The Haunted Bookshop
@bookshopghost.bsky.social
Iowa City's home for 47,000 used/rare books, puzzles, games, and two famous cats. 😷 Masks required - 12-6 Central, Mon-Sat - https://www.thehauntedbookshop.com
Pinned
Welcome! Make yourself at home!
A few things to know:
1. In this house, love wins.
2. There are no signs on our one-stall bathroom.
3. There are two trusting, loving cats here. Be worthy of their trust.
4. We wear masks here.
5. We will continue to treat our guests with kindness and respect 📚🫂❤️
A few things to know:
1. In this house, love wins.
2. There are no signs on our one-stall bathroom.
3. There are two trusting, loving cats here. Be worthy of their trust.
4. We wear masks here.
5. We will continue to treat our guests with kindness and respect 📚🫂❤️
You'll want to pounce on these NEW ARRIVALS!
Email infodesk@thehauntedbookshop.com or call 319-337-2996 to order. We ship! In-person shopping 11-6 Mon-Sat.
Email infodesk@thehauntedbookshop.com or call 319-337-2996 to order. We ship! In-person shopping 11-6 Mon-Sat.
February 10, 2026 at 5:41 PM
You'll want to pounce on these NEW ARRIVALS!
Email infodesk@thehauntedbookshop.com or call 319-337-2996 to order. We ship! In-person shopping 11-6 Mon-Sat.
Email infodesk@thehauntedbookshop.com or call 319-337-2996 to order. We ship! In-person shopping 11-6 Mon-Sat.
TFW you open a book that sat in a storage unit half a continent away for an unknown length of time and find... your own handwriting penciled on the first light-colored page 😲
How did this book get from my shop to the Pacific coast and back?
(Just another mystery of the Giant Poetry Collection.)
How did this book get from my shop to the Pacific coast and back?
(Just another mystery of the Giant Poetry Collection.)
February 8, 2026 at 11:46 PM
TFW you open a book that sat in a storage unit half a continent away for an unknown length of time and find... your own handwriting penciled on the first light-colored page 😲
How did this book get from my shop to the Pacific coast and back?
(Just another mystery of the Giant Poetry Collection.)
How did this book get from my shop to the Pacific coast and back?
(Just another mystery of the Giant Poetry Collection.)
Wanna see a cool trick?
Eraser. Just a plain white plastic pencil eraser.
Before and after.
Eraser. Just a plain white plastic pencil eraser.
Before and after.
February 8, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Wanna see a cool trick?
Eraser. Just a plain white plastic pencil eraser.
Before and after.
Eraser. Just a plain white plastic pencil eraser.
Before and after.
I do actually leave the shop sometimes, but when I do, the advertising overwhelms me.
Yes, this is a shop. We sell things. But none of the things we sell play ads.
We don't play ads on a sound system while you're shopping.
We only email you if you placed an order or a request.
Yes, this is a shop. We sell things. But none of the things we sell play ads.
We don't play ads on a sound system while you're shopping.
We only email you if you placed an order or a request.
February 8, 2026 at 7:30 PM
I do actually leave the shop sometimes, but when I do, the advertising overwhelms me.
Yes, this is a shop. We sell things. But none of the things we sell play ads.
We don't play ads on a sound system while you're shopping.
We only email you if you placed an order or a request.
Yes, this is a shop. We sell things. But none of the things we sell play ads.
We don't play ads on a sound system while you're shopping.
We only email you if you placed an order or a request.
This is indeed a long thread - and one of the best curated threads, with 💯 relevant links and succinct summaries, that I've seen on any platform.
Esther, thank you.
Esther, thank you.
Not a single thing we were told about #COVID turned out to be correct. A long thread 🧵
February 7, 2026 at 8:23 PM
This is indeed a long thread - and one of the best curated threads, with 💯 relevant links and succinct summaries, that I've seen on any platform.
Esther, thank you.
Esther, thank you.
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"Make it look like we did it on purpose."
"Make it look like we did it on purpose."
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
“It doesn’t have to be good. It just has to be finished.”
“It doesn’t have to be good. It just has to be finished.”
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"Twist a thin-cut swatch of lemon peel over the top."
