On Ghosts

On Ghosts is an essay written by Mary Shelley, first published in London Magazine in 1824.

The essay is based on the ghost stories Shelley heard while growing up in Scotland and Italy, in addition to the ghost stories her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley used to tell her all the time.

The book opens with Shelley discussing the nature of ghosts and their ability to haunt the living. She argues that ghosts are not created by our imagination, but are real entities that exist, just in another realm different from that of the living.

Shelley includes several personal experiences with ghosts, including an encounter with the ghost of her husband Percy. She also tells the story of a friend who was visited by the ghost of his dead wife.

In the end, Shelley concludes the essay by affirming that ghosts really do exist and that their power and influence over the living is enormous and powerful.