Terry Deary - True Ghost Stories

[dem bones]

Terry Deary - True Ghost Stories (Scholastic, 1995)

Introduction

The Hallowe'en Ghost: The Restless Mummy
Ghostly Thoughts 1
Hallowe'en - Fact File
Ghosts at Work: The Phantom Boots
Ghostly Thoughts 2
Charms Against Ghosts - Fact File
Ghostly Curses: The Flying Dutchman
Ghostly Thoughts 3
Sea Ghosts - Fact File
The Unexplained: The Spirit Stones
Ghostly Thoughts 4
Haunted Australia - Fact File
The Ghost's Revenge: The Miller of Chester-le-Street's Tale
Ghostly Thoughts 5
Avenging Ghosts - Fact File
Ghostly Dreams: George's Dream
Ghostly Thoughts 6
Ghostly Visions - Fact File
Ghostly Returns: The Lives and Deaths of Jane
Ghostly Thoughts 7
Ghostly Returns - Fact File
Ghostly Messengers: Diary of a Haunting
Ghostly Thoughts 8
Fakes - Fact File
Poltergeists: The Cock Lane Ghost
Ghost Hunting - Fact File

Epilogue

Blurb:
Incredible? Impossible? Too awful to imagine? But someone, somewhere at some time has sworn that each of these terrifying tales is true ...

Strange, unexplained "spirit stones" haunt a remote Australian farmstead.

The horrifying apparition of a young girl succeeds in avenging her own murder.

A restless mummy walks abroad on Hallowe'en.

Read about the Flying Dutchman, a ghostly green man, reincarnation and poltergeists in nine true tales that are sure to haunt your dreams. Look at the facts and decide for yourself: do you believe in ghosts?

Illustrated by David Wyatt

David Wyatt

The Hallowe'en Ghost: The Restless Mummy: Manchester, 1990. Two centuries into mummification, the scowling spectre of Miss Hannah Beswick still haunts the barn at Birchen Bower.

Ghosts at Work: The Phantom Boots: Scotland, 1973. Phantom footwear halts productivity on the night shift by dancing along the conveyor belt before vanishing through a wall of coal.

Ghostly Curses: The Flying Dutchman: July 1881, Australian Coast. Prince George, the future King George V, records an encounter with the damned Captain van der Decker and ghastly crew while travelling aboard HMS Inconstant.

The Unexplained: The Spirit Stones: Upper Blackwood, near Perth, Australia, 1955. The Smith's cabin comes under sustained attack by missile-throwing poltergeist until it eventually gets fed up and leaves them to their peace.

David Wyatt

The Ghost's Revenge: The Miller of Chester-le-Street's Tale: Durham, England, 1632. Ann Walker, strumpeted and with child by her scoundrel Uncle Joseph, is murdered by an evil accomplice. Mark Sharp batters the girl with a pick and dumps her body down the disused mineshaft at Framwellgate. Ann's ghost tells all to Miller Graham, who relates her story to a magistrate. Her missing bones are recovered from the pit. Joseph Walker and friend go to the gallows.

[Swampirella]

Great stories & great illustrations, I love it. As a point of interest, Harry Ludlam wrote a great book with a long chapter on Hannah Beswick; "The Mummy of Birchen Bower and Other True Ghosts" It's at Arch*ve but only borrowable for an hour, sadly.

 

[helrunar]

The Mummy of Birchen Bower deserves some kind of prize for distinguished service in the arcane arena of Horror Camp, based on the title and that cozily ghoulish cover art. Great find!

Thanks! 

Hel.

[ripper]

May 16, 2023 10:26:59 GMT Swampirella said:

Great stories & great illustrations, I love it. As a point of interest, Harry Ludlam wrote a great book with a long chapter on Hannah Beswick; "The Mummy of Birchen Bower and Other True Ghosts" It's at Arch*ve but only borrowable for an hour, sadly.

 

I read that one many years ago along with several other of Ludlam's books. Very entertaining they are, too.

