EDITION INFORMATION

• Slightly oversize at 6¼ × 9½ inches.
• Two- and four-color printing throughout.
• Introduction by Caitlín R. Kiernan.
• Full color wraparound dustjacket by Matt Mahurin.
• Six original color interiors by Matt Mahurin, each hand-tipped.
• Ten black & white spot illustrations by Matt Mahurin.
• Full Dutch cloth with stamping.
• Printed endpapers.
• Top-edge stain.
• Ribbon marker, head and tail bands.
• Essay by Stephen King (excerpted from Danse Macabre).
• Essay “Experience and Fiction” by Shirley Jackson.
• Afterword by Laurence Hyman, Shirley Jackson’s son.
• A suite of drawings of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
• 320 pages.
• Published August 2022
• Book is in new unread condition

Published by Centipede Press

SYNOPSIS

Dr. John Montague always held a curiosity for the supernatural. So much so that it would become the central focus of his profession. But without substantial evidence to back his claims, he would continue wallowing on the periphery of respectability. That is, until he discovers a peculiar house on the outskirts of Hillsdale plagued with an ill-suited past, one he surmises as the key to unlocking his scholarly success.
But one cannot go it alone in search of the paranormal in a house big enough to swallow its denizens a hundred times over. Upon his invitation, two young women — Eleanor and Theodora — answered the call with a chance at temporary escape from their own constricting and volatile home lives. Joined by their host Luke Sanderson, the heir to the house, the group of four set up residence inside the capricious and menacing dwelling, tracking and noting every oddity they encounter.
However, as the days pass, the house reveals its madness in subtle ways that not all experience in equal measure. Animosity and distrust creep in, causing tension that risks tearing apart the symbiotic bond they forged. When it begins to derail their sanity beyond repair, they must decide whether the research is worth more than their lives. But they soon learn that sheltering within the belly of the beast may in fact be the safest means of survival.
Inspired by a real event and bolstered by Shirley’s Jackson’s own research of traditional ghost stories, The Haunting of Hill House is an amalgam of psychological horror and supernatural conjuring that sets it apart from the proto-typical haunted house or ghost story. Its influence on the genre has been so great that there aren’t many other comparable stories that can avoid the pall left in its wake.
It’s not filled with overt depictions of ghosts, monsters, or the Devil’s acolytes. Rather, Jackson made the deliberate choice to focus on the mental anguish and servitude caused by the mere suggestion of paranormal activity. Dr. Montague’s team may be skeptical at first, but with their imaginations left to run wild, it’s enough to fracture their perception of reality. And maybe that’s what he was after all along.
Jackson never discloses the real monster, which is shrouded in secrecy. It then becomes anything and everything our imaginations are willing to muster. But perhaps the evilest of all monsters is the one lying dormant within us all because we can’t run away from it. For even the sanest among us experience a moment of delirium and desperation. So, sleep tight and don’t let your subconscious bite!

Our edition of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House will be a slightly oversize (6¼ × 9½ inches) edition with the following features:
Six color interiors, endpapers, dustjacket, and numerous black & white spot illustrations by Matt Mahurin. Introduction by Caitlín R. Kiernan. Excerpt from Danse Macabre by Stephen King. Bonus essay, “Experience and Fiction”, by Shirley Jackson. Afterword by Laurence Hyman, Shirley Jackson’s son, talking about the novel and growing up in the Jackson household. A selection of drawings of the Hill House houseplans by Shirley Jackson. Printed endpapers, top-edge stain and ribbon marker, and hand-tipped illustrations.