M.A. Kleen

Take a nostalgic dive into the spooky stories that haunted my childhood in the ’80s and ’90s. From folklore-inspired ghostly tales to urban legends reimagined, these sometimes campy but always enjoyably eerie books can all be read online today.

Digging through my past school files and reminiscing about my time in the Des Plaines Public Library stacks led me to recall all the books I enjoyed as a child. In the file folders, I discovered my old reading lists. Our junior high librarian, Mr. Blickle, gave us “Blickle Bucks” based on the number of pages read to spend at an auction at the end of the year. Collections of scary stories featured prominently–it was a genre I absolutely devoured.

I was particularly drawn to collections of allegedly “true” paranormal stories, but it didn’t matter if it was marketed as fact or fiction. One of the things that stands out about these books is that most are based on folklore or traditional stories adapted into fiction.

A colossal ton of these books were published in the 1980s and ’90s (this list on Goodreads has over 250 titles). Some of these, like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Goosebumps, and Bunnicula are well-known and still in print. But there are many titles on my list that I haven’t thought about in years, and several that are difficult to find in physical form. Thankfully, Archive.org has many of them digitally scanned. Here is a small sample you can borrow online for free:

World’s Most Spine-Tingling “True” Ghost Stories (1992)

This book of purportedly true supernatural tales, written by Sheila Anne Barry and illustrated by Jim Sharpe, was published in 1992 by Sterling Publishing Company. It’s divided into nine sections: Incredible!; Curses, Jinxes & Bad Luck; Odd Hauntings; Animals of Doom; Poltergeist!; A Matter of Time; Dark Dreams; Narrow Escapes; and Mysterious Powers. Each section is proceeded by a summary of the stories. The first story, about the alleged disappearance of a boy named Charles Ashmore, is based on a story written by Ambrose Bierce in 1888 for the San Francisco Examiner. So, are these stories true? Does it matter? Ehhhh… Borrow it at Archive.org.

World’s Best “True” Ghost Stories (1988)

Written by Carroll B. Colby, World’s Best “True” Ghost Stories is another Sterling Publishing Company book, this one published in 1988. It excerpts material from two of Colby’s previous books. It’s divided into ten sections: Strange!; Off the Time Track?; Ghostly Animals; Partying with Ghosts; Sea-Faring Ghosts; Ghost in the House; Saved by a Ghost!; Bizarre!; Vanished!; and Tales of Terror. It does contain illustrations, but I couldn’t find the name of the illustrator. Borrow it at Archive.org.

The World’s Weirdest “True” Ghost Stories (1991)

This 1991 Sterling Publishing Company book was written by John Beckett and illustrated by Stave Hayhurst. Like the others, it is divided into nine sections: Glimpses of the Past; Unbelievable!; Haunted Houses; Traveling Ghosts; Poltergeists; Direct from Mind to Mind; Strange Powers; Dreams of Disaster; and Footprints of Tomorrow. “Read this book with the lights on” it warns. Borrow it at Archive.org.

Eerie Tales of Terror and Dread (1973)

This collection of short stories by Bernhardt J. Hurwood was published by Scholastic, Inc. in 1973. It contains ten stories and is 111 pages, with no illustrations. Hurwood (1926-1987) wrote several paranormal-themed paperback books for young adult readers, as well as an “adult” series of spy novels The Man From T.O.M.C.A.T. under the nom de plume Mallory T. Knight. “The Phantom Battle” is one story that stands out to me, about a young man on a cross-country bicycle trip who finds himself in the midst of a ghostly battlefield. Borrow it at Archive.org.

Ghost Stories (1983)

Published in 1983 by Watermill Press, Ghost Stories is a collection of, well, ghost stories by J.M.R. Meagher. The 96-page mass market paperback features minimalist interior illustrations by James Robin “Jim” Odbert. Its nine stories are based on supernatural tropes like the “lover’s leap” or Irish folktales like the banshee or the ghost of “walking gallows” Edward Hempenstall. I don’t recall any of these stories, so they must not have been very memorable. Borrow it at Archive.org.

The Scariest Stories You’ve Ever Heard (1988)

The Scariest Stories You’ve Ever Heard was the first in a series written by various authors and published by Willowisp Press, Inc. This one, published in 1988, was written by Mark Mills, edited by Tracey Dils, and illustrated by Richard Kriegler. It contains 14 tales written in the style of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, i.e., urban legends and folklore retold as narrative fiction, including the man with the hook, the headless brakeman, and the killer in the backseat. The stories are meant to be read aloud at sleepovers and around the campfire and are genuinely entertaining. Borrow it at Archive.org.

13 Ghostly Tales (1973)

Last but not least, 13 Ghostly Tales is a collection of short stories cribbed from earlier works and re-published in 1973 by Scholastic Book Services. The 92-page collection is edited by Freya Littledale and illustrated by Wayne Blickenstaff, but each story was written by a different author. If some of these stories sound familiar to you, it’s because Alvin Schwartz retold many of them in his Scary Stories series. I was surprised to see stories like “Wait Till Martin Comes” and “The Trunk in the Attic”, both originally recorded by folklorist Maria Leach (1892-1977). It seems silly today, but my sister used to terrify me by telling another tale from this book, “the golden arm”. Borrow it at Archive.org.

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