[dem bones]

May 17, 2023 9:09:54 GMT ripper said:

May 16, 2023 10:26:59 GMT Swampirella said:

Great stories & great illustrations, I love it. As a point of interest, Harry Ludlam wrote a great book with a long chapter on Hannah Beswick; "The Mummy of Birchen Bower and Other True Ghosts" It's at Arch*ve but only borrowable for an hour, sadly.

I read that one many years ago along with several other of Ludlam's books. Very entertaining they are, too.

I've enjoyed a few Ludlam's too, including The Mummy of Birchen Bower. His Elliott O'Donnell compilations are also marvellous, especially Great Ghost Stories and Ghost Hunters.

David Wyatt

Ghostly Dreams: George's Dream: Cornwall, England, 1840. Sailor George Northey witnesses his brother's murder in a dream. Returning from a profitable day at Trebodwina Market, Hart Northey was shot down and robbed by poachers, who conceal the murder weapon beneath the thatched roof of a derelict cottage. Back home from the sea, George informs a magistrate of his prophetic vision. The pistol is retrieved, the Hightwood brothers confess their guilt. They hang the following month.

Ghostly Returns: The Lives and Deaths of Jane: Cardiff, Wales, 1974. Among the several past lives recalled by Jane Evans under hypnosis, that of 'Rebecca,' butchered among her fellow Jews when a mob stormed the church cellar they'd sought refuge in at Coppergate, York, in 1189.

"Another of Jane's 'characters' was Livonia, who lived in Roman Britain. Much of her story came word for word from a novel called The Living Wood by Louis de Wohl. It seems Jane forgot that she'd read the book but the details were there in the back of her mind. This is something called 'secret memory' that everybody seems to have.

A lot of the remembered 'characters' are famous people with interesting stories to tell. Surely the chances of being a king or a queen must be millions to one. A 1980s tour guide in Egypt once complained that, in the dozens of American tourists on that trip, he had nine Cleopatra's!"

Ghostly Messengers: Diary of a Haunting: Ash Manor, Sussex, June 1934. Diary entries of Elizabeth Keller, 16, concerning the haunting of her new home by a ghastly old man in green smock and a scarf concealing ... "Pray you never see it, child!" Vicar Twist and Mrs. Garrett the spiritualist clash over how best to tackle the situation. Ghost apparently a physical manifestation of Mr. Keller's crushing depression.

Poltergeists: The Cock Lane Ghost: London, England, 1762. Although Lizzie Parson's was caught faking the phenomena when pressurized to deliver before a crowd, does this necessarily disprove earlier alleged poltergeist activity at the house?

Ghost Hunting - Fact File: Preparing for your night at the haunted house/ cemetery/ churchyard/ castle/ spinney/ garden shed/ park/ bench, etc.

David Wyatt

Not sure I'd heard of Terry Deary until now. A cursory browse of archive.org confirms he's the hugely prolific author of several Horrible Histories plus True Horror Stories and True Mystery Stories, both of which we may yet come to.

[Swampirella]

May 17, 2023 10:11:03 GMT dem bones said:

May 17, 2023 9:09:54 GMT ripper said:

I read that one many years ago along with several other of Ludlam's books. Very entertaining they are, too.

I've enjoyed a few Ludlam's too, including The Mummy of Birchen Bower. His Elliott O'Donnell compilations are also marvellous, especially Great Ghost Stories and Ghost Hunters.

David Wyatt

Ghostly Dreams: George's Dream: Cornwall, England, 1840. Sailor George Northey witnesses his brother's murder in a dream. Returning from a profitable day at Trebodwina Market, Hart Northey was shot down and robbed by poachers, who conceal the murder weapon beneath the thatched roof of a derelict cottage. Back home from the sea, George informs a magistrate of his prophetic vision. The pistol is retrieved, the Hightwood brothers confess their guilt. They hang the following month.

Ghostly Returns: The Lives and Deaths of Jane: Cardiff, Wales, 1974. Among the several past lives recalled by Jane Evans under hypnosis, that of 'Rebecca,' butchered among her fellow Jews when a mob stormed the church cellar they'd sought refuge in at Coppergate, York, in 1189.

