Back in the 1990s, everything we could possibly know about real-life ghosts was contained in a series of Time-Life books called
Mysteries of the Unexplained. The TV ads never came right out and asserted the empirical existence of ghosts but instead asked the viewer important questions: "Did aliens construct the great pyramids? Read the book!" With little text but expansive pages of illustrations, only one of the volumes,
Haunts, specifically addressed ghosts, and none of those free-floating, full-torso, vaporous apparitions were locals. But
Ghosts of Kansas, by Topeka resident Beth Cooper, addresses this spectral niche with investigations of the spirits of the dead right here in the "Land of Ahs!" As in, "Ah, it's a g-g-g-ghost!" Documenting more than 60 locations across the state plagued by ghosts, the book catalogs many of the unexplained phenomena at destinations through which Cooper's company, Paranormal Adventures USA, guides para-curious tour groups. At 7 p.m., Cooper reads from her book and answers questions at the Lawrence Public Library (707 Vermont, 785-843-3833). The event is free. For more information, consult the nearest Ouija board or see
lawrence.lib.ks.us.
Tue., July 6, 7 p.m., 2010