"Twist a thin-cut swatch of lemon peel over the top."
February 7, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"Make it look like we did it on purpose."
"Make it look like we did it on purpose."
Most of these are illustrated by James E. Ransome - and there are Easter eggs to find, such as the fact that in one of these books, Ransome used Jerry Pinkney, another outstanding Black illustrator, as a model for one of the characters!
#BlackHistoryMonth #ChildrensBooks
#BlackHistoryMonth #ChildrensBooks
So behind the big poetry project (now about 20% done) I'm still working through that gargantuan children's book collection.
Kind of fun that these were in the first box of children's books I opened in *February*.
(Most are signed by the illustrator.)
Kind of fun that these were in the first box of children's books I opened in *February*.
(Most are signed by the illustrator.)
February 6, 2026 at 12:27 AM
Most of these are illustrated by James E. Ransome - and there are Easter eggs to find, such as the fact that in one of these books, Ransome used Jerry Pinkney, another outstanding Black illustrator, as a model for one of the characters!
#BlackHistoryMonth #ChildrensBooks
#BlackHistoryMonth #ChildrensBooks
So behind the big poetry project (now about 20% done) I'm still working through that gargantuan children's book collection.
Kind of fun that these were in the first box of children's books I opened in *February*.
(Most are signed by the illustrator.)
Kind of fun that these were in the first box of children's books I opened in *February*.
(Most are signed by the illustrator.)
February 6, 2026 at 12:24 AM
So behind the big poetry project (now about 20% done) I'm still working through that gargantuan children's book collection.
Kind of fun that these were in the first box of children's books I opened in *February*.
(Most are signed by the illustrator.)
Kind of fun that these were in the first box of children's books I opened in *February*.
(Most are signed by the illustrator.)
Reposted by The Haunted Bookshop
Sigh.
The reason that recent signed books are not very valuable is because in America, there are more people trying to make a profit on signatures than there are people who appreciate them.
Someday, if you keep it in perfect condition, your newly signed book will be worth... the jacket price.
The reason that recent signed books are not very valuable is because in America, there are more people trying to make a profit on signatures than there are people who appreciate them.
Someday, if you keep it in perfect condition, your newly signed book will be worth... the jacket price.
February 4, 2026 at 2:45 AM
Sigh.
The reason that recent signed books are not very valuable is because in America, there are more people trying to make a profit on signatures than there are people who appreciate them.
Someday, if you keep it in perfect condition, your newly signed book will be worth... the jacket price.
The reason that recent signed books are not very valuable is because in America, there are more people trying to make a profit on signatures than there are people who appreciate them.
Someday, if you keep it in perfect condition, your newly signed book will be worth... the jacket price.
There are an incredible number of scammers out there who call small businesses multiple times a day, trying to get different employees, to see if they can get information or a direct line to the manager/owner 😩
Fake lenders, QuickBooks techs, merchant processing, business phone system reps...
Fake lenders, QuickBooks techs, merchant processing, business phone system reps...
February 3, 2026 at 10:13 PM
There are an incredible number of scammers out there who call small businesses multiple times a day, trying to get different employees, to see if they can get information or a direct line to the manager/owner 😩
Fake lenders, QuickBooks techs, merchant processing, business phone system reps...
Fake lenders, QuickBooks techs, merchant processing, business phone system reps...
Any of my Internet acquaintances familiar with author Edgar Parker (1925-1982)?
I'm sitting here with a copy of his "Rogue's Gallery" (Pantheon, 1969), trying to write a summary.
The illustrations look like charcoal sketches of taxidermied animals mixed with a gentleman's fashion magazine.
I'm sitting here with a copy of his "Rogue's Gallery" (Pantheon, 1969), trying to write a summary.
The illustrations look like charcoal sketches of taxidermied animals mixed with a gentleman's fashion magazine.
February 3, 2026 at 12:01 AM
Any of my Internet acquaintances familiar with author Edgar Parker (1925-1982)?
I'm sitting here with a copy of his "Rogue's Gallery" (Pantheon, 1969), trying to write a summary.
The illustrations look like charcoal sketches of taxidermied animals mixed with a gentleman's fashion magazine.
