Search  for anything...
Random House Books for Young Readers

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places

  • Based on 1,144 reviews
Condition: New
Checking for product changes
$8.99 Why this price?
Save $9.01 was $18.00

Buy Now, Pay Later

As low as $2 / mo
  • – 4-month term
  • – No impact on credit
  • – Instant approval decision
  • – Secure and straightforward checkout

Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.

Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, PayTomorrow, Affirm, Afterpay, Apple Pay, and PayPal. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Free shipping on this product

This item is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt

To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

Availability: In Stock.
Fulfilled by Amazon
Arrives Sunday, Jun 29
Order within 1 hour and 39 minutes
Available payment plans shown during checkout

Recently Viewed

Description

One of NPR’s Great Reads of 2016 “A lively assemblage and smart analysis of dozens of haunting stories…absorbing…[and] intellectually intriguing.” —The New York Times Book Review From the author of The Unidentified, an intellectual feast for fans of offbeat history that takes readers on a road trip through some of the country’s most infamously haunted places—and deep into the dark side of our history. Colin Dickey is on the trail of America’s ghosts. Crammed into old houses and hotels, abandoned prisons and empty hospitals, the spirits that linger continue to capture our collective imagination, but why? His own fascination piqued by a house hunt in Los Angeles that revealed derelict foreclosures and “zombie homes,” Dickey embarks on a journey across the continental United States to decode and unpack the American history repressed in our most famous haunted places. Some have established reputations as “the most haunted mansion in America,” or “the most haunted prison”; others, like the haunted Indian burial grounds in West Virginia, evoke memories from the past our collective nation tries to forget. With boundless curiosity, Dickey conjures the dead by focusing on questions of the living—how do we, the living, deal with stories about ghosts, and how do we inhabit and move through spaces that have been deemed, for whatever reason, haunted? Paying attention not only to the true facts behind a ghost story, but also to the ways in which changes to those facts are made—and why those changes are made—Dickey paints a version of American history left out of the textbooks, one of things left undone, crimes left unsolved. Spellbinding, scary, and wickedly insightful, Ghostland discovers the past we’re most afraid to speak of aloud in the bright light of day is the same past that tends to linger in the ghost stories we whisper in the dark. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books


Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 3, 2017


Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 00


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.4 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.4 inches


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Sunday, Jun 29

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

  • Klarna Financing
  • Affirm Pay in 4
  • Affirm Financing
  • Afterpay Financing
  • PayTomorrow Financing
  • Financing through Apple Pay
Leasing options through Acima may also be available during checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Similar Products

Top Amazon Reviews

    • A must read for fans of American ghost stories
Format: Kindle
The thesis for every essay in this book is essentially the same: what does this ghost story tell us about American culture? From the era of slavery to 19th century spiritualism to women's suffrage up to today, ghost stories have played an integral part of our nation's history. As someone who's been intrigued by ghost stories since I was young, I found Dickey's analysis of each ghost story to have an in-depth analysis, providing broader context to often simple legends. Many of the reviewers here on Amazon focus on whether they enjoyed Dickey's "skeptical" take overall. I don't really understand this attitude, and I'm speaking as someone who neither believes nor disbelieves in ghosts in general. To be honest I've made up some of my own, so I can tell you firsthand that ghost stories can be fictional. Most of the essays in Ghostland don't focus on the truth of the alleged haunting unless it's relevant. For example, the Winchester Mystery House that Dickey (and I) grew up near is a classic example of a ghost story which blends fact with fiction. Dickey's analysis of the Winchester ghost story does tackle some of these falsehoods head on, but it's in service to answer a broader question: what is it about this strange mansion that drives us to believe it must be haunted? There's no way to talk about this directly without acknowledging how the life of Sarah Winchester was embellished after her death. In conclusion I would argue that this book is exactly what it says it is: essays about famous American ghost stories and what those stories tell us about ourselves and our history. The "skeptical" take only applies to a small number of the essays where it's needed to fully understand the broader picture. Sometimes when we look in the mirror we don't like what we see, but that says far more about ourselves than it does about the world around us. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2017 by Eric Gregory
    • Welcome to Ghostland
Format: Kindle
If you grew up loving ghost stories as much as I did, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Reviewers claiming that Dickey is condescending or mean to ghost hunters are either mischaracterizing his approach or missing the point. Dickey has a wry affection for ghost hunters, but a pseudoscientific investigation of ghostly phenomena isn't what he's after. He's hunting for meaning, as we all are, and ghost stories are one of the ways we imbue this strange, messed-up, beautiful country with meaning. Dickey goes under the hood of some of America's most famous hauntings to examine what we really talk about when we talk about ghosts. What he uncovers is so much more: our attitudes towards death, of course, but also gender norms, race, mental illness, and, surprisingly, architecture. Written with a thoughtful historical-critical lens that's still good-natured and approachable, this book helped me recapture that thrill I felt reading about ghosts as a kid. America is a young country, relatively speaking, but it's haunted as hell. Reading this book will help you better understand why. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2023 by William
    • examination of ghost stories and haunted locales throughout America with the express intent of debunking the paranormal and bett
Format: Hardcover
Ghostland is a not-spooky, but thoroughly entertaining, examination of ghost stories and haunted locales throughout America with the express intent of debunking the paranormal and better understanding how ghost stories reflect on our past and present. Given the book's dark cover and the timing of its release, it seems necessary to reiterate that there's nothing particularly creepy about this book. The author dug through family trees and historic records until he unearthed every inconsistency or blatant lie associated with famous ghost stories or well-known haunted locations. He actively debunks one ghost story after another. The author posits that ghost stories are malleable, changing throughout the years to accommodate society's various needs: "Paying attention to the way ghost stories change through the years -- and why those changes are made -- can tell us a great deal about how we face our fears and our anxieties. Even when these stories have a basis in fact and history, there's often significant embellishment and fabrication before they catch on in our imagination, and teasing out these alterations is key to understanding how ghosts shape our relationship to the past." In addition to stories of ghosts, the author examines several haunted locations, revealing details spanning from the evolution of their (sometimes) bizarre construction to their rise in popularity as a notorious haunt. "The more unusual the house," the author states, "the more likely it'll cause unease among its neighbors and the more we seem to require some kind of story to explain its construction." Additional locations explored include haunted bars and brothels, hotels and restaurants, asylums, graveyards, and more. Though it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the book, it sometimes feels as though the author drifts off on a tangent. For example, a chapter that begins by introducing a notoriously haunted house eventually segues to a discussion of Spiritualism, which ultimately leads to an examination of a woman's right to vote. These shifts in narrative are never a point of contention for the reader, because all of the information is well-researched and tied together seamlessly. "This is how ghost stories are born, after all: not from a complete story so much as from bits and pieces that don't quite add up, a kaleidoscope of menace and unease that coalesce in unpredictable ways." Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places is a skilfully crafted and compelling book that will appeal to fans of American history, trivia, haunted locales and ghosts. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2016 by Hannah

Can't find a product?

Find it on Amazon first, then paste the link below.