Chasing Ghosts A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural

“A fantastic book.”—Ben Kissel, co-host of Last Podcast on the Left

Take a spirited tour through the supernatural history of America, from its haunted sites to its famous ghosts to its ghost-obsessed pop culture.

Ghosts are everywhere—whether you believe in them or not. Every town has its local legends, and countless books, movies, and TV shows are haunted by their presence. But our obsession with ghosts runs deeper than we know—and is embedded in the very fabric of American history.
 
Writer and historian Marc Hartzman dons the mantle of tour guide, taking readers on a fascinating journey through supernatural history, including:
 
   • The Fox Sisters and the rise of Spiritualism 
   • The supernatural obsessions of famous figures like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 
   • Famous haunted sites like the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia and the LaLaurie House in New Orleans
   • Famous ghosts like the Bell Witch of Tennessee and the Greenbrier Ghost of West Virginia
   • Paranormal investigators like Ed and Lorraine Warren  

Deeply researched and highly entertaining, with archival images and black and white illustrations, Chasing Ghosts will satisfy believers and skeptics alike.

Marc Hartzman is "one of America's leading connoisseurs of the bizarre" (ABCNews.com) and is the author of several books, including The Big Book of Mars (Quirk, 2020). Hartzman's work has appeared in Mental Floss, Bizarre, and HuffPost/AOL Weird News. He has discussed oddities on CNN, MSNBC, Ripley's Radio, and the Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Museum. More of his love for the unusual can be found on his site WeirdHistorian.com. Hartzman works in advertising and lives in New Rochelle with his wife, Liz, and their two daughters.