I'm sitting here with a copy of his "Rogue's Gallery" (Pantheon, 1969), trying to write a summary.
The illustrations look like charcoal sketches of taxidermied animals mixed with a gentleman's fashion magazine.
Reposted by The Haunted Bookshop
“Free” shipping is free like free lunch. It’s a real issue for small businesses that can’t just eat the cost (or, more accurately, obfuscate how they pass it on to consumers).
February 2, 2026 at 11:06 PM
“Free” shipping is free like free lunch. It’s a real issue for small businesses that can’t just eat the cost (or, more accurately, obfuscate how they pass it on to consumers).
You've probably noticed that we don't offer free shipping.
We are always happy to adjust the amount - it's set up for books weighing 2lbs, so sometimes it overshoots - but we do charge.
Why?
Because it was a slow year for online orders...
And our postage account still ate $10,000 in 2025.
We are always happy to adjust the amount - it's set up for books weighing 2lbs, so sometimes it overshoots - but we do charge.
Why?
Because it was a slow year for online orders...
And our postage account still ate $10,000 in 2025.
February 2, 2026 at 8:46 PM
You've probably noticed that we don't offer free shipping.
We are always happy to adjust the amount - it's set up for books weighing 2lbs, so sometimes it overshoots - but we do charge.
Why?
Because it was a slow year for online orders...
And our postage account still ate $10,000 in 2025.
We are always happy to adjust the amount - it's set up for books weighing 2lbs, so sometimes it overshoots - but we do charge.
Why?
Because it was a slow year for online orders...
And our postage account still ate $10,000 in 2025.
Literal wars have started over violations of xenia.
February 1, 2026 at 11:43 PM
Literal wars have started over violations of xenia.
NEW ARRIVALS and new store hours!
Email infodesk@thehauntedbookshop.com or call 319-337-2996 to order. We ship! In-person shopping *11*-6 Mon-Sat.
Email infodesk@thehauntedbookshop.com or call 319-337-2996 to order. We ship! In-person shopping *11*-6 Mon-Sat.
February 1, 2026 at 9:58 PM
NEW ARRIVALS and new store hours!
Email infodesk@thehauntedbookshop.com or call 319-337-2996 to order. We ship! In-person shopping *11*-6 Mon-Sat.
Email infodesk@thehauntedbookshop.com or call 319-337-2996 to order. We ship! In-person shopping *11*-6 Mon-Sat.
Please do not use song lyrics in book titles.
As a person whose head is always tuned to Free Association Radio, I cannot even.
For 30 YEARS now, people have been able to tell I've done the M's because I'm involuntarily humming 'O Holy Night' 😱
(Ann-Marie, I still love you anyway)
As a person whose head is always tuned to Free Association Radio, I cannot even.
For 30 YEARS now, people have been able to tell I've done the M's because I'm involuntarily humming 'O Holy Night' 😱
(Ann-Marie, I still love you anyway)
January 31, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Please do not use song lyrics in book titles.
As a person whose head is always tuned to Free Association Radio, I cannot even.
For 30 YEARS now, people have been able to tell I've done the M's because I'm involuntarily humming 'O Holy Night' 😱
(Ann-Marie, I still love you anyway)
As a person whose head is always tuned to Free Association Radio, I cannot even.
For 30 YEARS now, people have been able to tell I've done the M's because I'm involuntarily humming 'O Holy Night' 😱
(Ann-Marie, I still love you anyway)
I wear a KN95 or FloMask in all public spaces.
People react like I'm being aggressively political.
Then I greet them the same way I would have before, interact with them in ordinary ways... and they relax.
They've been told people like me are "crazy" and are surprised when it turns out I'm not 🙄
People react like I'm being aggressively political.
Then I greet them the same way I would have before, interact with them in ordinary ways... and they relax.
They've been told people like me are "crazy" and are surprised when it turns out I'm not 🙄
January 31, 2026 at 6:52 PM
I wear a KN95 or FloMask in all public spaces.
People react like I'm being aggressively political.
Then I greet them the same way I would have before, interact with them in ordinary ways... and they relax.