"Another of Jane's 'characters' was Livonia, who lived in Roman Britain. Much of her story came word for word from a novel called The Living Wood by Louis de Wohl. It seems Jane forgot that she'd read the book but the details were there in the back of her mind. This is something called 'secret memory' that everybody seems to have.

A lot of the remembered 'characters' are famous people with interesting stories to tell. Surely the chances of being a king or a queen must be millions to one. A 1980s tour guide in Egypt once complained that, in the dozens of American tourists on that trip, he had nine Cleopatra's!"

Ghostly Messengers: Diary of a Haunting: Ash Manor, Sussex, June 1934. Diary entries of Elizabeth Keller, 16, concerning the haunting of her new home by a ghastly old man in green smock and a scarf concealing ... "Pray you never see it, child!" Vicar Twist and Mrs. Garrett the spiritualist clash over how best to tackle the situation. Ghost apparently a physical manifestation of Mr. Keller's crushing depression.

Poltergeists: The Cock Lane Ghost: London, England, 1762. Although Lizzie Parson's was caught faking the phenomena when pressurized to deliver before a crowd, does this necessarily disprove earlier alleged poltergeist activity at the house?

Ghost Hunting - Fact File: Preparing for your night at the haunted house/ cemetery/ churchyard/ castle/ spinney/ garden shed/ park/ bench, etc.

David Wyatt

Not sure I'd heard of Terry Deary until now. A cursory browse of archive.org confirms he's the hugely prolific author of several Horrible Histories plus True Horror Stories and True Mystery Stories, both of which we may yet come to.

Re: Ghostly Returns - For anyone interested, the full story can be read in this book:

 

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

May 17, 2023 10:11:03 GMT dem bones said:

vid Wyatt

Not sure I'd heard of Terry Deary until now. A cursory browse of archive.org confirms he's the hugely prolific author of several Horrible Histories plus True Horror Stories and True Mystery Stories, both of which we may yet come to.

Terry Deary has some bizarre and extreme views. He wants to close all libraries and shut down schools. His reasoning for doing away with libraries is purely commercial greed: if people can't borrow books they will have to buy them, which of course is not true. In terms of schooling he didn't like his own, so it appears no one else should be allowed an education.
Considering he writes histories you'd think he'd know the role education and libraries played in getting women and working men the vote and representation in society.

[dem bones]

May 17, 2023 11:45:41 GMT 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr said:

Terry Deary has some bizarre and extreme views. He wants to close all libraries and shut down schools. His reasoning for doing away with libraries is purely commercial greed: if people can't borrow books they will have to buy them, which of course is not true. In terms of schooling he didn't like his own, so it appears no one else should be allowed an education.
Considering he writes histories you'd think he'd know the role education and libraries played in getting women and working men the vote and representation in society.

From his W*kiped*a entry? If that's accurate, then I'm glad to have bought my copy of True Ghost Stories second hand, so he'll not be seeing a penny from it. Surely if, for whatever reason, you had a bad school experience, you'd want things to improve, so those who follow get more out of it?

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

May 17, 2023 17:45:56 GMT dem bones said:

May 17, 2023 11:45:41 GMT 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr said:

Terry Deary has some bizarre and extreme views. He wants to close all libraries and shut down schools. His reasoning for doing away with libraries is purely commercial greed: if people can't borrow books they will have to buy them, which of course is not true. In terms of schooling he didn't like his own, so it appears no one else should be allowed an education.
Considering he writes histories you'd think he'd know the role education and libraries played in getting women and working men the vote and representation in society.

From his W*kiped*a entry? If that's accurate, then I'm glad to have bought my copy of True Ghost Stories second hand, so he'll not be seeing a penny from it. Surely if, for whatever reason, you had a bad school experience, you'd want things to improve, so those who follow get more out of it?

