Hauntings and Poltergeists: Multidisciplinary Perspectives
by James Houran and Rense Lange (Editors)
McFarland & Company, £76.50, ISBN 0786409843
This is an excellent book for anyone with a serious interest in the topic (and a healthy bank balance). The authors are to be congratulated for getting contributions from many of the biggest names in the area. Not only is the book multidisciplinary in its approach, it also reflects the entire range of belief from absolute skeptic to true believer. For example, the editors themselves are firm skeptics with respect to this topic: “our research suggests that hauntings and poltergeists are delusional in nature” (p. 305). The foreword and afterword, however, are written by two veteran parapsychologists with strongly pro-paranormal views (John Beloff and Gertrude Schmeidler, respectively). The book is all the more interesting for that. You won’t find definitive answers here, but you will ask much more interesting questions.
The book is divided into three sections, dealing with sociocultural perspectives (Finucane, Hufford, Evans, McClenon, Edwards), physical and physiological perspectives (Roll & Persinger, Radin, Persinger & Koren, Brugger, Nickell), and psychological perspectives (Machado, Lawrence, Kumar & Pekala, Lange & Houran). It would be invidious for me to point out my personal favourite chapters. I can honestly say that I enjoyed and learned from every chapter – except one, which I admit I gave up on. Again, I will not say which one it is, but if other readers want to send in their guesses to me, I will let them know if they are right.
The book is far too expensive to recommend to anyone with only a mild interest in the topic. This presumably reflects the fact that the serious academic treatment on offer in this book is unlikely to make it into a best seller. From my personal point of view, that is not a problem. Not only did the book give me lots of food for thought, I got my copy free for reviewing it.
