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| Cerf standing with Arlene Francis. Dorothy Kilagllen and the host John Daly. |
Bennett A. Cerf was an American humorist and publisher. He was one of the co-founders of the publishing firm Random House. He became known to most Americans in his generation from his appearances as a panel member on the television game show, What’s My Line from 1951 to 1967.
As a part of Random House’s The Modern Library series Cerf published an anthology entitled, Famous Ghost Stores in 1944. Cerf who was known for his wit, includes an Introductory Note in this book that captures the reader’s attention.
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| A few books from The Modern Library |
Cerf admits that he always kept a stack of ghost stories near his bed to distract him from the world’s troubles. Here are some of his most memorable quotes and stories from this introduction.
“Do I believe in ghosts? Of course I do. So do you. Deep in the souls of the most sophisticated of us is lurking a fear of the supernatural which all the discoveries of scientists cannot eradicate.”
The greatest skeptic I ever met was asked point-blank if he would sleep alone in a house that had been haunted, according to common belief, for a hundred years or more. “No sirree, not on your life,” said the skeptic. “Why should I take a chance?”
A lady once asked President Coleridge if he believed in ghosts. “No Madam,” was the reply. “I have seen too many of them to believe in them.”
“The fundamental difference between the mystery story and the ghost story is the fact that a mystery demands a solution for its effectiveness; a ghost story is necessarily unsolvable; the reader must be willing to accept the fact that nothing is proved.”
Have you heard the story about the timid soul who was hurrying down a dark, dark corridor, when he suddenly collided with a stout and shadowy personage whom he certainly had not seen approaching him. “My, my,” said the timid one. “You gave me a start. For a moment I could have sworn you were a ghost.”
“What my friend,” answered the other, “makes you believe I’m not?”–and then he promptly disappeared.
Bennett Cerf
New York, 1943
Another favorite ghost quote comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act l scene v.
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio.
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
Hamlet is telling Horatio this because they are both educated men who are having a hard time believing in something they cannot prove. They both have seen the ghost of Hamlet’s father, which has turned their belief system upside down. Hamlet discovers that education and philosophy cannot explain everything.