The Haunting of Hill House, a 1959 book by Shirley Jackson

The Shirley Jackson book

The Haunting of Hill House is a book written by Shirley Jackson, first published in 1959. The book inspired the 1963 movie The Haunting, directed by Robert Wise.

This novel, classified as gothic fiction, is considered as one of the best literary ghost stories published during the 20th century.

The Haunting of Hill House (1959), a book by Shirley Jackson

Presentation by Penguin publishing

Four seekers have arrived at an abandoned old mansion known as Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of psychic phenomena; Theodora, his lovely assistant; Luke, the future inheritor of the estate; and Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman with a dark past. As they begin to cope with horrifying occurrences beyond their control or understanding, they cannot possibly know what lies ahead. For Hill House is gathering its powers - and soon it will choose one of them to make its own...

Review by Amazon.com

Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has unnerved readers since its original publication in 1959. A tale of subtle, psychological terror, it has earned its place as one of the significant haunted house stories of the ages.

Eleanor Vance has always been a loner — shy, vulnerable, and bitterly resentful of the 11 years she lost while nursing her dying mother.

Eleanor has always sensed that one day something big would happen, and one day it does. She receives an unusual invitation from Dr. John Montague, a man fascinated by "supernatural manifestations". He organizes a ghost watch, inviting people who have been touched by otherworldly events. A paranormal incident from Eleanor's childhood qualifies her to be a part of Montague's bizarre study — along with headstrong Theodora, his assistant, and Luke, a well-to-do aristocrat. They meet at Hill House — a notorious estate in New England.

Hill House is a foreboding structure of towers, buttresses, Gothic spires, gargoyles, strange angles, and rooms within rooms

Although Eleanor's initial reaction is to flee, the house has a mesmerizing effect, and she begins to feel a strange kind of bliss that entices her to stay. Eleanor is a magnet for the supernatural — she hears deathly wails, feels terrible chills, and sees ghostly apparitions. Once again she feels isolated and alone — neither Theo nor Luke attract so much eerie company. But the physical horror of Hill House is always subtle; more disturbing is the emotional torment Eleanor endures.

Intense, literary, and harrowing, The Haunting of Hill House belongs in the same dark league as Henry James's classic ghost story, The Turn of the Screw.
~ Naomi Gesinger.

Editions in English

This is the cover of the second print of the very first US edition of the book, published by "Viking Press" in October 1959.
ISBN-10: 0-670-36261-1.
ISBN-13: 978-0-670-36261-5.
Hardcover format, 246 pages, $3.95

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone."

This is 1959 US Largetype version of the book, published by "Viking Press".

This is 1959 US promotionnal copy of the book, published by "Viking Press".
Ultra rare...

This one is supposed to be the 1959 UK hardcover edition.
To be confirmed...

The novel The Haunting of Hill House was summarized (abridged) and included in a 1960 volume of the "Reader's digest condensed books": Number two — 1960 — Spring selections — Volume XI
This splendid hardcover volume features the superb illustrations created by Ben Stahl (see the French "Reader's digest" volume to see a restored version of all the images).
Hardcover format, 574 pages (102 for The Haunting of Hill House).

Here is the introduction text of the novel:

Eleanor Vance was thirty-two years old and had never known a life of her own. Some young women would have hesitated to answer the invitation that brought her to dark and brooding Hill House — a bid from a distinguished professor to investigate a haunted house with a singularly evil history. But to Eleanor, it promised the excitement she had always longed for.
In Hill House, Eleanor met charming, selfish Luke Sanderson, and airy sophisticated Theodora. But she was also attacked by forces beyond human explanation, driven through a series of shattering experiences by a house which seemed to possess a vicious will of its own.

The Haunting of Hill House leaves readers both shaken and challenged to explain for themselves the things people have seen and felt in house like this. Often compared to Henry James's celebrated The Turn of the Screw, this novel has been hailed as the most distinguished story of the supernatural published in our time.

"A super-de-luxe ghost story ... hypnotically engrossing ... totally baffling." ~ Orville Prescott, in The New York Times.
"Perfectly bloodcurdling." ~ Lynn Hopper, in The Indianapolis Star.

Published by "Popular Library" in the USA in June 1962.
Pocket format, 174 pages, $0.40
Reference: K6.

Here is the text that can be found on the front cover:

The author of The Lottery, Shirley Jackson "A self-confessed dabbler in magic" (Time Magazine) again visits the world of the strange, the unusual, the bizarre, in a "magnificent ghost story" (New York Post) that will "make many a reader wonder after he turns off the light if he is really alone in the dark room" (New York Times)

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"Brilliant... gives you the shivers and shakes" ~ Saturday review.

"I can vouch for the fact that (this) is no book to read yourself to sleep with in a lonely house... a super-deluxe ghost story... will make a reader wonder after he turns off the light if he is really alone in the dark room" ~ Orville Prescott, in The New York Times.

"A real dilly of a ghost story... full of horror and mystification." ~ Book-of-the-Month Club News.
Soon to be a major MGM motion picture

I don't have any idea of when this edition was first released in the USA but, obviously, after the movie, and with several reprints. If you have any idea, please let me know...

Published by "Popular Library".
Pocket format, $0.75
Reference: 445-01508-075.

Here is the text that can be found on the front cover:

The spine-chilling classic of the supernatural suspense... of two girls caught in a maze of ghostly horror ... "The best possible" ~ The New Yorker.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"Brilliant... Gives you the shivers and shakes." ~ Saturday Review.

"I can vouch for the fact that (this) is no book to read yourself to sleep in a lonely house... a super-deluxe ghost story... will make many a reader wonder after he turns off the light if he really is alone in the dark room." ~ Orville Prescott, in the New York Times.

"A real dilly of a ghost story... full of horror and mystification." ~ Book-of-the-Month Club News.

Shirley Jackson, who died in 1965, was one of the most brilliant writers of her time, widely acclaimed for her hair-raising stories and novels of the supernatural. Among them are the famed story The Lottery and the best-selling The Haunting of Hill House, We have always lived in the Castle and Come along with me.

Here is the spellbinding novel that became the hit motion picture, The Haunting, starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson and Russ Tamblyn.

Published by "Toronto, Popular Library" in Canada or USA (although I own it, I cannot figure out) in 1963.
Pocket format, 174 pages, $0.40
Reference: K6 2nd.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"I can vouch for the fact that (this) is no book to read yourself to sleep in a lonely house... a super-deluxe ghost story... will make many a reader wonder after he turns off the light if he really is alone in the dark room." ~ Orville Prescott, in the New York Times.

"A real dilly of a ghost story... full of horror and mystification." ~ Book-of-the-Month Club News.

This is the UK "First Square Book" edition, published in 1963 by "The New English Library, Ltd.".
Reference: 848.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

There is so much horror in Hill House that nobody dares to live in it. Only a ghost-hunting team would defy the hostile spirits which haunt the house, and the one which gathers together to stay there several weeks consists of four people: Dr. Montague, an investigator of ghostly phenomena; two girls who have previously had a terrifying yet accidental contact with the supernatural; and the young man who is heir to Hill House and is naturally anxious to lay its ghosts.

Their shocking experiences produce a real and ultimate terror not only for the characters in this novel, but also for its readers, and the screaming climax is as horrifying as it is unexpected.

This edition was published in the USA in 1967 by "Popular Library".
Paperback format, 174 pages, $0.60
Reference: 60-2121.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"I can vouch for the fact that (this) is no book to read yourself to sleep in a lonely house... a super-deluxe ghost story... will make many a reader wonder after he turns off the light if he really is alone in the dark room." ~ Orville Prescott, in the New York Times.

"A real dilly of a ghost story... full of horror and mystification." ~ Book-of-the-Month Club News.

In 1976, a large volume with 3 books of Shirley Jackson was released in the USA. It contained:

• The lottery and other stories
• The Haunting of Hill House
• We have always lived in the castle

Published by "Amereon Ltd".
ISBN-10: 0-84-880369-8.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8488-0369-8.
Hardcover.

This edition was published in the USA in 1977 by "Popular Library", with a new original cover.
I identified at least 3 different variations (see the Popular Library logo and reference at the top).
ISBN-10: 0-445-08577-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-445-08577-0.
Paperback format, 174 pages, $1.25.

Here is the text that can be found on the front cover:

The spine-chilling classic of the supernatural suspense... of two girls caught in a maze of ghostly horror ... "The best possible" ~ The New Yorker.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"Brilliant... Gives you the shivers and shakes" ~ Saturday review.
"I can vouch for the fact that (this) is no book to read yourself to sleep with in a lonely house ... a super-deluxe ghost story ... will make many a reader wonder after he turns off the light if he really is alone in the dark room." ~ Orville Prescott, New York Times.
"A really dilly of a ghost story ... full of horror and mystification" ~ Book-of-the-Month Club News.

Shirley Jackson was one of the most brilliant writers of her time, widely acclaimed for her hair-raising stories and novels of the supernatural. Among them are the famed story The Lottery and the best-selling The Haunting of Hill House, We have always lived in the Castle and Come along with me.

Here is the spellbinding novel that became the hit motion picture, The Haunting, starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson and Russ Tamblyn.

This edition was published in the UK in 1977 by "Corgi edition", with a new and really original cover.
ISBN-10: 0-552-10389-6.
ISBN-13: 978-0-552-10389-3.
Pocket format, 189 pages, £0.65.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"...A ghost story in the modern manner... Terrible things take place... most agreeably spine-chilling" ~ The Observer.

"...As spine-chilling as anything Edgar Allan Poe ever dreamed up" ~ Daily Telegraph.

"The story grows from the impact of personality, the shifting climate of fear, springs into action with midnight manifestations, and gathers macabre momentum as one of the four is conquered by the house. Good enough not to be read before going to bed" ~ Sunday Times.

There is so much horror in Hill House that nobody dates live in it. Only a ghost-hunting team would defy the hostile spirits which haunt the house, and the one which gathers together to stay there several weeks consists of four people. Their shocking experiences produce a real and ultimate terror culminating in a screaming climax which is as horrifying as it is unexpected.
The Haunting of Hill House is regarded by many as one of the most powerful horror tales ever told. It was filmed as The Haunting. Shirley Jackson is also the author of the award-winning classic short story, The lottery.

This edition was republished in the USA in 1982 by "Popular Library", with a higher price tag.
ISBN-10: 0-445-08577-0.
ISBN-13: 978-0-445-08577-0.
Paperback format, 174 pages, $2.5.

This edition was published in the USA in 1982 by "Warner books".
Another print of the same book exists with a gold colour to replace the orange.
ISBN-10: 0-446-31036-0.
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-31036-9.
Paperback format, 174 pages, $3.

This edition was published in the USA in 1984 by "Penguin books".
ISBN-10: 0-14-007108-3.
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-007108-5.
Pocket format, 246 pages, $5.

This 1984 US edition is a present from another fan from the USA (thanks again!).
The book was reprinted numerous times. I have got a second copy, dated 1987, with a different slice, different price tag, but otherwise identical.

Published by "Penguin books".
ISBN-10: 0-14-007108-3.
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-007108-5.
Pocket format, 240 pages, about $12.

This edition was last reprinted in 2008, about $23.
ISBN-10: 1-4395-1320-1.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4395-1320-0.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Past the rusted gates and untrimmed hedges, Hill House broods and waits...

Four seekers have come to the ugly, abandoned old mansion: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of the psychic phenomenon called haunting; Theodora, his lovely and light-hearted assistant; Eleanor, a lonely, homeless girl well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the adventurous future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable noises and self-closing doors, but Hill House is gathering its powers and will soon choose one of them to make its own...

"Shirley Jackson is unparalleled as a leader in the field of beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders." ~ Dorothy Parker, Esquire.

This edition was published in the UK in 1987 by "Robinson".
It is funny and strange to see a colorized screenshot of the movie!

ISBN-10: 0-948164-35-2.
ISBN-13: 978-0-948164-35-4.
Pocket format, 246 pages, about £3.

This is the 1991 re-release of the 1976 large volume with 3 books, published by "Quality Paperback Book Club" ("Book of the month club"), New York
Hardcover format, 784 pages, $13.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" generated the largest volume of mail ever received by The New Yorker after its appearance there in 1948: responses ranged from "a little masterpiece" and "powerful and haunting" to "horrible" and "cancel my subscription." In subsequent years it has continued to spark controversy and inspire admiration — and terror — becoming perhaps the most famous short story of our time, required reading for many students, censored material for others. It is but a sample of Jackson's superb fiction collected in this special Quality Paperback Book Club edition.

The lottery and other stories, twenty-five stories that range from domestic satire to the macabre, displays Jackson's wit and versatility. The Haunting of Hill House confirms her not only as a master at portraying the secret vagaries of the mind, but also as a brilliant stylist capable of injecting the conventions of horror with a psychological complexity not encountered since Henry James. We have always lived in the Castle is Jackson's most subtle work, a studied and compelling rendering of insanity that achieves its effect in part by drawing readers into the strangely routine world or its heroines before revealing the full horror of their existence.

Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco in 1916, though she often gave the date as 1919, and spent most of her early life in California. She attended Syracuse University, where she met fellow student and future critic and teacher Stanley Edgar Hyman. They married in 1940 in New York City and moved to Bennington, Vermont, five years later. The mother of four children, Jackson was at once the perfect professor's wife — a successful writer, an engaging conversationalist, and energic hostess — and a troubled woman — addicted to drinking, smoking, amphetamines, and chocolate. Afflicted by weight and health problem, in later years she was increasingly afraid to leave her house. Jackson died of a heart failure in 1965 at the age of 48. She is the subject of a biography, Private demons, by Judy Oppenheimer.

This 1994 US hardcover edition was published by "Lightyear Press".
ISBN-10: 0-899-68430-0.
ISBN-13: 978-0-89968-430-7.
Hardcover format, 174 pages.

This 1996 US hardcover edition was published by "Buccaneer Books".
ISBN-10: 0-899-68430-0.
ISBN-13: 978-0-89968-430-7.
Hardcover format, 174 pages, February 1996.

This volume titled The masterpieces of Shirley Jackson was published in the UK in 1996 by "Raven Books / Robinson Publishing".

It contains:

• The lottery
• The Haunting of Hill House
• We have always lived in the castle
• 25 other short stories

ISBN-10: 1-85487-437-3.
ISBN-13: 978-1-85487-437-5.
Paperback format, 531 pages, about £8.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Shirley Jackson's stories are among the most terrifying ever written ... her books penetrate keenly to the terrible truths which sometimes hide behind comfortable fictions, to the treachery beneath cheery neighbourhood faces ... And the more quietly she speaks, the more terrifying she is, and the closer we lean in to listen" ~ Donna Tartt.

Shirley Jackson has been praised by everyone from Dorothy Parker to Stephen King. Born and raised in California, she died relatively young, but not before leaving a body of writing that confirms her as one of the absolute masters of the twentieth-century fiction.

This new edition brings together her three best works: The Haunting of Hill House, which was filmed as The Haunting with Claire Bloom, and of which Stephen King said "The Haunting of Hill House and The turn of the Screw are the only great novels of the supernatural in the last hundred years"; We have always lived in the Castle, a beautiful and surreal novel that, in the words of Time, "manages the ironic miracle of convincing the reader that a house inhabited by a lunatic, a poisoner, and a pyromaniac is a world more rich in sympathy, love and subtlety than the real world outside"; and The Lottery, the collection of stories that made her name.

"Unquestionably among the great masters." ~ Daily Telegraph.

With the release of the dreadful remake, the original book was again re-printed in the USA in 1999 with a new cover and a new title: The Haunting instead of The Haunting of Hill House.

Published by "Penguin books".
ISBN-10: 0-14-028743-4.
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-028743-1.
Pocket format, 240 pages, about $12.

You can also notice that the front cover picture is taken from the promo material of the remake. The commercial poster of the remake shows three faces above the house.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Past the rusted gates and untrimmed hedges, Hill House broods and waits...

Four seekers have come to the ugly, abandoned old mansion: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of the psychic phenomenon called haunting; Theodora, his lovely and light-hearted assistant; Eleanor, a lonely, homeless girl well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the adventurous future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable noises and self-closing doors, but Hill House is gathering its powers and will soon choose one of them to make its own...

"Makes your blood chill and your scalp prickle... Shirley Jackson is the master of the haunted tale." ~ The New York Times book review.

Originally published under the title
The Haunting of Hill House

The 1999 UK edition of the book is quite interesting: the title is the original one but the book was obviously marketed during the release of the remake.
Pay attention to the unique front sleeve collage with pictures and drawings from the remake.

Published by "Constable & Robinson" in the UK.
ISBN-10: 1-84119-097-7.
ISBN-13: 978-1-84119-097-6.
Pocket format, 246 pages, about £8.

Same country, same publisher, same publishing date, same ISBN, but different cover for the paperback edition: the official movie poster of the remake.

Published by "Constable & Robinson" in the UK.
ISBN-10: 1-84119-097-7.
ISBN-13: 978-1-84119-097-6.
Paperback format, 246 pages, about £8.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"Stepping into Hill House is like stepping into the mind of a madman; it isn't long before you weird yourself out" ~ Stephen King.

Get away from here, get away...

Hill House stood abandoned, six miles off the road. Four people came to learn its secrets: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar; Luke, a spendthrift heir; Theodora, escaping a love affair... and Eleanor.
Eleanor was lonely and vulnerable — to friendship, love and laughter, and to the house.
Hill House, not sane, stood against its hill, holding darkness within. Whatever walked there, walked alone.

