(Originally published at poppytalk.com)
Note: Halvarson interviews three people about their collections, including Roger Allen and his collection of vintage John Bellairs books.
why you collect these items and how your collection started?
When I was a kid I was obsessed with ghost stories and ghosts in general, I would often search my parents house looking for apparitions. I was always on the lookout for a good ghost story. One of the books I picked, which had an amazing Edward Gorey cover, was John Bellairs The House with a Clock in Its Walls. The story was about a young guy in a small town who gets mixed up in some super natural adventures– exactly what I wanted. I kept reading the other Bellairs books based half on the stories and half because of the amazing Edward Gorey illustrations.
The books have been re-released several times as soft covers with different illustrators but I have made it my mission to find all the original hard cover copies. They make me happy and inspire me to be creative.
How do you display them or would like to display them?
The books have been re-released several times as soft covers with different illustrators but I have made it my mission to find all the original hard cover copies. They make me happy and inspire me to be creative.
How do you display them or would like to display them?
My book collection has become quite large so the majority of the novels are on a easily accessible book shelf. I also have a rotating display of the books in the living room where the Edward Gorey covers inspire my photography work as well as spark conversation when friends visit.
what are your favorite pieces in the collection, is there anything unique?
My favorite book of the Bellairs series is The Figure in the Shadows. The cover of the book is really creepy and the story is fantastic. I have collected this book with all its different covers and formats. I have a book on tape version of The House With the Clock in Its Walls which is funnier to look at than listen too. I would say the rarest item I have is a Vincent Price narrated after school special entitled Once Upon a Midnight Creepy. The tape has three short stories one of which is The House with a Clock in Its Walls. It took me about ten years to track down the tape.
what piece are you most looking for, and what piece would complete your collection?
There is a UK only release of The House With a Clock in Its Walls that has a different Edward Gorey cover that I would like to get my hands on.
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