Description
Author: Brad Steiger
Publisher: Merit Books / Camerarts Publishing Co., Inc.
Place: Chicago
Year: 1965
Edition: First edition
Format: Vintage mass-market paperback
Condition: Good; signed and inscribed association copy
ISBN: None
Description
Brad Steiger’s first published book, Ghosts, Ghouls and Other Peculiar People, explores hauntings, unexplained disappearances, multiple personalities, and other strange people and phenomena.
This remarkable copy was personally inscribed by Steiger to Ivan T. Sanderson, the influential naturalist, paranormal investigator, and pioneering figure in cryptozoology whose endorsement appears prominently on the front cover.
Steiger’s inscription reads:
“For Ivan—
a never-dimming
light of inspiration.
Thank you for your
counsel and your friendship!
Brad Steiger
(Gene)”
“Gene” refers to Steiger’s birth name, Eugene E. Olson, making the inscription especially personal.
The title page also bears ownership stamps from the Ivan T. Sanderson Foundation and the Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained, the research organization established by Sanderson. Together, the inscription, cover endorsement, and institutional markings establish this as Sanderson’s own copy and create an unusually rich association between two important figures in twentieth-century paranormal literature.
Why We Love This Book
This is a compelling piece of paranormal publishing history. Readers and collectors can see the personal connection between a young Brad Steiger and Ivan T. Sanderson—not only through Sanderson’s endorsement on the cover, but through Steiger’s warm acknowledgment of his friendship, counsel, and continuing inspiration. It would be especially meaningful to collectors of cryptozoology, Forteana, paranormal literature, and signed association copies.
Condition
Good vintage condition. Covers show rubbing, creasing, edge and corner wear, and small areas of loss. Pages are age-toned. The title page contains Steiger’s signed presentation inscription as well as ownership and catalog stamps from the Ivan T. Sanderson Foundation and the Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained. These markings are important elements of the book’s provenance rather than ordinary defects. Please examine all photographs carefully.