Voices from Beyond: 7 Books Allegedly Authored by Ghosts

Though they’ve departed our world, spirits appear eager to communicate. This was especially evident during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time marked by a surge in publications allegedly authored by the deceased. This period, known as the golden age of Spiritualism, saw numerous individuals asserting that they had connected with spirits who directed their thoughts and hands to pen stories, poetry, and even lengthy novels. Below are seven ghost-dictated books that remain widely available today.

1. Historical Revelations ... (1886) // Emperor Julian and Thomas Cushman Buddington

Roman Emperor Julian, who died in 363 CE, was reportedly so astonished by the state of civilization over 1,500 years after his death that he chose to speak from the afterlife through the written word. Historical Revelations of the Relation Existing Between Christianity and Paganism Since the Disintegration of the Roman Empire, transcribed by American author Thomas Cushman Buddington, criticized Christianity as the primary cause of what Julian allegedly perceived as a world in chaos and ruin. Julian’s spirit blamed Constantine and his successors for adopting “a false religion” that fueled violence and hindered Europe’s progress.

More plausibly, this appeal to revive ancient Roman ideals was Cushman’s inventive method of expressing his personal grievances. It’s possible that Cushman, uneasy about directly criticizing Christianity as a barrier to moral and intellectual advancement, found Emperor Julian, a student of Platonic philosophy, to be an ideal voice for his concerns about humanity. In the preface to Julian’s writings, Cushman lauded the spirit, describing him as “one of the most pure and elevated characters.”

2. My Tussle With the Devil, And Other Stories (1918) // O. Henry and Albert Houghton Pratt

The renowned author O. Henry (born William Sydney Porter) passed away in 1910, leaving behind hundreds of short stories. However, even death couldn’t stop his creativity: eight years later, a new collection of O. Henry’s stories emerged, all allegedly penned by him posthumously. These works were channeled through medium Albert Houghton Pratt, who asserted that he communicated with O. Henry via a ouija board. Their first conversation reportedly took place on September 18, 1917, with many more to follow. Pratt often invited friends to join him around the board, where they listened to O. Henry’s spirit recount tales. In the book’s introduction, Pratt portrayed O. Henry as a loquacious ghost, “overburdened with plots,” who sometimes wore out his human companions during late-night sessions. The spirit even self-edited his stories, once instructing Pratt to delete the latter half of a tale that he felt was rushed and subpar.

Pratt seemed to maintain complete awareness during these sessions, seizing chances to ask his own questions. On one occasion, he inquired about O. Henry’s opinion on film adaptations of his works. The ghost’s reply was blunt: “A foolish rehashing of past ignorance.”

Pratt seemed prepared for any criticism of O. Henry’s supposed new works. In a preface signed by “Parma”—his pen name—he dismissed skeptics who might question the writing style’s divergence from O. Henry’s known voice. Pratt argued that the spirit world influences a distinct tone and that the stories demonstrate how even a leopard can change its spots.

3. Hope Trueblood (1918) // Patience Worth and Pearl Curran

Another ouija board creation was Hope Trueblood, one of several works allegedly authored by the spirit Patience Worth in 1918. Worth, one of the most renowned ghostwriters, supposedly communicated through Pearl Curran, a St. Louis homemaker. From 1913 to 1937, Curran meticulously transcribed books, plays, poems, and short stories, sometimes capturing thousands of words in a single sitting.

Hope Trueblood, a tale of a young woman in mid-Victorian England seeking her father, stands apart from Worth’s other works. Known for her antiquated language and historical settings—Telka in medieval England, The Sorry Tale during the time of Jesus—Worth surprised readers by setting Hope Trueblood in the contemporary era (at the time of publication) and using straightforward English for the first time. The novel, like much of her work, was met with critical praise.

