Ghosts of the World: True Tales of Ghostly Hauntings.

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

What is it with ghosts, anyway? Don’t they know they’re dead?

Some, it seems, see no reason why they shouldn’t walk the halls, attend the theatre, and generally mix with the living. Others, apparently, have unfinished business and come back after death in an effort to get on with it. Still others simply enjoy the gentle art of haunting and can’t resist an occasional late night stroll through what used to be a favourite pub or castle. One gentle soul smokes a pipe while ambling about the house. A favourite activity for others is to rest by the fireplace. Another, perhaps lacking the energy for a full walkabout, sends only his head for a return performance. A woman who died of poisoning repeatedly pops into the pantry seeking a glass of water to sooth her burning throat. A long-dead nanny shows up periodically to make the children’s beds. Of course, those who ended life in damp dungeons or on the gallows are not inclined towards such meek, friendly returns, but surely they’re entitled to invoke a little fear with a repertoire of bloodcurdling screams and hair-raising touches to the back of the neck.

This is Ghost Spotting 101, a survey course that looks at a selection of the world’s most popular ghosts. Much of the world, it seems, is a paranormal paradise. In 50 stories from countries as diverse as the U.K., Australia, Africa, U.S., Denmark, Jamaica, China, Russia, Europe, and Canada, the author recounts tales of spectres in castles, houses, hotels, theatres, pubs, and jails, as well as accounts of haunted highways. Some sites have so many ghosts there’s floating room only. There are ghosts of children, teens, lords and ladies, and star-crossed lovers. Former occupations include butler, maid, doctor, president, czar, monk, nun, judge, cook, cricket player, actor, teacher and, of course, highwayman. The famous who still like to put in an appearance include Lincoln, Lenin, Queen Mary, Ivan the Terrible, and Marie Antoinette.

Polished and easygoing, Smitten’s style achieves a comfortable reporting tone that is light on scare tactics. Her research included interviews with ghost-tour operators, various ghost-buster and paranormal experts, web sites, and reports both oral and published reports. She admits that at times “the facts tend to be a little malleable.” Her advice is to “never let the facts get in the way of a good yarn.”