From the Ghost Hunter's Library

Suggested Readings

 

As always, I shall endeavor to continually provide factual, engaging, and pertinent accounts of the horrifying and unseen specters of our modern moment. However, in addition to my efforts, supplemental material, in both written and visual media, may prove to be equally stimulating, and of palpable interest to you, dear readers.
To that end, I have compiled a small list of potential sources you might employ in your own quests for paranormal understanding and appreciation.

Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of the Strange 

 

A delightful collection of tales compiled and translated by the Lafcadio Hearn, this 1904 publication catalogues a detailed set of traditional Japanese ghost stories and mythical encounters

 

Factors for your Consideration: 

• Many of the stories collected in this volume have seen popular exposure through film and other various mean of retelling; as such they serve as an excellent foundation for understanding the paranormal events of yore, as well as the evolution of modern horror iconography.

• This publication is admittedly rather dated, though I find its eerie voice to be timeless, and easily digested by a enthused, contemporary audience 

Hell Screen (Jigoku Hen): And Other Stories

 

Translated by W.H.H. Norman, this heart-pounding edition is comprised of several macabre tales written by the renowned short-story author, Akutagawa Ryunosuke. 

 

 Factors for your Consideration:

• Hell Screen, along with its counterparts, act as a wonderfully gruesome window into the dark side of the cultural and historical Japanese consciousness. Akutagawa spares no scene of its wretched violence, and crafts a uniquely brutal narrative with each of his accounts.

• Much of Akutagawa's fiction is relatively original and self-contained, almost creating a separate mythos in Lovecraftian terms. To that end, readers may find its content to be more fanciful, and less applicable to the pursuit of demoniacal and spectral entities in Japan. 

Myth and Legends of Japan 

 

Edited and organized by F. Hadland Davis, this sizable encyclopedia showcases several Japanese deities, spirits, demons, and ghosts, among several fables associated with each.

 

Factors for your Consideration:

• This collection provides a broad, encompassing registry of spirits, both wicked and benign, and the sorts of shrines and natural locations they might inhabit.

• Admittedly, at least half of the stories and legends contained within are of an overwhelmingly happy, or melancholy nature. As a result, they might  fail to induce the sort of excitement one finds in literature of a scarier, or at least more suspenseful stance.

Closing Remarks

 

Of the three great works I have mentioned above, my personal recommendation, by a thin margin, is the insightful work of Hearn. Concurrently, I am an avid fan of the great Akutagawa, and continue to reference Davis throughout my travels. Regardless of which author peaks your fancy, I encourage you to scour your local library, or, should you feel so inclined, the electronic vendors of Amazon for such titles. In the meantime, I bid you farewell, and a happy weekend of reading, and perhaps, exploring.

Sincerely Yours,

C.V. Hastings

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