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

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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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[–] wjrii 3 points 1 month 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.