"A terrible darkness ... keep your nightlight burning if you read it in bed" ~ Erica Wagner.
"Shirley Jackson's stories are among the most terrifying ever written" ~ Donna Tartt.
"One of the absolute masterpieces of the take of terror " ~ Ramsey Campbells.

This 2002 US hardcover edition was a special "large print" edition.

Published by "Thorndike Press".
ISBN-10: 0-7862-4377-5.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7862-4377-8.
Hardcover format, 308 pages, Large print, July 2002.

This 2003 US edition was a hardcover published in "The Stephen King Horror Library" bookspan collection.
It features a 23-page introduction by Stephen King himself.
ISBN-10: 0-965-72304-6.
ISBN-13: 978-0-965-72304-6.
Hardcover format, 246 pages, about $15.

Here is the text that can be found on the front cover flap:

Four seekers have come to Hill House, a scary old abandoned mansion: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar who had been looking for an honestly haunted house all his life; Theodora, a lovely and lighthearted girl there mostly on a lark; Luke, the adventurous future heir of Hill House; and Eleanor, a strange and lonely woman well acquainted with poltergeists and other psychic phenomena. At first their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable noises and slamming doors. But Hill House is gathering up powers and will soon choose one of them to make its own.
The Haunting of Hill House is full of horror and mystification and a wit that mixes laughter with chills. Its publication in 1959 confirmed Shirley Jackson as a master at portraying the secret vagaries of the mind, and as a brilliant stylist capable of interjecting the conventions of horror with a psychological complexity not encountered since Henry James. "It is the character of Eleanor and Shirley Jackson's depiction of it that elevates The Haunting of Hill House into the ranks of the great supernatural novels," Stephen King writes in the introduction to this exclusive Stephen King Horror Library edition. "Indeed, it seems to me that it and James's The Turn of the Screw are the only two great novels of the supernatural in the last hundred years."

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Eleanor shook herself, turning to see the room complete. It had an unbelievably faulty design which left it chillingly wrong in all its dimensions, so that the walls seemed always in one direction a fraction longer than the eye could endure, and in another direction a fraction less than the barest possible tolerable length; this is where they want me to sleep, Eleanor thought incredulously; what nightmares are waiting, shadowed, in those high corners — what breath of mindless fear will drift across my mouth... and shook herself again.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover flap:

Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco in 1916 and spent most of her early life in California. She attended Syracuse University where she met fellow student and future critic and professor Stanley Edgar Hyman. They married in 1940 in New York City and moved to Bennington, Vermont, five years later. Jackson wrote her haunting fiction, most famously her 1948 short story "The Lottery," while raising four children. Her works include the novels "The Road Through the Wall" (1948), "Hangsaman" (1951), "The Bird's Nest" (1954), "The Sundial" (1958), "The Haunting of Hill House" (1959), and "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" (1962); her story collection, "The Lottery and Other Stories", was published in 1949. She also wrote two hilarious memoirs about raising children, "Life Among the Savages" (1953) and "Raising Demons" (1957). In 1965 Jackson died suddenly of heart failure during an afternoon nap.

This 2006 US edition is a paperback format published by "Penguin Books". This edition features a new 14-page introduction written by Laura Miller.

Published by "Penguin Books" in december 2006.
ISBN-10: 0-14-303998-9.
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-303998-3.
Paperback format, 182 pages, about $12.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within..."

Four seekers have arrived at the rambling old pile known as Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of psychic phenomena; Theodora, his lovely and light hearted assistant; Luke, the adventurous future inheritor of the estate; and Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman with a dark past. As they begin to cope with the chilling, even horrifying occurrences beyond their control or understanding, they cannot possibly know what lies ahead. For Hill House is gathering its powers — and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

"Shirley Jackson is unparalleled as a leader in the field of beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders." ~ Dorothy Parker.

"She is the finest master... of the cryptic, haunted tale." ~ The New Work Times book review.

This 2006 Deluxe leather-bound edition was published by "The Easton Press" in arrangement with "Viking/Penguin".
Hardcover format, about $900.

This 2009 UK edition is a pocket edition published by "Penguin Books" in the Modern classics collection.
ISBN-10: 0-14-119144-9.
ISBN-13: 978-0-141-19144-7.
Paperback format, 246 pages, about £10.

This edition is also available in eBook format, about £6.50.
ISBN-10: 0-14-192754-2.
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-192754-1.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"Stepping into Hill House is like stepping into the mind of a madman; it isn't long before you weird yourself out" ~ Stephen King.

Alone in the world, Eleanor is delighted to take up Dr. Montague's invitation to spend a summer in the mysterious Hill House. Joining them are Theodora, an artistic sensitive, and Luke, heir to the house. But what begins as a light-hearted experiment is swiftly proven to be a trip to their darkest nightmares, and an investigation that one of their number may not survive.

The best-known of Shirley Jackson's novels and filmed twice as "The Haunting", this is an immaculate examination of how fear can make us our own worst enemy.

"Shirley Jackson's stories are among the most terrifying ever written" ~ Donna Tartt.

This is an alternative version of the previous one, with a slightly different cover.
ISBN-10: 0-14-119144-9.
ISBN-13: 978-0-141-19144-7.
Paperback format, 246 pages, about £10.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"An amazing writer" ~ Neil Gaiman.

Alone in the world, Eleanor is delighted to take up Dr. Montague's invitation to spend a summer in the mysterious Hill House. Joining them are Theodora, an artistic 'sensitive', and Luke, heir to the house. But what begins as a light-hearted experiment is swiftly proven to be a trip into their darkest nightmares, and an investigation that one of their number may not survive.

Acclaimed as one of the finest ghost stories of the twentieth century and filmed twice as The Haunting, this is an unsettling examination of how fear can make us our own worst enemy.

"Stepping into Hill House is like stepping into the mind of a madman" ~ Stephen King.

This 2010 US edition titled Novels and Stories gathers The lottery, The Haunting of Hill House, We have always lived in the castle and Other stories and sketches in the same volume.

Published by the "Library of America" in 2010.
ISBN-10: 1-59853-072-0.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59853-072-8.
Hardcover format, 827 pages, about $35.

Note: this book was packaged with a second volume in November 2020, to be sold as "The Shirley Jackson collection" (see below)

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Novels and Stories
Joyce Carol Oates, editor

In just two decades — she died in 1965, at the age of 48 — Shirley Jackson created a weird and distinctive world of fiction, one in which a grinning death's head lies just behind the smiling mask of so-called everyday life. She first displayed her genius for conjuring daylight demons in "The lottery", the classic collection whose world-famous title story is an allegory of bloodlust and blind obedience to tradition. She perfected it in two great Gothic novels: "The Haunting of Hill House", the tale of an achingly empathetic young woman chosen by a haunted house to be its new tenant, and "We have always lived in the castle", the unrepentant confessions of Miss Merricat Blackwood, a cunning adolescent who has gone to quite unusual lengths to preserve her ideal of family happiness. All three books are there, together with 21 other stories and sketches — two of them previously uncollected — that present the author in all her many modes: unrivalled mistress of the macabre, groundbreaking domestic humorist, and subtle social satirist.

The library of America, a nonprofit publisher, is dedicated to preserving America's best and most significant writing in handsome, enduring volumes, featuring authoritative texts.

This large type edition was published by "Chivers" in 2011.
ISBN-10: 1-4458-3634-3.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4458-3634-8.
Hardcover format, 288 pages, about 20 Euros.

Here is an excerpt of the long description provided by Amazon France:

What makes The Haunting of Hill House a great ghost story is that Jackson also sets a trap for her readers. Eleanor Vance, the young woman around whom the uncanny events of the novel constellate, is no mere snoop. She is drawn into this adventure, the narrator implies, by the house itself, and the terrible things that happen there emerge from and express her inner life. Eleanor is a genuine literary character rather than a device of the narrative. She is a complicated and distinctive individual, peculiar even, although not so peculiar that she fails to engage the reader's sympathy. We experience the novel from within Eleanor's consciousness, and however unreliable we know her to be, we are wedded to her. When the house infiltrates her psyche, the reader, so thoroughly bound up in her, is also invaded. When the ground pitches and ripples beneath her feet, we are unsteadied, too. When Eleanor is snared, so are we. Most ghost stories offer a cozy armchair chill or two, but The Haunting of Hill House exudes a lingering, clammy dread.

This 2013 US edition is, by far, the most beautiful deluxe but affordable printing of the book that I own. This is my favourite. A very special care was taken for the layout of the pages, with comfortable spaces between the lines, and superb gothic drop cap at the beginning of every chapter. The top, right (opposite the binding) and bottom of all pages is tinted in black, so when closed, the book looks like it was printed on black paper. Gorgeous! Last but not least, it features an introduction by Guillermo Del Toro, in addition to the introduction written by Laura Miller in 2006.

If you don't own the book yet, I strongly encourage you to buy this edition.

Published by "Penguin Books" in october 2013.
ISBN-10: 0-14-312235-5.
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-312235-7.
Hardcover format, 235 pages, about $22.

This edition is also available in eBook format, about $10.
ISBN-10: 1-101-66300-6.
ISBN-13: 978-1-101-66300-4.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality.

This 2016 edition, available in the USA, Canada and UK, is a paperback edition published by "Penguin Books" in the Penguin Classics Deluxe collection. It features a "Suggestions for further reading" section, in addition to the introduction written by Laura Miller in 2006.
ISBN-10: 0-14-312937-6.
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-312937-0.
Paperback format, 272 pages, about $18, CAN$24, £14.

Here is the text that can be found on the first page:

Four seekers have arrived at the rambling old pile known as Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of psychic phenomena; Theodora, his lovely and light hearted assistant; Luke, the adventurous future inheritor of the estate; and Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman with a dark past. As they begin to cope with the chilling, even horrifying occurrences beyond their control or understanding, they cannot possibly know what lies ahead. For Hill House is gathering its powers — and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

Originally published in 1959, The Haunting of Hill House remains "widely regarded as the greatest haunted-house story ever written" (the Wall Street journal). This Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Shirley Jackson's Gothic masterpiece, with original cover art by Aron Wiesenfeld and introduction by Laura Miller commemorates the centennial of Jackson's birth and the abiding terror of her greatest creation.

Personal note: Honestly, I'm very confused. I own several copies of this book, all mail-ordered, and all of them should have been destroyed at the quality control step. The content of the pages is "dancing" and "bouncing" if you browse through the pages; I mean that the title, page number and page content are not at the exact same location on every page. Even more unpleasant: the pages were not cleanly cut before binding. The top and bottom parts are ok, but the right side looks as if they were torn by hand. It looks ugly and feels very uncomfortable when reading the book. To me, this is unacceptable for a deluxe pricey edition. For the moment, I will assume that this is a non-detected problem on a first batch of print, and assume that the copies to be sold later will be ok. Overall, I can't find anything that can seriously justify this high price tag.
It's too bad, really, because the new cover artwork is superb, and it creates a beautiful 360-degree wrap-around image when you unfold it all. There are two plates on the picnic tablecloth but just one character: Is this a dead body lying on the ground, in the background? Very strange indeed.

In 2016, the book was made available by Amazon Canada in ebook format.
The book costs 1 dollar for the Amazon "Kindle" users.
I could not locate any ISBN number.

This 2018 UK edition is a paperback edition published by "Penguin Books" in the Penguin Modern Classics collection. Gone are all the bonuses from the previous edition. There is the novel, and nothing more. The price was significantly reduced. The new cover comes from the Netflix series of the same name.
ISBN-10: 0-241-38969-0.
ISBN-13: 978-0-241-38969-0.
Paperback format, 246 pages, about £9.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

'Hill House, not sane, stood against its hill, holding darkness within... Whatever walked there, walked alone'

Something is at work in Hill House. When a group of troubled people come to stay there, they begin to experience things they cannot understand or explain, and are forced to confront their darkest fears. The house is gathering its powers — and soon it will choose to make one of them its own.

'As nearly perfect a haunted-house tale as I have ever read ... Stepping into Hill House is like stepping into the mad of a madman' ~ Stephen King.

Personal note: Well, let's just say that I'm not a fan of this new description.

This 2018 US edition is an hardcover edition published by "Penguin Books" in the Penguin Classics collection. What makes it noticeable is its "glow in the dark" cover. It features a bonus short story, "The summer people" (previously available in "Come along with me"), in addition to the introduction written by Laura Miller in 2006.

Published by "Penguin Books" in august 2018.
ISBN-10: 1-101-94879-5.
ISBN-13: 978-1-101-94879-8.
Hardcover format, 256 pages, about $25.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers — and will soon choose one of them to make its own.

This USA edition is an ebook published in September 2018 by "Wildside Press" and available on the "Scribd" platform.
ISBN-10: 1-4794-1944-3.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4794-1944-9.
eBook format, (no price, as Scribd is a subscription-based service).

Here is the text that can be found on the web site of the publisher:

Dr. Montague, a scientific investigator of ghostly phenomena, has chosen to live for several weeks at Hill House, by repute a place of horror that will brook no human habitation. To check and contribute to his observations, he selects three companions previously unknown to him; two girls, Theo and Eleanor, and Luke, a young man, who is heir to Hill House.

What happens cannot, in fairness, be told. But Dr. Montague's words were prophetic: 'A ghost cannot hurt anyone; only the fear of ghosts can be dangerous.' Whether the ghosts at Hill House caused the fear, or the fear created the ghosts, there were such manifestations as to...

This USA edition is an ebook published in October 2018 by "e-artnow" and available on the "Scribd" platform.
ISBN-10: 80-268-9727-7.
ISBN-13: 978-80-268-9727-9.
eBook format, (no price, as Scribd is a subscription-based service).

Here is the text that can be found on the web site of the publisher:

Hill House is an 80 year-old mansion built by long-deceased Hugh Crain. The story concerns four main characters: Dr. John Montague, an investigator of the supernatural; Eleanor Vance, a shy young woman who resents having lived as a recluse caring for her demanding invalid mother; Theodora, a flamboyant, bohemian, possibly lesbian artist; and Luke Sanderson, the young heir to Hill House, who is also the host to the others. Dr. Montague hopes to find scientific evidence of the existence of the supernatural. He rents Hill House for a summer and invites as his guests several people whom he has chosen because of their past experience with paranormal events. Of these, only Eleanor and Theodora accept. All four of the inhabitants begin to experience strange events while in the house, including unseen noises and ghosts roaming the halls at night, strange writing on the walls and other unexplained events. Eleanor tends to experience phenomena to which the others are oblivious. At the same time, Eleanor may be losing touch with reality...

A finalist for the National Book Award, The Haunting of Hill House is considered as one of the best literary ghost stories published during the 20th century, even by stalwarts like Stephen King. It has been made into two feature films, a TV series and a play. Jackson's novel relies on terror rather than horror to elicit emotion in the reader, utilizing complex relationships between the mysterious events in the house and the characters' psyches. A must read!

This 2018 USA edition is a deluxe Hardcover edition, limited to 26 copies, published by "Suntup editions".
ISBN-10: 0-9988649-7-8.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9988649-7-6.
Hardcover format, about $2,500.

Here is the description that can be found on the web site of the publisher:

• 6" x 9" trim size.
• Limited to 26 copies for sale, lettered A-Z.
• Six new black & white pencil illustrations by Stephen Gervais as well as one full-color fold-out illustration.
• New introduction by Ruth Franklin, author of A Rather Haunted Life, the award-winning biography of Shirley Jackson.
• Signed by Stephen Gervais and Ruth Franklin.
• Includes reproductions of sketches by Shirley Jackson, entertaining and enlightening readers as to how she saw Hill House as she was writing it.
• Printed letterpress Cranes Lettra Pearl White cotton paper.
• Handbound Bradel binding with a genuine leather spine.
• Front and back boards are covered with black Canson papers that are hand stamped with ferns in multiple iridescent and pearlescent colors, then marbled using a traditional small stone pattern, and are exclusive to this edition.
• Housed in a custom handmade clamshell box, with wood grain paper and a brass key escutcheon.

This 2019 US edition is a paperback edition published by "Penguin Books".
Note the slightly different cover, compared to the UK edition.
ISBN-10: 0-14-313477-9.
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-313477-0.
Paperback format, 288 pages.

Initially, it was a limited edition of 250 copies, published by "Centipede Press" in 2020.
Then the book was finally reprinted, in other limited editions.
In particular the February 2022 edition was limited to 42 copies.
The latest edition dates from August 2022, and does not seem to be limited.
It is hard to keep track!

ISBN-10: 1-61347-254-4. [January 2020, February 2022]
ISBN-13: 978-1-61347-254-5 [January 2020, February 2022].
Hardcover format, 256 pages, about $600 [January 2020, Ltd 250 copies].

ISBN-10: 1-61347-309-5. [August 2022]
ISBN-13: 978-1-61347-309-2 [August 2022].
Hardcover format, 320 pages, about $100 [August 2022].

Here is the description that can be found on the web site of the publisher [January 2020]:

• Limited to 250 copies, each signed by Matt Mahurin and Caitlín R. Kiernan.
• Oversize at 7¾ × 12¾ inches.
• Two- and four-color printing throughout on 125gsm Canaletto paper.
• New introduction by Caitlín R. Kiernan.
• Full color wraparound dustjacket by Matt Mahurin.
• Six original color interiors by Matt Mahurin, each hand-tipped.
• Ten black & white spot illustrations by Matt Mahurin.
• Full Dutch cloth with three-color stamping on spine and blind stamp on front board.
• Printed endpapers.
• Top-edge stain.
• Letterpress signature page.
• Ribbon marker, head and tail bands.
• Essay by Stephen King (excerpted from Danse Macabre).
• Essay "Experience and Fiction" by Shirley Jackson.
• Afterword by Laurence Hyman, Shirley Jackson's son.
• A suite of drawings of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
• Two-color German cloth slipcase, stamped on spine, lined with special paper.
• Lenticular image on front of slipcase.
• Mylar dustjacket protector, 1.5mil, already applied!
• 256 pages.
• Price includes USPS Priority Mail shipping.
• Published January 2020.
• ISBN 978-1-61347-254-5.

