About the author
Mary Collins Barile writes regional ghost-lore history for the History Press, focused on Missouri. Her catalogue titles here, Haunted Columbia, Missouri and The Haunted Boonslick: Ghosts, Ghouls & Monsters of Missouri's Heartland, gather local legends, unexplained sightings, and folklore tied to specific towns and landmarks across the state, from the college town of Columbia to the wider Boonslick Trail region stretching from St. Louis to Jackson County. The books work in the tradition of local-interest hauntings guides: short, place-based chapters built on collected stories, historical anecdotes, and interviews rather than academic argument, aimed at readers interested in regional history with a supernatural angle, as well as visitors to the towns described. Both titles are part of the History Press's long-running series of local haunted histories, and Barile's Boonslick book is referenced within her later Columbia title as an earlier entry in the same body of work.
📖 Where to start with Mary Collins Barile
💬 What our editors say about Mary Collins Barile's books
“While Barile offers an engaging tour of Columbia’s spectral history, this book is strictly a collection of local lore and historical anecdotes rather than a rigorous supernatural investigation. It will not suit readers seeking…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Haunted Columbia, Missouri Barile, Mary Collins
“This title delivers exactly what it promises: a curated collection of regional hauntings without pretension. However, it does NOT suit readers seeking rigorous historical verification or deep theological analysis of spiritualism.…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Haunted Boonslick: Ghosts, Ghouls & Monsters of Missouri's Heartland Barile, Mary Collins
