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Help me ID a book from a hazy 1980s childhood memory (self.asklemmy)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by wjrii to c/asklemmy

21 comments fedilink hide all child comments

As a child, we had a book of scary stories that included some absolutely ghastly but entrancing pen-and-ink art. I'm 99% sure they're not "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark". I don't remember much, but a few things stuck with me:

a picture of a diver in an old-timey deep sea diving suit and maybe a sea-witch type character draped in seaweed.
at least one really creepy drawing of a willow tree
one or more of the pictures also involved a classically gothic cliffside along the sea.
I want to say the binding was green or teal
no dust jacket that I recall, but it could have been missing
as a child, it struck me as old but not ancient, so I'm guessing it was from the late 60s or early 70s maybe
my parents let me read it, and they were Mormons and frankly not really readers, so I'm guessing it was sort of vaguely considered age appropriate in those days if parents didn't look too close.

Style-wise, as I recall it kind of split the difference between Edward Gorey (thanks, @[email protected] for unearthing my nightmare fuel) and the semi-famous Darth Maul concept art from Iain McCaig. I have downloaded the first two volumes of SStTitD, as they are technically old enough to be the ones, but while they're definitely in the same milieu they're not what I'm thinking of. The art in this had heavier linework and IIRC used pen-and-ink crosshatching instead of shading; I also can't find any images in those two that hit me as "THAT'S IT!".

This could absolutely be a wild goose chase down memory lane, but any suggestions?

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[–] LemmySoloHer 23 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (4 children)

My best guess is the Tales to Tremble By scary story collections:

Each story had some creepy art by Gordon Laite:

A lot of this fits with your descriptions from the best of my recollection.

Edit: Removed paragraph about potential third scary story series containing spider egg story, just realized that one was from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 3, so Tales to Tremble By and its sequel is my only guess here.

[–] wjrii 13 points 3 months ago

I'm not willing to commit, but I can't dismiss this one out of hand. I will need to track down a copy and see if anything gives me that AHA! moment.

Thanks!

[–] solidgrue 3 points 3 months ago

Oh, jeez. I remember reading that book in elementary school!

Thanks for the horrific trip down memory lane, ya bastid. Happy Halloween, too.

[–] wjrii 3 points 3 months ago

More Tales to Tremble By is the only one so far I might be eventually talked into thinking is the one, but no epiphany yet. The low angle drawing of the house and the sailor peering over the railing feel familiar (particularly that greenish wash over the sailor one), but they don't quite match the admittedly 35-40 year-old memory in my head.

The Tales of the Black Freighter vibes in it are pretty cool as well.

[–] kaklerbitmap 2 points 3 months ago

Man what a blast from the past. I haven't seen these in idk how long but my mom had these when I was growing up. I don't even remember the stories, but those illustrations were awesome and are among some of my earliest memories of being unnerved by an art style (along with the legendary Scary Stories and the Wizard of Oz series from 1900 with the W.W. Denslow illustrations)