Appearances of the Dead: A Cultural History of Ghosts

Throughout history, people have reported seeing "ghosts." But the Victorian ghost is in many respects a very different phenomenon from a ghost in Classical Greece, or in medieval Europe. In Appearances of the Dead, R.C. Finucane surveys reports of ghosts from ancient Greece, the early Christian era, The Reformation, The Victorian age, through the twentieth century. He asks such questions as :How have the physical aspects claimed for ghosts varied from age to age? What differences are there in the functions and intentions ascribed to ghosts? How have the changes in the more general beliefs , in religion and science, in particular, influenced the perception of ghosts?