They've been told people like me are "crazy" and are surprised when it turns out I'm not 🙄
People react like I'm being aggressively political.
Then I greet them the same way I would have before, interact with them in ordinary ways... and they relax.
They've been told people like me are "crazy" and are surprised when it turns out I'm not 🙄
Apparently small businesses that stand up for real American values like presumption of innocence, habeas corpus, the First and Fourth Amendments, etc. are now subject to "audits" by the "DHS".
This is fascist garbage and a screaming red siren of speech suppression.
This is fascist garbage and a screaming red siren of speech suppression.
January 30, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Apparently small businesses that stand up for real American values like presumption of innocence, habeas corpus, the First and Fourth Amendments, etc. are now subject to "audits" by the "DHS".
This is fascist garbage and a screaming red siren of speech suppression.
This is fascist garbage and a screaming red siren of speech suppression.
I will be here tomorrow (January 30th) because I need to measure a bunch of bookcases and draw floor plans.
If you need to be around books, you are always welcome here.
If you want to help me figure out how to rearrange, cool. Geometry loves company, right?
But.
We support the General Strike.
If you need to be around books, you are always welcome here.
If you want to help me figure out how to rearrange, cool. Geometry loves company, right?
But.
We support the General Strike.
January 30, 2026 at 1:11 AM
I will be here tomorrow (January 30th) because I need to measure a bunch of bookcases and draw floor plans.
If you need to be around books, you are always welcome here.
If you want to help me figure out how to rearrange, cool. Geometry loves company, right?
But.
We support the General Strike.
If you need to be around books, you are always welcome here.
If you want to help me figure out how to rearrange, cool. Geometry loves company, right?
But.
We support the General Strike.
Reposted by The Haunted Bookshop
When we identify where our privilege intersects with somebody else's oppression, we'll find our opportunities to make real change.
Ijeoma Oluo
Ijeoma Oluo
January 29, 2026 at 10:22 PM
When we identify where our privilege intersects with somebody else's oppression, we'll find our opportunities to make real change.
Ijeoma Oluo
Ijeoma Oluo
I think I'm going to cry. Somehow missed the news that she had passed.
January 29, 2026 at 8:38 PM
I think I'm going to cry. Somehow missed the news that she had passed.
FREE at Libro: a book with specific, workable goals to help you do what you can right now, for Minnesota and for your neighbors, too:
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
January 29, 2026 at 7:11 PM
FREE at Libro: a book with specific, workable goals to help you do what you can right now, for Minnesota and for your neighbors, too:
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
Everybody and their monkey's uncle has a theory about mass market paperbacks.
Once far outstripping every other format - a 4:1 ratio at its peak - the 4.25" x 7" paperback sold millions of copies, not just of Louis L'Amour, but of journalism, science, movie tie-ins, and more.
So what happened? 🧵
Once far outstripping every other format - a 4:1 ratio at its peak - the 4.25" x 7" paperback sold millions of copies, not just of Louis L'Amour, but of journalism, science, movie tie-ins, and more.
So what happened? 🧵
January 29, 2026 at 5:12 AM
Everybody and their monkey's uncle has a theory about mass market paperbacks.
Once far outstripping every other format - a 4:1 ratio at its peak - the 4.25" x 7" paperback sold millions of copies, not just of Louis L'Amour, but of journalism, science, movie tie-ins, and more.
So what happened? 🧵
Once far outstripping every other format - a 4:1 ratio at its peak - the 4.25" x 7" paperback sold millions of copies, not just of Louis L'Amour, but of journalism, science, movie tie-ins, and more.
So what happened? 🧵
Found in An Anthology of Modern Yugoslav Poetry (Lavrin, ed. 1962).
It's from a Croatian bookstore, and I'm old enough that I can practically hear the crinkle of the carbon sheet
It's from a Croatian bookstore, and I'm old enough that I can practically hear the crinkle of the carbon sheet
January 28, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Found in An Anthology of Modern Yugoslav Poetry (Lavrin, ed. 1962).
It's from a Croatian bookstore, and I'm old enough that I can practically hear the crinkle of the carbon sheet
It's from a Croatian bookstore, and I'm old enough that I can practically hear the crinkle of the carbon sheet