27 October 2006 | Author: James Foley

Google Halloween treats - scary stories search

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

• 'The Raven' by Edgar Allen Poe

Now that Halloween is upon us once again, some children - and many adults - might be wondering where the celebration of witches and ghosts comes from. But before you can say 'ancient Celtic festival of Samhain' or 'harvest renewal ritual,' you must agree that the real origin of modern Halloween is to be found in the scary story; it is the primary source for all costumes, rituals, rites and customs which surround the celebration. It is the scary story which taught us what a vampire looks like, what Frankenstein was, and that the dead always return with a purpose - cue the creepy organ music! Scary stories are the authoritative source for all information on Halloween; and in true Google style, the leading search engine has chosen to organise that information and make it available for search.

Through the new 'scary stories' page on Google Book Search, anyone can browse a list of classic horror tales ranging from the fake horror of James' 'Turn of the Screw' and the comic horror of Wilde's 'Canterville Ghost,' to the classic gothic novels of Bram Stoker, Mary Shelly and the master of scary stories, Edgar Allan Poe. The most impressive aspect of these electronic versions is that they are all searchable and available to download. You can click a simple 'download button' and get a PDF version of the book for free. But that's not all; the real horror buffs can also browse the different versions of the novels and choose to purchase one from a wide range of multiple editions.

This is a great opportunity not only to search for your favourite scary stories, but to discover new ones;. So dive in - and while you're at it, research your Halloween costume. We'll be waiting to see what Dennis Hwang comes up with for this year's Google Halloween logo.

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