Here is the description that can be found on the web site of the publisher [February 2022]:

• Limited to 42 copies, each signed by Matt Mahurin and Caitlín R. Kiernan, with a facsimile signature by Shirley Jackson. Of the 35 copies, only 35 are for sale. The other 7 are for rights holders and contributors.
• Oversize at 7¾ × 12¾ inches.
• Two- and four-color printing throughout on mouldnade Stonehenge paper.
• New introduction by Caitlín R. Kiernan.
• Full color wraparound dustjacket by Matt Mahurin.
• Six original color interiors by Matt Mahurin, each hand-tipped.
• Ten black & white spot illustrations by Matt Mahurin.
• Full goatskin leather binding.
• Handmade marbled endpapers.
• Top-edge stain.
• Ribbon marker, head and tail bands.
• Essay by Stephen King (excerpted from Danse Macabre).
• Essay "Experience and Fiction" by Shirley Jackson.
• Afterword by Laurence Hyman, Shirley Jackson's son.
• A suite of drawings of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
• An extra hard-case set of illustrations by Matt Mahurin, each signed by Mahurin.
• Cloth clamshell with acrylic inset images.
• Mylar dustjacket protector, 1.5mil, already applied!
• 256 pages.
• Price includes UPS 2nd Day Air shipping.

Here is the description that can be found on the web site of the publisher [August 2022]:

• Slightly oversize at 6¼ × 9½ inches.
• Two- and four-color printing throughout.
• Introduction by Caitlín R. Kiernan.
• Full color wraparound dustjacket by Matt Mahurin.
• Six original color interiors by Matt Mahurin, each hand-tipped.
• Ten black & white spot illustrations by Matt Mahurin.
• Full Dutch cloth with stamping.
• Printed endpapers.
• Top-edge stain.
• Ribbon marker, head and tail bands.
• Essay by Stephen King (excerpted from Danse Macabre).
• Essay "Experience and Fiction" by Shirley Jackson.
• Afterword by Laurence Hyman, Shirley Jackson's son.
• A suite of drawings of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
• 320 pages.
• Published August 2022.
• ISBN 978-1-61347-309-2.

This boxed set titled "The Shirley Jackson Collection" is actually just a carton box for two volumes, which are also available separately.
The first volume including "The Haunting of Hill House", and titled "Novels & Stories" had already been published in 2010 (ISBN-13: 978-1-59853-072-8, see above).
The second volume, titled "Four Novels of the 1940s & 50s" has just been published in 2020 (ISBN-13: 978-1-59853-670-6).
Like many Amazon buyers, I'm truly disappointed because the European Amazon web site just showed the box, never disclosed any details about its content and never shown the book spines. I was truly hoping for a great new product, hence my huge disappointment.

Published by the "Library of America" in 2020.
ISBN-10: 1-59853-671-0.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59853-671-3.
Hardcover format, 2 volumes in a box, total 1,697 pages, about $75.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

For the first time in a deluxe collector's edition boxed set, here is the ultimate Shirley Jackson edition, including all six novels, the famous story collection The Lottery, and twenty-one other stories.

This beautiful 2022 edition of the book is presented by its publisher, "Folio Society", as the "core edition".
The book (Photo #2) comes in a cardboard box/slipcase (photo #1).
This lavish Folio edition of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is illustrated by Angie Hoffmeister and introduced by Joyce Carol Oates.
Hardcover format, 232 pages, about £48.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

Widely considered one of the scariest books ever written, The Haunting of Hill House is the terrifying grandmother of all modern haunted house tales; the ghostly disturbances in this novel have paved the way for countless supernatural menaces, from Stephen King's The Shining to Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger. Yet Shirley Jackson's most celebrated novel deals in the bone-deep terror of mental disintegration rather than gore – which is why once you have visited Hill House, you will not forget it. This Folio edition of the definitive work of American Gothic is illustrated by Angie Hoffmeister, who has provided seven exquisitely unnerving images as well as a wraparound binding featuring the house itself. Award-winning novelist Joyce Carol Oates has contributed an in-depth introduction exploring the compelling psychological undercurrents of Jackson's writing, making this an irresistible addition to any haunted library.

Here is the description that can be found on the web site of the publisher:

• Bound in printed and blocked textured paper
• Set in Arno with Zachar as display
• 232 pages
• Frontispiece and 6 colour illustrations, including 4 double-page spreads
• 9 integrated illustrated tailpieces
• Printed slipcase
• 8 ¾" x 5 ½"

This beautiful 2022 edition of the book is presented by its publisher, "Folio Society", as the "limited edition".
A lavish Folio limited edition of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Limited to 250 copies, this seminal supernatural thriller is signed by artist Angie Hoffmeister and introducer Joyce Carol Oates.
Hardcover format, 232 pages, about £250.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

Celebrated by writers across the literary spectrum and widely held to be one of the most frightening books ever written, The Haunting of Hill House is Shirley Jackson's terrifying masterpiece. This special edition is limited to just 250 copies and features a limitation label signed by Angie Hoffmeister and Joyce Carol Oates. As well as seven full-colour images taking in the icy terrors of Hill House, this limited edition is accompanied by an exclusive print and presented in a unique illustrated clamshell box. The endpapers are printed with a glittering image of the tower's dangerous spiral staircase, while the binding features the forbidding sight of Hill House in the dead of night. Three of the windows are illuminated in striking orange, begging the question: what is still awake in Hill House? And are you ready to find out?

Here is the description that can be found on the web site of the publisher:

• Bound in screen-printed and blocked cloth
• Set in Arno with Zachar as display
• 232 pages
• Frontispiece and 6 colour illustrations, including 4 double-page spreads
• 9 integrated illustrated black-and-white tailpieces
• Metallic blocked endpapers
• Clamshell box with central magnetic opening, covered in printed paper
• Print for framing printed on Natural Evolution paper
• 8 ¾" x 5 ½"

Editions in foreign languages

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a French translation. An abridged version was published by "Sélection du Reader's Digest" in 1961 under the title Le secret du manoir hanté, and translated by Michel De Calville.
Hardcover format, 573 pages (150 for The Haunting of Hill House).

I own two different editions, both dated 1961, with exactly the same content and the same illustrations.

Here is the introduction text of the novel:

Après une enfance passée auprès d'une mère infirme et d'une soeur détestée, rien n'est plus exaltant pour Eleanor Vance que la perspective d'un séjour dans un manoir hanté. Elle s'y rend à la demande du Dr. Montague qui désire étudier avec elle et deux jeunes autres assistants les effets des phénomènes surnaturels de Hill House sur les individus.
Au manoir, chacun s'installe avec bonne humeur et déjà tout semble annoncer une agréable villégiature, lorsque de curieuses manifestations rappellent brusquement le petit groupe à la "réalité". Quelles terreurs, quelles frayeurs nocturnes la vieille demeure réservera-t-elle à ses nouveaux occupants ? Particulièrement réceptive, Eleanor vit si intensément cette étrange expérience que Hill House finit par lui livrer son terrible secret, mais au prix de quel sacrifice ?
Tout à tout fantastique et angoissant, ce roman entraîne le lecteur dans une aventure unique, car si l'on parle encore de maisons hantées, il est rare aujourd'hui d'y pénétrer pour vérifier leur légende.

What makes these editions really special is the addition of the beautiful illustrations by Ben Stahl. Since the volumes were printed in 1961, the drawings were not at all inspired by the movie. They were designed in black and white, with the addition of one or two stark colours. Magnificent!

You'll surely notice in these illustrations that John is bearded, that Grace seems old, grumpy and in a bad mood but — more importantly — that Eleanor and Theo are both young and gracious.

The book was republished in full-length by "Le Masque Fantastique" (Librairie des Champs-Élysées, 10 rue de Marignan, 75010 PARIS, FRANCE) in 1979 under the title Maison hantée, and translated by Dominique Mols.
Reference: H. 52/5823/1.
Pocket format, 284 pages.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Cette maison-là, non seulement elle est hantée mais, surtout, elle est vile, vicieuse, détestable, abominable. Depuis des lustres, elle provoque l'effroi, l'épouvante et la mort — et quand le vent souffle à travers les cheminées, on dirait que les suppliciés eux-mêmes poussent d'affreuses lamentations. Et pourtant cette maison n'a-t-elle pas comme toute chose, son secret ?

Un très grand roman qui a inspiré le film de Robert Wise "La Maison du Diable", un des chefs-d'œuvre du cinéma fantastique de l'après-guerre.

Personal note: I had rarely read such a non-sense teaser, probably written by someone who never even opened the book.

The book was republished by "Pocket" (12 avenue d'Italie, 75627 PARIS Cedex 13, FRANCE) in 1993, with the same title, in the Terreur collection.
This first "Pocket/Terreur"edition is now difficult to find.
ISBN-10: 2-266-05527-5.
ISBN-13: 978-2-266-05527-7.
Reference: Terreur 9092. 93358.0.
Pocket format, 250 pages, about 40 FRF.

Here is the very first paragraph of the French translation, printed on the cover:

Aucun organisme vivant ne peut connaître longtemps une existence saine dans des conditions de réalité absolue. Les alouettes et les sauterelles elles-mêmes, au dire de certains, ne feraient que rêver. Hill House se dressait toute seule, malsaine, adossée à ses collines. En son sein, les ténèbres. Il y avait 80 ans qu'elle se dressait là et elle y était peut-être encore pour 80 ans. A l'intérieur, les murs étaient toujours debouts, les briques toujours jointives, les planchers solides et les portes bien closes. Le silence s'étalait hermétiquement le long des boiseries et des pierres de Hill House. Et ce qui y déambulait, y déambulait tout seul.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"Le meilleur roman fantastique de ces cent dernières années" ~ Stephen King.

Une maison est comme un visage. Quand elle exhale l'arrogance et la haine, quand elle est sans cesse à l'affût, elle ne peut être que dangereuse. Et Hill House semblait s'être érigée toute seule, selon ses propres plans. Il n'y avait pas en elle la moindre place pour l'homme, ni pour l'amour, ni pour l'espoir. Elle était l'abomination, la mort. Elle m'attendait, maléfique et patiente...

Auteur de "La loterie" et de "Nous avons toujours habité le château", s'autoproclamant sorcière, Shirley Jackson (1919-1965) est l'un des grands écrivains de ce siècle. Portée au cinéma par Robert Wise, sous le titre "La Maison du Diable", "Maison hantée" est son chef-d'œuvre.

After the first printing in February 1993, the same book was reprinted in January 1994, with a slightly altered cover. A "Pocket" logo was added, and the text of the first paragraph was moved down on the cover. The book spine is also radically different.

Otherwise, the content is exactly the same, with same ISBN and reference number.

The book was apparently a success as the 1993 edition was reprinted in its 1994 reworked form in November 1997.

Again, the content is exactly the same, with same ISBN and reference number.

Of course, with the release of the remake — titled Hantise in France — the french book was re-printed in 1999 in the same Terreur collection, with a new cover and a new title: Hantise instead of Maison hantée. Still, this edition is strictly identical to the previous one (same translation by Dominique Mols since 1979).
ISBN-10: 2-266-09780-6.
ISBN-13: 978-2-266-09780-2.
Pocket format, 250 pages, about 4.5 Euros.

You can notice that the front cover picture is taken from the commercial poster of the remake.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"Le meilleur roman fantastique de ces cent dernières années" ~ Stephen King.

Hill House est une immense et lugubre résidence, construite au XIXe siècle par le richissime industriel Hugh Crain. C'est une monstruosité architecturale, née d'un esprit torturé qui la souhaita à son image: labyrinthique, ténébreuse et pleine de lourds et terribles secrets. On la dit hantée, maléfique. Un chercheur fasciné par les phénomènes paranormaux a réuni dans la vieille demeure trois sujets, dont la personnalité lui parait propre à susciter des manifestations surnaturelles, pour vérifier si Hill House et ses fantômes sont à la hauteur de leur réputation. Le cauchemar peut commencer...

Auteur de "La loterie", "Le cadran solaire" et "Nous avons toujours habité le château", se proclamant sorcière, Shirley Jackson est unanimement considérée comme l'un des grands écrivains de ce siècle. "Maison hantée" (*), aujourd'hui adapté au cinéma par Jan De Bont sous le titre "Hantise", est son chef-d'œuvre.

(*) That's inconsistent. The title of this 1999-edition matches the name of the movie: Hantise. Maison hantée was the title of the previous edition of that book.

This new edition was published by "Rivages/Noir" in November 2016, with a new title La maison hantée. The 1979 translation by Dominique Mols was revised by Fabienne Duvigneau.
ISBN-10: 2-7436-3798-6.
ISBN-13: 978-2-7436-3798-9.
Pocket format, 272 pages, about 8 Euros.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Construite par un riche industriel au XIXe siècle, Hill House est une monstruosité architecturale, labyrinthique et ténébreuse, qui n'est plus habitée par ses propriétaires. On la dit hantée. Fasciné par les phénomènes paranormaux, le docteur Montague veut mener une enquête et sélectionne des sujets susceptibles de réagir au surnaturel. C'est ainsi qu'Eleanor arrive à Hill House aves ses compagnons. L'expérience peut commencer. Mais derrière les murs biscornus, les fantômes de la maison veillent et les cauchemars se profilent...

Née il y a exactement cent ans, Shirley Jackson est considérée comme la reine du roman gothique moderne. On lui doit également le formidable "Nous avons toujours vécu au château", publié en Rivages/Noir.

"Les histoires de Shirley Jackson sont parmi les plus terrifiantes qu'on ait jamais écrites." ~ Donna Tartt.

The book was subsequently reprinted in 2021, identical in content, but with a different font for the author and title on the cover.
ISBN-10: 2-7436-3798-6.
ISBN-13: 978-2-7436-3798-9.
Pocket format, 272 pages, about 8 Euros.

This is surely a very early edition in Dutch, published in 1965 by "Zwarte beertjes" (Utrecht, Netherlands), under the title "Het spookhuis op de heuvel" with a translation by G. Cora Josias van Dienst.
Reference: Zwarte beertjes 901/1756525.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Dr. John Montague had zijn hele leven uitgekeken naar een echt spookhuis en was dolgelukkig toen hij van het bestaan van Hill House hoorde. Toen bleek dat er inderdaad geesten rondwaarden, zocht hij heel nauwgezet naar geroutineerde assistenten die hem bij het opsporen der geesten zouden kunnen helpen. Via rapporten van parapsychologen wist hij aan adressen te komen van mensen, die allen eens bij een bovennatuurlijk verschijnsel betrokken waren geweest. Uiteindelijk trok Dr. Montague zich terug op Hill House met twee jonge vrouwen en de erfgenaam van het spookhuis, in afwachting van de dingen die zouden komen. Aanvankelijk gebeurde er echter nog niets en men begon zich al grenzeloos te vervelen, toen er op een nacht voor het eerst dingen gebeurden die hun komst naar Hill House rechtvaardigden.

With the release of the dreadful remake, the original book was translated in Dutch in 1999, and published by "Uitgeverij Luitingh-Sijthoff" to be sold in the Netherlands and Belgium with a new title : The Haunting instead of The Haunting of Hill House.
ISBN-10: 90-245-3745-2.
ISBN-13: 978-90-245-3745-7.
Hardcover format, 223 pages, about 20 Euros.

I have to confess I accidentally found out about this edition of the book in 2017... A dear friend who got me a copy!

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Geen levend organisme kan lang in een wereld van volstrekte realiteit leven zonder gestoord te worden; zelfs leeuweriken en sprinkhanen dromen, volgens sommigen. Hill House, dat zeker gestoord was, stond eenzaam op de heuvels en hield het duister opgesloten... de stilte drukte gestaag tegen het hout en de stenen van Hill House, en wat daar leefde, leefde alleen.

Vier mensen zijn naar het verlaten landhuis gekomen: Dr. Montague, gefascineerd door het occulte; Luke, de toekomstige erfgenaam; Theodora, die een mislukte relatie wil vergeten, en Eleanor, eenzaam en gevoelig - voor vriendschap, liefde en gelach, maar ook voor het huis...

"Jacksons verhalen behoren tot de angstaanjagendste ooit geschreven." ~ Donna Tartt.
"Het definitieve spookverhaal van de twintigste eeuw." ~ Dan Simmons.
"Een gruwelijke duisternis... lat een nachtlamp aan als je dit in bed leest." ~ The Times.

With the release of the Netflix cover, the book was republished in Dutch in October 2018 by "Atlas Contact", in the "LJ Veen Klassiek" collection, with a new translation by Rob van Moppes and an introduction by Bertram Koeleman to be sold in the Netherlands and Belgium with a new title : De geesten van Hill House.
ISBN-10: 90-204-1574-3.
ISBN-13: 978-90-204-1574-2.
Paperback format, 288 pages, about 15 Euros.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Eleanor Vance, een jonge, getroebleerde vrouw, overnacht in het gezelschap van drie anderen in Hill House, waarvan men zegt dat er paranormale gebeurtenissen plaatsvinden. Langzamerhand krijgt het huis grip op de vier personages, met verregaande consequentie. De geesten van Hill House, Shirley Jacksons bekendste roman en een icoon in het horrorgenre, weerspiegelt de kracht van angst op een huiveringwekkende manier.

Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) brak in 1948 door tot het grote publiek met het korte verhaal "De loterij". Haar romans worden gekarakteriseerd door een realistische toonzetting met occulte en horrorachtige elementel. In LJ Veen Klassiek verscheen eerder We hebben altijd in het kasteel gewoond.

De geesten van Hill House is door Netflix als horrorserie verfilmd met Michiel Huisman in de hoofdrol.

"Een van de beste spookhuisverhalen die ik ooit heb gelezen." ~ Stephen King.
"In het universum van Shirley Jackson is het veilige huis eigenlijk een val." ~ Ottessa Moshfegh.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a German translation. It was published by "Diogenes" in 1993 under the title Spuk in Hill House.
ISBN-10: 3-257-22605-5.
ISBN-13: 978-3-257-22605-8.
Pocket format, 294 pages, about 5 Euros.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Ein Spukhaus ist eine Touristen-Attraktion, mit Kettengerassel und geköpften Ahnherren. Hill House ist anders. Etwas sehr Eigenwilliges geht hier um und attackiert seine Besucher, zerrt nicht so sehr an ihren Nerven als an den losen Fransen ihres Charakters. Ein kleines, aber kompetentes Forschungs-Team findet sich zusammen, das jedem Zauber gewachsen sein müßte: Dr. Montague, ein gelehrter Anthropologe auf den Spuren okkulter Phänomene; Theodora, eine lebenslustige Telepathin; Eleanor, vertraut mit Poltergeistern und hellhörig für die leisen Regungen in alten Gemäuern; und Luke, der Erbe des Hauses. Hill House entwickelt ein sehr individuelles Verhältnis zu seinen Bewohnern; es studiert und beobachtet sie seinerseits — und es scheint sie ungern wieder fortzulassen. Das Unheimlichste an dieser Geschichte ist, daß alles mit rechten Dingen zugeht: am Ende ist das Unglaubliche geschehen, aber es bieten sich zahllose Erklärungen an, und das Geheimnis ist dichter denn je.

"Wenn Sie diese herrliche Schauergeschichte nachts in einem einsamen Haus lesen, fragen Sie sich, sowie Sie das Licht ausgemacht haben, garantiert, ob Sie auch wirklich allein in dem dunklen Raum sind." ~ The New York Times.

This one is a later edition, with a slightly different cover.
ISBN-10: 3-257-22605-5.
ISBN-13: 978-3-257-22605-8.
Pocket format, 294 pages, about 5 Euros.

A new cover was designed for the 2013 eBook version, published by "Psychothriller GmbH E-Book".
ISBN-10: 3-942261-53-7.
ISBN-13: 978-3-942-26153-1.
eBook format, about 5 Euros.

Here is the description that comes with the book:

Der Horror-Klassiker von US-Bestseller-Autorin Shirley Jackson! Sein Leben lang hatte er nach einem echten Spukhaus gesucht. Als er von Hill House hörte, war er zuerst skeptisch gewesen, dann erwartungsvoll und dann unbeirrbar. Er war nicht der Mann, der sich ein Haus wie dieses, wenn er es einmal gefunden hatte, wieder entgehen ließ. Die Methode, nach der er vorzugehen gedachte, leitete sich von den Methoden der unerschrockenen Geisterjäger des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts her; er wollte eine Zeitlang dort wohnen und sehen, was passierte...

This 2019 German edition is an hardcover edition published by "Festa Verlag" in May 2019. The new cover comes from the Netflix series.
ISBN-10: 3-86552-707-8.
ISBN-13: 978-3-86552-707-3.
Hardcover format, 320 pages, about 20 Euros.

Here is the description that comes with the book:

Vier Menschen betreten die alte Villa, die als Hill House bekannt ist. Sie wollen die übernatürlichen Phänomene, die sich angeblich darin ereignen, untersuchen.
Die vier werden etwas Böses erleben, das sich ihrer Kontrolle und ihrem Verstand entzieht. Sie können unmöglich wissen, dass sie von dem Haus selbst angelockt wurden und welche bösen Pläne es verfolgt ...
Das Meisterwerk der 'Queen of Horror', der wichtigsten Autorin unheimlicher Literatur und Vorbild für Stephen King und viele andere Autoren.

'Was das wirklich Unheimliche betrifft, überragt Shirley Jacksons SPUK IN HILL HOUSE alle anderen Romane. Eine erstaunliche Autorin. Wenn du sie nicht gelesen hast, hast du etwas Wunderbares verpasst.' ~ Neil Gaiman.

'Shirley Jacksons Geschichten gehören zu den schauerlichsten, die je geschrieben wurden.' ~ Donna Tartt.

'Shirley Jackson ist eine dieser höchst eigenwilligen, unnachahmlichen Schriftstellerinnen, deren Werke einen bleibenden Zauber ausüben.' ~ Joyce Carol Oates.

'Einer der wirklich großen unheimlichen Romane der vergangenen hundert Jahre.' ~ Stephen King.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in an Italian translation. It was published by "Siad edizioni" in 1979 under the title La casa degli invasati, and translated by Franco Giambalvo.
It features a Presentazione (introduction) by Giuseppe Lippi.
Reference: I libri della paura #10.
Paperback format, 252 pages, 4,000 italian Lire.

Here is the accompagnying text:

Due giovani donne, un professore, un ragazzo scettico: ecco la compagnia assortita che fa il suo ingresso a Hill House, la casa abbandonata sulla collina. Quattro personaggi diversi l'uno dall'altro, ciascuno con una storia particolare alle spalle, ma tutti accomunati dal fatto di aver avuto esperienze paranormali. E a Hill House, la Casa degli Invasati, devono scoprire che cosa c'è di malato, di insano, di folle; e giudicare se quella follia non risieda piuttosto nelle loro menti. Comincia così il lungo, disperato soggiorno tra le pareti maledette: ma il lettore si prepari a un'esperienza del tutto nuova in questo campo. Niente catene che si trascinano, niente porte cigolanti, niente apparizioni al chiaro di luna: Shirley Jackson, scrittrice finissima, sa provocare l'orrore con mezzi più sottili, lasciando in noi l'angoscia del dubbio.

The book was republished by "Arnoldo Mondadori Editore/Urania" in 1989 under the same title La casa degli invasati, and translated by Antonio Ghirardelli.
It features a Presentazione (introduction) by Giuseppe Lippi.
ISBN-10: 88-04-32017-6.
ISBN-13: 978-88-04-32017-3.
Paperback format, 224 pages.

Here is the accompagnying text:

Chiunque abbia visto qualche film del terrore con al centro una costruzione abitata da sinistre presenze si sarà trovato a chiedersi almeno una volta perché le vittime di turno non optino, prima che sia troppo tardi, per la soluzione più semplice - e cioè non escano dalla stessa porta dalla quale sono entrati, allontanandosi senza voltarsi indietro. A tale domanda, meno oziosa di quanto potrebbe parere, questo romanzo fornisce una risposta. Non è infatti la fragile e indifesa Eleanor Vance a scegliere la Casa, prolungando l'esperimento paranormale in cui l'ha coinvolta l'inquietante professor Montague. È la Casa - con le sue torrette buie, le sue porte che sembrano aprirsi da sole - a scegliere, per sempre, Eleanor Vance.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Ci piace avere paura. L’imprevisto, il terrore e l’ignoto sono gli ingredienti più richiesti dal pubblico che ama le sensazioni forti. Una collana per scoprire di che cosa veramente abbiamo paura.

«A livello più semplice, La casa degli invasati è la storia ai quattro investigatori del soprannaturale che si riuniscono in una casa di fama sinistra, Hill House, per studiarne i fenomeni. I protagonisti - Eleanor, Theo e Luke - si sono riuniti per invito del dottor Montague, un antropologo specializzato nell’occulto, ma è intorno a Eleanor, uno dei più bei personaggi usciti dal nuovo gotico americano, che il romanzo si concentra. La casa degli invasati è uno dei grandi libri del terrore dei nostri tempi, e anzi mi sembra che insieme al Giro di vite di Henry James sia il massimo capolavoro del soprannaturale degli ultimi cento anni. E il libro che ha inaugurato la nuova vena della narrativa nera americana.» ~ Stephen King.

Shirley Jackson (1919-1965) è considerata una delle migliori narratrici americane del dopoguerra e i suoi libri - da The Hangman a The Lottery - sono stati accolti con il massimo interesse da lettori e critici sulle due sponde dell’oceano. E la sola autrice che sia stata paragonata con profitto a Poe e una sua entusiasta Dorothy Parker l’ha definita «la sola capace di scrivere cose sinistre e straordinarie con tanta tranquillità». La casa degli invasati è del 1959.

The book was republished by "Arnoldo Mondadori Editore/Urania" in 1993 under the same title La casa degli invasati, using the same translation by Antonio Ghirardelli. The volume gathers two novels. In addition to Shirley Jackson's novel, it also features Assassin by Shaun Hutson.
No reference. Paperback format, approx 8 Euros.
The book seems to be a supplement to Urania 1217.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"Nessun organismo vivente può esistere a lungo in condizioni di assoluta realtà: Hill House non era sana, e acquattata fra le colline nutriva al suo interno le tenebre. Le mura erano dritte, i mattoni combaciavano al solito modo, i pavimenti erano solidi. Era rimasta cosi per ottant'anni e avrebbe potuto resistere ottant'anni ancora, nel silenzio che opprimeva il legno e le pietre di cui era fatta... e ciò che si aggirava nelle sue viscere, si aggirava da solo". Ma ora un gruppo di studiosi e di investigatori ha deciso di svelare il terribile segreto di Hill House. La casa degli invasati, uno dei due romanzi completi che vi offriamo in questo volume, è un capolavoro del terrore psicologico, una "ghost story" da cui Robert Wise trasse il film Gli invasati e l'opera più nota di Shirley Jackson, la signora della letteratura nera americana di cui Stephen King ha detto: "Il rinnovamento del racconto dell'orrore è cominciato con lei". Accanto a questo famoso romanzo, troviamo un'altra chicca destinata ai lettori che amano le forti emozioni. Assassin, è infatti un thriller avventuroso firmato da Shaun Hutson, maestro dello splatter più sfrenato.

The book was republished by "Arnoldo Mondadori Editore/Urania" in 1998 under the same title La casa degli invasati, using the same translation by Antonio Ghirardelli.
ISSN: 1120-5288
Reference: Urania - April 12, 1998 - Number 1333
Paperback format, 234 pages, 5,900 italian Lire.

The volume contains only this novel, plus 4 essays:

• L'Autore. Shirley Jackson (La casa degli invasati), essay by Giuseppe Lippi
• La mano sinistra dell'imperatore, essay by Giuseppe Lippi
• Cinema - Voci e schermi, essay by Lorenzo Codelli
• Panorama (La casa degli invasati), essay by Fabiola Riboni

The book seems to be a supplement to Urania 1333.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Da tempo le indagini sul mondo del paranormale attirano l'interesse della scienza, ma fenomeni che avvengono a Hill House sembrano sfidare ogni legga fisica. Per questo una squadra di esperti al massimo livello entra nella casa sulla collina con l'intenzione di svelarne il mistero alla luce delle ultime scoperte in fatto di poteri-PSI. Ma la casa è un organismo vivente, una creatura, un vero e proprio "alien" … Per la squadra scientifica comincia il terrore di un viaggio nel buio più assoluto, un viaggio che ha per destinazione finale uno scontro all'ultimo sangue con l'Ospite sconosciuto.

The book was republished in 2004 by "Adelphi Edizioni", with a new title L'incubo di Hill House, with a new translation by Monica Pareschi.
ISBN-10: 88-459-1874-2.
ISBN-13: 978-88-459-1874-2.
Paperback format, 233 pages, about 15 Euros.

Here is the description that comes with the book:

Chiunque abbia visto qualche film del terrore con al centro una costruzione abitata da sinistre presenze si sarà trovato a chiedersi almeno una volta perché le vittime di turno (giovani coppie, gruppi di studenti, scrittori alla vana ricerca di ispirazione) non optino, prima che sia troppo tardi, per la soluzione più semplice — e cioè non escano dalla stessa porta dalla quale sono entrati, allontanandosi senza voltarsi indietro. Bene, a tale domanda, meno oziosa di quanto potrebbe parere, questo romanzo di Shirley Jackson — il suo più noto — fornisce una risposta, forse la prima. Non è infatti la fragile, sola, indifesa Eleanor Vance a scegliere la Casa, dilatando l'esperimento paranormale in cui l'ha coinvolta l'inquietante professor Montague molto oltre i suoi presunti limiti. È piuttosto la Casa — con la sua torre buia, le porte che sembrano aprirsi da sole, le improvvise folate di gelo — a scegliere, per sempre, Eleanor Vance. E a imprigionare insieme a lei il lettore, che tenterà invano di fuggire da una costruzione romanzesca senza crepe, in cui — come ha scritto il più celebre discepolo della Jackson, Stephen King — "ogni svolta porta dritta in un vicolo buio".

Di Shirley Jackson Adelphi ha pubblicato La lotteria (2007) e Abbiamo sempre vissuto nel castello (2009).
L'incubo di Hill House è apparso per la prima volta nel 1959.

"Nessun organismo vivente può mantenersi a lungo sano di mente in condizioni di assoluta realtà; perfino le allodole e le cavallette sognano, a detta di alcuni. Hill House, che sana non era, si ergeva sola contro le sue colline, chiusa intorno al buio; si ergeva così da ottant'anni e avrebbe potuto continuare per altri ottanta. Dentro, i muri salivano dritti, i mattoni si univano con precisione, i pavimenti erano solidi, e le porte diligentemente chiuse; il silenzio si stendeva uniforme contro il legno e la pietra dì Hill House, e qualunque cosa si muovesse lì dentro, si muoveva sola".

The book was republished in 2005 by "Mondolibri", under the same title L'incubo di Hill House, using the same translation by Monica Pareschi.
Paperback format, 234 pages, about 12 Euros.

The book was reprinted in 2013.
ISBN-10: 88-459-1874-2.
ISBN-13: 978-88-459-1874-2.
Paperback format, 233 pages, about 16 Euros.

The book was republished in 2016 by "Gli Adelphi", under the same title L'incubo di Hill House. The 2018 Netflix series inspired a red additional OBI.
ISBN-10: 88-459-3095-5.
ISBN-13: 978-88-459-3095-9.
Paperback format, 233 pages, about 12 Euros.

Here is the description that comes with the book:

Chiunque abbia visto qualche film del terrore con al centro una costruzione abitata da sinistre presenze si sarà trovato a chiedersi almeno una volta perché le vittime di turno non optino, prima che sia troppo tardi, per la soluzione più semplice - e cioè non escano dalla stessa porta dalla quale sono entrati, allontanandosi senza voltarsi indietro. A tale domanda, meno oziosa di quanto potrebbe parere, questo romanzo fornisce una risposta. Non è infatti la fragile e indifesa Eleanor Vance a scegliere la Casa, prolungando l'esperimento paranormale in cui l'ha coinvolta l'inquietante professor Montague. È la Casa - con le sue torrette buie, le sue porte che sembrano aprirsi da sole - a scegliere, per sempre, Eleanor Vance.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"In questo autentico classico del genere gotico, Eleanor Vance, giovane e tormentata donna che non ricorda di essere mai stata felice in tutta la sua vita, viene assoldata dal sinistro professor Montague, aspirante cacciatore di fantasmi, per un soggiorno sperimentale a Hill House ... Giunta a destinazione, Eleanor si trova davanti una casa “che sembrava aver preso forma da sola, assemblandosi in quel suo possente schema indipendentemente dai muratori”; un edificio che “drizzava la testa imponente contro il cielo senza concessioni all'umanità”; una costruzione immune da ogni esorcismo: “un luogo non adatto agli uomini, né all'amore, né alla speranza”; una casa che si rifiuta di essere una dimora accogliente così come Eleanor vorrebbe sfuggire a un sistema di vita che le ha portato soltanto infelicità" ~ Tommaso Pincio.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Greek translation. It was published by "Thyrathen Publications/Select (ΕΠΙΛΟΓΗ)" in 2017 under the title Οι Δαίμονες του Χιλ Χάουζ.
ISBN-10: 960-8097-54-1.
ISBN-13: 978-960-8097-54-4.
National code (Κωδικός Πολιτείας): 1580-0043
Paperback format, 256 pages, about 13 Euros.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Η Σίρλεϋ Τζάκσον θεωρείται μία από τις μεγαλύτερες Αμερικανίδες συγγραφείς του 20ού αιώνα. Γεννήθηκε το 1919 στο Σαν Φρανσίσκο, και υπήρξε καθηγήτρια του Πανεπιστημίου Σύρακιουζ της Ν. Υόρκης. Πέθανε το 1965, χρονιά που της απονεμήθηκε το βραβείο Έντγκαρ Άλαν Πόε. Το μυθιστόρημα Οι Δαίμονες του Χιλ Χάους (που μεταφέρθηκε στον κιν/φο από τον Ρόμπερτ Γουάιζ, με πρωταγωνίστριες την Κλαιρ Μπλουμ και την Τζούλι Χάρις), δεν θεωρείται μόνο κλασικό στο είδος του, αλλά και λογοτεχνικό επίτευγμα. Αφηγείται την ιστορία τεσσάρων ατόμων που πηγαίνουν να μείνουν -και να πειραματιστούν-σ' ένα "στοιχειωμένο" σπίτι: ο σοβαρός ανθρωπολόγος δρ Μόνταγκιου, ένας γοητευτικός μικροαπατεώνας, ο Λιουκ Σάντερσον, μία δυναμική, επιτυχημένη γυναίκα, η Θίο, και τέλος μια φαινομενικά συνεσταλμένη, άπειρη κοπέλα, η Έλινορ Βανς, που ίσως είναι ο καλύτερα σκιαγραφημένος χαρακτήρας στη σύγχρονη λογοτεχνία τρόμου. Στο Χιλ Χάους, όμως, οι ήρωες δεν συναντούν μόνο το φόβο αλλά και τους εαυτούς τους, πλευρές τους που δεν φαντάζονταν καν, με αποτέλεσμα να διερωτάται κανείς ποιος στοιχειώνει ποιον: το σπίτι εκείνους ή εκείνοι το σπίτι; Ερώτημα που η συγγραφέας αφήνει να πλανιέται μέχρι το τέλος, αφού με διάφορους τρόπους υπαινίσσεται ότι ίσως είμαστε εμείς τα φαντάσματα του εαυτού μας. Από την πρώτη κιόλας παράγραφο η Τζάκσον κατορθώνει να μπάσει τον αναγνώστη σ' ένα αόριστα απειλητικό κλίμα φόβου. Γραμμένο με λεπτότητα και διαποτισμένο από ένα υπόγειο χιούμορ, το βιβλίο αυτό είναι "ένα αριστούργημα στο χώρο του υπερφυσικού μυθιστορήματος", όπως λέει ο μαιτρ του τρόμου Στήβεν Κινγκ, τοποθετώντας τη συγγραφέα στο ίδιο επίπεδο με τον Χένρι Τζέιμς και δηλώνοντας ότι το θεωρεί "ένα από τα δύο καλύτερα βιβλία που γράφτηκαν ποτέ πάνω στο θέμα του στοιχειωμένου σπιτιού". (Από την παρουσίαση στο οπισθόφυλλο του βιβλίου).

