Apparitions; Or, The Mystery of Ghosts, Hobgoblins, and Haunted Houses Developed

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Taylor, Joseph, 1762?-1844

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Apparitions; Or, The Mystery of Ghosts, Hobgoblins, and Haunted Houses, Developed" by Joseph Taylor is a collection of entertaining stories written in the early 19th century. The book seeks to explore and debunk superstitions surrounding ghosts and apparitions, arguing that many such fears stem from ignorance and a lack of investigation. The author shares personal experiences and anecdotes, alongside tales from history, aiming to entertain while enlightening readers on the nature of credulity. The opening of the collection presents a reflective introduction in which the author recounts a personal incident of mistaking a flannel dressing gown for a ghostly figure. This humorous event sparked his desire to investigate supernatural claims and encourage others to do the same. He discusses prevalent superstitions, like the belief in a "death-watch" beetle as an omen of death, emphasizing the need for rational inquiry over blind belief. The preface sets the tone for the subsequent stories, which promise to blend amusement with a critique of irrational fears associated with the supernatural. Overall, the book serves as an antidote to gullibility, combining storytelling with moral lessons against superstition. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Bryan Ness, S.D., and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 59.9 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.

Release date is 2010-02-21