Just in time for Halloween, I received a review copy of Encyclopedia of Haunted Places, compiled and edited by Jeff Belanger.  This guide to ghostly locales from around the world is geographically organized, so you know the first thing that I did was look to see what’s nearby where I live.

I live in Seattle, and there are 5 haunted locales list in the state of Washington:

• The Bush House (Index)
• The Oxford Saloon & Eatery (Snohomish – I knew about this one)
• Murphy Family Farm, a private residence (Longview)
• Rutherglen Mansion Bed & Breakfast (Longview)
• Port Gamble (Port Gamble, near the Hood Canal Bridge – I had also heard about this one)

Belief in ghosts and paranormal activity is a common belief around the world, and is found in nearly every culture.  I’m sure many of remember our childhood, and tales of haunted houses, stories about spooky happenings in the local cemetery, or maybe about strange things that go bump in the night.  We told stories around the campfire, when we were camping in the backyard, or maybe when we were trying to scare a younger sibling or neighbor.

But what if we found out that all those stories were true?

That’s basically the purpose of this encyclopedia – to set out, in an investigative fashion, what the world’s leading paranormal investigators have discovered, and to share it with all of us.  All of the entries give a little bit of history and background about why it is believed that the location is haunted.  This includes details of who investigated the haunting, what was observed, interviews, research field notes, and additional anecdotal information.  Some of the locales are public buildings, while others are private residences, and I’ve been assured that this 2nd edition of the book includes lots of new listings.

After the geographical listings, there is a profile of paranormal investigator Dr. Hans Holzer (PhD in Parapsychology from the London College of Applied Science) who has studied this field for over 60 years.  And, if you think your house might be haunted, there is also a geographical listing of paranormal investigators.  I noted that there are three serving the Seattle area.

This is a fun book for the discovery factor alone.  If you’ve a particular interest in the paranormal or visiting haunted houses, graveyards, monuments and hotels, you’re going to love the book!  The first thing you’ll do is probably the same thing that I did, check out what’s near you, and then you’ll start looking for all the other places that you’ve “heard” were haunted.

The Encyclopedia of Haunted Places is 360 pages and includes photographs.  You’ll find it at your local bookstore, online at Amazon.com ($13.59), and from the publisher, New Page Books.

Photo credit: New Page Books

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