Ghosts come in many guises. There are ill-mannered and well-bred ghosts, malevolent and benevolent ghosts, there are jolly Christmas ghosts and evil Halloween Ghosts. There are ghosts who only appear on special days, some with dire warnings, some without. There are ghosts who are not ghosts at all, only the shadows and figments of madness. Sometimes ghosts appear to have a purpose. Sometimes they are a mere annoyance. Sometimes their purpose is darker and they intend to terrify the living, although to what purpose only they know, if they know anything at all. One thing is certain about ghosts. They have been around as long as humans have had an imagination or a spiritual yearning to know what is beyond. This edition of ghost stories is meant to introduce the reader to ghosts of the past, the nineteenth century to be more precise. It was a Golden Age for the making of and experiencing of ghost stories. Make no mistake. These are not modern ghosts. They are not graphic or violent. They are ghosts who settle into and stimulate and disturb the imagination with wonder and dread, causing the reader to wonder, "What if...?" These stories have been carefully selected to reflect some of the varieties and nuances of the form (and the formless, if you will excuse the pun). They have not been organized into sections because they are not easily classified. But then, why should they be? Ghosts keep their counsel to themselves. They have their own purpose -- if they have any purpose at all. And that purpose, perhaps thankfully, is entirely and completely veiled from us. WITH OVER 40 ILLUSTRATIONS THIS IS NOT A HASTILY ASSEMBLED SCAN OR "FACSIMILE EDITION" OF THIS WORK. EVERY LETTER AND WORD OF THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN RESET AND CAREFULLY PROOFED FOR ACCURACY.