‘Tales of the Supernatural’ by Various

Hardback, Arcturus, £19.99

A suitably spooky collection of short stories featuring ghouls, ghosts, demons and werewolves all wrapped up in a black embossed hardback with silver lettering and silver sprayed end papers. Essential for any self-respecting collector of all things gothic.

Incorporating elements from horror and fantasy this terrifying anthology includes stories from authors Algernon Blackwood, Henry James, Bram Stoker and Charles Dickens amongst other gothic classics.

Supernatural worlds will enthrall readers as they delve into darkness and struggle to distinguish between worldly villains and scary hallucinations.

Only the brave should venture here. Best read by candlelight, with your doors locked.

‘Ghosted’ by Alice Vernon

Hardback, Bloomsbury, £20

Perfect for this ‘thin’ time of year. Our fascination with ghosts is ancient, but active ghost-hunting is relatively recent, and investigations into the paranormal have developed hand-in-spirit-hand with scientific discoveries, from radio waves to smartphone apps.

Now, more than ever, it appears that we want to find our own ghosts.

Alice Vernon embarks on a journey to encounter a ghost, travelling to some of the UK's most haunted locations and encouraging readers to interrogate their own scepticism and belief.

Ghosted examines what we are looking for, why we are looking for it, and why have we never given up the ghost.