October Shadows: Classic Ghost Stories for Halloween (Deluxe Illustrated Horror Anthology)

by John A. Rice (Illustrator), John A. Rice (Selected by)

Overview

A ghostly story collection accompanied by unique illustrations—hauntingly beautiful paintings on autumn leaves

In October Shadows, artist John A. Rice brings to life classic ghost stories, using autumn leaves as his canvas. Each of the thirteen tales—by authors including Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, and Edith Nesbit—explores the unexplained and the macabre, tapping into our worst fears and the darker side of human nature while exploring the supernatural mysteries that connect all our lives. This is the perfect book for curling up in front of a fire on a chilly night, when the moon is high, the wind whispers in the trees, and ominous shadows lurk around every corner.

Every story in October Shadows is illustrated with an original artwork executed on an autumn leaf. Each artwork is shown twice: once at the beginning of the story, and once at the end, transformed—like the face of a jack-o’-lantern—by backlighting, the light bleeding through the leaf and transforming the colors to an eerie and haunting effect.

Like a relic from another era, October Shadows features a deluxe binding in real cloth, with foil stamping and a tip-on. By breathing new life into timeless stories and reimagining them with Rice’s unique approach, this anthology is poised to become an essential autumn classic—a book for Halloween and for cozy, spooky reading all year round. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780789215192
Publisher:	Abbeville Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/16/2025
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

John A. Rice is an award-winning actor, writer, and artist specializing in oil pastels. His work has been sold in over thirty-five countries, and he runs J.A.R. Studio, NYC, out of his workspace in Astoria, NY. He is the creator of the internationally popular Mindscapes Tarot and most recently illustrated Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (Abbeville). Rice’s mission is “to foster healing, introspection, and creativity through otherworldly art—empowering the internal world so that we can enrich our outer world.”

John A. Rice is an award-winning actor, writer, and artist specializing in oil pastels. His work has been sold in over thirty-five countries, and he runs J.A.R. Studio, NYC, out of his workspace in Astoria, NY. He is the creator of the internationally popular Mindscapes Tarot and most recently illustrated Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (Abbeville). Rice’s mission is “to foster healing, introspection, and creativity through otherworldly art—empowering the internal world so that we can enrich our outer world.”