"The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits (2nd Edition)," by Rosemary Ellen Guiley

Stay in ghosthunting long enough, and chances are you'll come across something you have no clue about -- some aspect of its history, methods, founding fathers (and mothers) or jargon that has you stumped.

Nobody can know everything about a subject -- and those who say they do usually know the least about it of all. Still, even if you pride yourself on being a don't-know-it-all, it's nice to have a place to quickly find out all the answers (and no, Virginia, that place is NOT the internet).

In that respect, Rosemary Ellen Guiley's "The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits" is real gem. A terrific resource for those times when something has you confuzzled, it's one of the rare reference books that also makes for great recreational reading, with some fascinating aspect of the paranormal around the turn of every page.

For example: Want to know the haunted history of Shiloh battlefield, or Alcatraz, or the U.S. Capitol building? It's here, with extensive footnotes. Want to know how a Reciprocal Apparation differs from a Collective Apparition, and how they both differ from a poltergeist? That's here too. Want to know how to navigate the branches of the ghostly family tree, from pretas, manes, dybbuks, gashadokuru or domoviks? This book has got you covered. When Mulder wanted to look cool in front of Scully on "The X-Files," this was the book he thumbed through to get the answers to her questions while she was gone to the can (Mulder: "A kubikajiri, you say? Why everyone knows that's a headless Japanese ghost that lurks around graveyards late at night, trying to steal the heads of the living.")

While sheer information might be enough -- 430 pages of information, to be exact -- the even better news is that this isn't some dusty retread from the 1970's either. Up to date as they come, in addition to profiles of the pioneers in the field the second edition of Guiley's book features entries of such in-the-now ghosthunters as American Ghost Society founder Troy Taylor (who also provides a fascinating foreword to the book) and the Universityof North Georgia parapsychologist Dr. William Roll.

At just $14.95 for the paperback edition on Amazon.com (the hardcover is out of print, but can be had cheap at a place like www.abebooks.com), Guiley's Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits turns out to be one of the most indespensible books a ghosthunter can have in his or her library. Chock full of win-that-bar-bet trivia and in-depth information on nearly every facet of the supernatural, it's a must have for both the casual hobbyist and the serious student of the paranormal.

"Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Life After Death," by Deborah Blum

Though mainstream science has long held itself to be a bastion of free-thinking and the willingness to reach the truth through experiment, scientists have long been among the first to dismiss paranormal research out of hand as the realm of kooks, crazies and all around bad science. Almost from the inception of psychical research in the 1840s, science labeled those investigating claims of the paranormal as unbalanced, and possibly dangerous to science as a whole.

That’s what makes “Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death,” such an inspiring book. A tale of pioneers who wouldn’t be silenced by the naysayers -- even at the cost of their own reputations -- it's a must-read for any student of the history of ghost hunting.

"Ghost Hunters" centers around the brilliant psychologist-turned-paranormal researcher William James. Brother of the great American novelist Henry James, William was already in middle age when he helped found the American Society for Psychical Research in 1885. The U.S. counterpart to its older British cousin -- the Society for Psychical Research, founded three years earlier -- the ASPR was even more rigorously scientific that the SPR, allowing only credentialed academics to join. While the SPR was mostly a philosophical group formed by those curious about the supernatural, James and his colleagues created the ASPR for a purpose: to use scientific methods such as statistical analysis and chemistry to investigate claims of hauntings, telekinesis, mind-reading and the occult.

Though their purpose eventually evolved into large-scale debunking of fraud in the medium and fortune-telling business in the late 19th-century, James originally envisioned the ASPR as fulfilling a very spiritual function. With the publishing of Darwin's "The Origin of Species" and the advancements of the Scientific Revolution beginning to take much of the mystery out of the universe, James -- famous for his book "The Varieties of Religious Experience," about the ability to lead a moral life without organized religion or even a belief in God -- thought that people needed something to substitute for the mysticism and superstition scientific advancement was slowly stripping away. His answer was spiritualism -- which led to his research into the paranormal and the founding of the ASPR.

