Who can resist tales of high seas hauntings and phantom vessels that trawl the open waters? Not me, and Ghost Ships: Tales of Abandoned, Doomed and Haunted Vessels gave me my fill of spine-chilling accounts and mysterious myths of intriguing and often unexplainable oceanic occurrences. This perfect coffee-table size hardcover is a thrilling treat for the eyes, too, with photos and drawings accompanying the stories of vanished vessels and doomed ships.

From the tales of the ghostly Flying Dutchman off the Cape of Good Hope, to the abandoned Mary Celeste, to the doomed ocean liners like the Lusitania and Titanic, author Angus Konstam has provided us with a tantalizing collection of true and maybe-true stories that often include witness accounts. There are also stories of encounters with sea monsters and supernatural activities at sea, the most famous of which may be the strange disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle.

From the dawn of human exploration of our oceans, these accounts have popped up and persist to this day, still haunting even those who have committed themselves to digging up their secrets. Many of the most enduring stories promise to never cough up their secrets at all. The author is not attempting to prove the reality of these nautical mysteries; rather, he seeks to provide readers with a collection of events and the facts and myths behind them, allowing the reader to make their own conclusions. Both mariners and landlubbers alike have tried to solve these mysteries in the past, even deny they existed in the first place, but none have been able to truly explain them.

Still, the sightings and encounters continue, often adopting legendary proportions as more time passes and no rational explanation seems to hold water, pardon the pun.

For those even more eager to unlock the mysteries of the high seas, Konstam ends this wild and wonderful maritime adventure with some advice on how to set off on your own ocean search for clues to phantom ships and strange disappearances, and some great places to visit to further whet your appetite, including the websites for the Queen Mary and maritime museums that house collections and displays of interest.

Coffee table books are always great conversation starters, but with Ghost Ships your guests may get so caught up in these fascinating stories they may ignore you completely!