Ghosts in Popular Culture and Legend. Edited by June Michele Pulliam and Anthony J. Fonesca. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2016. 403 p. Acid free $89 (ISBN 978-4408-3490-5). E-book available (978-1-44083-491-2), call for pricing.
The co-editors are June Pulliam, who teaches classes in horror literature, YA fiction, and film, and Anthony Fonesca, who has written about horror and also has a background in information literacy. They previously co-authored Hooked on Horror: A Guide to Reading Interests in the Genre, and have now applied their talents and expertise to create a work that contains accessible information about a popular topic.
The helpful introduction orients the user to the fact that although the concept of ghosts originated in ancient times, it has morphed through the ages and remains a mainstay of most cultures. Although some cultures believe ghosts are monster-like creatures, there are also friendly ghosts like Casper and Topper.
I was afraid that I would not be able to sleep while reviewing this book, but I was wrong. I found myself carrying the book around and reading all the entries. This work engages the reader with 222 signed, accessible articles on specific authors like Ramsey Campbell and Peter Straub, folklore like Bloody Mary and pop culture references like Ghostbusters and Casper. Articles range in length from one to four and a half pages, supply basic information, and generally conclude with “see also” references. There is an unannotated bibliography.
It is difficult to find any work with the same scope. Matt Cardin’s Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics: The Paranormal from Alchemy to Zombies (ABC-CLIO, 2015) contains 121 articles but is focused mainly on paranormal phenomena, encounters, famous people, and institutions, like J. B. Rhine’s extra-sensory perception experiments at Duke University. Also, the articles in Pulliam and Fonseca’s book are more scholarly and contain recommended sources for additional reading.
The topic of ghosts is very popular with teens, tweens, and adults. This work is appropriate for high school, community college, and public libraries. I recommend it highly.—Dona J. Helmer, Librarian, Anchorage School District, Anchorage, Alaska