Jackson, Shirley (1959) ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, Signed first edition, second print

Shirley Jackson (1959) ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, signed and inscribed first edition, second printing (printed before publication), published by the Viking Press, NY in the US. Inscribed on the front free end paper (ffep): “For Sean. Soan. or Som. with love Shirley October 1959.” Perhaps a fan send her the book to inscribe and being unable to decipher the person’s handwriting Jackson penned the aforementioned inscription.

Condition: very good plus in a very good dust jacket. The book is free from any previous owners’ inscriptions; the board are clean; the page block edges are clean. Slight fading of the yellow colour to a small area at the top of the spine. The dust jacket is not price clipped, has a few short tears, and small area of loss to the top of the spine. Otherwise in very good condition.

Signed copies are exceptionally scarce due to the reclusiveness of Shirley Jackson which was fuelled by her husband (we recommend Ruth Franklins’s biography “Shirley Jackson – A Rather Haunted Life’ for an interesting read). Consequently, signed first printing copies would fetch several thousand at auctions. Our price represents fair value factoring in that this is a second printing. It is also noteworthy that the second print run was commissioned before publications raising the question why the publishers has not commissioned a larger first printing to begin with.

Shirley died in 1965 at the tender age of 48. ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ is considered one of the best ghost stories ever written. Her work has had a huge influence on the likes of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Richard Matheson, – terrific writers in their own right.