THE BASEMENT BACK IN TIME: “Spooks and Spirits and Shadowy Shapes” by Robert L. Doremus
Since I love all things spooky and Halloween-related, I am always looking for new things to check out. While reading another book about Halloween, the book “Spooks and Spirits and Shadowy Shapes” was talked about. It was also highly recommended.
This book came out in 1949 and was put out by Xerox Education Publications. This book is a collection of nine short, spooky stories geared at kids. I found the whole concept of this book to be interesting. I didn’t realize that these type of stories were popular at this time, especially for children.
I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Spooks and Spirits and Shadowy Shapes” and wonder what it was like for the children of the late 1940s and 1950s to read these stories. I contemplate whether these would be more effective then, as the children of the time did not have all of the negative influences they have today.
Each story is written by a different author. The highlight for me is the illustrations by Robert L. Doremus. The images are wonderful, black and white drawings that are just full of spooky atmosphere. The book has 127 pages and is worth seeking out for those that are nostalgic for this kind of think. There are different editions available, including hard cover editions.
It is sad to me that today’s children would probably get no pleasure out of reading these stories. I loved them because they represented a simpler time period. It was also interesting to me for what thought would be scary to that period’s kids. I love this book and that it can still be found, albeit expensive.
Don’t forget to read other entries in my BASEMENT BACK IN TIME series!
~David Albaugh
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