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/13/libraries-horrible-histories-terry-deary

When he talks about putting bookshops out of business, he talks about bookshops paying the author and publisher, he doesn't seem to take into account second hand bookshops, where, as you say, he wouldn't be making any money anyway.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/terry-deary-under-fire-after-10647537.amp

[helrunar]

What a wanker. Wouldn't know him if I fell over him, glad to say.

Hel.

[dem bones]

Wonder if his views have changed over past decade? If not, looks like he's getting his wish.

Britain has closed almost 800 libraries since 2010, figures show, Alison Flood, The Guardian, 6. Dec. 2019

Nearly 800 public libraries closed since austerity launched in 2010, Eleanor Busby, The Independent, 6. Dec. 2019

The Quiet Disappearance of Britain's Public Libraries, Adele Walton, Tribune, 17. Jan. 2021.

[ripper]

So far as I am aware, there have not been any closures in my area. However, my local library has been staffed by volunteers for a few years now. It's a small library, and there were never more than two women working there when they were council employees, one of whom had been there since the early 80s. Now there is a manager and a couple of volunteers. Whether the manager is paid or is herself a volunteer I don't know, but I suspect she manages a number of local area libraries.

[dem bones]

May 19, 2023 8:59:02 GMT ripper said:

So far as I am aware, there have not been any closures in my area. However, my local library has been staffed by volunteers for a few years now. It's a small library, and there were never more than two women working there when they were council employees, one of whom had been there since the early 80s. Now there is a manager and a couple of volunteers. Whether the manager is paid or is herself a volunteer I don't know, but I suspect she manages a number of local area libraries.

Hi Rip. The nearest one to us was used as a Covid vaccination centre, then stayed shut through last year. Thought we'd lost it until, right out of the blue, it reopened a few months back. The staff are lovely, have been of great personal assistance in locating specialist books & booklets I'd otherwise never have seen. They also host a club for over sixties, various youth projects, etc. I'm so glad to have it back!

[ripper]

May 19, 2023 10:32:55 GMT dem bones said:

May 19, 2023 8:59:02 GMT ripper said:

So far as I am aware, there have not been any closures in my area. However, my local library has been staffed by volunteers for a few years now. It's a small library, and there were never more than two women working there when they were council employees, one of whom had been there since the early 80s. Now there is a manager and a couple of volunteers. Whether the manager is paid or is herself a volunteer I don't know, but I suspect she manages a number of local area libraries.

Hi Rip. The nearest one to us was used as a Covid vaccination centre, then stayed shut through last year. Thought we'd lost it until, right out of the blue, it reopened a few months back. The staff are lovely, have been of great personal assistance in locating specialist books & booklets I'd otherwise never have seen. They also host a club for over sixties, various youth projects, etc. I'm so glad to have it back!

Good to hear that your local library is up and running again, Dem. Ours was shut for a while during the pandemic, but I don't believe it was ever facing a permanent closure. I'm not sure if they have any programmes like yours does, Dem, it's really small. There used to be schools trips to encourage reading and a story-time for really young children, but not sure if they are still going. I certainly disagree with Mr Deary if he advocated widespread library closures. One very strong aspect of the UK library system is the ability to go to any library, no matter how small, and ask for a book or other item from any other library for a very modest fee and often free. I have used that service quite a few times over the years, and been able to read books that I just wouldn't have been able to without paying sizeable sums to purchase.

[helrunar]

It's really concerning about so many hundreds of libraries being closed in the UK. In the US, library closures are sought by fatcat Republicans who disregard the role of these spaces in providing a whole roster of community services--from computer use for the unemployed to educational opportunities for those who can't afford to buy books, to children's enrichment activities, to safe spaces for the unhoused. And beyond. 

On another note, in one of the local "free library" book boxes on the sidewalk in front of somebody's home (there are 3 or 4 now in hailing distance from me), I briefly browsed this interesting classic ghost story collection I'd never seen before, simply titled Ghost Stories without editorial byline, from some firm called Cathay Books:

www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=726046036

I almost took the book since it included a Rosemary Timperley tale I have yet to read, as well as a couple of other unknown gems--but I felt I should wait and see if another "patron" decided to make use of it.

Hel.