Unearthly Reference Book Review:

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings

• (4 out of 5 ghost rating)   Click Here To Learn About Our Grading System

• Tom Ogden                                                                                                                                                   

• Alpha Books                                                                                                                           
• $16.95 US
• $24.95 Can
• 338 pages plus 16 pages of Appendix and an Index

Everybody’s got to start somewhere, no matter what the hobby or area of interest.  When it comes to starting places, this book does an admirable job.  A lot of readers seem to shy away from the series, thinking it too commercial or even that the title is serious.  However, the series is deserving with lots of facts and interesting pieces of information.  What I admire most about the series is it’s ability to both poke fun at the topic and remain serious in the same moment.  This book is no different and is a pleasant addition to the series.  Don’t let the title fool you, there’s nothing remotely idiotic about the book, it’s author, or it’s reader.  Mr. Ogden does a top rate job at keeping the silly educational and the factual fun.  I think for any novice, this book has great information on where to get started.  It’s even an excellent brush up book or reference for the more experienced among us.  I rated it 4 out 5 because there are some factual mistakes, as well as simple grammatical errors.  I was more disappointed in the grammatical than the factual, as a fair editor should have picked up on those.  I wouldn’t use this book as my bible, but I did find it helpful.  There is a section for almost every related topic and a helpful index full of address and Web sites topic related groups.  I find it to be the Cliff notes for the ghost hunter.  If nothing else, it does give you a valuable place to start from.

Nikki aka WitchLight - November 2, 2001