Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly? I do like this book. I’m new to the “ghost folklore”, so much so that I only knew of two in the entire book itself. However, I do like it, the stories were quick, and straight to the point which I personally enjoyed. It was interesting to learn!

This is a compendium of beliefs in ghosts and other supernatural beings from around the world. It’s very thorough. This book also contains very good illustrations of the creatures described. This would be a must-have for any writer who dreams up stories of the supernatural. Lovecraft would have scooped it up!
I’m sure there are non writers who would like it too. I’m not really interested personally in a collection of different creatures but I m giving it stars because it’s well written, thorough and illustrated.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. I read it over three dark winter nights. My favourite section was the Fokelore one, and it has wetted my appetite to go on and research these stories further.
It is the kind of book I would put on the bedside table in my guest room, or gift to friends at Halloween.
I like how it references characters from literature, TV and film....some of which are familiar, and some that were new to me, and I shall now seek out.

This book is a fascinating look into ghosts around the world, in both folklore and practice. I loved that there were so many examples from places I had never thought had ghostly figures in their cultures or histories. It feels like the author did an amazing job researching all the examples included in the book!

Ghosts: A Collection of Spirits from Literature and Folklore, by Abbie Headon, is a fun overview of the many spirits that haunt our reading and our lives.

What some may find as a negative I find as a positive, namely the choice to cover a large number and variety with basic information about each rather than go into depth but only covering a significantly smaller number. Well, without making the book unreasonably large or a multi-volume set. In this day and time, the internet offers plenty of opportunity to dive deeper into any of these creatures that might be of special interest to you. Since that is what I think the book was shooting for, I am not going to criticize it for not being what it never meant to be.

This is the kind of book that you could keep on your night stand and read a couple entries a night (sweet dreams!) or devour it quickly then go back and research any that stood out for you. Either way, the concise and focused entries will give you a glimpse into the spirit and what it might represent (or how it worked within a fictional story).

Recommended for those who like to have basic enjoyable reference books. I could see a writer keeping this handy and either incorporating a creature into their fiction or using them as springboards for creating their own fictional creatures.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.