The Ghost That Haunted Itself: The Gruesome Ghoul of Edinburgh's Greyfriars Graveyard Paperback – 19 July 2001

'The Ghost that Haunted Itself' tells the (true!) story of the McKenzie Poltergeist which haunted (and still does haunt) Edinburgh's Greyfriars Cemetery.Whether you are a believer or an incorrigible sceptic, I recommend this book. The believer will be spine-tinglingly scared and the sceptic will be thoroughly entertained and enjoy a great laugh. Is this one of the most powerful supernatural entities ever recorded? Or is there a scientific explanation? Henderson sits on the fence, lays out both sides of the argument and leaves the reader to decide for himself.Henderson writes with great verve, a quirky narrative voice and there's plenty of rain-lashed, wind-moaning atmosphere. First-hand accounts from the many witnesses who have experienced the cold hand of the Poltergeist are interspersed through the text and contribute well to the unfolding narrative. The tour-guides are so vividly portrayed it reads like a novel at times. Plenty of fascinating background, too, on the history of Edinburgh and Greyfriars.One big disappointment though - no photographs!

Visited Greyfriars last year while on holiday,not knowing anything of the history of it, but found it interesting nether the less,had my photo taken leaning against the disappointingly padlocked prison gates( I had not read the book then) or I might’ve had second thoughts! Saw this book advertised on amazon and thought that would be interesting seeing as I had visited recently.it is one of those cannot put down books,encompassing history,mystery,comedy written in a rollercoaster ride that you cannot resist turning over another page,but at times better with all the lights on! I cannot recommend this book more highly

This book, what can I say.If you want to learn the history of Greyfiars kirkyard and the Covenanters prison then this book will do that...briefly. It focuses more on the history of the Mackenzie Poltergeist which in itself is very interesting indeed. It also covers the conception of The City of The Dead ghost tours in Edinburgh which is quite interesting as well. It is written by the owner of the company and does feel slightly biased towards them and their understanding of what the poltergeist is.If you are a paranormal enthusiast as I am and have done alot of research into cases as I have you'll notice that there are some incorrect information with in this book which is disappointing as it shows that proper research was not completed and or it was not proof read/researched prior to its release.Other than those points I highlighted, I do recommend reading this book to get a proper understanding of the supposed Haunting of Greyfiars Kirkyard.

I have always loved ghost stories and having read the odd article now and again about the ghost of Greyfriars Cemetery, I was therefore very pleased to find this book. It has proved to be full of interesting stories from people who have had first hand experience in the Cemetery, including Cemetery guides and visitors alike.Some people's accounts are just a few lines long, other go into some detail. They rage from young teenagers, to guides and up to the old and experienced in life. All are interesting and have a similar vein, something sinister is going on in the Cemetery causing both harm and fear....and the local authorities know it, finally leading to the closure to visitors of the old prison area after so many people camt to harm whilst touring that area.I can not recommend this book enough if you either enjoy stories of the supernatural or have a particular interest in this location.

An enjoyable read - really - but major historical inaccuracies.Montrose was a leading Covenanter and Charles I “openly Catholic “. Both statements couldn’t be more wrong. James Graham 1st Marquis of Montrose signed the National Covenant in Greyfriars - I have a copy- but later differed from the leadership and became Charles I’s Major General - nearly turning the tide of the War of the Three Kingdoms in Charles’s favour.Charles I was staunchly not Catholic. His wife was, but Charles was Church of England till his death .It’s a great read but…..Getting those facts wrong is a bit jarring.

I've recently rekindled my love for ghost stories and this is probably the first one I've read for 15 years. I couldn't put it down. I just loved the style it was written in. The individual accounts woven in with stories from the guides, residents etc. I'm nearly at the end of the book but just felt the need to review it right now. Just need to find my next book, hope its as good as this one. Has inspired me to sign up for a tour!!

I read this book fairly quickly, thank God because I was unable to sleep at all while doing so! The eeriest and spookiest story I’ve ever read. Told in such a way that you will be unable to put the book down, no matter how much I wanted to! I absolutely loved it, and thouroughly recommend it to anyone who will listen. Such a brilliant storyteller!

I really enjoyed this book as it gave me the perfect knowledge base to then do the tour in to Greyfriers cemetery. I advise anyone to read this prior to going on the tour in order to understand what led to todays poltergeist activity. The book has some interesting extracts of paranormal experiences from sceptics. I found the whole experience very interesting, the book explains the barbaric history of Edinburgh and the tour gives you a flavour of life in old Edinburgh. Highly recommend them both

I bought this to read before an upcoming trip to Edinburgh. We were scheduled to go on the graveyard and haunted vaults tour. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. When we got to Scotland and went on the tour having the background knowledge made the tour even more enjoyable.

Lees mijn volledige recensie inclusief korte geschiedenis op www.bookaddict.nl‘The ghost that haunted itself‘ is geen horrorboek of een verzonnen geschiedenis.De geschiedenis is echt gebeurt en ook de verslagen van waarnemingen door bezoekers zijn geschreven door de bezoekers zelf.De combinatie van alles is wat het boek interessant en fascinerend maakt.Als je niet in paranormale activiteit gelooft, heb je een toffe geschiedenis in handen. En voor de believers just like me, is dit echt een aanrader, omdat het je laat nadenken en laat huiveren.Durf jij het aan om zelf op onderzoek te gaan? Ik kan deze kans niet laten liggen de volgende keer dat ik in Edinburgh ben!

It's a good read. You get to know a fascinating side of the haunted cemetery and also part of history.

My girlfriend bought the paper version as a preparation to our Edinburgh trip. I was unable to finish it during the trip and so bought the electronic copy. Loved every word, really entertaining, thoughtful and well written.

An interesting look at a specific poltergeist phenomenon in Scotland and what could possibly have caused it. Great read.