Without doubt the largest single volume on my bookshelves is Ghosts: true encounters with the world beyond by the prolific and extraordinary Hans Holzer, who passed on at the age of 89 at his Manhattan home on 26 April, after a long illness.

Ghosts – all 760 pages of it – is hardly bedtime reading. Turning its pages for half an hour is surely equivalent to an energetic workout with dumbells at the gym. Fortunately, a slightly lighter paperback version of this classic has recently been published. read more »