10 Books That Were Allegedly Written by Ghosts

Whether or not ghosts actually exist is a hotly debated topic in some circles, but that hasn’t stopped specters from (supposedly) writing literature from beyond the grave. For believers, these books are another form of evidence that spirits are real; for non-believers, they’re cast aside as the work of fraudulent mediums. But these texts can be fascinating oddities regardless of what end of the spectrum you fall on. Here are 10 such books that are said to come from the minds of ghosts.

Related: Top 10 Eerie Tales of Famous Ghost Films

10 The Seth Material (1970)

On December 2, 1963, Jane Roberts and her husband, Robert Butts, were experimenting with a Ouija board when Roberts reported hearing a male voice in her mind. He identified himself as Seth, and Roberts soon began acting as his medium, with Butts writing down everything that was allegedly communicated through her.

Seth dictated a series of metaphysical teachings—primarily centered on the idea that individuals create their own reality through thought—across numerous channeling sessions. The first book of these writings was published in 1970 as The Seth Material, and it went on to become a key text within the New Age movement. Subsequent books followed, with total sales often cited in the millions.

Although many readers believed Seth was a genuine spirit communicating through Roberts, others were more skeptical. Critics have suggested psychological explanations, including dissociation, or have argued that the phenomenon was a deliberate literary construct. Regardless of interpretation, the book remains one of the most influential examples of modern channeling literature.^[1]

9 Meslom’s Messages from the Life Beyond (1920)

When American tourist Mary McEvilly visited Paris in 1919, she encountered an Irish woman who practiced automatic writing. Encouraged to try it herself, McEvilly reportedly produced a message in the style of a deceased acquaintance. She continued experimenting and eventually claimed to have established communication with a spirit named Meslom.

McEvilly described Meslom as “the noble intelligence who used my hand as the instrument for the expression of his pure and lofty teachings from the Life Beyond.” Those teachings emphasized religious obedience and strongly traditional gender roles, including opposition to women’s participation in lawmaking and higher education.

Although these views were not entirely unusual for the early twentieth century, the intensity of Meslom’s positions limited the book’s appeal. McEvilly published two volumes— Meslom’s Messages from the Life Beyond and To Woman from Meslom—but neither achieved widespread popularity.^[2]

8 Historical Revelations… (1886)

Julian, Roman emperor from AD 361 to 363, was a well-known critic of Christianity during his lifetime, earning the nickname “Julian the Apostate.” His reign ended when he was killed in battle, but in the nineteenth century, author Thomas Cushman Buddington claimed that Julian’s opposition to Christianity continued after death.

According to Buddington, the emperor’s spirit communicated with him and dictated a book titled Historical Revelations of the Relation Existing Between Christianity and Paganism Since the Disintegration of the Roman Empire. The work presents a sustained critique of Christianity, attributed to Julian’s continued interest in the subject from beyond the grave.

Most historians and readers view the text as Buddington’s own work, likely using Julian’s name as a literary device or rhetorical shield. Even so, the book remains an unusual example of nineteenth-century spiritualist writing tied to a well-known historical figure.^[3]

7 My Tussle with the Devil (1918)

William Sydney Porter—better known as O. Henry—was a prolific short story writer whose works are still widely read today. He died in 1910 from complications related to alcoholism, but eight years later, a new collection of stories appeared under the name “O. Henry’s Ghost.”

The book, My Tussle with the Devil, and Other Stories, was said to have been written through the medium Albert Houghton Pratt. Anticipating skepticism about differences in style, Pratt argued that the shift reflected the change from a physical to a spiritual state, explaining that the stories were now “finer” and more delicate in tone.

Despite these claims, the work is not considered part of O. Henry’s official canon. Most literary scholars regard it as a product of spiritualist enthusiasm rather than genuine posthumous authorship.^[4]

6 A Vision (1925)

William Butler Yeats is widely regarded as one of the most important poets and playwrights of the twentieth century, but one of his more unusual works had a very different origin. In 1917, shortly after marrying Georgie Hyde-Lees, Yeats witnessed her experimenting with automatic writing during their honeymoon.

According to Yeats, the writing initially appeared as disjointed and difficult to read, but he soon became convinced that it contained meaningful insights. He encouraged his wife to continue, and over several years, she produced thousands of pages of material that she believed were guided by external forces.

