The Usborne Guide to the Supernatural World maybe one of my favorite books ever written. It's also one of my favorite things to read while I'm having a shit as well.
Usborne books have been around for many generations and have made some very fun yet educational books in their time. The books they published were all about different themes and subjects, which educated children about historic and fictional events told using snippets of text and amazing illustrations.
This book was released in the late 1970's and is very brutal for a book intended for children.
The book (or books) deal with the fiction and reality of paranormal events and stories. The book is very in depth and tons of monster mythology is covered.
From the origins of Eastern European vampire tales to Count Dracula and Hammer Horror, its all covered.
The book tells many great stories from around the world, which would make for some great new horror movies if picked up by the right person.
This book has it all, wether it's how to look after a dead body properly without having to worry about vampirism or how to kill your mate if he becomes a member of he undead. The use of very bloody and well drawn illustrations make this book a hoot from start to finish.
The book introduces us to vampire legends from all around the world and some of these are just down right funny. Theres a Russian vampire who likes sucking his thumb all the time and a Greek one who likes to sit on peoples faces while they sleep!
The ghosts section is also a very wonderful thing to read. Famous paranormal cases are brought back to life using amazing pictures with some great story telling. A floor plan of Borely Rectory is also included. The book also encourages paranormal investigation by including paranormal report forms and how to make your own psychic powered rods.
The book also discusses the reality of such claims and goes onto explain the origins of such myths and also goes into detail about famous hoaxes. The book kinda takes you through a wild ride of terror and then at the end tells you it's all a load of bollocks really which is pretty cool.
From what I have gathered these books are very well missed and collectible for their nostalgia reasons. My copy is in bad condition as it is a copy nicked from a local library back in the day, so I doubt mine is worth anything but it has a sentimental value and if I lost it I would be very upset.
If you like reading books about monsters or just something fun to flick through I really recommend this book. I've had mine for years and still refer to it to this day. One of my favorite books ever!