Even in those early days, mainstream scientists weren't willing to give paranormal research a place at the table. Seeing James' study into the supernatural as just more of the same superstition they felt had kept mankind mired in ignorance for generations, many of William James' closest friends and colleagues turned their backs on him as he pressed on. It was the same attitude that -- two decades earlier -- had caused Charles Darwin to all but disown his friend, Alfred Russel Wallace after Wallace turned to psychical research. Though Wallace had helped Darwin hash out some of his earliest theories about natural selection and species, Darwin angrily warned Wallace that he was lending ammunition to critics of mainstream science, and giving credence to those who insisted on a supernatural version of creation. His old friend's public interest in psychical research, Darwin said, might make critics think that Wallace had turned his back on the very theories he helped develop -- which could be a crushing blow to the science of Evolution, just as it was beginning to gain widespread traction in the scientific community and the public at large.

"You write like a metamorphosed -- in the retrograde direction -- naturalist," Darwin wrote. "I defy you to upset your own doctrine."

The exchange between Darwin and Wallace, related in the early chapters of "Ghost Hunters," stands as a kind of touchstone in the book. Darwin's attitude illuminates and clarifies the problems William James and every paranormal researcher since has had in breaking through the sheepskin ceiling to legitimacy: Scientific endeavor is a process of giants standing on the shoulders of other giants. And Darwin's letter to Wallace reveals the mainstream's reluctance to accept paranormal research as working the same way... one old prejudice atop another, until the original reason for that prejudice is lost and only the kneejerk cry of "illigitimate!" remains. Though science has long since accepted evolution as the best theory of how we got here, most scientists still scoff at ghost hunting, never knowing how closely the two disciplines are linked in history.

Author Deborah Blum (who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for her writings on primate research) does an excellent job here, plotting not only the complex motives of William James, but the foundations of the scientific paranormal investigation movement and those who sought to quash the field in its infancy. Though her history lesson on spiritualism in American and the founding of the ASPR very well done, Blum really hits her stride with her descriptions of the ASPR's field investigations -- both their work with debunking frauds and those cases that would not be debunked, no matter how hard their tried. Among these -- most interestingly -- are the late chapter descriptions of James' and his colleagues' work with Boston housewife Lenore Piper.

Unlike most mediums, Piper charged nothing for the messages she delivered to those who sought her help, and had an amazingly high accuracy rate when it came to details, even when presented with cases she couldn't have possibly known about. In the end, it was the case James and his fellow ASPR members returned to time and again to renew their faith when faced with the mountain of fraud in the field of mediumship. Blum's descriptions of interactions between the ASPR and Piper are often enough to send a chill up your back, and are worth the price of the book in themselves.

In short, while the $25.95 hardcover price might tempt you to wait for the paperback, "Ghost Hunters" is a damned fine look into the early days of one of the most controversial and maligned fields in science. Doing much to clarify the origins of the mainstream's distrust and even contempt for paranormal investigation, it's a must read for even the casual student of the supernatural.

Welcome!

After "Do ghosts really exist?" one of the questions we hear most often from those looking to get into paranormal investigation is: "Where do I start?"

While a good bit of your education as a serious paranormal investigator can be had by joining and working your way up through a respected and knowledgable group like Spirit Seekers of Arkansas, the fact is: you mostly have to find out the rest on your own.

That means, of course, books and websites.

Given the long history of paranormal investigation and how much has been written on the subject, your self-education can pretty much be as extensive as you want it to be. Though lots of people simply enjoy the thrill of the hunt, once you go poking into some of the more obscure corners of paranormal investigation, you’ll soon realize that ghost hunting is a pursuit with ties to almost any subject you can name: history, sociology, psychology, higher math, religion, physics, the occult, acoustics, and the list goes on and on.

For the beginning ghost hunter just learning to tread water — even for the more experienced investigator — the depth of this particular pond can be something of a curse. Couple that with the sheer tonnage of questionable "facts" about ghost hunting to be found on the World Wide Web, and the dozens of new books on the topic that arrive in stores monthly — all claiming to be the go-to-source on hauntings and how to investigate them — and you end up with enough information to give a tax attorney an Excedrin 3 headache.

In a nutshell, that's why we at Spirit Seekers came up with The Haunted Library: to help point both beginners and veteran investigators in the direction of books and websites that have been helpful to us in our own self-education — the history of the ghost hunting, the techniques behind it, and new advancements in paranormal research… maybe even a particularly spooky work of fiction or two.

Though the Blog Gods never smile on arrogance, the plan for now is to post monthly reviews on books — new, old and out of print — and more reputable websites, all while keeping it light, fun and informative. At the very least, we hope we can help keep someone from blowing $14.99 of their hard-earned dough on a book that turns out to be worthless. At best, we hope this blog might help you become a better, more informed, more well rounded member of the ghost hunting community.

Stay tuned, and enjoy.