EDITION INFORMATION

• Limited to 500 copies, each signed by Peter Straub, Douglas Smith, and Vladimir Zimakov.
• Dustjacket and interior artwork by Douglas Smith.
• Interior wood engravings by Vladimir Zimakov.
• Interview with Peter Straub by Paul Gagne.
• Luxurious, 6½ × 10 inch format.
• Printed endsheets.
• Ribbon marker, head and tail bands, and stamped cloth.
• Number of pages: 720.
• Sold out at the publisher within hours of announcement.

SYNOPSIS

Is a ghost story ever just a spooky tale about things that go bump in the night? Certainly not for Milburn, New York’s most exclusive club, The Chowder Society. For its select membership — all best friends in the twilight of their lives —congregations provide an avenue for conversing, camaraderie, and, of course, piquing one another’s interest with scary stories: some true and some perhaps fabrication. Though, revealing the truth is never a requirement or a foregone conclusion.
But in the past year, the line between spooky tale and ghostly conjuring has drawn ever closer following the early demise of one its members, seemingly scared to death as if he had seen a ghost. And what’s more, it all went down at a party hosted by one of their own. Now, the remaining members’ dreams are haunted by an unknown specter that also appears to be manifesting in eviscerating ways throughout Milburn.
Fearing for their lives (and their sanity too!), they decide to enlist someone who may just have an answer for their paranormal problem: their fallen friend’s nephew, Donald Wanderley. They have reason to believe his book, The Nightwatcher, was fueled by hardened research on the supernatural. And who better than a horror novelist to function as their demon-dream slayer or even, as Donald asserts, their Van Helsing?
It’s only when Donald discloses his inspiration for the novel that a link between his story and that of The Chowder Society becomes apparent. There’s one common denominator: an enigmatic woman who bears a different name in each of their stories. Identifying and locating her may be the key to exorcising their demons, but enacting their plan also means revisiting an ancient past that has other intentions.
Peter Straub’s 1979 masterpiece, Ghost Story, is undoubtedly one of the seminal works of supernatural horror, receiving both critical and commercial success upon publication. Fusing elements of traditional horror with Straub’s own profundity for psychological torment, it depicts a sprawling and ambitious account of a town and its residents’ steady descent into ruin. The result ushered in a new brand of horror steeped in the mythos of American ghost stories with a contemporary twist. Folks, this isn’t your grandfather’s ghost story! But it’s built on a demonic tradition that’s been generations in the making.
Ghost Story also solidified Straub’s reputation, etching his name into the Mount Rushmore of horror next to the likes of M.R. James, H.P. Lovecraft, and his counterpart in consternation, Stephen King. And most importantly, like any great scary story, it will continue to haunt its readers long after the last page has been turned and the lights flicker out.
At an oversize 6½ × 10 inches in size, with stamped and printed cloth, slipcase, printed endpapers, and a load of extras. Each book is signed by Peter Straub, Douglas Smith, and Vladimir Zimakov.