Peter Underwood - 13 Famous Ghost Stories

[dem bones]

Peter Underwood (ed.) - Thirteen Famous Ghost Stories (J. M. Dent Everyman's Library, 1977)

Photo: Daniel Wiles


Peter Underwood - Introduction

Ambrose Bierce - The Damned Thing
A. J. Alan - The Dream
E. F. Benson - Caterpillars
Algernon Blackwood - Secret Worship
Charles Dickens - The Signalman
W. W. Jacobs - The Monkey's Paw
M. R. James - Martin's Close
Rudyard Kipling - They
Lord Lytton - The Haunted and the Haunters
Arthur Machen - Change
E. Nesbit - John Charrington's Wedding
Vincent O'Sullivan - When I Was Dead
Edith Wharton - Afterward

Blurb:
As the shadows lengthen and the sounds of daylight fade: as the forces of darkness take control . .. draw your chair closer to the fire and read about adventures that echo strangely in the mind afterwards . . . In the course of this selection I think I can promise readers a few uncomfortable moments . . . and I wouldn‘t answer that tap at the door if I were you . . .‘ From Peter Underwood's introduction.


Sure, we've ran more thoughtful selections on here than 13 Famous Ghost Stories, but have been meaning to reintroduce Peter Underwood to Vault for a while as he's been responsible for some interesting stuff, not least, of course, his approximately one trillion non-fiction books on ghosts and the occult. Mr. Underwood, former President of the Ghost Society and now President of the breakaway Ghost Club Society - it's a long story ... - has his own site but, apart from providing a handy bibliography (though the one at Harry Price Website is far more detailed), it doesn't really do the man justice. This won't either, but then we are Vault of Evil and not Peter Underwood .org so can be excused.

Left to right. Guide to Ghosts & Haunted Places (Piatkus, London, 1996) * Jack The Ripper: 100 Years of Mystery (Blandford, 1997) * The Ghost Hunter's Guide (Cassell, 1988)

Underwood is best known for his ghost books, of which there have been in the region of forty or fifty, usually illustrated with spooky photographs, and of those i've read, very entertaining indeed! There are similarities to Peter Haining's frequent forays into the occult in that the public seem to like 'em well enough, but they rarely meet with unanimous acclaim from the 'experts'. As with Haining, you suspect that this is not only due to the fact that he sells more books than them (although i'm sure that doesn't help), but also his often uncritical approach to "evidence". He does get good reviews too, but this brief dismissal of Jack The Ripper - One Hundred Years Of Mystery (Blandford, 1987) from casebook.org is not altogether atypical.

"Another centennial book, interesting only because of the interviews held therein with authors such as Richard Whittington-Egan and others. Underwood's analysis of the Ripper murders is flawed and many canards are repeated. It has been suggested that this book in particular may have been used by the forgers of the Maybrick Diary."

I don't know about you, but, far from putting me off, that actually made me determined to grab hold of a copy at the earliest opportunity.

It's not always been that way. Underwood provided an introduction to a book I found so irredeemably sh*te I can't even bring myself to mention it on here, and some of the alleged 'factual' content contained in The Vampire's Bedside Companion had me wondering just how credulous this guy truly is, but then he can hardly be held responsible for the extravagant claims of attention-seekers and, to his great credit, he's not looking for converts. Speaking to Mary Greene in an increasingly frosty Daily Mail interview two years after his spectacular resignation from the Ghost Club (the circumstances behind his departure are revisited with ill-disguised glee by the mischievous journalist), he's refreshingly candid on this point: "People say to me: 'I don't believe. Convince me.' I wouldn't dream of trying to convince you. I'm not convinced. I'm still trying to establish objectively what is happening." (28 Sept. 1996). As with Elliott O'Donnell's Confessions Of A Ghost Hunter, Underwood's books work as both spooky authentic accounts of genuine hauntings and wonderful short stories in their own right, none more so than The Italian Count in Devendra Varma's anthology Voices From The Vaults which is to follow shortly ....