Hope Trueblood, however, attracted more skepticism than Worth’s earlier works. How could the spirit of a 17th-century Englishwoman—who claimed to have migrated to America and died in a Native American raid—possess knowledge of Victorian life? Yet critics struggled to explain how Curran, with her limited education and lack of travel experience, crafted stories filled with precise, authentic depictions of far-off settings. This enigma fascinated Worth and Curran’s audience, remaining unresolved even after Curran’s death. When she passed in 1937, her St. Louis Globe-Democrat obituary declared, “Patience Worth is Dead.”

4. To Woman (1920) // Meslom and Mary McEvilly

Mary McEvilly, an American medium based in Paris, claimed to receive messages from a spirit named Meslom during sessions held between October 1919 and March 1920. These communications formed To Woman, a book outlining women’s responsibilities to improve the world and guide humanity toward salvation. The 108-page work is filled with lofty, abstract ideas, and Meslom’s repetitive musings can be challenging to follow. The spirit argued that women, being more attuned to nature and possessing greater intuition, are key to humanity’s spiritual growth, while men excel in rational thought.

McEvilly described Meslom as male, and while he praised women’s sensitivities, his views were often sexist. He asserted that men would always dominate and that women should abandon hopes of equality. According to Meslom, women, despite their good judgment, would never legislate, and pursuing education might weaken their natural connection to goodness. Instead, he suggested that women focus on prayer to gain spiritual wisdom and happiness.

Interestingly, To Woman was published just months before American women gained full voting rights. Little is known about Mary McEvilly, but her book likely struck many readers as outdated even at the time of its release.

5. A Wanderer in the Spirit Lands (1896) // Franchezzo and A. Farnese

Victorians would discover a sobering moral in A Wanderer in the Spirit Lands, allegedly narrated to A. Farnese by the spirit of a recently deceased Italian man. Known only as Franchezzo, his ghostly account spans over 300 pages, detailing his desolate and sorrowful journey through the afterlife. He describes this bleak odyssey as rightful retribution for a life spent indulging in materialism rather than devotion to God.

Franchezzo begins his journey in the frigid, decaying depths of hell, and only through arduous acts of repentance does he eventually reach the radiant gates of heaven. His story functions as a gripping cautionary tale, urging readers to reform their sinful ways before death renders it too late.

6. Ouina’s Canoe and Christmas Offering, Filled With Flowers for the Darlings of the Earth (1882) // Ouina and Cora L.V. Richmond

Ouina, one of America’s most cherished spirits, was thought to be a young Native American girl who delivered countless uplifting messages from beyond. Starting in 1851, she communicated through Cora Lodensia Veronica Scott, a renowned New York Spiritualist who began channeling spirits in her youth and became a celebrated trance lecturer. Scott’s audiences often included those grieving lost loved ones; her poetic and heartfelt depictions of the afterlife as a realm of beauty and joy provided solace to the bereaved. Ouina’s Canoe, published as a Christmas gift, was the first compilation of the spirit’s works, intended to bring healing and comfort to many.

The book, brimming with poetic imagery of flowers, sunbeams, moonbeam fairies, and morning stars, also featured a biography of Ouina. Her tale was one of heartbreak: her mother died during childbirth, and her father, the chief of a Shenandoah River tribe, chose to sacrifice her at around 15 years old to protect his people from calamity. With her poignant backstory and messages of love and peace, it’s no wonder Scott’s guide was met with widespread admiration rather than skepticism.

7. Jap Herron (1917) // Mark Twain and Emily Grant Hutchings

Even after his death in 1910, the famed author of The Prince and the Pauper and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, allegedly continued writing. Through a Ouija board, Twain supposedly dictated Jap Herron to Emily Grant Hutchings, a friend of Curran’s, and Lola V. Hays, described by a New York Times review as “the passive recipient whose hands upon the pointer were especially necessary.” Published in September 1917, the novel is set in Twain’s home state of Missouri and follows a boy born into poverty who, with the guidance of virtuous individuals, rises to become a noble and impactful man, transforming his town. Twain’s publisher filed a lawsuit in 1918, leading Hutchings to halt further publication of the book.