Entering _7

Chapter 1.
What is a Ghost _13
(And not a ghost)?
Chapter 2.
Land of the Dead _29
: Early witnesses
Chapter 3.
Clinking Chains and White Clothes _73
: Ghosts of the West
Chapter 4.
Geulshin _143
: Ghosts of the East
Chapter 5.
La Llorona and the Dreaming Age _173
: Ghosts of Latin America and the Global South
Chapter 6.
Exploring the Evidence _193
: Ghosts and Science
Chapter 7.
From King Richard to Paranormal Activity _219
: Ghosts in literature, film, and popular culture
Coming Out: Ghosts Are Everywhere _265

Americas _271
References _284
Image source _287

Sometimes, when we walk down a dark street at night, we get the feeling that something appears and then disappears.
But if you look around, you can't find any traces.
At times like that, I feel a cold chill all over my body, my mood gets creepy, and my heart pounds like crazy.
It's a common experience, but every time we experience it, we feel a little embarrassed.
Was I seeing hallucinations? Or did I experience a ghostly, supernatural presence? Such experiences are universal, occurring throughout human history, across all generations and regions.
However, it is also true that there is no clear evidence of an afterlife or ghosts.

As human civilization changed and developed over time, beliefs about ghosts also changed and developed.
As Europe transitioned from the Middle Ages, a new age of philosophers and scientists began to reexamine everything in the world that humans could explore.
Ghosts, which have been in the realm of religion and magic for centuries, were also included.
The Dutch philosopher Spinoza dismissed the existence of ghosts as child's play.
Thomas Hobbes dismissed ghosts as primitive creatures, equating them with outdated Catholic notions.
However, after that, the number of ghost sightings actually increased rapidly.
The English Reverend Joseph Granville wrote a book called Saducismus Triumphatus, which was a collection of witch and ghost stories he had collected from various sources.
The contents of this book became so famous that even today it is recognized as a valuable research resource for paranormal experts.
In the late 18th century, spiritualism (the belief that the spirits of the dead transmit messages to the living through special people who act as mediums) became popular, and mediums began to appear like mushrooms all over the world.
Estimates suggest that the number of spiritualists active in the United States in 1877 ranged from a staggering 2 million to as many as 11 million.

Entering the 20th century, new technologies such as electric lights, automobiles, telephones, and movies emerged.
Now, belief in necromancy and ghosts seemed to be fading away.
But as Carl Jung said, the idea of ​​an afterlife was a primal image that could not be replaced by anything else.
Carl Jung himself confessed to having had several supernatural encounters with spirits.
It is said that the great inventor Thomas Edison also believed in the existence of ghosts.
He tried to invent a mechanical device to easily communicate with ghosts.
As World War I unfolded, countless lives were lost, and bereaved families longed to hear the voices of their departed loved ones again.
In line with such a desire, the popularity of spiritualism grew even more.


In 1882, British physicist William Barrett and journalist Edmund Dawson Rogers founded the Society for Psychical Research.
This society was the first to seriously study various paranormal phenomena.
The society studied over 700 cases of telepathy, hallucinations, and apparitions and published a book called Phantasms of the Living.
He also established a psychic research library and, in 1885, founded the American Society for Psychical Research.
In the 1940s, Frank Podmore also analyzed paranormal phenomena psychologically.
As a result, society's attitude toward ghosts changed.
Ghosts have been transformed into romantic beings, with their horror aspects almost completely removed.
This also included the character Casper, the protagonist of the first ghost cartoon movie.
Casper is a little ghost who wants to befriend humans rather than scare them.
As the film industry developed, ghosts became an attractive subject.

Additionally, ghost tourism has gained worldwide attention, riding the wave of the global tourism boom.
The Tower of London in England has become a classic ghost tourist attraction for those who want to experience the supernatural.
In this way, the existence of ghosts has existed in human history and culture from ancient times to the present day.
Today, about half of people in the United States believe in ghosts (and more than a third say they have lived in a haunted house), and in other countries the percentages are much higher.
For example, in Taiwan, a whopping 87 percent of office workers believe in the existence of ghosts.
This fact is evidence that ghosts still occupy a deep place in our attention and consciousness.
This book, "A Brief History of the Ghostly World," is a monumental work by Lisa Morton, winner of the Bram Stoker Awards, the Black Quill Awards, and the Halloween Book Festival Grand Prize, that compiles the origins and history of supernatural phenomena in the history of civilization.
It is also a comprehensive report on all ghosts in the world.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, encountering this book will be a fascinating and enjoyable experience.