Book #45
Scottish Ghost Stories by Elliott O'Donnell
This spine-chilling collection of 'Scottish Ghost Stories' is the work of an acknowledged expert in the field of the supernatural.
This is quite an old, rare book, written back in the 19th century. My uncle gave it to me about ten years ago and I have no idea where he managed to procure it from. I really should find out, because it's a strange little read.
The stories here are written in a very old-fashioned style, which I think adds to the suspense and atmosphere O'Donnell creates. They are extremely dark, and almost Victorian, and there are no clues whatsoever as to whether or not they are true accounts. I believe they may be true stories at the core, but there does seem to be some dramatisation involved on O'Donnell's part. Further research into his personality has reported him as a lover of melodrama, so perhaps the stories only have a tiny element of truth to them. Nevertheless, I was scared!
The locality of the ghost stories is slightly disturbing. There was one set in a house in Blythswood Square, and I was a bit freaked since I'd been there only a few days ago!
The illustrations were also a bit much for me. There was one at the beginning of every new story, but now and then one would pop up mid-narrative and they'd usually be quite disturbing.
I really like it when I ghost story has an insight into the ghost's history - why they are there, how they died, why they are angry - and each of these stories did their best to explain the ghost's motives, which I really appreciated.
I'd recommend giving this one a read - if you can find it! It is, however, extremely old-fashioned and requires a wee bit of patience since O'Donnell is very randomly descriptive.