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Spanish translation. It was published by "Ediciones de Blanco Saten / Biblioteca de la Casa Usher" in 1992 under the title La casa encantada, and translated by Isabel Baldrich Gómez.
ISBN-10: 84-87538-08-8.
ISBN-13: 978-84-87538-08-7.
Reference: 4
Paperback format, 204 pages, about 16 Euros.

Here is the text that can be found on the front cover flap:

Shirley Jackson nació en San Francisco en 1919. En 1949 publicó en The New Yorker un relato, The Lottery, que la lanzó inmediatamente a la fama. De entre sus obras merecen destacarse las novelas The Road Through the Wall (1948), Hangsaman (1951), The Bird's Nest (1954), The Sundial (1958), La casa encantada (1959) y We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962). También escribió dos libros sobre su familia, Life Among the Savages (1953) y Raising Demons (1957). Sus cuentos aparecían regularmente en The New Yorker, y muchos de ellos fueron dramatizados para la radio o la televisión. La casa encantada fue llevada al cine por Robert Wise en 1963. Shirley Jackson murió en 1965.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Hill House, la misteriosa casa de la colina, permanecía solitaria y aislada; nadie había desvelado su secreto. Cuatro personas tratarán de hacerlo: el doctor Montague, un profesor universitario estudioso de los fenómenos paranormales; Luke, el simpático heredero de la finca; Theodora, una telépata que huye de una ruptura amorosa; y... Eleanor.
Los cuatro exploran la casa, revuelven sus entrañas en busca de la explicación a hechos inexplicables. Los fenómenos paranormales se suceden: Hill House dictará su ley implacable, mediante un arma que ningún ser humano es capaz de resistir: el terror.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover flap:

• "En mi opinión Otra vuelta de tuerca y La casa encantada son las dos únicas grandes novelas de lo sobrenatural escritas en los últimos cien años." ~ Stephen King.
• "Una de las mayores obras maestras en el campo del terror... tan inquietante y atrapadora como pueda creerse." ~ Ramsey Campbell.
• "Shirley Jackson no tiene parangón en el arte de hacernos sentir escalofríos mediante narraciones hermosamente escritas." ~ Dorothy Parker.

The book was republished by "Plaza & Janés" in 1999 under the new title The Haunting (La guarida), and translated by Paulino Serrano Valero.
ISBN-10: 84-01-32788-1.
ISBN-13: 978-84-01-32788-9.
Paperback format, 200 pages, about 10 Euros.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

Shirley Jackson (1919-1965) nació en San Francisco. Publicó su primera novela en 1948, que pasó inadvertida para la crítica. Sin embargo, ese mismo año obtuvo un pleno reconocimiento por el relato "The lottery", publicado por el New Yorker. Desde entonces publicó novelas, relatos y artículos que la consagraron como maestra indiscutible del terror sobrenatural.

El doctor Montague, un científico que investiga toda clase de manifestaciones sobrenaturales, alquila una lúgubre mansión encantada y reúne en ella a una serie de personajes peculiares que le servirán para sus indagaciones: una solterona tímida y nerviosa, una mujer cruel y egoísta, un hombre taimado e incrédulo… Sin embargo, ninguno imagina que, a la par de los extraños fenómenos de ultratumba que les acompañarán durante su estadía en la macabra Hill House, todos ellos se verán envueltos por sus propios fantasmas y obsesiones.

Shirley Jackson está considerada la mejor autora del género de terror sobrenatural, y esta novela espeluznante -publicada originalmente en 1959 y desde entonces convertida en objeto de culto por los lectores- lo confirma con creces. Recientemente ha sido adaptada al cine en una superproducción de éxito mundial.

The book was republished by "Círculo de lectores/La Cámara del Terror" in 2000 under the previous title The Haunting (La guarida), still translated by Paulino Serrano Valero.
ISBN-10: 84-226-8335-0.
ISBN-13: 978-84-226-8335-3.
Paperback format, 235 pages, about 10 Euros.

Here is the text that can be found on the front cover flap:

Cuando el doctor John Montague oyó las macabras historias de la mansión de Hill House, supo que había llegado el momento esperado durante toda su vida. Por fin encontraba une casona convincentemente hechizada y lugar idóneo para dar vida a su pasión más intensa: el análisis de las manifestaciones sobrenaturales. Ahora sólo quedaba hallar a los ayudantes precisos para, siguiendo los métodos de los rigurosos cazafantasmas victorianos, trasladarse a la morada y comprobar in situ la verdad de la leyenda. Una selección a la que el doctor se dedicó meticulosamente hasta reducir a doce la lista de posibles candidatos; todos los cuales habían experimentado, alguna vez, fenómenos paranormales.
De esta docena, a quienes envió una carta invitándoles a pasar una temporada en el imponente caserón, sólo cuatro contestaron y únicamente dos osaron aparecer por Hill House y sus lúgubres colinas. Una fue Eleanor Vance, una joven infeliz en busca de un escape hacia cualquier sitio. La otra, Theodora, una mujer segura, pero manipuladora. Junto al doctor Montague y Luke Sanderson, futuro heredero de la abominable propiedad, tendrían que enfrentarse al desquiciante influjo de Hill House. El antiguo palacete abandonado en el que nadie conseguía soportar más de unos días y, quien intentaba huir de noche, no hallaba más que la muere...

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

"No hay casa que resista el paso del tiempo sin ver sufrir y morir a alguno de sus habitantes. Pero, ¿es posible impregnar de este dolor la materia o las paredes de una morada? ¿Existe verdaderamente este vórtice donde realidad y purgatorio se funden? Tales dadas agobiaban constantemente al doctor Montague, hasta que encontró el lugar donde buscar respuestas. Perdida entre oscuras colinas le esperaba Hill House. Una mansión imponente y abandonada que, según rezaba la leyenda, había nacido maldita"

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover flap:

Pocos rincones del planeta no han conocido historias sobre casas encantadas y, hasta el día de hoy, quienes estudian cuidadosamente este fenómeno siguen siendo un número significativo. Su atractivo ha sido una constante en la tradición oral de los hombres y, por ello, no sorprende que sirviera de inspiración a escritores de la talla de Oscar Wilde, con su obra El fantasma de Canterville, o a Edgar Allan Poe, en su estremecedor relato de El hundimiento de la casa Usher. El caso extraordinario de The Haunting (La guarida), publicada originalmente en 1959, reúne un atractivo despliegue de atmósferas y profundidades psicológicas. Escrita por la norteamericana Shirley Jackson (1919-1965), gran exponente del terror sobrenatural, la novela fue adaptada en 1999 en una comercial y exitosa superproducción cinematográfica. Conjugando algunos elementos del terror gótico victoriano, el horror materialista de Lovecraft y los ambientes densos y malditos de Poe, la obra no tardó en llegar a convertirse objeto de culto entre los lectores, para mayor gloria de la escritora de San Francisco. Una habilidad que venía cultivando ya desde 1948, cuando apareciera el relato The Lottery, en la prestigiosa revista literaria The New Yorker.

The book was republished by "Valdemar" in 2008 under the new title La maldición de Hill House.
ISBN-10: 84-770-2621-1.
ISBN-13: 978-84-7702-621-1.
Hardcover format, 253 pages, about 23 Euros.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

La escritora Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) publicó su primera novela "The road through the wall" en 1948, a la siguieron "Hangsaman" (1951), "The bird's nest" (1954), "The sundial" (1958) y "We have always lived in the castle", en 1962, que obtuvo una valiosa publicidad extraliteraria cuando al marido de Shirley Jackson se le ocurrió hacer público, en las páginas de un conocido rotativo, que su autora había practicado la brujería, cosa que ésta negó rápidamente. No obstante, después de su muerte se supo que semejante desmentido sólo trataba de evitar el rechazo de la opinión pública hacia su persona. Según explicó su hijo, Laurence Hyman, su madre poseía un tablero Ouija y cartas del Tarot y sabía perfectamente cómo utilizarlos, además de unos quinientos libros sobre ocultismo. "La maldición de Hill House" (The Haunting of Hill House, 1959), considerada una de las principales novelas de horror del siglo XX, narra el inquietante experimento de John Montague, doctor en Filosofía y antropólogo, que lleva años entregado al estudio de "las perturbaciones psíquicas" que suelen manifestarse en las "casas encantadas". Infructuosamente ha buscado una casa idónea, cuando un día oye hablar de Hill House, una mansión solitaria y de siniestra reputación. Montague decide alquilarla y busca ayudantes dispuestos a pasar una temporada en ella: Eleanor, una mujer desdichada que, tras once años cuidando a su arisca madre inválida, se ha vuelto una persona solitaria; Theodora, joven alegre y curiosa, seleccionada por su increíble capacidad telepática; y Luke, vividor y mentiroso, incluido en el grupo por exigencia de la propietaria, su tía. El objetivo: tomar notas de cualquier fenómeno paranormal que se presente para documentar el libro sobre casas encantadas que prepara el doctor. Las alucinantes experiencias que vivirán en la casa será mejor que el lector las descubra por sí mismo.

The book was republished by "Nemira" in 2010 under the title La guarida, with a new translation by Silvia Bellido.
ISBN-10: 84-614-6613-6.
ISBN-13: 978-84-614-6613-9.
Paperback format.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

El doctor Montague, un científico que investiga toda clase de manifestaciones sobrenaturales, alquila una lúgubre mansión encantada y reúne en ella a una serie de personajes peculiares que le servirán para sus indagaciones: una solterona tímida y nerviosa, una mujer cruel y egoísta, un hombre taimado e incrédulo… Sin embargo, ninguno imagina que, a la par de los extraños fenómenos de ultratumba que les acompañarán durante su estadía en la macabra Hill House, todos ellos se verán envueltos por sus propios fantasmas y obsesiones.

Shirley Jackson está considerada la mejor autora del género de terror sobrenatural, y esta novela espeluznante, publicada originalmente en 1959 y desde entonces convertida en objeto de culto por los lectores, lo confirma sin ningún tipo de dudas.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is also available in a Catalán (not Spanish) translation. It was published by "L'Altra Editorial" in 2014 under the title La maledicció de Hill House.
ISBN-10: 84-942160-7-4.
ISBN-13: 978-84-942160-7-7.
Paperback format, 278 pages, about 20 Euros.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Publicada per primera vegada als Estats Units el 1959, la maledicció de Hill House està considerada una de les obres mestres de la literatura de terror, una novel·la que ha marcat les trajectòries d'autors com Stephen King o Neil Gaiman. La maledicció de Hill House narra l'experiment inquietant de John Montague, filòsof i antropòleg dedicat obsessivament a l'estudi de fenòmens paranormals: el doctor vol comprovar en persona què suposa viure en una casa encantada. Quan sent a parlar de Hill House, un casalot inhòspit, desangelat i de reputació estremidora, està convençut que ha arribat el moment de provar-ho, i convoca tres persones perquè l'acompanyin en l'aventura: la Theodora, una jove despreocupada i curiosa, escollida per la seva capacitat telepàtica; l'Eleanor, solitària, infeliç i fràgil, amb un passat obscur, i el Luke, un jove vividor, mentider i futur hereu de Hill House. La maledicció de Hill House és una poderosa novel·la de terror psicològic que persegueix el lector més enllà de les pàgines del llibre.

• "Una escriptora impressionant... Si encara no l'heu llegit, us esteu perdent una experiència meravellosa" ~ Neil Gaiman.
• "Una de les millors històries sobre cases encantades que he llegit mai" ~ Stephen King.
• "La històries de Shirley Jackson són de les més aterridores que s'han escrit mai" ~ Donna Tartt.
• "El món de Shirley Jackson és inquietant i inoblidable" ~ A.M. Homes.
• "Shirley Jackson és una de les escriptores més idiosincràtiques, i inimitables, l'obra de la qual exerceix sobre el lector un encanteri etern" ~ Joyce Carol Oates.

In 2018, the "Nemira" 2010 edition was made available by Amazon Spain in ebook format, with the same La guarida title, also translated by Silvia Bellido.
The book is free for the Amazon "Kindle Unlimited" users.
I could not locate any ISBN number.

Here is a description provided by Amazon Spain:

El doctor Montague, un científico que investiga toda clase de manifestaciones sobrenaturales, alquila una lúgubre mansión encantada y reúne en ella a una serie de personajes peculiares que le servirán para sus indagaciones: una solterona tímida y nerviosa, una mujer cruel y egoísta, un hombre taimado e incrédulo… Sin embargo, ninguno imagina que, a la par de los extraños fenómenos de ultratumba que les acompañarán durante su estancia en la macabra Hill House, todos ellos se verán envueltos por sus propios fantasmas y obsesiones.

The book was republished by "Minuscula" in 2019 under the title La maldición de Hill House, with a new translation by Carles Andreu Saburit, and a Netflix sticker.
ISBN-10: 84-948366-9-2.
ISBN-13: 978-84-948366-9-5.
Paperback format, 265 pages, about 19,5 Euros.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Cuatro personajes llegan a un viejo y laberíntico caserón conocido como Hill House. Son el doctor Montague, un estudioso de lo oculto que busca pruebas de fenómenos psíquicos en casas encantadas, y tres personas a quienes el doctor ha reclutado para llevar a cabo un experimento. A pesar de las reticencias de su familia, Eleanor, una joven algo atormentada y de pasado infeliz, acabará formando parte de la singular comitiva. Los otros son Theodora, con quien Eleanor establece un fuerte vínculo inicial, y Luke, el heredero de la casa. Pronto todos deberán enfrentarse a situaciones que están más allá de su comprensión. Hill House parece estar preparándose para escoger a uno de ellos y hacerlo suyo para siempre. Llevada dos veces al cine e inspiración de una reciente serie televisiva, "La maldición de Hill House" es una de las novelas más famosas de Shirley Jackson y una de las principales obras de terror del siglo XX.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Portuguese translation. It was published by "Cavalo de Ferro" in 2018 under the title A maldição de Hill house, with a translation by Maria do Carmo Figueira.
A second edition features the Netflix-inspired cover.
ISBN-10: 989-623-251-2.
ISBN-13: 978-989-623-251-1.
Paperback format, 206 pages.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover (first edition, black cover):

John Montague especialista e estudioso do oculto chega a Hill House em busca de algo concreto que possa provar a existência do sobrenatural. Acompanham-no Theodora a sua assistente Luke o futuro herdeiro da propriedade e Eleanor uma mulher solitária e frágil já com experiência de encontros com poltergeists. Contudo aquilo que inicialmente era apenas uma experiência em torno de fenómenos inexplicáveis torna-se em pouco tempo uma corrida pela sobrevivência à medida que Hill House ganha poder e escolhe de entre eles aquele que quer para si...

A Maldição de Hill House é um dos mais perfeitos exemplos do terror e do suspense em literatura. Fonte de inspiração para nomes como Stephen King ou Guillermo del Toro confessos admiradores de Shirley Jackson a história foi adaptada por duas vezes ao cinema em filmes de grande sucesso.

• "Uma das histórias de terror mais perfeitas que já li." ~ Stephen King.
• "Shirley Jackson é uma escritora inimitável cujas palavras permanecem connosco durante muito tempo." ~ Joyce Carol Oates.
• "Uma mestre maior do terror e do suspense." ~ The New York Times Book Review.

