Between the American Civil War and the nation’s entry into World War I, a wave of ghost reports appeared in U.S. newspapers. Haunted houses, haunted roads, haunted families, and other spectral manifestations were treated as legitimate news. Tim Prasil has collected hundreds of these articles, and Spectral Edition: Ghost Reports from U.S. Newspapers, 1865-1917 displays the scariest, strangest, funniest, and most intriguing of them. Along with nearly 150 complete ghost reports, Prasil includes a well-researched Introduction, useful footnotes, rare newspaper illustrations, and an essay about how an alleged ghost encounter in Memphis ignited a debate about responsible journalism. Spectral Edition explores a curious chapter of U.S. newspapers and an era when the American press challenged scientific and religious skepticism with open-minded consideration of the possibility that specters return to haunt us! "It's a neat book. . . . [Prasil] has gone through decades of ghost stories--and decades of old newspaper stories about ghosts and haunted places--and it's fascinating. It's fascinating to see what made it in the papers." - Troy Taylor, American Hauntings Podcast Tim Prasil is a writer of fiction, stage and audio plays, and some limericks. He also researches the histories of quirky genres of fiction -- from occult detective mysteries to tales of sinister hypnotists -- with the goal of compiling entertaining yet informative anthologies. With a doctorate degree in English, he has taught at the university level, specializing in American literature from the 1800s and early 1900s and in popular genres, such as supernatural and science fiction. His website is at brombonesbooks.com One more thing: his name rhymes with "grim fossil." Flattering, ain't it