I own thousands of books and use lots of reference books in my writing, especially horror, folklore, and religion. This is one of the most frequently used books in my research on superstitions. I can locate information quickly and easily. It is extensive enough to provide at least the basic information on most topics. It is my favorite book on superstitions.

I have always like to know what superstitions mean and how they came about. The old superstition to check whether it was going to be a boy or girl child was to schorch a shoulder of mutton and the first person whom enters after this cermony will represent the sex, i.e., if a woman enters the it will be a girl. The forward by Sir. John Hammerton is well written and the introduction by Edwin and Mona Radford is also a good read. At the end is a well developed bibliography; however, the index is missing and this makes the search a bit cumbersome. Overall it is an intersting little dictionary that is easy to use and a pleasure to read.

Every populated area on this planet harbors non-fiction accounts of ghosts, but for some reason England has a stronger association to them more than any other country. With over a millennium's worth of royalty and some of the grotesque violence and injustice that has happened there, it's almost expected England's castles, houses, various other structures and thoroughfares carry the weight of so many lingering traumas. HAUNTED ENGLAND: A SURVEY OF ENGLISH GHOST-LORE documents some of the most fascinating encounters that have occurred in this particular section of the United Kingdom.

Author Christina Hole focuses on the different types of ghosts who have appeared in England, including those that warn the living whose time has nearly come, have a mission, guard their remains, and reenact those events that make them cling to the physical world. Other stories include poltergeists, animal spirits, and ghosts of England's great.

Most of the stories are anecdotal and rarely go beyond the living person's encounters with the dead. One of the aspects that makes this volume intriguing is that most of the cases she selected are taken from historical documentation. Keeping in mind this book was first released in 1940, few of the reports she provides come from contemporary sources. Many of the occurrences took place during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries and include such primary sources as Robert Dale Owen, son of the famed New Lanark entrepreneur and early 19th century socialist, and John Wesley, founder of the Methodists.

One story, from the 18th century, describes how the financially well set-up Ricketts family tried to discover the source of a man's heavy footsteps and the rustling of a woman's skirts in their "comfortable" home. A couple of murdered pregnant women return to see their scornful lovers brought to justice. There are reports of how apparitions of Henry II, as a lad, and his guardians were seen in an area where he was kept under protective custody during the struggles between Stephen and Matilda. Also included are the inevitable ghostly accounts of some of Henry VIII's wives, especially Anne Boleyn.

Hole reports a phenomenon at Northamptonshire's Althorp estate, ancestral home and final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales. Since this book was released long before Diana's parents were married, it obviously doesn't exploit its royal association. However, it may partly explain Diana's interest in the paranormal.

Those of British descent might find the some of the tales of particular interest. With the large number of names mentioned in this book, there's no telling if some these anecdotes might be genealogical finds. Hole does make a point of excluding Wales from her survey, though.

Hole could have made the book a little more captivating if mediums or psychic investigators were brought in for their impressions on the hauntings, but her efforts to verify the legends behind them make her book satisfactory reading. HAUNTED ENGLAND is well worth it to anyone who enjoys a quick jolt when things go bump in the night.