Here is the text that can be found on the front cover flap (first edition, black cover):

Shirley Jackson
(1916—1965) é considerada uma das mais influentes escritoras norte-americanas. Herdeira da grande tradição da gótico americano, iniciada com Edgar Allan Poe, teve uma vida curta, deixando uma obra pouco extensa, mas que a confirmou de imediato como uma das grandes personalidades literárias do século XX. Obteve imediato sucesso e fama com a plublicação, em 1948, do seu conto The Lottery, que, na época, dividiu opiniõnes e suscitou acesas polémicas. Ao todo, escreveu 55 contos e, da sua obra, destacam-se ainda as suas crónicas familiares, Life Among the Savages (1953) e Raising Demons (1957), e os seus romances, The Sundial (1958), Sempre Vivemos no Castelo (Cavalo de Ferro, 2018) e o presente A Maldição de Hill House, obra que foi adaptada várias vezes para cinema e televisão.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Brazilian-Portuguese translation. It was published by "Francisco Alves" in 1983 under the title A Assombração da Casa da Colina, with a translation by Edna Jansen de Mello.
Reference: Volume 9, 1983.
Paperback format, 200 pages.

The book was republished by "Suma" in 2018 under the title A Assombração da Casa da Colina, with a new translation by Débora Landsberg.
A second edition, renamed A maldição da residência hill features the Netflix-inspired cover.
ISBN-10: 85-5651-063-9.
ISBN-13: 978-85-5651-063-1.
Paperback format, 200 pages (first edition, orange cover) or 240 pages (second edition, netflix cover).

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover (first edition, orange cover):

"Considerada uma das melhores histórias de terror do século XX, a A assombração da Casa da Colina promete calafrios aos seus leitores. Vista por mestres como Stephen King e Neil Gaiman como a rainha do terror, Shirley Jackson entrega um livro perturbador sobre a relação entre a loucura e o sobrenatural. Sozinha no mundo, Eleanor fica encantada ao receber uma carta do dr. Montague convidando-a para passar um tempo na Casa da Colina, um local conhecido por suas manifestações fantasmagóricas. O mesmo convite é feito a Theodora, uma alma artística e “sensitiva”, e a Luke, o herdeiro da mansão. Mas o que começa como uma exploração bem-humorada de um mito inocente se transforma em uma viagem para os piores pesadelos de seus moradores. Com o tempo, fica cada vez mais claro que a vida, e a sanidade, de todos está em risco."

Nenhum organismo vivo pode existir com sanidade por longo tempo em condições de realidade absoluta; até as cotovias e os gafanhotos, pelo que alguns dizem, sonham. A Casa da Colina nada sã, erguia-se solitária em frente de suas colinas, agasalhando a escuridão em suas entranhas; existia há oitenta anos e provavelmente existiria por mais outros oitenta. Por dentro, as paredes continuavam eretas, os tijolos aderiam precisamente a seus vizinhos, os soalhos eram firmes e as portas se mantinham sensatamente fechadas; o silêncio cobria solidamente a madeira e a pedra da Casa da Colina, e o que por lá andasse, andava sozinho.

The book was republished by "Alfaguara" in 2021 under the title A Assombração da Casa da Colina, with the translation by Débora Landsberg.
ISBN-10: 85-5652-114-2.
ISBN-13: 978-85-5652-114-9.
Paperback format, 200 pages.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Swedish translation. It was published by "Mima Förlag" in 2017 under the title Hemsökelsen på Hill House, with a translation by Edelfeldt Inger.
ISBN-10: 91-88681-07-6.
ISBN-13: 978-91-88681-07-2.
Hardcover format, 223 pages.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

I åttio år har Hill House överblickat den lilla hålan Hillsdale. Därifrån ser det ståtligt och välbyggt ut. Men det finns något "osunt" med huset. Någonting rör sig i det, går längs med dess golv, någonting omänskligt, skändligt - ont. Dr. John Montague, en vetenskapsman som vill finna bevis för det övernaturligas existens, hyr det beryktade huset. Av tolv assistenter han velat få med sig anländer bara två: Eleanor Vance, en ung, tillbakadragen kvinna som flyr vardagen med sin handikappade mor, och Theodora, en excentrisk New York-konstnär. Med dem är också husets arvinge, Luke Sanderson, och på plats möter de husets förvaltare, paret Dudley, som vägrar vistas nära Hill House nattetid. Snart blir det klart för alla varför. Den som starkast påverkas är Eleanor. Som om huset ville henne något särskilt.Shirley Jacksons Hemsökelsen på Hill House har kallats en av 1900-talets bästa spökromaner. En amerikansk skräckklassiker som filmatiserats två gånger (1963 och 1999) och som nu också ska bli en TV-serie i tio delar på Netflix. Här i översättning av Inger Edelfeldt och med ett nyskrivet förord av DN-krönikören och bibliotekarien Jenny Lindh.

Shirley Jackson [1916-1965] är en av världslitteraturens mest inflytelserika författare i skräckgenren. Hon föddes i San Francisco, men familjen flyttade senare till östkusten och delstaten New York. Shirley Jackson kom att ge ut sex romaner och lika många novellsamlingar. Mest berömda är romanerna Hemsökelsen på Hill House [The Haunting of Hill House, 1959] och Vi har alltid bott på slottet [We Have Always Lived in the Castle, 1962].

• "En av 1900-talets viktigaste skräckromaner." ~ Stephen King.
• "Med sin skarpa blick på den mänskliga naturen, sin insikt i dess tilltrasslade insida och opålitliga varseblivning, lyckas hon skrämmas på riktigt." ~ Jenny Aschenbrenner, Svenska dagbladet.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Polish translation. It was published by "Zysk i S-ka" in 2000 under the title Nawiedzony, with a translation by Maria Streszewska Hallab.
ISBN-10: 83-7150-576-0.
ISBN-13: 978-83-7150-576-8.
Paperback format, 232 pages.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

Do starego i zapuszczonego, a także owianego złą sławą dworu przybywają cztery osoby: doktor Montague - znawca okultyzmu, jego śliczna asystentka, Eleanor - dziewczyna dobrze zaznajomiona ze zjawiskami psychokinetycznymi, Luke - przyszły spadkobierca Domu na Wzgórzu. Z początku wydaje się, że będą mieć do czynienia jedynie z niewytłumaczalnymi odgłosami i zamykającymi się samoistnie drzwiami. Okazuje się jednak, że Dom na Wzgórzu cały czas gromadzi siły, by wybrać spośród śmiałków swoją ofiarę.

The book was republished by "Replika" in 2018 under the new title Nawiedzony Dom na Wzgorzu.
ISBN-10: 83-7674-673-1.
ISBN-13: 978-83-7674-673-9.
Hardcover format, 304 pages, about 30 Złoty.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

Do starego, mrocznego i owianego zla slawa domu na wzgórzu przybywaja cztery osoby: doktor Montague - znawca okultyzmu, szukajacy zelaznych dowodów na istnienie zjawisk paranormalnych, jego sliczna asystentka, Eleanor - mloda kobieta posiadajaca spora wiedze na temat duchów, a takze Luke - przyszly spadkobierca rezydencji. Z poczatku wydaje sie, ze beda miec do czynienia jedynie z niewytlumaczalnymi odglosami i zamykajacymi sie samoistnie drzwiami. Jednak tak naprawde mroczny i tajemniczy dom caly czas gromadzi sily, by wybrac sposród smialków swoja ofiare.

Nawiedzony Dom na Wzgórzu zaliczany jest do najwazniejszych powiesci grozy wszech czasów. Utwór doczekal sie dwóch kinowych ekranizacji, a w 2018 roku ukaze sie serial produkcji Netflix.

Here is a review by Mariusz "Orzel" Wojteczek (Paradoks):

"Nawiedzony dom na wzgórzu" amerykanskiej pisarki Shirley Jackson to absolutny kanon powiesci grozy, który zreszta wywarl niemaly wplyw na popkulture. I - niejako - zdefiniowal historie o nawiedzonych domach. Sama powiesc doczekala sie dwóch ekranizacji, a dodatkowo przygotowywany jest serial od Netflix. A jak wypada sama powiesc w zderzeniu z wlasna - jak by nie patrzec - legenda? Mozemy przyjrzec sie ksiazce blizej, dzieki wznowieniu, przygotowanemu przez Wydawnictwo Replika.

Na pierwszy rzut oka juz widac, ze wreszcie "Nawiedzony dom na wzgórzu" doczekal sie wydania na miare dziela. Ostatnimi czasy mozemy zaobserwowac na polskim rynku wydawniczy trend wznawiania, przypominania klasycznych dzial i autorów literatury grozy. Odwaznie podjal temat Zysk i S-ka (Meyrinck, Grabinski, Collins, Le Fanu, Reymont, Lovecraft) czy znakomicie przygotowujacy swoje tlumaczenia i wydania Vesper (Lovecraft, Shelley, Stoker, przygotowywany Grabinski). Wydawnictwo Replika postanowilo podazyc w ich slady i przygotowalo reedycje nie jednej, ale dwóch klasycznych powiesci Shirley Jackson - wlasnie wydany niedawno "Nawiedzony dom na wzgórzu" oraz zapowiadane wkrótce "Zawsze mieszkalysmy w zamku".

Powiesc sama w sobie jest dosc prosta i pozornie nie zaskakuje konceptem fabularnym. Zaznaczmy jednak, ze niewatpliwie przecierala gatunkowe szlaki, adaptujac klasyczny motyw nawiedzonego zamczyska na grunt bardziej wspólczesny, co przetarlo szlaki wielu znakomitym (i niekoniecznie) autorom grozy - zarówno literackiej, jak i filmowej. Powiesc Jackson to w duzej mierze doskonale skreslona powiesc obyczajowa, która eksplorujac schematy gotyckie, rewitalizuje je i adaptuje na wspólczesniejszy grunt, osadzajac w blizszych czytelnikowi realiach. A tym samym w znakomity, autentyczny i doskonaly literacko sposób urealnia groze zawarta w opowiesciach o nawiedzonych miejscach, dajac im literacka niesmiertelnosc. Zauwazmy, ze w znacznej czesci powiesci autorka nie serwuje nam nic ponad oczekiwanie na tajemnicze, mroczne, niepokojace zdarzenia. Wszyscy bohaterowie wszak ich wypatruja, zdaja sie wrecz - podswiadomie - pragnac, by cos sie wydarzylo, gdyz pelne napiecia chwile marazmu sa nie do zniesienia. A my oczekujemy wraz z nimi, gdyz styl Jackson nie pozwala pozostac obojetnym na atmosfere ponurego domostwa, w którym czyha, bo wszyscy przeciez wiemy, ze czyha zlo.

Powiesc Jackson jest tylko pozornie prosta, a w rzeczywistosci kryje w sobie wachlarz intrygujacych osobowosci i sama w sobie - jako opowiesc - zawiera wiele niuansów obrazujacych pewien swoisty przekrój amerykanskiego spoleczenstwa. Bohaterowie nie sa zero jedynkowi, kryja problemy i tajemnice, bardziej pokazuja siebie takimi, jakimi chcieliby sie widziec, niz jakimi sa naprawde. Umieszczeni w budzacej uzasadniony niepokój scenografii starego, niszczejacego domostwa, które samo w sobie jest swoistym labiryntem, zaczynaja odslaniac swoje prawdziwe ja - jakze odmienne od tych pozorowanych.Ksiazka Jackson to tak naprawde nie tylko opowiesc o domu - choc on zdaje sie tutaj pelnoprawnym bohaterem, nie tylko rekwizytem - jednak przede wszystkim to historia o ludziach. Ludziach skonfrontowanych z nieznanym.

Warto poznac historie nawiedzonego domu na wzgórzu w jej pierwotnej formie, nieprzeinaczonej przez hollywoodzkie wariacje i reprodukcje. Choc najblizszy oddania atmosfery powiesci byl Robert Wise w 1963 roku w "Nawiedzonym domu", to jednak powiesc nadal pozostaje niedoscignionym wzorem dla historii tego typu. Polecam wszystkim, którzy pragna poznac jeden z najpopularniejszych motywów grozy w historii gatunku serwowany w mistrzowskim wydaniu.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Czech translation. It was published by "Argo" in 2015 under the title Dům na kopci, with a translation by Anna Urbanová.
ISBN-10: 80-257-1478-0.
ISBN-13: 978-80-257-1478-2.
Hardcover format, 248 pages, about 290 Kč.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

Do starého domu zvaného Hill House přijíždí čtveřice pátračů: odborník v okultních vědách doktor Montague, jeho asistentka Theodora, dědic domu Luke a také mladá dívka jménem Eleanor, o níž se téměř nic neví. Společně se rozhodnou přijít na kloub podivným úkazům, jimiž je dům proslulý. Ten však má s těmito nebohými tvory své vlastní plány.

Oldschoolová hororová klasika patří k nejznámějším dílům Shirley Jacksonové. Na tento román se odvolávají i takové hvězdy temných žánrů, jako jsou Neil Gaiman nebo Stephen King. Už několikrát se o jeho adaptaci pokusili filmaři, ale vystihnout obrazem hrůzu, jak ji slovně vylíčila autorka, se jim většinou nedaří.

Here is a review by Michaela Rubášová (knizni denicek):

Kniha Shirley Jackson - Dům na kopci se při svém nejnovějším vydání nesetkává s příliš kladným hodnocením. Čím to je? Že by ubývalo čtenářů klasických starých hororových klasik? Je to možné. Čtenáři dnešní doby totiž dávají mnohem častěji přednost novějším dílům ze severu. Jsme náročnější, i já se mezi tyto čtenáře řadím. Ale není to škoda? Dlouho jsem čtení této knihy odkládala na neurčito. Až jednoho dne jsem prostě tuto knihu vytáhla z knihovny a řekla jsem si, ano...teď nastal tvůj čas. Ani já jsem knize nedala příliš vysoké hodnocení, ale to neznamená, že jsem s knihou nebyla spokojená. Ba naopak, byla jsem mile překvapená. Svým způsobem jsem chápala nízká hodnocení, ale také jsem dokázala ocenit klasiku tohoto stylu.

Hill House nebo chcete li spíše Dům na kopci je velkolepé sídlo. Je obrovské a děsivé. Doktor Montague přijíždí do sídla s jasnou vizí, myšlenkou i plánem. Strávit zde několik dní a přijít na kloub záhadám, které tento dům obklopují. Na pomoc si přizve i partu mladých lidí. Eleanor, Theu a Luka. Proč zrovna je? U Luka je to snadné, majitelé domu totiž nedovolí pronájem bez přítomnosti jednoho z rodiny majitelů a Luke jednoho krásného dne, tenhle zámek hrůzy zdědí. Thea je divoká, nespoutaná, živá a mimo jiné zřejmě oplývá jasnozřivostí. A přesně to by se tu doktorovi mohlo hodit. A posledním článkem této výpravy je Eleanor. Mladá žena, která půlku svého života strávila péčí o svou nebohou nemocnou matku. Má snad i ona nějaké paranormální zkušenosti? Ano má. Byla svědkem řádění poltergeista. Jí samotné bylo rodinou namluveno ovšem něco jiného.

Tato nesourodá čtveřice lidí se tedy nastěhuje do Hill House v očekávání něčeho nadpřirozeného. Všichni jsou nejprve upozorněni na to, aby si dům nepouštěli příliš k tělu. Což je nemožné, Hill House svíral totiž i mě samotnou a to jsem knihu pouze četla.

Máme tu ještě manželský pár, pán a paní Dudleyovi. Ona je kuchařka, hospodyně a on se stará o to ostatní co s domem souvisí. Oba vskutku podivínští. Taková malá třešnička na celém tom strašidelném dortu. Jak byste se cítili, kdyby vás paní Dudleyová ubytovávala v pokoji a při odchodu zdůraznila několika strohými větami, že odchází vždy před setměním, nikdy tu nejsou o nic déle, nikdo vás neuslyší křičet, ani vám nepomůže, když to bude třeba. Úplně vás vidím, půlka z vás se bude neskrývaně smát té podivínské ženské a druhá půlka bude nevěřícně stát a v úžasu "civět". Tuto informaci obdrží všichni a všichni se jí samozřejmě vysmějí. Bláznivá paní Dudleyová....

První dny se malá skupinka seznamuje s domem, který je vskutku neobvyklý, když opomeneme jeho velikost a pro některé i šerednost, tak musím vypíchnout jeho stavební řešení. Ačkoli dům působí pravidelností, ani jeden jeho úhel není pravý a vaši prostorovou orientaci ošálí nadmíru velkolepě. Spousta čtenářů knize vytýká, že je nudná a zdlouhavá. Já musím nesouhlasit, mě tahle seznamovací část naopak bavila. Seznamování se s domem pro mě bylo opravdu zajímavé a napínavé. Dodávalo to knize takový tajuplný punc. Opravdu jsem si to při popisu dokázala představit a vlastně mi šel občas i mráz po zádech. Dům měl zvláštní kouzlo, tajuplné a vlastně i nádherné. Možná to bylo tím, že mě i na tu dálku dům prostě pohltil....stejně jako jednoho z přítomných.

Skupinka nadšenců se nakonec dočkala svých paranormálních jevů a i přesto, že byly proklatě B-éčkové, tak byly prostě hodně dobré. Celková situace vygraduje s příjezdem doktorovy ženy, která je odhodlaná nebýt vystrašená, jako ostatní, ale přijít všemu na kloub a s láskou vyslechnout utrápené duše, které tu tak osaměle bloudí....

Jak to s Hill Housem dopadne a jak se všemi jeho podnájemníky? Zůstane dům stále tajuplným nebo nám nějaká tajemství vyzradí?

