UsedBookSearch.net is a portal for searching for used and rare books. Enter the title, author, ISBN, or keyword, and it will crawl the Web’s major sellers of used and rare books, and give you the prices for the book at each site. It’s very easy to use– I have used it to search for books myself. They currently have a list of what they consider the best horror books. Their choices there are hard to argue with.
Because many horror readers are also collectors, UsedBooksSearch.net also offered to provide us with a few recommendations of rare titles that may intrigue readers interested in a rare and unusual scare. Here are their choices.
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If you have been trawling the shelves for something to give you a chill this Halloween but can’t find anything outside the usual confinements of Dracula, then this list is for you. These books have been designed to creep into our innermost core, and scare us right down to the bone. They aren’t about bathing in blood, mutilating body parts to give a shock, or sparkling vampires; rather, they’re about those rare ideas that were too good, too bad and too ugly to stay on the shelves. Take a look at these recommendations to help you get a glimpse into something else this Hallow’s Eve.
The Delicate Dependency – Michael Talbot
The Delicate Dependency is a novel every collector wants to get their mitts on. A flash in the pan back in the 1980s, it quickly got added to the slush pile and pulped. Now, however, this Michael Talbot classic has gained a reputation for being much more than a dime store horror failure. Narrated by a Victorian virologist who gets caught up in the world of the Illuminati after his daughter is snatched, this story takes you into a world woven of dreams and nightmares. The result may not have you crawling under your bed for safety, but vampire fans will adore the elegant horror writing and the faded covers that can cost you high into the double figures.
The House on the Borderland – William Hope Hodgson
The House on the Borderland was highly praised by Lovecraft. A rare manuscript is found and within the pages tells the story of a strange recluse and his strange home where horrific creatures and giant gods roam from another plane into this world. It’s weird, it’s dark, and even if you don’t like the cut of Hodgson’s jib, the disturbing imagery that crawls forth from the pages will certainly stay with you.
The Witch of Prague & Other Stories- Francis Marion Crawford
Not only rare if you manage to grab one of the early copies but also incredibly creepy, this collection by Crawford surpasses the mark as both a rare book and one with cult status. Demand may be leading to a reprint so everyone can enjoy Crawford’s mixed-up mind. “The Screaming Skull” and “For the Blood is the Life” make this collection completely worthwhile. Gothic, atmospheric and unlike anything you will have read before, The Witch of Prague & Other Stories is well worth tracking down.
The author’s most famous story was printed back in the early 1920s. It tells the tale of a man escaping the dark castle of which he has held himself captive. Lovecraft is the master of gothic horror and manages to blend the supernatural, the strange, and the macabre into this sterling short story. Tackling the fear of the darkness and the unknown gives this tale the meat on the bones: it’s quite similar to Kafka’s dark and haunting world. This story has without a doubt achieved cult status and is a must read for Lovecraft lovers.
So, it’s that time of year again… No, I’m not talking about Halloween, although we do have trick-or-treating here tomorrow night, and I guess I’m going to have to head out to the grocery store soon to buy candy for them. I’m referring to All Hallow’s Read, a holiday established by author Neil Gaiman on which we celebrate the giving and reading of scary stories and books by choosing one and giving it to someone else, so we can share in the treat of reading… no tricks involved.
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. This is a good choice for reading aloud with your school-aged children.
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie. I know Agatha Christie’s books aren’t horror (mostly) but if you want to curl up with a mystery, you can’t go wrong with Hercule Poirot.
Halloween Man by Douglas Clegg. Douglas Clegg is a very talented horror novelist. I haven’t read his books, as his novels can be quite graphic, but this one has also been described as eerie and compelling.
Hallowed by Bryant Delafosse. This is a YA paranormal/horror title, and I can’t claim to have read it, but I have heard good things about it. Yes, there are plenty of YA paranormal reads, but this one is set right around Halloween.
Halloween edited by Paula Guran. This anthology includes both reprints and original stories related to the holiday, including stories from such notables as Ray Bradbury, Peter Straub, H.P. Lovecraft, and Edgar Allan Poe. One reviewer on Amazon noted that the Bradbury story does not appear in the ebook version of this book, as Bradbury was very opposed to ebooks, although I know he did release a book in ebook format before his passing… so I don’t know if that is still the case. It is well worth looking up!
Halloween: Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre edited by Paula Guran. This is NOT the same anthology as the one I listed just above– it is more recently published. While the first one had stories by many of the giants of the genre, this one has a different collection of authors, who cover a wider breadth of the genre. These include such excellent writers as Maria V. Snyder and Carrie Vaughan as well as authors more solidly identified with adult horror such as Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and John Shirley.
Black and Orange by Benjamin Kane Ethridge. Black and Orange is also the recipient of a Stoker Award. We reviewed it 
Halloween by Melanie Jackson. Not every book about Halloween is a scary one. This one tells of the adventures of four ten year olds out trick or treating for Halloween. Set in the 1960’s, this is a book that might be enjoyed more for its nostalgia value (if you were a kid at that time) or for reading with an older child.
Mischief Night by Paul Melnizcek. This is a novella from Bad Moon Books’ series of Halloween novellas, now also available on Kindle. It’s a nice little haunted house story. You can check out our review 
A Hallowe’en Anthology: Literary and Historical Writers Over the Centuries edited by Lisa Morton
Horrorween (Orangefield Series) by Al Sarrantonio. Orangefield is a town inhabited by Samhain, Lord of Death. Other books in the series include Orangefield, Hallows’ Eve, and Halloweenland. We’re awfully close to the end of October to power through all of them, but maybe you can make a resolution to try them out next year…
Gods of the Nowhere by James Tipper. The protagonist here is a disabled teenager, which is pretty interesting, as you don’t find many disabled protagonists in horror fiction. And he has a Latina friend, also an unusual find in horror fiction. It’s been described as a creepy and original take on Halloween. This is not a children’s book– maybe an older teen would appreciate it, though.
Halloween Spirits: 11 Tales for the Darkest Night edited by Lisa Morton. I know I said I would only mention Lisa Morton once, but this is an interesting collection of short stories that (mostly) tie in to Halloween, and are intended to get you into the Halloween spirit. These are not (mostly) stories about trick-or-treating, which is what we normally associate with the holiday, but, especially if you’re short on time, this book is a nice way to give yourself small doses of holiday excitement throughout the month of October. The authors include Kealan Patrick Burke, Scott Nicholson, John Palisano, Jeremy Shipp, and Nate Kenyon, to name just a few. It’s also an inexpensive way to get into the spirit– available only as an ebook, it’s just $2.99 at Amazon right now.
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