The ghost experience is a remarkable common one. "Ghosts" are seen or heard, or their presence is felt in almost every kind of place by almost every kind of person. They appear once, or regularly, with a purpose, or for no apparent reason. They may be friendly, hostile, or peculiar, and seen by one person or several. Most are recognisably human, but some are merely bright lights or animals or even objects. Most are dead, but some are still alive, and a number of people have seen ghosts of themselves. P.G.Maxwell-Stuart"s book traces the history of ghost phenomena from the ancient world to the present day and the ways in which people have tried to deal with the hope, the fear, the curiosity, and the disbelief which ghosts have aroused.