World of the Unknown: Ghosts: 1 (The World of the Unknown)

I remember finding this book in the children’s section of my local library back in the early 80s. I had already discovered my love for all things ghostly after buying “Haunted houses” by Aidan Chambers at my primary school book sale so this book seemed right up my street, and it was!The book that first introduced me to my all time favourite supposed real ghost photo- the Newby church monk (still love that one and it still gives me the spooks when I see it!)I purchased this reprint for my 10 year old nephew and he loves it!Some of the pages and info may be a little dated (cassette player as ghost hunting equipment as one example. Not sure children of today would know what that is to be honest) but on the whole it holds up really well considering it was first printed in 1977!Illustrations are brilliant and memorable. They make the book in my opinion.Lots of information on the subject written in a way that is easy to understand and entertaining for children but not patronising.A classic for many of my generation.

If you were a child of the 70s and had even the remotest interest in the supernatural then chances are good that you owned Usborne's THE WORLD OF THE UNKNOWN: ALL ABOUT GHOSTS. A superb pictorial journey through ghosts and their ways - the fakes and the mysteries - lavishly illustrated with full colour artwork and a handful of black and white "ghost photos".And here it is again. Republished by Usborne in 2019 and virtually identical to the original. We now have a nice foreword by Reece Shearsmith on the inside front cover, quotes from celebrity fans on the inside back cover, and revised blurb. But the book is the same as it always was - now with a much nicer semi-gloss paper quality which really make the illustrations pop. Buy this book - especially if you have childen interested in the weird and the strange.I still own my original copy (peeking out in the photo) but I had to get the new edition so I own a pristine copy. There were two other legendary books in the series: MONSTERS and UFOs. Both were just as fascinating and enjoyable as GHOSTS, and also long out of print. Here's hoping that Usborne republish those too!

I got this for my husband, he loves it and has found it very informative, at least it keeps him quiet!Very good readings so far, will look for some more at a later date.

A perfect reproduction of the original book. I simply don't understand how people can give this book a low mark when it's their own fault that they, themselves, have completely mistaken it for another book or didn't know what the book was a reprint of a children's book from the seventies. That's on them not the actual book!I think it's wonderful to see this book back in print again - and also the UFO book from the same range too!Superb content and illustrations that inspired many writers and artists in their time.A great nostalgic gift for anyone that remembers these from the seventies!

Fab

I originally bought this book from my school book club back in the late 1970s. It was a chilling read for a boy yet to reach his teens. I repeatedly devoured its pages, mortified by the tale of the ship builder who died inside the hull of the SS Great Eastern, thrilled by the prospect of visiting England's most haunted village (Pluckley in Kent - and it took me almost twenty years to fulfil that ambition), and inspired to become a ghost hunter in my own right (alas, my local church proved disappointingly bereft of spectres).I didn’t hesitate buying the re-release, and it is exactly as I remember. It’s as though the original book - misplaced long ago, probably when my attention turned to Ian Fleming's novels - has jumped across forty years to catch me up. It’s probably a bit kitch for today’s younglings (how does this compete in a world of tablets and iPhones?) and the new foreword is frankly unnecessary ... but I agree with the sentiment: if you grew up with this book, it’s one ghost you'll love spending time with.

On the rare occasions when my older brother lent me this book, the cover alone scared me silly because every word of it sounded real to my young mind. And this is the magic of this book: it is aimed at the impressionable age when you want to learn and anything in print seems unquestionably true. The section on the 12 haunted house must-haves is a case in point - of course disembodied hands playing a funeral march are what is inside EVERY spooky mansion! Duh. The delight of being scared and, as Christopher Lee said, the release of fear that it brings, give this book a special place in so many reader’s journeys.

I bought this book as soon as I saw it, having lost my original copy years ago. It brings back memories of after school visits to the library, borrowing any book about ghosts and the supernatural, and rainy weekends re-reading this book back to back.The illustrations are great and the photo of the 9ft tall monk has stayed with me for 30 plus years; as have the stories. Mention Mongoose and I instantly see the illustration of Geoff's claws poking through the wall and poltergeist, a pencil drawing of a cup flying through the air.Not too scary, yet scary enough (9ft monk), it is a perfect introduction to the world of ghosts,

I read this back when I was a boy and now I’ve purchased it for my family. They weren’t as interested as I thought they’d be at first but then I saw one reading it one night. Scared him pretty good! It’s written like a website with lots of great artwork so don’t worry, the kids’ll read it.

Lovely little book. It will frighten the grandchildren. I bought it to send to them on Halloween. I'm sure they'll love it.

WORLDS OF THE UNKNOWN: GHOSTS ist ein Buch, welches für viele, viele Menschen reinsten Kultstatus hatte, die in den späten 70ern / frühen 80ern Kind waren... in Deutschland erschien es unter dem Namen "Rätselhafte Geister und Gespenster" im Delphin-Verlag auch auf Deutsch.Wer dieses Buch kennt wird verstehen, warum es damals in deutschen und englischen Kinderzimmern einschlug wie eine Bombe: es war einfach grandios-gruselig aufgemacht, die Zeichnungen waren toll, die Fotos echte Klassiker (u.a. das "Newby Church Specter", welches bei vielen für schlaflose Nächte sorgte) und um Welten (!) cooler als die ähnlich aufgemachten, damals ziemlich drögen Was-Ist-Was Bücher.Schön also, dass es von diesem Buch (und den ebenfalls zur Reihe gehörenden Büchern über Monster respektive Ufos... alles, was man als Kind liebt!) nun eine Neuauflage gibt. Schade ist allenfalls, dass diese Neuauflage Softcover ist, die zumindest in Deutschland als Hardcover erhältliche Version gefällt mir noch besser. Der Inhalt ist mit der ursprünglichen Auflage aus den 70ern 1:1 identisch, es findet sich nur ein kurzes, den Kultstatus würdigendes Vorwort und einige Leserreaktionen.Alles in allem: wer heute um die 40 + ist und dieses Buch noch aus der eigenen Kindheit kennt sollte sich diesen Kult nicht entgehen lassen - für heutige Kinder gibt es natürlich wesentlich zeitgemäßer Bücher zu derartigen Themen auf dem Markt.Ich komme nicht umhin: aufgrund der damit verbundenen Erinnerungen kann ich diesem Buch nur eine klare Höchstnote geben!

Took forever to arrive but well worth the wait. Total throwback to the book I borrowed from my elementary school library. Still as awesome as ever and just as cool for kids now as it was for us back in 80’s. If you had this when you were younger and feeling even the slightest bit nostalgic now, don’t hesitate just hit ‘Buy Now’.

très déçu : c'est présenté comme un livre, et c'est une simple brochure de 32 pages, un fascicule type mensuel de librairie, sans plus... et qui plus est, inintéressant sur le sujet : que des poncifs rabâchés et archi-connus... ne vaut absolument pas le prix !