Usborne World of the Unknown: All About Ghosts

The London Fortean Society presents an evening with author Christopher Maynard and publisher Anna Howorth, plus, hopefully, a guest or two.

Speak to any British fortean, ghost hunter or folklorist of a certain age about the Usborne World of the Unknown: All About Ghosts children's book and you will get a teary eye, vivid reminiscences and a very specific sense of nostalgia for this illustrated work.

First published in 1977, this cult classic has been reissued for a new generation of ghost-hunters. This book is for anyone who has shivered at shadowy figures in the dark, heard strange sounds in the night, or felt the presence of a mysterious 'something' from the unknown.

Ghost stories are as old as recorded history and exist all over the world. Many of the different kinds of ghosts that are thought to haunt the Earth and their behaviour are described here. You will meet haunting spirits, screaming skulls, phantom ships, demon dogs, white ladies, gallows ghosts and many more.

This book also explains the techniques and equipment of ghost hunting and tells how lots of 'ghosts' have been exposed as fakes or explained away as natural events. Also included are some theories that attempt to explain the possible existence of ghosts.

Copies of Usborne World of the Unknown: All About Ghosts will be available to be bought and signed on the night.