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Turkish translation. It was published by "Siren Yayinlari" in 2011 under the title Tepedeki Ev.
ISBN-10: 605-5903-27-X.
ISBN-13: 978-605-5903-27-5.
Paperback format, 320 pages, about 20 Euros.

I found two slight variations of the cover on the Amazon shops. I own the white one.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

Amerikan edebiyatinin efsanevi yazarlarindan biri olan Shirley Jackson'dan zamaninin otesinde bir klasik: Tepedeki Ev. Hayata dair urkutucu detaylara ilgisi, insan ruhunun kuytularina teklifsizce girebilmesi ve okurun zihnini ustaca ele gecirmesiyle taninan Jackson, Tepedeki Ev'le dehset ve deliligin karanlik koklerine iniyor. Tepedeki Ev'e atilan ilk adimdan itibaren bastirilmis tum duygular yavas yavas su yuzune cikiyor. Perili oldugu soylenen bir evde iddialari arastirmak icin bulunan kisilerin kesisen yasamlari ve algilari bu tuhaf macerayla sekilleniyor ve onlari hic ummadiklari bir noktaya getiriyor. Evin suretindeki karanlik, bu tuhaf gorevle bir araya gelmis grubun uyelerini beklenmeyecek bicimlerde etkiliyor.Alginin tuzaklari hic bu kadar olasi, bu kadar gercek anlatilmamisti. Burasi Tepedeki Ev... Burada her sey biraz carpik, biraz tuhaf.Burasi tekin bir yer degil. Burasi Senin Zihnin.Tehlikedesin.

• "Tepedeki Ev'e adim atmak bir delinin zihnine adim atmak gibi! Urkmeye basliyorsunuz." ~ Stephen King.
• "Shirley Jackson'in dunyasi, urkutucu ve unutulmaz." ~ A.M. Homes.
• "Kaninizi donduruyor, tuylerinizi urpertiyor." ~ The New York Times Book Review.
• "Gelmis gecmis iyi perili ev oykusu." ~ The Wall Street Journal.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

Çağdaş edebiyatın en gizemli yazarlarından birinden, Shirley Jackson’dan zamana meydan okuyan bir klasik: Tepedeki Ev. Sıradan hayatların ürkütücü yanlarına yönelik ilgisi, insan ruhunun kuytularına teklifsizce girebilmesi ve okurun zihnini ustaca yönlendirebilme- siyle tanınan Jackson, bu romanda korkunun temeline iniyor, zihnin tekinsiz koridorlarında yürüyor. Yürekteki karanlıklar ile en ham haliyle duygular, Shirley Jackson’ın ustaca anlatımıyla Tepedeki Ev in temellerini atıyor ve insan psikolojisi, başlı başına bir dehşet unsuruna dönüşüyor. Algının tuzakları hafızanın yanıltıcılığıyla, geçmişin gölgeleriyle birleşiyor ve Tepedeki Ev, bu usta yazarın kaleminde adeta diriliyor, okurunu kendi dört duvarı arasına çekiyor.
Stephen King’den Neil Gaiman’a varan pek çok yazara ilham veren Shirley Jackson’ın bugün çağdaş edebiyat klasikleri arasında anılan Tepedeki Ev' i, dehşet ve deliliği anlatıyor.

"Tepedeki Ev'e adım atmak, bir delinin zihnine adım atmak gibi... Ürkmeye başlıyorsunuz." ~ Stephen King.

In 2015, the book was published by "DeBolsillo" in Mexico with the title, La maldición de Hill House.
ISBN-10: 607-31-2890-8.
ISBN-13: 978-607-31-2890-2.
Hardcover format, about 45 Euros.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

La maldición de Hill House (1959), considerada una de las principales novelas de horror del siglo XX, narra el inquietante experimento de John Montague, doctor en Filosofía y antropólogo, que lleva años entregado al estudio de las "perturbaciones psíquicas" que suelen manifestarse en las "casas encantadas".

Infructuosamente ha buscado una casa idónea, cuando un día oye hablar de Hill House, una mansión solitaria y de siniestra reputación. Montague decide alquilarla y busca ayudantes dispuestos a pasar una temporada en ella con el objetivo de tomar notas de cualquier fenómeno paranormal que se presente para documentar el libro sobre casas encantadas que prepara. Las alucinantes experiencias que vivirán en la casa será mejor que el lector las descubra por sí mismo...

The book was republished by "DeBolsillo" in 2018 with a new cover.
ISBN-10: 607-31-6185-9.
ISBN-13: 978-607-31-6185-5.
Hardcover format, about 45 Euros.

Here is a description provided by Amazon Mexico:

"La novela que revolucionó la manera de escribir historias de fantasmas" ~ Guillermo del Toro.

"El diseño era inquietantemente defectuoso: las paredes parecían un ápice más largas de lo que la vista podía soportar; o un punto inferiores a la longitud más corta. Y aquí quieren que duerma, reflexionó Eleanor con incredulidad; qué pesadillas me aguardan en las sombras de esos altos rincones, qué hálito de miedo frenético flotará en mi boca..."

Publicada por primera vez en 1959, La maldición de Hill House es todavía hoy una de las novelas más inquietantes jamás escritas. Tras pasar años entregado al estudio de las "perturbaciones psíquicas" que suelen manifestarse en las casas encantadas, John Montague, doctor en Filosofía yestudioso de lo oculto, alquila Hill House, una mansión solitaria y de siniestra reputación. Ahí se traslada con un grupo de asistentes dispuestos a pasar una temporada en ella: Theodora, una joven entusiasta, la tímida y frágil Eleanor, y Luke, el futuro heredero de la propiedad. Será mejor que el lector descubra por sí mismo las alucinantes experiencias que vivirán en la casa.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover:

• "El sol aún brilla para nosotros. La autora del milagro es Shirley Jackson, que Dios la bendiga. Insuperable siempre" ~ Dorothy Parker.
• "Para mí, Otra vuelta de tuerca, de Henry James, y La maldición de Hill House, de Shirley Jackson, son las dos mejores novelas de lo sobrenatural escritas en los últimos cien años" ~ Stephen King.
• "Shirley Jackson nos obliga a contemplar lo sobrenatural a través de los ojos de cada personaje y de sus vulnerabilidades, sin negar jamás la malevolencia de la casa: el embrujo es real y todos en su interior están solos, ciegos al drama de los otros. Tal vez éste sea el horror más sutil y persistente en la ficción de Jackson: todos estamos siempre solos" ~ Guillermo del Toro.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Japanese translation. It was published by "Tokyo Sogensha" (東京創元社) in 1999 under the title たたり.
ISBN-10: 4-488-58301-6.
ISBN-13: 978-4-488-58301-9.
Pocket format, 332 pages, about 550 ¥.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover (original Japanese):

心霊学研究者モンタギュー博士は、幽霊屋敷として知ら れるく丘の屋敷〉を調査するため三人の男女を呼び集め た。まるで意志を持つかのように彼らの前に怪異を繰り 広げる〈屋敷〉。そして図書館に隠された手稿が繙かれ、 秘められた過去が明るみに出るとき、何が起きるのか？ 幻想文学の才暖が描く、美しく静かな恐怖。スティーヴ ン-キング絶賛の古典的名作、侍望久しい新訳決定版。

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover (English translation):

Dr. Montague, a psychic researcher, summons three men and a woman to investigate the haunted Hill House. As if it had a will of its own, the mansion unleashes its hauntings upon them. What will happen when the manuscript hidden in the library is unravelled and the hidden past comes to light? A beautiful, quiet horror from the genius of fantasy literature. A beautiful and quietly frightening novel by the brilliant author of fantasy literature, Stephen King.

This is a reprint of the previous edition, also published in 1999, matching the look of the dreadful remake.
ISBN-10: 4-488-58301-6.
ISBN-13: 978-4-488-58301-9.
Pocket format, 332 pages, about 550 ¥.

This one is also a 1999 japanese edition, also matching the look of the dreadful remake, this time published by "Tokyo Hayakawa Books".
ISBN-10: 4-15-040018-0.
ISBN-13: 978-4-15-040018-7.
Pocket format, 305 pages, about 640 ¥.

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover (original Japanese):

モンタギュー博士が幽霊屋敷研究 のために選んだ家は、/]4すヒルズ デールの奥深い森に囲まれた築後 80年の〈山莊〉だった。その実験 に招かれたのは、カード当ての名 人セオドラ、家の中に小石がふり そそぐポルターガイスト現象を体 験したことのあるエリーナー、そ して〈山莊〉の持ち主の甥ルーク の三人。やがてエリーナーのまわ りに不思議な物音が聞こえはじめ ついには惨劇が……迫りくる恐怖 を描くサイコ.サスペンスの名作

Here is the text that can be found on the back cover (English translation):

Dr. Montague has chosen an 80-year-old house in the Hillsdale forest for his research into haunted houses. Three men are invited to take part in the experiment: Theodora, an expert card guesser; Elinor, who has experienced the poltergeist phenomenon of pebbles falling into the house; and Luke, the nephew of the owner of the villa. Soon Elinor begins to hear strange noises around her, and finally a tragedy ...... looms in the horror of this psycho-suspense classic. A masterpiece of psycho-suspense..

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in an Indonesian translation. It was published by "Qanita" in 2017 under the title The Haunting of Hill House, with a translation by Nadya Andwiani.
ISBN-10: 602-402-056-2.
ISBN-13: 978-602-402-056-9.
Paperback format, about 5 Euros.

Here is the presentation of the editor:

Hill House terpencil, ganjil dan angker. Ukiran dan lukisan di dalamnya seolah-olah mengamatimu ke mana pun kau pergi, pintu-pintu selalu tertutup sendiri, dan kau selalu merasakan dingin menggigit meski duduk di dekat perapian. Setiap malam, terdengar suara langkah kaki di koridor, dan ketukan-ketukan kasar di pintu, padahal ketika diperiksa, tidak ada siapa-siapa. Tidak ada orang waras yang sudi tinggal di sana.

Namun, rumor-rumor seram Hill House malah menarik perhatian Dr. Montague, akademisi yang ingin melakukan penelitian tentang aktivitas supernatural. Dengan tiga orang asisten, Eleanor, Theodora, dan Luke, dia tinggal di Hill House selama musim panas. Awalnya gangguan-gangguan makhluk halus yang mereka alami masih bisa ditoleransi, tapi ketika Eleanor mulai mendengar suara-suara tanpa wujud yang membisikkan namanya, dan coretan cat merah di dinding yang memintanya pulang, keadaan mulai di luar kendali.
Dr. Montague harus bertindak cepat jika tidak ingin korban nyawa berjatuhan.

The Haunting of Hill House dianggap sebagai salah satu kisah horor terbaik abad ke-20. Novel ini telah dua kali diadaptasi menjadi film layar lebar, yakni tahun 1963 dan 1999. Versi tahun 1999 dibintangi oleh Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, dan Lili Taylor.

The book The Haunting of Hill House is available in a Chinese translation. It was published by "Xinhua Publishing House" in May 2016, with a hardcover.
ISBN-10: 7-5166-2470-5.
ISBN-13: 978-7-5166-2470-8.
Hardcover format, 261 pages, [unknown price].

Here is the presentation of the editor (original Chinese):

书名:邪屋
简介:“现代文库”读者票选20世纪百大英文长篇小说之一，获美国国家图书奖提名
作者:[美]雪莉·杰克逊著
出版社:新华出版社
出版时间:2016年05月
装订方式:精装
分类:文学|中国现当代随笔

Here is the presentation of the editor (English translation):

Book Name: The House of Evil
Description: One of the top 100 English-language novels of the 20th century, as voted by readers of Modern Literature, nominated for a National Book Award
Author: [US] Shirley Jackson
Publisher: Xinhua Publishing House
Publication date: May 2016
Binding: Hardcover
Category: Literature | Chinese Modern and Contemporary Essays

Unidentified Editions

I don't know anything about these editions. Can you help me identify them?

The Haunting of Hill House (1959), the audio book

Just close your eyes and listen

Unlike conventional books, audio books allow you to read all the great books available today while doing other things. So now you can enjoy a terrific suspense novel while driving to work. Or you can lie on your bed, just close your eyes, and listen to the voices...

No printed book, no matter how expensive, can tell you a story like an audio book. The professional narration makes every page spring to life, adding nuances you might have missed.

Last but not least, audio books are essential for blind or partially sighted people. Blind and partially sighted people have the same culture needs as everyone else. But many people with sight problems will not be able to understand information unless it is made available to them in a suitable format. It is important to remember that there is no single method which suits all blind and partially sighted people all of the time. Audio books is one of them.

Editions in English

This one is the 1999 edition, titled The Haunting, to match the look of the dreadful remake. Read by Roscoe Lee Browne.
ISBN-10: 0-7871-2357-9.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7871-2357-4.
Format: Audio book. Language: English. Release date: July 1999. Publisher: New Star Media, Incorporated. Edition Description: Unabridged, 4 Cassettes. About $25.

I don't have any details about this edition. If you have some, please let me know...

This is the 1999 edition published by "Phoenix Audio".

This one is the 2010 edition, properly titled The Haunting of Hill House, with an exotic cover picture. Read by Bernadette Dunne.
ISBN-10: 1-4417-8082-3.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4417-8082-9.
Format: Audio book. Language: English. Release date: October 4, 2010. Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc. Edition Description: Unabridged, 6 CDs. About $25.

Also available as .MP3 download.

Apparently the audio book is popular enough to be available on the dark net too...
However, I strongly advise you to resist the temptation and to buy a duly licensed copy of the audio book.
The very existence of this version is listed here only 'for the sake of the experiment'.

Editions in foreign languages

This one is the german version, in two volumes, titled Spuk in Hill House.
Published by Titania medien, in the "Grusel Kabinett" collection: volume 8 (part 1 of 2) and volume 9 (part 2 of 2).

ISBN-10: 3937273131 (part 1 of 2) and 393727314X (part 2 of 2). Format: Audio book. Language: German. Release date: September 2005. Publisher: Titania medien. Edition Description: two CDs. About 6 euros per volume.

This is the 2006 re-edition of the german version, in two volumes, titled Spuk in Hill House.
Published by Titania medien, in the "Grusel Kabinett" collection: volume 8 (part 1 of 2) and volume 9 (part 2 of 2).

ISBN-10: 3785732473 (part 1 of 2) and 3785732481 (part 2 of 2). Format: Audio book. Language: German. Release date: September 2006. Publisher: Titania medien. Edition Description: two CDs. About 8 euros per volume.

Amazon.de:
Als 1948 die Kurzgeschichte "The Lottery" von Shirley Jackson (1919-1965) erschien, hatte die nicht einmal 30-jährige Autorin ihren ersten großen Skandalerfolg; sie schuf mit der Schilderung der ländlich-idyllischen Dorfgemeinschaft, die sich alljährlich einmal zusammenfindet, um einen aus ihrer Mitte zu steinigen, eine der berühmtesten Horror-Storys aller Zeiten. Die Kette der literarischen Erfolge riss nicht ab, bis hin zu Spuk in Hill House (1959), einem der wahren Meisterwerke übersinnlichen Horrors dieses Jahrhunderts.

Spuk in Hill House erzählt die Geschichte der unverheirateten, altjüngferlichen Eleanor Vance, die -- von Schuldgefühlen über den Tod ihrer Mutter zerfressen -- bei ihrer verheirateten Schwester wohnt, wo sie sich stets wie das fünfte Rad am Wagen fühlt. Als Dr. John Montague sie bittet, an einem Experiment teilzunehmen, um angebliche Spuk-Phänomene in der verlassenen Villa Hill House zu untersuchen, ergreift sie die Gelegenheit. Montague hatte sie (neben der ehrgeizigen, parapsychologisch begabten Theodora und einem jungen Zyniker namens Luke) als Versuchsobjekt auserkoren, weil sie in ihrer Kindheit schon einmal Mittelpunkt von so genannten Poltergeistphänomenen war. In Hill House konzentrieren sich alsbald unheimliche Ereignisse um Eleanor (deren Auslöser sie aber möglicherweise auch selbst sein könnte), bis sie zu der Überzeugung gelangt, dass das Haus selbst sie will.

Spuk in Hill House wurde von der amerikanischen Kritik geradezu überschwänglich begrüßt. Tatsächlich gibt es keinen anderen Roman des Unheimlichen, der die Psyche der Heldin so gründlich und fesselnd durchleuchten würde, wie es Shirley Jackson gelingt. Die Art, wie Eleanor auf die eskalierenden übersinnlichen Phänomene reagiert, lässt Spekulationen Raum, dass sie sich letztendlich alles einbilden könnte. Rationale und irrationale Erklärungen halten sich die Waage -- eine ähnlich meisterhafte "Spukhausgeschichte" und Psychostudie gelang bisher nur noch Stephen King mit Shining, der Jacksons Vorbild viel verdanken dürfte (King setzt Hill House in seinem Sachbuch Danse Macabre auch auf seine Liste der wichtigsten Horror-Bücher).

Dabei wirkt Spuk in Hill House weniger durch das, was die Autorin sagt, sondern mehr durch das, was sie nicht sagt. Das Grauen, das zwischen den Zeilen anklingt, sowie die nicht greifbaren Erscheinungen in Hill House ziehen den Leser mehr in seinen Bann als alle wortreichen Schilderungen es könnten. So macht vor allem die erzählerische Ökonomie Spuk in Hill House zu einem großen literarischen Ereignis. Übrigens wurde der Roman 1963 von Robert Wise unter dem Titel The Haunting verfilmt. --Joachim Körber

Kurzbeschreibung:
Atmosphärisches Hörspiel von TITANIA MEDIEN, ausgezeichnet mit dem Kritiker-Hörspiel-Award als "Bestes Hörspiel-Label 2004".

