Some, like Harriet Beecher Stowe and Victor Hugo, believed they had communicated with spirits directly; others, like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Thomas Hardy, had ghostly encounters they couldn’t explain.

AUTHORS
These offenses include everything from historical forgeries to audacious heists to cold-blooded murder—all with a bookish twist.
'My Brilliant Friend' kicked of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series and inspired an HBO adaptation.
The author of ‘East of Eden’ and ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ was also a three-time Academy Award nominee and found an enemy in J. Edgar Hoover.
'Ten Little Rabbits: A Counting Story With Mino the Magician' was originally part of a museum fundraiser.
The house where Jane Austen grew up is now ritzy enough to suit her wealthier characters.
Leo Tolstoy's epic novel is the literary equivalent of a marathon and features a battle scene that goes on for more than 20 chapters.
Some passages from Agatha Christie’s library are being eliminated in an effort to address concerns over alleged xenophobia and racist descriptions.
The celebrated author decided she wanted to adopt a new writing identity for a mystery novel. It didn't turn out well.
Writer and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston’s literary legacy is a class apart. Here are some facts you might not have known about the author of “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
From J. K. Rowling to Stephen King, these are the richest authors the literary world has ever produced.
Kazuo Ishiguro was 27 years old when he published his first novel, 1982’s ‘A Pale View of Hills.’ Since then, he has left an indelible mark on literature through works that the Nobel Prize committee described as “novels of great emotional force.”
'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' author Thomas Hardy is best known for his novels of rural realism, but he started out as an architect.
The words of the free-thinking, veteran skeptic, humanist humorist live on.
Stephen King once opened the doors to his Bangor, Maine, home to Halloween trick-or-treaters in the 1980s. More than 1000 people showed up.
Between writing 'Frankenstein' and carrying around her dead husband's heart, Mary Shelley earned her title as the original goth girl.
The list of best books of the 21st century is still being written. Could yours be on it?
Netflix's upcoming ‘Persuasion’ adaptation, starring Dakota Johnson, has ruffled the feathers of some Jane Austen fans. Here are 10 facts about its source material.
Shirley Jackson recorded her classic horror story for vinyl back in 1959—and it’s on YouTube for free.