4 h 35 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the dead are not distant shadows, but neighbors whose lives still touch your own?
In Shadowings, Lafcadio Hearn brings together short tales of ghosts, spirits and strange fates with studies of the beliefs behind them. His Japan is a place where the dead remain close to daily life. These pieces invite you into old stories that unsettle even as they reveal the traditions that give them meaning.
Beneath the hauntings lie Buddhist ideas about karma, rebirth and a self less fixed than it seems. Hearn explores a moral world in which, according to these beliefs, actions carry consequences across lifetimes. He writes as a guide for unfamiliar readers, offering a Western view of old Japan rather than a scholar's neutral survey.
What you’ll discover
- The dead next door Enter tales where spirits and visitors from another world remain close to everyday life.
- Deeds that reach beyond Explore how Buddhist beliefs about karma give these strange fates their moral weight.
- A less certain self Consider Hearn's interest in rebirth and the unsettling idea that identity is not fixed.
- Stories beside their beliefs Move between old tales and short studies that illuminate the traditions beneath their hauntings.
- A guide with limits Encounter Hearn's vision of Japan while keeping his sometimes romantic view in mind.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like ghost stories, folklore and religion, and anyone curious about old Japan seen through a Western eye. It may please you less if you want a modern, plotted novel or a scholar's neutral survey.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Hearn writes as a guide, not a judge
- Ghosts are a part of daily life
- Buddhist ideas run beneath the stories
- Why the book has lasted
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 4 h 35 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: USD 0.14 a day, then USD 0.27 a day, never raised. Or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Shadowings in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
Shadowings
by Lafcadio Hearn· 1900
Japanese tales and sketches trace connections between living and dead.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
Hearn writes as a guide, not a judge
Hearn was born in Greece, raised in Ireland and worked as a newspaper writer in America before he reached Japan in 1890. He married a Japanese woman, took a Japanese name, Koizumi Yakumo, and made his life there. That long stay shapes the book. He does not stand above the stories and mock them as superstition.
Instead he listens. He draws on old books, on what neighbors told him, and on his wife's help with the language and the legends. His tone is respectful and curious, and he tries to let a tale keep the strangeness it had for those who first told it.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
Lafcadio Hearn
1850–1904 · Greek-Irish writer on Japan
Lafcadio Hearn was a writer, translator, and teacher born on the Greek island of Lefkada in 1850. He lived in Ireland and the United States before moving to Japan in 1890. He wrote Some Chinese Ghosts (1887), Shadowings (1900), and Kwaidan (1904). He died in Tokyo in 1904.
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
FreeOur mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Shadowings
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is Shadowings by Lafcadio Hearn about?
It is a collection of tales and short studies drawn from Japanese folklore and belief. Many deal with ghosts, spirits and moral consequences, and Hearn retells them in a sympathetic voice for readers who knew little about Japan.
When was Shadowings written?
It was published in 1900, during the years Hearn lived in Japan. It belongs to the group of books in which he retold Japanese legends and described the customs and beliefs of the country.
Are the stories in Shadowings true?
Most are folktales and legends, not factual reports, though the book also holds short studies and personal sketches. Hearn drew them from older books and from what he heard in Japan, and he retold them in his own style.
Popular in short stories
See all
Free
Free
Free
