstatus hatte, die in den späten 70ern / frühen 80ern Kind waren... in Deutschland erschien es unter dem Namen "Rätselhafte Geister und Gespenster" im Delphin-Verlag auch auf Deutsch. Wer dieses Buch kennt wird verstehen, warum es damals in deutschen und englischen Kinderzimmern einschlug wie eine Bombe: es war einfach grandios-gruselig aufgemacht, die Zeichnungen waren toll, die Fotos echte Klassiker (u.a. das "Newby Church Specter", welches bei vielen für schlaflose Nächte sorgte) und um Welten (!) cooler als die ähnlich aufgemachten, damals ziemlich drögen Was-Ist-Was Bücher. Schön also, dass es von diesem Buch (und den ebenfalls zur Reihe gehörenden Büchern über Monster respektive Ufos... alles, was man als Kind liebt!) nun eine Neuauflage gibt. Schade ist allenfalls, dass diese Neuauflage Softcover ist, die zumindest in Deutschland als Hardcover erhältliche Version gefällt mir noch besser. Der Inhalt ist mit der ursprünglichen Auflage aus den 70ern 1:1 identisch, es findet sich nur ein kurzes, den Kultstatus würdigendes Vorwort und einige Leserreaktionen. Alles in allem: wer heute um die 40 + ist und dieses Buch noch aus der eigenen Kindheit kennt sollte sich diesen Kult nicht entgehen lassen - für heutige Kinder gibt es natürlich wesentlich zeitgemäßer Bücher zu derartigen Themen auf dem Markt. Ich komme nicht umhin: aufgrund der damit verbundenen Erinnerungen kann ich diesem Buch nur eine klare Höchstnote geben!

très déçu : c'est présenté comme un livre, et c'est une simple brochure de 32 pages, un fascicule type mensuel de librairie, sans plus... et qui plus est, inintéressant sur le sujet : que des poncifs rabâchés et archi-connus... ne vaut absolument pas le prix !

Lovely little book. It will frighten the grandchildren. I bought it to send to them on Halloween. I'm sure they'll love it.

I love Reece Shearsmith and I love ghost stories, but I didn't know what I was buying. I though a magazine or a book, not a slim booklet for kids. alas, next time I'll be more careful