Poltergeists like causing havoc. They throw things around in people's homes and play tricks with lights and household appliances. Mysterious voices, insistent knocking and weird shrieking can announce their presence, or sometimes it's peculiar smells with no apparent source (the whiff of pipe tobacco or lingering perfumes from another age).

One day you might even see a poltergeist as it turns into a full-bodied apparition before your eyes. But beware, poltergeists can pinch, slap and sexually assault the living. An attack by a poltergeist can be among the most terrifying experiences that any human is likely to encounter.

This book is an exploration of the phenomenon from earliest times to the present day, highlighting the activities of these phantoms, the efforts of researchers to document and understand what is going on as well as the explanations that have been put forward.