by Daniel Cohen
1977
This gem was found in our non-fiction section (130's: Paranormal Phenomena). Each chapter discusses different types of real ghosts, including ghosts captured on film, historical ghosts, and exorcisms. Cohen writes for an upper-elementary audience, so he explains in the first chapter: "This does not mean all of the ghostly events described in this book are true, or that they actually happened just the way they are described. It means that the stories are supposed to be true, and at one time a lot of people believed them. People still believe some of them." Cohen goes on to explain that many ghost stories come from people making mistakes about what they see and sometimes from people lying to get attention.
Though this book has been in our library for around thirty years, it is still checked out by students. Ghost stories and scary stories are very popular, no matter which section of the library they are shelved in (fiction, short stories, or non-fiction). However, I am sad to say that this book will have to be retired. Just flipping through it to read a chapter resulted in pages falling out, plus the corners are completely worn and it smells kind of funky. Sometimes retro books just have to go. Don't fret! We have plenty more scary stories, both "real" and fiction -- check one out today @ your library.
