Recommended Books On Hauntings & Ghosts

The Element Encyclopedia of Ghosts & Hauntings

Take a journey through the mysterious world of ghosts, poltergeists, and haunted places . . . Discover the history, folklore, and scientific evidence surrounding paranormal phenomena - from spirits and poltergeists to ghost hunts and mediums. 

Lift the veil on a world of supernatural mysteries, ghost stories, and chilling tales of hauntings all over the world. With information to intrigue and fascinate both believer and skeptic, this is an indispensable map of the paranormal world.

• Author: Cheung, Theresa

Ghostly Getaways Book: Featuring Local Haunts

BENNINGTON -- Does the ghost of Mary Todd Lincoln mess with the sheets at the Equinox hotel in Manchester? Can some of the disappearances reported near Glastenbury be attributed to aliens? Maybe bigfoot?

Regardless of the answers, both the hotel and the famous ghost town are featured in "Haunted Inns and Ghostly Getaways of Vermont," the latest book by Thea Lewis, creator of the Queen City Ghostwalk in Burlington, published by Haunted America, a division of The History Press.

The 124-page book features reports of the paranormal from more than a dozen inns and places near them across the state, from Stowe to Richmond.

Lewis said she became involved with Historical Press in 2009. The company contacted her

about writing a book regarding alleged ghostly happenings around Burlington, a subject she is quite familiar with, and she agreed. Her first book for the company was, "Haunted Burlington: Spirits of Vermont's Queen City," published that same year. She said the company contacted her a while later asking if she would write a book on the alleged ghostly happenings around Lake Champlain. It just so happened Lewis had been collecting such information already, and in 2012 published, "Ghosts and Legends of Lake Champlain."

Lewis' entry about the "Equinox Hotel," these days known officially as The Equinox: A Luxury Collection Golf Resort and Spa, centers around Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln.

The Lincolns connection to Manchester is widely known, and according to Lewis' book a few ghost stories around the Equinox are said to be the result Mrs. Lincoln's doings.

Lewis said Mary Todd Lincoln is a fascinating person; having lost two of her sons at young ages, she turned to mediums in an attempt to communicate with them. Spiritualism, Lewis writes, was extremely popular in Washington, D.C., during that time.

As far as the Equinox goes, the facility undertook some renovations in order to accommodate President Lincoln and his wife, but before he could visit he was assassinated. Mary Todd Lincoln was a guest all the same, and reports of rooms left in disarray have been attributed to her, and possibly one other harrowing incident which Lewis describes in the book.

Gerry McFarland, director of sales and marketing for the Equinox, said the hotel would love to have more well-known ghost stories associated with it. For now the Equinox focuses on marketing the hotel, and the area's, rich history, especially as it relates to the Lincoln family which are also connected to the Hildene estate.

The book's entry on Glastenbury, a disincorporated town that is now mostly National Forest land, lists many of the disappearances reported in and around it. Lewis said Glastenbury is not an inn, of course, but neither is Emily's Bridge in Stowe, which gets a nod in this book. These are places, according to Lewis, that come up frequently whenever one talks about Vermont and the paranormal, and are the sort of places those traveling the state like to stop at.

The places in this new book were locales she had already heard about, or learned of through friends who conduct investigations into reports of hauntings.

"I'm just fascinated when urban legends and history dovetail to reveal a story," she said.

In an interview, and in a chapter of the book, Lewis says that oral stories about the nature of an alleged haunting can make the situation appear one way, when historical facts cast things in a different light.

She gave the example of a supposedly haunted restaurant where a young man was said to have committed suicide. Research into the building revealed that it was owned by a well-known smuggler whose buildings had false walls and secret tunnels in them and attracted a rough crowd.

She closes the book with advice for people who wish to do their own investigations into reports of ghosts.

A Child's Eye View of Ghosts and Hauntings

By Alan Leddon
People all over the world have long believed that the dead can come back to visit the living. Worldwide, people envision see-through, airy, frightening beings who return to point out killers, complete unfinished work, visit loved ones, or seek vindication. Why does everyone imagine the same thing? Maybe it is not imagination...

In this latest Child's Eye View Book, Alan Leddon presents information on 60 types of Ghosts from world mythology, as well as thirty-eight mythological figures associated with ghosts and their journeys. A long vocabulary list of terms related to ghost studies and a list of fifteen fairly well known hauntings round out the superb research of this excellent book. The author discusses why funerals are important (it is not why you think!) and explains why different cultures have a similar view of the restless dead.


This work is complete, accurate, and informative without speaking down to its target audience of 8 to 13 year olds. It is written to be palatable for adults and is just the right length for an easy read after work. This is not a collection of almost spooky stories...this is a textbook of real world beliefs and practices.