Left to right. A Gazetteer of British Ghosts (Souvenir Press, 1971, Pan 1974) * The Vampire's Beside Companion (Leslie Frewin, 1975) * Danny La Rue: Life's a Drag (Star Books, 1975)

[dem bones]

"People say 'I don't believe. Convince me.' I wouldn't dream of trying to convince you. I'm not convinced. I'm still trying to establish objectively what's happening." - Peter Underwood, interviewed by Mary Greene. A Haunted Man, Daily M**l, 28 Sept. 1996.

Something I respected about Peter Underwood was his cheerful admittance to never having encountered a ghost first hand, which, when you think of the decades he devoted to investigating supernatural phenomena, must have been disheartening. If Elliott O'Donnell lasted two stops of a bus journey without coming under attack from phantom monks, reanimated mummies and/ or werewolves he'd consider himself fortunate. Maybe Underwood was too candid for his own good. It pains me to admit that, much as I like his Jack the Ripper and (maybe not so much these days) V**p*re effort, I have yet to be blown away by those few of the forty-plus ghost books to have come my way. I like Haunted London well enough - just not as much as I do J.A. Brooks handling of much the same material. Revisiting these later books, there were times when it seemed like reading the same raw materials repackaged in a slightly different arrangement.

So, your mission, Vault True Ghost Library colleagues, should you accept, is to put me on the right track, tell me what Peter Underwood books do it for you.



Peter Underwood - the Ghost Hunter's Guide (Javelin, 1986)

Acknowledgements
Introduction

The Different Kinds of Ghosts
Ghost Hunting Equipment and its Uses
The Investigation of Hauntings
The Photography of Ghosts
Useful Forms of Questionnaires, Word-Association Tests and Instruction Leaflets for Ghost Hunters
The Problem of the Poltergeist
Mediumship and Exorcism in Ghost Hunting
A Step-by-Step Investigation of a Haunting
Britain’s Most Haunted Areas
Ghost Hunting in Europe
Ghost Hunting in North America
GhostHunting in Australasia and the Far East

A Ghost Calendar
Useful Addresses
Recommended Books
Index

Blurb:

WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES WHICH MAKE AN IDEAL GHOST HUNTER?

You need to be part detective, part investigative reporter, a scientist, with a measure of the psychologist thrown in.
These are the qualities, this book explains the techniques which you need to put them into use. Peter Underwood, president of the Ghost Club, examines types of ghosts, ghost hunting equipment including a special section on photography, investigation of haunted locations - broken down into a step by step procedure, poltergeists, mediumship, and exorcism.
A calendar of annual hauntings is provided to increase your chances of a sighting.

Peter Underwood - Ghosts and How To See Them (Brockhampton press, 1993)

Foreword

Ghosts - Do they exist?
Ghosts - Spot the Difference
Ghosts - The Evidence Worldwide
Ghosts - Can They be Photographed?
Ghosts - Where are They Seen?
Ghosts - What to Do if You See one
Ghosts - Practical Aids for the Ghost Hunter
Ghosts - A Problem for Science
Ghosts - Useful Organizations and Books Worldwide

Acknowledgements
Index

Blurb:


The chances of anyone seeing a ghost in the course of a lifetime are estimated to be as high as one in ten. reports of sightings that defy all logical explanation come from all over the world - from the British Isles, the United States and Australasia to Europe, India and Africa. Now one of the world's leading authorities on the paranormal has written a compelling book for would-be ghost hunters everywhere.


Packed with 100 intriguing and authentic photographs, this book presents startling new evidence for ghosts worldwide. It includes chapters on

how to set up a ghost watch
how to photograph psychic phenomena
where and when ghosts are most likely to be seen
what to do if you think you have seen something


It contains dozens of gripping reports, drawing on well-documented case histories, backed by witnesses. Many of the sightings included here have never been revealed before.

Almost everyone enjoys a good ghost story, whether it is fictional or, apparently, true. Almost everyone either has had a psychic experience - or knows someone who has had one. This book, addressing one of the longest enduring problems for science, is for them all.

