Books on true Massachusetts ghost stories

Massachusetts is small state, but has some of the oldest European-originated "colonies" in the USA. During the course of the past 400 years, it has seen some of the most intense traumas recorded in American history, some of which affected the whole country. Not surprisingly, it is prolific with ghost stories.

Quite a few books are published on true regional ghost stories throughout the world. For anyone looking for books on the subject, the best place to find them is usually the local interest section of a bricks-and-mortar store—such as Barnes & Noble, Borders, or independents—that sells new books in the particular region. When I travel, I make these books the souvenirs of the places I visit. When I visited Boston a few years ago, I found a few, but I am amazed to see several more have been released since then. I also like to do some research before I go and am planning another trip in the not-too-distant future. This becomes tedious, since Massachusetts is frequently lumped into books on all of New England. However, more titles are being released that exclusively focus on the Bay State.

I have found the research of published true ghost stories to be of variable quality. While some writers may exhaustively research their subject, others will simply rewrite information that has already been released, and yet others will work somewhere in between. Some will concentrate on stories that already well known and others will make a point of finding new ones. Some cover the whole state, and others may specialize in a county, city or town. Ideally, the best true ghost stories are where the researchers obtain or contact first-hand resources for what is usually the most accurate information. Many of them just retell folklore, which is based on hearsay, not facts. This list covers books about people's personal experiences with the paranormal in these locales. This bibliography is for books of true ghost stories exclusively taking place in Massachusetts, regardless of the variables. It makes no judgments on quality.

Some of these books may be out of print (try Abebooks.com or a public library). Books with more than one date are those that have been revised, updated, and/or expanded in subsequent editions. Those I have more extensively written about have their titles linked to their reviews.

Since I live on the West Coast, it is harder to keep up with what is available back East, despite my genealogical interest in New England. I will add to this list as new books are published or old ones come to my attention. If anyone else knows of any I missed, please let me know.

Ghosts of Nantucket; by Blue Balliett; Down East Books; 1984

Nantucket Ghosts; by Blue Balliett; Down East Books; 2006.

Nantucket Hauntings; by Blue Balliett; Down East Books; 1990.

Haunted Yarmouth; by Paul Cote & the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth; The History Press; 2008.

Haunted Massachusetts; by Thomas D'agostino; Schiffer Books; 2007.

Cape Encounters: Contemporary Cape Cod Ghost Stories; by Dan Gordon; Cockle Cove Press; 2004.

Haunted Cape Cod & the Islands; by Mark Jasper; On Cape Publications; 2002.

Haunted Salem & Beyond; by Lynda Lee Macken; Black Cat Press; 2001.

Ghosts of Boston; by Joseph Mont & Marcia Weaver; Snakehead Press; 2002.

Ghosts of Boston Town; by Holly Nadler; Down East Books; 2002.

Vineyard Supernatural; by Holly Nadler; Down East Books; 2008.

Haunted Massachusetts; by Cherie Revai; Stackpole Books; 2005.