Encyclopedia of the Undead: A Field Guide to Creatures That Cannot Rest in Peace - Softcover

Curran, Dr, Bob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1564148416 ISBN 13: 9781564148414

Publisher: Career Press, 2009

Synopsis

From earliest times tales of the restless dead and their fellow travellers have terrified mankind. Whether around a remote campfire or in the middle of a bustling city the unquiet spirits and attendant creatures that have tormented humanity since the prehistoric darkness haven't gone away - they still have the power to strike fear in our hearts. ENCYLOPEDIA OF THE UNDEAD traces those shadowy entities -vampires werewolves ghouls and monsters - that lurk just outside the range of human vision and inhabit our most frightening tales. Drawing on a wide range of beliefs and literature it traces those horrors from their earliest recorded inceptions and charts their impact upon the human psyche. In this book history and terror mix to create the things that lurk in the darkest corners of our minds. You'll find detailed descriptions of terrors from all over the world-from the mist-shrouded mountains of Eastern Europe to the sweltering jungles of the Caribbean islands from the dark stone-lined tombs of the uncoffined dead beneath the remote New England hills to the dark magics that lurk beneath the thriving colourful surface of a city like New Orleans. In addition to the more conventional creatures ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNDEAD also details some of the more obscure things that gnaw at the edges of men's minds-Incubi and Succubi the Mara and the dark legends that have influenced writers from Sheridan Le Fanu to H.P. Lovecraft.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Bob Curran is a native of Northern Ireland, born and raised in the Mourne Mountains area of County Down, a region steeped in folklore and legend. Throughout a varied life, he has worked in many fields--as a gravedigger, professional musician, journalist, and civil servant. He is now a history teacher and well known throughout Ireland and beyond as a writer and broadcaster. He has written extensively, in English and several other languages, on various aspects of history and folklore and acted as advisor to the Cultural Committee of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly. He currently lives in Coleraine, County Derry, with his wife and family.

Edition details

• Publisher: Career Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1564148416
• ISBN 13: 9781564148414
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 312