This body of writing formed the basis of A Vision, published in 1925. Although Yeats was credited as the author, the work was heavily shaped by Hyde-Lees’s automatic writing. Her role in its creation was not widely acknowledged until decades later, making the book a notable example of collaborative—and allegedly supernatural—inspiration.^[5]

5 A Wanderer in the Spirit Lands (1896)

Most books supposedly written by ghosts don’t actually focus much on the afterlife, but A Wanderer in the Spirit Lands is an exception. Transcribed by A. Farnese, the book is said to have been dictated by a spirit known as Franchezzo. He describes his journey through the afterlife, beginning in a hellish realm and gradually progressing toward heaven.

The narrative presents a moral framework in which spiritual growth determines one’s movement through different planes of existence. Franchezzo’s experiences are described in vivid detail, offering readers a structured vision of the afterlife that blends religious and philosophical ideas.

Not everyone was convinced. A reviewer for the Liverpool Mercury dismissed the book outright, stating that “there is not a single atom of truth throughout the whole narrative.” They also criticized its literary quality, comparing it unfavorably to Dante’s Divine Comedy. Despite such criticism, the book remains a curious example of spiritualist literature attempting to map the afterlife.^[6]

4 Divine Comedies (1976)

While many allegedly ghostwritten works are remembered mainly for their novelty, James Merrill’s Divine Comedies stands out for its literary acclaim. The collection won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and includes “The Book of Ephraim,” a long poem based on conversations Merrill and his partner David Jackson claimed to have had with spirits via a Ouija board.

According to Merrill, the pair communicated with a range of entities, though they most frequently spoke with a spirit named Ephraim, who claimed to have lived in the ancient city of Xanthos around the first century CE. These sessions provided the foundation for the poem’s themes and structure.

Whether Merrill believed he was communicating with external spirits or was drawing from his subconscious remains unclear. When asked directly, he reportedly responded by quoting two of the words printed on the Ouija board itself: “Yes and no.” ^[7]

3 Abraham Lincoln: A Discourse (1910)

Cora L. V. Scott—who later went by several surnames, including Hatch, Daniels, Tappan, and Richmond—was one of the most prominent mediums of the nineteenth century. She claimed to enter trance states during which spirits would speak through her, delivering lectures and messages to audiences.

One of the most notable figures she claimed to channel was Abraham Lincoln. In 1881, Scott delivered a lecture as the former president, which was later transcribed and circulated among spiritualist publications. However, even sympathetic readers expressed doubts about its authenticity. Editors of The Medium and Daybreak, a journal dedicated to paranormal phenomena, noted that the speech did not seem “characteristic…of Abraham Lincoln.”

Decades later, the material was published as Abraham Lincoln: A Discourse. Despite the fame of the attributed speaker, the book never achieved wide recognition and is generally viewed as part of the broader spiritualist movement rather than a credible historical document.^[8]

2 The Sorry Tale (1917)

Pearl Curran first began experimenting with a Ouija board in 1912, initially hoping to contact her deceased father. Although early attempts yielded nothing, a breakthrough allegedly came on July 8, 1913, when a message appeared introducing a spirit named Patience Worth.

Patience claimed to have lived in seventeenth-century England before traveling to America, where she was reportedly killed during a raid. While she was reluctant to provide detailed biographical information, she proved far more willing to share her writing. Through Curran, Patience is said to have produced an extraordinary volume of material, including novels, poems, plays, and short stories.

Her first novel, The Sorry Tale, was well received by critics, though later works attracted less attention as public interest in spiritualism declined. Curran’s ability to produce lengthy passages of text without apparent hesitation impressed many observers, while skeptics argued that she may have relied on an exceptional memory and prior research rather than supernatural influence.^[9]

1 Jap Herron (1917)

Emily Grant Hutchings, a friend of Pearl Curran, also claimed to have communicated with spirits through a Ouija board. Among those she believed she contacted was Mark Twain, who had died in 1910. According to Hutchings, Twain dictated a novel titled Jap Herron, which tells the story of a young man rising from poverty to wealth.

The claim quickly drew controversy. Twain’s daughter, Clara Clemens, objected to the use of her father’s name and pursued legal action to prevent publication. Hutchings defended her work by insisting that Twain’s spirit was eager to see the book published, but she ultimately agreed to halt distribution and destroy remaining copies.

A small number of copies survived, and contemporary reviews were largely negative. A New York Times critic remarked that if this was Twain’s work from beyond the grave, readers might prefer that he “respect that boundary.” Today, the book is remembered less for its literary merit than for the unusual circumstances surrounding its creation and suppression.^[10]