Peter Underwood - Guide to Ghosts & Haunted Places (Piatkus, 1996)

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Ghost Hunting - The Practicalities
Hauntings in Castles and Stately Homes
Ghosts in the Public Domain
Investigations of Haunted Houses
Haunted Battlefields
Haunted Trees
Ghosts and Famous People
Haunted Inanimate Objects
Aerial Phenomena
Ghosts and Animals
Time Slips and Cyclic Ghosts
Poltergeists
Bibliography
Index

Blurb:


Peter Underwood’s Guide to Ghosts and Haunted Places is based on over 50 years’ expert study and investigation. The result is s a unique exploration of the world of ghosts, apparitions and psychic phenomena, including:

Chilling tales of haunted places, from castles and stately homes to hospitals, pubs and prisons.
Extraordinary accounts of timeslips, cyclic ghosts and animal hauntings.
Inanimate objects that appear to have supernatural powers.
Bizarre cases of poltergeist activity affecting quiet suburban homes.
Places that; to this day, reverberate with the sounds of battles fought long ago.

And much, much more.

If you want to satisfy your curiosity about the subject or simply enjoy a riveting lead, Peter Underwood’s Guide to Ghosts and Haunted Places is the book for you.

Peter Underwood FRSA is the author of over forty books. He is the life President of the Ghost Club Society and a prominent member of the Society for Psychical Research. He is widely recognlsed as Britain’s leading authority on the paranormal.

[Swampirella]

Dec 9, 2020 8:44:39 GMT dem bones said:

So, your mission, Vault True Ghost Library colleagues, should you accept, is to put me on the right track, tell me what Peter Underwood books do it for you.


Peter Underwood - Guide to Ghosts & Haunted Places (Piatkus, 1996)

I bought this one just to read about the ghost of a North Korean farmer who appeared in his bedroom mirror after death (Pg. 142). North Korean ghost stories are pretty thin on the ground, not surprisingly. The rest of the Guide did not disappoint by any means.

[Swampirella]

This is an Underwood favorite of mine, organized by type of place ("Haunted Ancient Sites" "Graveyards" "Haunted Highways and Byways" (wasn't that an O'Donnell book?) etc. rather than specific town/city/village.

[ripper]

For me, Peter Underwood's books follow a similar pattern: lists of places supposed to be haunted with each place having varying amounts of detail, depending on what has been seen. Borley Rectory usually has a long entry for obvious reasons. I do enjoy his collections, but find they are best for dipping into. I'm not sure I could read more than one of his books without switching to something else. Nowadays, I prefer books with fewer cases that are better investigated. I agree that with the many collections, some do seem to be repackages or subsets of others. I do like his Haunted London, This Haunted Isle and Haunted Gardens. His admittance as to not seeing any ghosts does tend to make me think he was a genuine investigator, who didn't embellish or make up accounts, whereas Elliot O'Donnell with his often outlandish stories just makes me question their voracity, entertaining as they are. It is also interesting to read an Underwood book and discover just how many places he has been to, whether alone or with a party of Ghost Club members.

[dem bones]

Thanks Swampi and Rip. Will see if I can order any of those you mention from library when/ if it reopens. I have a copy of Haunted London. Think it was promoted as the first London-centric ghost book, which may or may not be true (didn't Elliott O'Donnell beat him to it?). Been reading a lot of them for a side project of late, and Underwood's influence is glaringly apparent in every one, including the J. A. Brooks Ghosts of London which I actually prefer. There is one section of the capital seems woefully under-represented in these books - it's like the borough the ghost's forgot - so have decided to try put that right ...

