The detective genre has explored supernatural and paranormal themes throughout its colorful history. Stories of detectives investigating spiritualists, ghostly apparitions, the occult and psychics have spanned pulp fiction magazines, comic books, novels, film, television, animation and video games. This encyclopedia covers the history of the genre in its multiple forms and informs and adds to the knowledge of either the new or informed reader. Its A-Z format provides ready reference by title. Detective fans browsing for new discoveries will enjoy the entertaining style.

A compilation of stories by twenty-first century authors featuring paranormal investigators, occult detectives, ghost hunters, and monster fighters.

Describes examples of unusual and unexplained phenomena

Fulton Oursler was one of the great editors of his time, ruling over the Macfadden publishing empire for two decades. He created the first true-crime magazine, True Detective Mysteries, and off-beat titles like Brain Power, Ghost Stories and True Strange Stories. He achieved national fame in the '30s as the editor of Liberty. But stage magic was his first love, and, in his heart, he remained a conjurer in a black cape and top hat. In this collection of early fiction, Oursler's bewitching imagination takes flight in tales of magic, murder and mesmerizing mystery. Apparitions, half-wits, secret panels, devious deceptions, lunatic asylums, warring magicians, criminal masterminds-it's all here. Also featured is an in-depth exploration of the amazing career of Fulton Oursler.

A compilation of vintage occult mysteries by Arthur Conan Doyle, Algernon Blackwood, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, and Helena Blavatsky, and others. Whether they investigate paranormal mysteries or use their own supernatural gifts to solve crimes, occult detectives maintain an extraordinary hold on our imaginations. From X-Files to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there are no shortage of contemporary examples. In The Weister Book of Occult Detectives, esoteric scholar Judika Illes delves into the literary roots of this enduring subgenre. Among the ranks of occult detectives featured in this book are beloved favorites such as Dr. Hesselius, Dr. Taverner, Thomas Carnacki, and John Silence. They are joined by the more obscure or unjustly forgotten sleuths such as Shiela Crerar and Diana Marburg. Their investigative techniques range from palmistry and clairvoyance to psychometry, mesmerism, dreams, and good old deductive reasoning.