True Ghost Stories

Carrington, Hereward, 1880-1959Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 290K words
Chapters: 29

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.True Ghost Stories by Hereward CarringtonAuthor: Carrington, Hereward, 1880-1959,Language: English, Class: BF: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Psychology, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Release Date: Jan 8, 2014

Editor's review

True Ghost Stories is a collection of ghost stories compiled by Hereward Carrington, an early author in the field of psychical research, and is a free public-domain e-book from Project Gutenberg. Its value lies not in providing conclusive supernatural evidence but in presenting the textual form of how people in the early twentieth century collected, narrated, and discussed "true ghost stories": the narratives often use witness retellings, scene reconstruction, and unresolved endings, with distinctive period vocabulary and an interest in psychological research. For readers, the book is more a cultural-historical document and narrative sample, useful for observing how the oral tradition of ghost stories was organized into text and how the label "true" was used in popular reading. It should be read as early popular supernatural literature, not as a compilation of scientifically verified cases; from folkloristic, narratological, or publishing-history perspectives, more layers can be discerned. Suitable for bedtime short reads and for discussing narrative credibility with friends.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in early ghost stories and psychical research literature
Enthusiasts studying folk narrative and how oral legends are organized
Readers who enjoy short weird tales and prefer atmosphere over gore
Learners who need public-domain English materials for reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting rigorous scientific evidence or definitive conclusions about supernatural phenomena
Readers who prefer modern fast-paced horror fiction with strong plots
Readers impatient with early English expression and retelling-style prose

Reading tips

Read each piece independently; after each account, note the narrator's identity and the source of information, and observe how "truth" is constructed.
Prepare a simple table marking story type, number of witnesses, and whether the ending is closed, for easy cross-comparison.
If reading the English original, first read through for plot, then revisit unfamiliar words and period usage to reduce frustration.
Take turns retelling one story with friends and compare the oral version with the original to experience how legends change in transmission.

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

Did the ghost stories in this book really happen?

The "true" in the title is a common label of popular reading at the time, indicating that the stories were allegedly based on witness accounts; it does not mean they have been verified by modern science. Read it as early supernatural literature and narrative text, focusing on its recording methods and period ideas rather than treating it as conclusive evidence of supernatural events.

Will readers without belief in the supernatural gain anything from this book?

Yes. Even without believing in supernatural phenomena, one can read it from folkloristic, narratological, and publishing-history perspectives: observe how stories were collected, retold, and packaged, how witness accounts build credibility, and how early twentieth-century readers received "true stories."

How difficult is the English original?

The text is early popular English with longer sentences and much retelling, but the plot lines are usually clear; overall difficulty is moderate. It is advisable to read through first for the gist, then look up key unfamiliar words; reading piece by piece without aiming for word-for-word understanding noticeably reduces reading pressure.

Is it suitable for reading in one sitting?

Not really. The pieces are relatively independent and similar in narrative pattern, so continuous reading easily causes fatigue. It is better to read one or two pieces a day, pause briefly afterward, and note the source and how the ending is handled; this keeps freshness and makes it easier to compare how credibility is constructed in different stories.

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About the author

Carrington, Hereward, 1880-1959 Author · British-American · 1880–1959

Hereward Carrington (1880–1959) was a British-born American psychical researcher and writer known for investigating ghost stories and psychic phenomena. He focused on controversial subjects such as hauntings, mediumship and precognition, preferring to present cases through observation and documentation rather than rushing to firm conclusions. His representative work True Ghost Stories collects popular tales of the supernatural in accessible language for general readers, while The Problems of Psychical Research addresses the methodological and interpretive difficulties facing psychical research, reflecting his sustained engagement with the field. Two of his works are held in the collection, though a common classification is not yet clear. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based mainly on the themes and orientation of his writings. His work combines documentation with readability, bridging popular supernatural literature and psychical research and helping to spread interest in these subjects.