Out of stock
PUBLISHER: Suntup Editions
PUBLICATION DATE: 2021
EDITION: Artist Gift Edition (slipcased and signed by Dave Christensen and Wendell Minor)
PRICE: $125
STATUS: In-Stock
One of the finest and bestselling horror novels of the 1970ās, Joan Samsonās The Auctioneer is a chilling masterpiece of terror. In an isolated New Hampshire farming community where little has changed over the past several decades, John Moore and his wife Mim do their best to maintain the family farm and live a modest, hardworking life. But from the moment the charismatic Perly Dinsmore arrives in town, soliciting donations for his auctions, the community of Harlowe slowly and insidiously starts to change. As the auctioneer carries out his terrible, inscrutable plan, the Moores and their neighbors will find themselves gradually but inexorably stripped of their freedom, their possessions, and perhaps even their lives.
Upon its release in 1975, The Auctioneer was received with wide acclaim. Newsday hailed it āa suspenseful, engrossing novel with the most gripping and violent ending weāve encountered for some time.ā The Grand Rapids Press lauded it, āa powerful novel by a powerful author.ā The New York Times called it, āexplosive and chilling⦠I challenge anyone to resist it after reading the first few pages.ā
Despite critical praise, sales of over a million copies, a popular television advertisement, and efforts to turn the novel into a film, The Auctioneer went out of print soon after its release and was considered a lost gem of a novel for subsequent decades. Written by a young, talented, and promising author, The Auctioneer would ultimately be Joan Samsonās only novel. Sadly, she passed away shortly after the bookās publication, edging the novel further into obscurity. The Auctioneer found its way back to print in 2018 in a trade edition, returning at last to chill a new generation of readers.
With echoes of Shirley Jacksonās āThe Lotteryā and Stephen Kingās Needful Things, Samsonās slow burn of understated violence builds to a climactic fever pitch with an ending that makes for one of the most unforgettable horror novels of all time.
ARTIST GIFTĀ EDITION
Published editions may differ slightly from mockups and prototype designs. Illustrations Ā© 2020 by Dave Christensen.