The Ghost World

Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. (Thomas Firminger), 1848-192Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 507K words
Chapters: 51

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Ghost World by T. F. Thiselton-DyerAuthor: Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. (Thomas Firminger), 1848-1923,Language: English, Class: BF: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Psychology, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Release Date: Apr 11, 2014

Editor's review

The Ghost World is T. F. Thiselton-Dyer's (1848–1923) work on beliefs about ghosts and supernatural legends, classified in Project Gutenberg under philosophy, psychology, and religion. Its value lies not in arguing whether ghosts exist but in gathering and organizing folk beliefs, legends, and related ideas, offering material for understanding the folk psychology and supernatural narratives of the modern English-speaking world. Readers interested in folklore, the cultural history of religion, and the study of supernatural belief can use it as a sourcebook for observing how people of the time told, classified, and explained ghost phenomena. Read it with a critical eye: the material reflects the collecting and storytelling of a particular era and the compiler's selections. It is best read alongside background in folklore or religious history, as a set of documentary leads rather than a conclusive work.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in folklore, folk belief, and supernatural legends
Students and enthusiasts studying the cultural history of religion or the evolution of supernatural ideas
Writers and creators gathering ghost-story material and interested in narrative traditions
Readers who enjoy public-domain English texts and source-based browsing

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking scientific explanations or empirical psychological conclusions
Those looking for the strong plot and atmosphere of horror fiction
General readers impatient with the compilation style of folklore materials

Reading tips

Read the contents and introduction first to understand the scope of the material, then read by theme.
Keep a notebook and record legend motifs by region or type for later verification.
Read alongside introductory folklore works, distinguishing the narration of material from research conclusions.
There is no need to read it through; browse it as a source collection and search as needed.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book trying to prove that ghosts exist?

It should not be read that way. It is closer to a gathering and narration of beliefs about ghosts and supernatural legends, belonging to folklore and religious-cultural material rather than empirical research. Read it as a record of belief from a particular era, not as a conclusion about supernatural phenomena.

Is it suitable as a collection of horror stories?

Not really. The book organizes legends and beliefs, and its narration is source-oriented, lacking the tension and atmosphere of fiction. For horror literature, choose fictional works instead; for those interested in legend motifs, it can serve as a source of material.

How difficult is the English, and what background is needed?

This is English writing from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century; the sentence patterns and vocabulary are somewhat older than modern English, but the overall style is popular scholarship. University-level English reading ability is enough to attempt it; look up folklore proper names as needed, and there is no need to read word by word.

Comments

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About the author

Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. (Thomas Firminger), 1848-192 Author

Thomas Firminger Thiselton-Dyer (1848–192) was an English folklorist whose life is sparsely documented in publicly available sources. Seven of his works are held here, mostly on folklore, legend and the history of customs. Folk-lore of Shakespeare traces the folk beliefs and customs in Shakespeare's plays; The Folk-lore of Plants surveys plant symbolism and uses in popular belief; The Ghost World, Domestic folk-lore and British Popular Customs, Present and Past deal with ghost stories, everyday taboos and festivities, and a historical view of English traditions. Strange Pages from Family Papers and Royalty in All Ages touch on family anecdotes and court life. His writings are largely compilations and classifications for general readers, part of the popularization of Victorian folklore studies.