"Bennett interviewed women in Manchester, England, asking them about ghosts and other supernatural experiences and beliefs. (Her discussion of how her research methods and interview techniques evolved is in itself valuable.) She first published the results of the study in the well-received Traditions of Belief: Women and the Supernatural, which has been used internationally in folklore, women's studies, and other courses. "Alas, Poor Ghost!" thoroughly revises and expands that work.

In addition to a fuller presentation and analysis of the original field research, the author has updated the text to incorporate more recent studies and assisted by Kate Bennett, a gerontological psychologist, analyzed new research with a group of women in Leicester, England. This last addition focuses on the role of bereavement and witnessing in contact with the dead."--BOOK JACKET.