2 comments about This haunted isle: The ghosts and legends of Britain's historic buildings.

1. I wish that we'd owned a copy of "This Haunted Isle" when we toured Great Britain. It would have been either the high-point or low-point of our trip if we'd actually caught sight of a long-departed Lord or Lady. It bothers me to realize that we visited the Tower of London without a clue as to what we really might have seen.
   
   However, your trip doesn't need to be spoiled by that same oversight, because Peter Underwood, President of the Ghost Club has published a paranormal tour guide to the haunted historic buildings of Great Britain. His book was first published back in 1984, but I don't imagine that it has gone out-of-date. What do the Grey Ladies, Phantom Pipers, and assorted ghostly prisoners in their dungeons care about the passage of time? According to the author, some of them have been haunting the same spot for several hundred years.
   
   Of course, the phantoms may have been exorcised if they frightened too many tourists, so you are still advised to call in advance of your visit. The author even warns potential visitors, "it is not suggested that all these places [in his book] are still haunted..."
   
   "This Haunted Isle" is arranged alphabetically, starting with Abbey House, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, and ending with Woburn Abbey, Woburn, Bedfordshire. Many of the stories begin as follows: "At X we were met by the Duke and Duchess...and in a delightfully informal way they told us of the many unexplained happenings at beautiful and dignified X..." The Ghost Society's visits to haunted sites are as much social outings as they are investigations of paranormal phenomenon.
   
   Nevertheless, a reading of this book will send many delightful frissons down the spine with its evocative black-and-white photos and stories of violent deaths and equally violent hauntings.
   
   If you enjoyed the stories in "This Haunted Isle," author Marc Anderson has also published a ghostly quartet of books on the same subject: "Haunted Castles;" "Haunted Inns;" "Haunted Churches & Abbeys of Britain;" and "Phantom Britain." I have a slight preference for Marc Anderson over Peter Underwood because of the color he adds to his narratives. Underwood, alas believes that ghosts "are no longer creatures of the darkness that strike terror into the hearts of those who see them; rather they are gentle shades who return for a variety of reasons...Ghosts have become respectable."
   
   Hah! Phooey! Respectable, indeed!



2. I picked up this book at a bargain book table, expecting yet another cliched rehash of oft-told ghost stories. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to discover what is undoubtedly the best "coffee table" book on Britain's haunted houses. The author, Peter Underwood, is the head of London's prestigious Ghost Club, and he has obviously put a great deal of effort and class into this book. What most impressed me are the incredible PHOTOGRAPHS of the haunted sites. Though shot in simple black and white, the pics were taken by an expert hand who has managed to capture the stately elegance of some of Britain's most beautful buildings. These pics are worth the price of the book alone, but Underwood never forgets to give his readers just enough info in his brief expositions to whet their appetites. If I have one complaint it is there are not enough of these very excellent pictures. This book is a worthy addition to any ghost-fancier's library.

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