Peter Underwood - Haunted London (Fontana, 1973)

Chris Underwood

Introduction
Ghosts of the City and East London
Ghosts of Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and the Strand
Ghosts of Mayfair, Soho and the West End
The Haunted Thames and its Margins
Haunted Hampstead, Highgate and North London
Some Ghosts of West London North of the River
London Ghosts South of the River
The Ghosts at the Tower of London
Select Bibliography
Index

Blurb:

'Something shapeless and horrible' (50 Berkeley square, Mayfair)
'Good God!' (Martin Tower, Tower of London)
'It's the Black Nun!' (The Bank of England)
'He was not transparent, but appeared semi-solid' (Red Lion Square, Holborn)

In these pages Peter Underwood, President of the Ghost Club, tracks down these and many other ghostly phenomenon that make London the most haunted place on earth; from Hammersmith to Bermondsey, from Hampstead to Chiswick, from the West End to the City.

Whether you have experienced the sudden chill of tear, or simply live in hope (or dread) of doing so, Haunted London offers the first gazetteer of the capital's other population.

‘ ‘Mr Underwood writes with great knowledge: there can he hardly a single suspected ghost that he has not investigated" - David Holloway, Daily Telegraph

[Swampirella]

You may want to try to get a hold of this one (1999) too, for comparative purposes. He has 3 Underwood books in the bibliography (This Haunted Isle, Ghosts and How to See Them and Haunted Kent) but no O'Donnell, which is just as well.

Key to Route Maps

Introduction

Map of London

The Tower of London

On the Trail of Jack the Ripper

Alleyways of the Old City

The City of the Dead

Clerkenwell

London's Inn Fields to Bloomsbury

Highgate

Hampstead

Enfield

Great Portland Street to Theatreland

Royal London

Belgravia and Chelsea

Kensington to Notting Hill

Chiswick

Wimbledon

Hampton Court

Windsor and Eton

Westminster to Piccadilly

Covent Garden

Gaslit Ghosts, the Temple and Fleet Street

The Blackfriars Walk

Southwark

Greenwich

Pluckley: England's Most Haunted VIllage

A Gaggle of Ghosts

Acknowledgements

Further Information

Bibliography

Index

[ripper]

Dec 10, 2020 20:39:18 GMT dem bones said:

Thanks Swampi and Rip. Will see if I can order any of those you mention from library when/ if it reopens. I have a copy of Haunted London. Think it was promoted as the first London-centric ghost book, which may or may not be true (didn't Elliott O'Donnell beat him to it?). Been reading a lot of them for a side project of late, and Underwood's influence is glaringly apparent in every one, including the J. A. Brooks Ghosts of London which I actually prefer. There is one section of the capital seems woefully under-represented in these books - it's like the borough the ghost's forgot - so have decided to try put that right ...

Peter Underwood - Haunted London (Fontana, 1973)

Chris Underwood

Introduction
Ghosts of the City and East London
Ghosts of Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and the Strand
Ghosts of Mayfair, Soho and the West End
The Haunted Thames and its Margins
Haunted Hampstead, Highgate and North London
Some Ghosts of West London North of the River
London Ghosts South of the River
The Ghosts at the Tower of London
Select Bibliography
Index

Blurb:

'Something shapeless and horrible' (50 Berkeley square, Mayfair)
'Good God!' (Martin Tower, Tower of London)
'It's the Black Nun!' (The Bank of England)
'He was not transparent, but appeared semi-solid' (Red Lion Square, Holborn)

In these pages Peter Underwood, President of the Ghost Club, tracks down these and many other ghostly phenomenon that make London the most haunted place on earth; from Hammersmith to Bermondsey, from Hampstead to Chiswick, from the West End to the City.

Whether you have experienced the sudden chill of tear, or simply live in hope (or dread) of doing so, Haunted London offers the first gazetteer of the capital's other population.

‘ ‘Mr Underwood writes with great knowledge: there can he hardly a single suspected ghost that he has not investigated" - David Holloway, Daily Telegraph

As early as 1865 there was a book titled Haunted London by Walter Thornbury. I presume it recounts ghosts of London, but as I have not read it, cannot be totally sure.

