Filed Under: "Grandpa’s Ghost Stories"

Adam Parfrey, a fearless, maverick independent publisher with a robust sense of humor (and a taste for the macabre), has died at age 61. We note his passing here because Adam’s Feral House Books reprinted Jim Flora‘s legendary 1978 book Grandpa’s Ghost Stories in 2017. Just last week we signed an agreement with Feral to reprint Flora’s last (1982) book, Grandpa’s Witched-Up Christmas. Feral House was known for publishing edgy titles, and Adam was the heart and…

Detail, Grandpa’s Ghost Stories (Atheneum Books, 1978). Yes, this little mise en scène is from a lighthearted book for young readers. Fun for the whole family! Bone apetit!

Do you like children?, W.C. Fields was reportedly asked. “Yes, if they’re properly cooked.” Perhaps he would have enjoyed Flora’s savory recipe. From Grandpa’s Ghost Stories (Atheneum Books, 1978): Next we looked at Mrs. Ghost’s favorite program. It was about cooking and was called Feeding Phantom Faces. It opened with a big, fat-bellied demon in a tall white hat. He hauled in a big iron pot and showed us how to make soup out of…