The Hauntings at Tankerton Park

by Reggie Oliver

“I just finished the last of the ninety odd drawings for a sort of children’s book entitled: The Hauntings at Tankerton Park – and how they got rid of them, a tale in verse… The words I wrote some time ago but the drawings have taken ages. I say ‘sort of’ children’s book because I wrote and drew it really to amuse myself and though it’s just the sort of book that I would have loved as a child, I was a peculiar sort of child (still am) and it might be too macabre for some. It is about a Victorian haunted house, quite mad and part of it is a rhyming alphabet.”
—Reggie Oliver

“In the year Eighteen ninety, a banker called Clark
Bought a place in the country called Tankerton Park
Mr Clark, Mrs Clark, with Laura and Faye
Their two little daughters, moved in one March day.
And with them came Ron, their pet dog, and a horse
And the usual posse of servants of course.
They found the place elegant roomy and smart,
But terribly troublesome right from the start.
Some quite inexplicable things would appear
Which struck the whole household with horror and fear
The strangest thing was that they could record a
Sequence of haunts in alphabet order”

The Hauntings at Tankerton Park is published as large (21 by 29 cm) format hardcover volume
with silk bookmark and contains exquisite drawings by Reggie Oliver.

52 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2016

About the author

Reggie Oliver is a stage actor and playwright. His biography of Stella Gibbons was praised as “a triumph” by Hilary Spurling in the Daily Telegraph, his play Winner Takes All, was described as “the funniest evening in London”, by Michael Billington in The Guardian, and his adaptation of Hennequin and Delacour’s Once Bitten opened at the Orange Tree Theatre in London in December 2010.

He is the author of four highly-praised volumes of short fiction: The Dreams of Cardinal Vittorini (Haunted River 2003), The Complete Symphonies of Adolf Hitler (Haunted River 2005), Masques of Satan (Ash Tree 2007), and Madder Mysteries (Ex Occidente 2009). His stories have appeared in over 25 anthologies and, for the third year running, one of his stories appears in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, the most widely read and popular of contemporary horror anthologies.

Reviews

[Des Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

nullimmortalis September 27, 2016 at 8:28 pm Edit
This is a picture book of constructively old-fashioned drawings, often off-the-wall and haunting tableaux, led into letter by letter, passing TWICE through the alphabet, starting with “A was an armpit that loomed in the fog.” And ending with “Z is for Zadok, the Butler’s young son / Who burned the poor Zombie to ashes for fun.” For children and the child-like alike.

I dare not photograph any of the pages as that would destroy their initial effect, intricately drawn as they are, beautifully stylised into another world that can exist only in special magic books like this one. Witty, charming, often literary-aristocratic, and grotesque, with cast spells beyond words. Each alphabetic letter is also separately illuminated. Highly concentrated representational designs, but ones in which you will spend whole lifetimes finding new curlicues and intaglios.

I am not an expert on artwork, but I think you will be entranced – and I confidently predict it will be highly sought after and praised by those cleverer about such things than I am.

[Mahak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsical and highly creative in his wordcraft, Oliver delighted my niece. Recommended for sure!

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look forward to reading this to grandkids someday.

[LayDownYourSoul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool concept for a book. Didn't know what it was when I bought it, the format is quite unusual. But I liked it - written almost like a children's book but with complex, detailed illustrations alongside macabre or strange subject matter.

The artwork was a highlight, really good quality and perfectly fit the subject matter.

[Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

✭✭✭½