[Swampirella]

Dec 12, 2020 17:13:51 GMT ripper said:

Dec 10, 2020 20:39:18 GMT dem bones said:

Thanks Swampi and Rip. Will see if I can order any of those you mention from library when/ if it reopens. I have a copy of Haunted London. Think it was promoted as the first London-centric ghost book, which may or may not be true (didn't Elliott O'Donnell beat him to it?). Been reading a lot of them for a side project of late, and Underwood's influence is glaringly apparent in every one, including the J. A. Brooks Ghosts of London which I actually prefer. There is one section of the capital seems woefully under-represented in these books - it's like the borough the ghost's forgot - so have decided to try put that right ...

Peter Underwood - Haunted London (Fontana, 1973)

Chris Underwood

Introduction
Ghosts of the City and East London
Ghosts of Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and the Strand
Ghosts of Mayfair, Soho and the West End
The Haunted Thames and its Margins
Haunted Hampstead, Highgate and North London
Some Ghosts of West London North of the River
London Ghosts South of the River
The Ghosts at the Tower of London
Select Bibliography
Index

Blurb:

'Something shapeless and horrible' (50 Berkeley square, Mayfair)
'Good God!' (Martin Tower, Tower of London)
'It's the Black Nun!' (The Bank of England)
'He was not transparent, but appeared semi-solid' (Red Lion Square, Holborn)

In these pages Peter Underwood, President of the Ghost Club, tracks down these and many other ghostly phenomenon that make London the most haunted place on earth; from Hammersmith to Bermondsey, from Hampstead to Chiswick, from the West End to the City.

Whether you have experienced the sudden chill of tear, or simply live in hope (or dread) of doing so, Haunted London offers the first gazetteer of the capital's other population.

‘ ‘Mr Underwood writes with great knowledge: there can he hardly a single suspected ghost that he has not investigated" - David Holloway, Daily Telegraph

As early as 1865 there was a book titled Haunted London by Walter Thornbury. I presume it recounts ghosts of London, but as I have not read it, cannot be totally sure.

According to Am*z*n and Goodreads, it has no ghosts at all, but is about "famous people who lived, worked and died" in London.

[ripper]

Dec 12, 2020 17:50:29 GMT Swampirella said:

Dec 12, 2020 17:13:51 GMT ripper said:

As early as 1865 there was a book titled Haunted London by Walter Thornbury. I presume it recounts ghosts of London, but as I have not read it, cannot be totally sure.

According to Am*z*n and Goodreads, it has no ghosts at all, but is about "famous people who lived, worked and died" in London.

Thanks for clarifying it, Miss S. What an odd and misleading title for the book's contents!

[dem bones]

Peter Underwood - Nights in Haunted Houses (Headline, 1994).

Fairly uneventful morning at the market this morning with several pitches empty - not sure what that was all about. Came away with this for £1. "Largely unpublished accounts"? Maybe so, but several locations are familiar from other Underwood books.

Michael Dunning (?)

Blurb:
The eerie quiet and disorientating darkness of the night have long been associated with the terror of the unknown. In the cold light of day it is all too easy for sceptics to dismiss apparently inexplicable events but in the dead of night, when faced with the evidence of their senses and those of other perfectly rational people, it is far more difficult to ignore the facts – however disturbing they may be.

Peter Underwood is Britain's leading ghost hunter. For over thirty years, in his position as President and Chief Investigator of the Ghost Club of Great Britain, he was actively involved in undertaking night vigils and carrying out research into ghosts and paranormal activity in controlled, scientific conditions. In this unique volume of largely unpublished accounts of nocturnal investigations, he guides us on a chilling tour of the most haunted houses in Great Britain.

Among others, we encounter the headless Blue Lady and disturbing inexplicable odour of lavender of Bovey House in Devon; the happy spirit monk of Bromfield Manor, Shropshire, who chuckles with delight when noticed; and the strange disembodied voices, footsteps and unnatural coldness of Newark Park, Gloucestershire.
In Nights in Haunted Houses Peter Underwood vividly records terrifying accounts of ghostly encounters in locations as diverse as a farmhouse, a church, a castle and a council house, and builds a convincing catalogue of evidence for the existence of ghosts.