Bøger af Sophie Jackson

Starved, neglected, abandoned - the true story of the woman kept a secret from the world for 25 years. In the summer of 1876 the vivacious, intelligent, and beautiful Blanche Monnier vanishes, as if she never existed. Twenty-five years later, within the confines of a middle-class respectable chateau, the French authorities uncover a shocking crime that shakes not only the local community, but the political world of rural France. The truth of Blanche Monnier's disappearance is so terrible and bizarre it is almost unbelievable and leaves opinion divided on how far a family should go to protect their reputation. Historian Sophie Jackson reveals the terrible events that led to the horrible imprisonment of a young woman and the chauvinistic attitudes of the men who first wrote her story. While giving Blanche back her voice and exploding the myths that flood the internet about her case, she asks us - is it possible for such a crime to happen again today? Discover the true story of Blanche Monnier's confinement in The Prisoner of Poitiers today!

Ghosts fascinate and frighten us, but why? What is it about a good ghost story that can even have a non-believer leaving the light on at night? For thousands of years humans have regaled each other with ghost stories, but, more than that, each generation has shaped and adapted the ghost to suit their culture and ideas. Ghosts have been used as tools of propaganda, as a threat to get people into Church, as a tool for revenge and, most often, as a good form of entertainment. The history of humanity is intrinsically linked to our spiritual beliefs, which in turn create our concept of the ghost. British culture is awash with ghostly legends, many unique to this land. But where do they come from? How far back can we trace our fascination with ghosts? Do we have the Romans or the Celts to thank for our legends of screaming skulls and demon hounds? And how has the way religion has changed in Britain, fundamentally altered the way ghosts are perceived? Social historian Sophie Jackson answers all these questions and more in her fascinating study of the ghost in Britain. Using both famous and previously unpublished examples of hauntings, she delves into the past, revealing what our belief in ghosts can tell us about ourselves. From prehistoric man, right up to the modern day, she traces the way the ghost has developed through time and the way we have tried to explain and debunk the things that go bump in the night.