Judith Richardson begins Possessions by quoting a 1933 guidebook to the Hudson Valley: 'How comes the Hudson to this unique heritage of myth, ghosts, goblins and other lore?' By the end of her exhaustive chronicle of local history and legend the answer is self-evident: 'Why is the Hudson Valley haunted? Perhaps a better question after all is: how on earth could it not be?' Until I read this book, the Hudson Valley seemed remote from anguished, obviously possessed sites like ravaged towns in Mississippi and throughout the Deep South, the battlefield at Gettysburg, Hollywood or even the foggy menace of Seattle. The Hudson Valley's hills are rolling, its farmland is welcoming, its mountains aren't steep enough to be awe inspiring. Even Washington Irving's famous Headless Horseman is swaddled by the name of his home in Sleepy Hollow.

LRB 24 June 2004 | PDF Download