Mit Evelyn Maron (u.a. dt. Stimme von Kim Basinger), Christian Rode (Sean Connery), Arianne Borbach (Catherine Zeta-Jones), David Nathan (Johnny Depp), Dagmar Altrichter (Ingrid Bergman), Gisela Fritsch (Vanessa Redgrave), Charles Rettinghaus (Matt Dillon), Kammerschauspieler Heinz Ostermann, Dagmar von Kurmin und Janina Sachau.

New England 1958: Dr. Montague mietet für eine Untersuchung übernatürlicher Phänomene den einsam gelegenen Landsitz Hill House. Zu seinem Team zählen die scheue Eleanor und die lebenslustige Theodora, die beide bereits Erfahrungen mit dem Übersinnlichen gemacht haben, sowie Luke, der Neffe der Besitzerin. Recht schnell kommt die Gruppe dahinter, weswegen Hill House als unbewohnbar gilt...

Die zweiteilige Hörspiel-Version des psychologisch vielschichtigen Romans, bekannt durch seine beiden Verfilmungen unter den Titeln "Bis das Blut gefriert" (1963) und "Das Geisterschloss" (1999).

The Haunting of Hill House (1959), the play

A play?

Yes. The book was adapted for stage representations in theaters in 1964 by F. Andrew Leslie.

You can buy the booklet, rehearse and play... as long as you pay the fee. Here are all the details from Dramatists Play Service.

The Haunting of Hill House.
Suspense/Drama.
Full Length.

Cast: 3 men, 4 women: 7 total.
Setting: interior.

A chilling and mystifying study in mounting terror in which a small group of "psychically receptive" people are brought together in Hill House, a brooding, mid-Victorian mansion known as a place of evil and "contained ill will." Led by the learned Dr. Montague, who is conducting research in supernatural phenomena, the visitors have come to probe the secrets of the old house and to draw forth the mysterious powers that it is alleged to possess-powers which have brought madness and death to those who have lived therein in the past.

Book/Item: The Haunting of Hill House.
Price: $7.50.
Fee: $60 (approx 43 Euros) per performance.

The story: Cut off from the outside world by its remote location and shunned by all who know its forbidding and sinister reputation, Hill House has remained empty and silent except for the daily visits of its grumbling caretaker, Mrs. Dudley. Its isolation is broken by the arrival of Dr. Montague, an investigator of supernatural phenomena who has been granted a short lease by the present owner. His mission is to delve into the morbid history of the house and to come to grips with the occult forces that have made it uninhabitable for many years. He is joined by three others, all unacquainted, but all having their particular reasons for accepting Dr. Montague's invitation to share his Hill House sojourn. Their visit begins with jovial informality, but their sensibilities are soon jolted by strange and eerie occurrences. As they struggle to disguise their mounting fears they are joined by Dr. Montague's wife and a friend, who have come to Hill House for purposes of their own. They too are absorbed by the supernatural, but their approach is via direct communication with the departed spirits-a type of psychic research which is regarded fearfully by Dr. Montague and which, as subsequent events bear out, brings on a crisis in which the evil forces of Hill House are goaded to a new and, for one of those present, fatal fury.

Cast of characters, in order of appearance:

• Eleanor Vance
• Mrs. Dudley
• Theodora
• Dr. Montague
• Luke Sanderson
• Mrs. Montague
• Arthur Parker

Synopsis of scenes

• Act I
• Scene 1: Late afternoon, a day in early summer
• Scene 2: That night
• Act II
• Scene 1: Late morning, several days later
• Scene 2: That evening
• Act III
• Scene 1: The next evening
• Scene 2: The following morning

The time is the present. The place is Hill House, a brooding, isolated and innately forbidding mansion located deep in the back country of an eastern State. The action is confined to a single set, which includes a windowless parlor and, at stage right, a small bedroom.

Editions in English

I don't have any idea of WHEN this edition was released. If you have any idea, please let me know...

This is my first personal copy. It was printed in 2003.
ISBN-10: 0-8222-0504-1.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8222-0504-3.

This is my second personal copy. It was printed in 2003.
ISBN-10: 0-8222-0504-1.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8222-0504-3.

You can still buy mint copies of this booklet without any difficulty.

Journeys end in lovers meeting...

Some famous lines that you can find in Shirley Jackson's book

'Carpe Diem'
by William Shakespeare

Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, Europe

Isn't it ironic to think that Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, Europe, where you can also find the superb Ettington Park hotel — where the exteriors scenes of 'The Haunting' were shot?

If you stay at Ettington Park for a few days, a lot of the visitors of the hotel will be there precisely because of Shakespeare, and not for 'The Haunting'. Apparently, Shakespeare attracts more visitors. Weird, isn't?

Stratford-upon-Avon
Warwickshire
UK
Europe

Click to display a Google Map

Spoiler alert

Please don't continue to read or explore this page if you haven't read the book yet and still plan to do so. This detailed section would spoil and ruin your surprise, revealing all the tiny little things you would enjoy to discover by yourself.

If you have already read the book, you know that numerous changes were made to get the script that led to the movie you know. I don't want to compare the quality of the book and the script, both are brilliant. The book of Shirley Jackson is a world-known masterpiece, no doubt about it. Nelson Gidding made a fantastic work to write the script from this extraordinary material, no doubt about it. Still, the book is much more complex than the movie: more characters, more experiences (including outdoor experiences), longer narration,... The timescale is different... The relationships are all different, like shifted... Not to mention Grace, Arthur and planchette, who all give the story a different twist. The script focused on four characters, and did stick to them (Grace is never a real member of the team, in the movie).

The rest of this page will focus on the content of the book, including — but not limited to — a comprehensive listing of all the differences between the book and the script. This will help you draw your own conclusions about the work of Nelson Gidding. But first and foremost, I wanted to highlight one of the main differences between the book and the movie: the colour! Indeed, the novel is a colourful world that I wanted to explore. Last but not least, the text was scrutinised by several automated analysis tools, and I wanted to share their conclusions with you.

Colours from the book

The choice of the colours in The Haunting of Hill House

Black and white for the movie was an artistic choice

The story goes that in 1989 Robert Wise accidentally bumped into a team working on the colourization of The Haunting, while visiting a studio. The director himself had not been informed of the project, and worse, not been informed that it had already started! Furious, Robert Wise sued the team and argued in court that the movie had purposely been shot in black and white, that it was an artistic decision, as stated and proven by the contract signed at the time. In other words, the movie had been shot in black and white because Robert Wise thought it was perfectly appropriate, and not because there was not enough money to shoot in colour (although the budget of the movie was tight). As a result, the project was stopped, and the colourized version was banned.

I strongly believe that the choice of black and white for the movie was, and still is, a perfect artistic choice. There is absolutely no doubt about it. Although I'm a bit curious about the colourized version of the movie, I also have to admit I'm glad it has never been released. I'm pretty sure that it would haved spoiled everything.

The colourful world of the book

However, if you have read the book, you know that Shirley Jackson had chosen some colours for the bedrooms of her main characters...

... as well as colours for the clothes...

To be comprehensive, I need to add that in Shirley Jackson's preparatory sketch for the first floor of the house, many of the rooms have coloured names.
~ Source: "Shirley Jackson, a rather haunted life" by Ruth Franklin.

But which colours exactly?

Reading a very interesting document, I recently realised that the "purple parlour" was mentioned several times by the characters in the movie — quite strange for a movie shot in black & white. So I wondered: what about the book? To my surprise, it lead me to realise that the "purple parlour" was an invention for the movie. In the book, Shirley Jackson mentions a "little parlour", without any colour indication. This piqued my interest, and I started to count the colours in the book. This lead to another surprise: the book is not very colourful, and although two of the main characters are female, the universe of the book is everything but girlie.

Here are the figures:

The blue is #1, mainly thanks to Eleanor's blue bedroom, and the recurring mention of the blue cup of stars.
The red is #2, because of Eleanor's clothes (the red sweater) and shoes. Obviously, the blood in Theo's bedroom explains why red is again mentioned quite often.
The white is also #2, mainly in the day-dream sequence when Eleanor invents what an ideal world would look like for her. It makes a dreadful comeback in the nightmarish garden sequence, when the trees and the grass turn white.
The green is #3 because of Theo's green bedroom and all the outdoor scenes with the green grass, green hill, etc.

Not an innocent choice

There are many possible interpretations, of course. And they are, by nature, always subjective. Still, I can't help but notice that the women bedroom's colours are obviously cold whilst the men bedroom's colours are warmer.

More interestingly, the women's clothes are warm colours that are in complete opposition to the colour of their bedrooms.

Please find below some interpretations that I have gathered.

The bedrooms

Blue - Eleanor's bedroom

[+] Tranquil, intuitive, trustworthy
[-] Cold, Depressing

The colour of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colours. It causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.

Extreme cold can result in frost bite where the skin turns white with blotches of blue, so we talk of being blue with cold. Just being blue or having the blues is feeling depressed. In America, the boys in blue are all in the navy wearing natty blue uniforms. When two full moons occur within 28 days we call that period a blue moon. Something which happens once in a blue moon therefore, happens very seldom. Describing people we say that a chatterbox talks up a blue streak and a brown noser is a derogatory term used for people who are sycophantic.

Green - Theodora's bedroom

[+] Growth, abundance, vitality
[-] Bad luck

Currently the most popular decorating colour, green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest colour on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing colour. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck.

Emotions such as envy and jealousy are green too. Shakespeare wrote about the green monster of jealousy in his play Othello and today we still speak of the little green monster or of being green with envy, although why it should be a green monster instead of a blue or brown one is not clear. If you believe that the grass is greener on the other side, you want something that's just out of your reach, just like cattle which always want to eat in the field next to where they are left by the farmer.

Pink - Dr. John Montague's bedroom

[NOTE: I know this is NOT his bedroom but we don't see it in the movie. I used the dining room instead.]

[+] Friendly, compassionate, faithful
[-] Girlish

The most romantic colour, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.

A young person is described as being in the first flush of youth which refers to the glowing skin which traditionally accompanies good health. Similarly, being in the pink also refers to glowing skin. Seeing the world through rose tinted spectacles means that you are looking at things in a false light which makes them seem more attractive than they actually are. 'La vie en rose' as we say in french.

Yellow - Luke Sanderson's bedroom

[NOTE: I know this is NOT his bedroom but we don't see it in the movie. I used the dining room instead.]

[+] Enthusiastic, playful, optimistic
[-] Cowardice

Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic colour, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult colour for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism.

Cowardly people are said to have a yellow streak. In the past, men who refused to fight in wars were given the white feather from a chicken, a bird which symbolized cowardice.

The corridor

In the book, a stained-glass window created shattered fragments of blue and orange and green on the dark wood of the first floor corridor.

The clothes

Excerpt from "The Power of Color", by Dr. Morton Walker.

Red - Eleanor's clothes

Red Personalities

The words that best describe Reds are practical, realistic, down-to-earth, sensible, pragmatic and dependable. They are traditionalists in their beliefs and values. Reds are the backbone of society. They believe that people should earn their way in life through hard work and service to others. They approach everything from a no-nonsense point of view. For Reds, what you see is what you get. They are loyal to their families, their causes and their superiors. They operate best within a traditional power structure where everyone knows their places. They are sensitive to the lines of authority and are conscientious about staying within those lines.

Even if Reds do not agree with the rules or procedures, they will not challenge them. They accept them for what they are and understand that without structure and guidelines there would be chaos. They are dogmatic in their approach. Reds need specific parameters to function by.

Reds are literal in their interpretation of things. Everything is either black or white. Gray areas and ambiguity are not comfortable for Reds. Intangibles have little value in their world. Reds think that spending time exploring possibilities and creating ideas is non-productive unless there is a process in place to follow through on those ideas. They are not abstract thinkers and, in fact, have very little patience with people who are. This is not to say that they are not idea people. They are. However, unless they have some assurance that the idea will work prior to moving forward, then it will be viewed as a waste of time. Reds see their role in the creativity process as the ones who give substance to ideas and turn them into reality.

Reds are controllers. They need to control both their environment and people. They believe that if they are in control then they can somehow buffer themselves from the unexpected. Reds do not like surprises. Their need to dominate others is strong. They tend to be autocratic and dictatorial in their interaction with others. They are highly effective at using intimidation and aggression in order to get what they want. Their need to dominate is so strong that they are often accused of being insensitive to the feelings and needs of others. Reds are strong, forceful personalities who are driven by the need for power and status.

Reds are fiercely competitive. They will not back down from a confrontational situation. They thrive in competitive environments. They view themselves as survivalists. For Reds, winning is everything. No matter what the cost, or what the conditions. They are not squeamish in their quest for winning. If winning means stepping on others to get what they want...so be it. They are not sentimental and they do not identify with the underdogs. From their perspective there can be only one winner, and that winner will be them. Reds will fight to the end. In reality, the more ferocious the competition, the more stimulating it is for Reds. They prefer taking the offensive, rather than defensive position.

Hard work is the hallmark of Reds. They are doers. They will not rest until the job is done. They believe in rolling up their sleeves and jumping right in. Reds are detail oriented. For them, no detail is too small to overlook. They pride themselves on their ability to manage people, facts and information. They prefer working in environments where there are systems; tasks are well defined, and where expectations and results are clearly explained. They do not like to waste their time in meetings where all there is, is planning or brainstorming. Reds are action people. They love seeing immediate results for their efforts. Their motto in life is, "Just Do It". Reds are the kind of people every employer dreams of. They are loyal, steadfast and dependable. They do not mind taking on tasks that are routine or redundant. Understanding job responsibilities and how their performance is going to be measured is a must for Reds.

Because of their hard work attitude, they expect the same of others. They have little tolerance for people who are non-productive. They will not tolerate emotional outbursts in the work environment. They expect people to leave their personal problems at home. They measure both themselves and others on results, not on effort. They believe that everything depends on them. They also believe that it is their responsibility to light the fire under others so things will happen.

Extroverted Reds

Extroverted Reds believe in making the most of the moment. They are doers who like to keep themselves involved in life. They like to keep things lively and churning as much as possible. Even though they do not personally like change, they are known for changing direction mid-stream just to keep people on their toes. They are not the types to rest on their laurels. They make things happen. If extroverted Reds decide something needs to get done, get out of their way is you can not stand the pace. They are impatient types. They have difficulty relaxing. They do not cope well with things that do not go the way they think they should.

They are outgoing, up-front, extremely direct and vocal when it comes to expressing what they want and do not want. They do not pull any punches when it comes to telling others what they like and do not like. They are masters at getting to the heart of the matters. They are abrupt and will cut to the chase in order to find out what they need. When they ask questions they expect simple direct answers. They have no tolerance for lengthy complex explanations. If they ask the time, they do not want to know how the watch was built.

Introverted Reds

Introverted Reds are quiet, introspective, serious, matter-of-fact, reserved people who are reliable and steadfast. They are patient and painstakingly systematic in their approach to solving problems. Unlike their extroverted counterparts, introverted Reds will not exert themselves any more than they have to, and they do not enter into things impulsively. They do not see bulldozing ahead or butting heads with people as a good usage of either time or energy. They are methodical in their approach to both life and tasks. Life is what you see and nothing more. They live in the present.

No other type is more thorough, hard-working or patient with facts and details than introverted Reds. Their perseverance and quiet presence tends to act as a stabilizer for others. They will not do anything that doesn't make sense. They enjoy solitude and prefer working by themselves rather than working with people. For introverted Reds, people are a distraction. They need an environment where they just bury themselves in the tasks at hand. They produce results.

Yellow - Theodora's clothes

Yellow Personalities

Yellows are self-confident personalities. The words that best describe Yellows are self-reliant, self-respected, self-made, self-motivated, high self-esteem, self-starter and self-fulfilled. Yellows believe in themselves, their capabilities and their intellectual abilities. They know that if they put their minds to it, they can accomplish anything. Their philosophy is that if they believe in it, they can achieve it. When you combine these strong "self" Yellow characteristics with their ambition, they truly are capable of transforming their dreams into real accomplishments. The future to Yellows is a world of endless possibilities and the opportunity to make a difference. They are true visionaries.

Yellows are challengers. They challenge authority. They challenge the traditional ways of thinking. They challenge why and how things work. They even constantly challenge themselves to be better and to think differently. They dare to do things differently and to make things better. Yellows are non-conformists and mavericks. Even though they may appear to conform within conventional society, they are truly square pegs trying to fit into a round world. Yellows live by their own internal code of values and principles. They are not strongly influenced by other people or by traditional limitations. Yellows make their own sets of rules and march to their own drummers.

Yellows need the freedom to utilize their intelligence, to pursue their quest for knowledge and wisdom and to develop competency by acquiring new skills and expanding their capabilities. For Yellows, being competent is everything. They will not settle for anything less. Yellows pride themselves on their expertise and intellect. They view life as something to be understood and mastered. They make perfect scientists because of their need to control predict and explain both concepts and realities. Research is their greatest passion. They are compulsive about improving things. For Yellows, knowing how something works is only half of the equation, knowing how to make it better is the other half. Inventors tend to be Yellows.

Goals drive and motivate Yellows. They enjoy the goal setting process because it allows them the opportunity to look at an entire situation, identify objectives, deal with obstacles and put strategies in place to accomplish the results. Yellows tend to know what they want and they have the drive necessary to get it. They also know how to use their leadership strengths to gain the cooperation of others. Yellows are ambitious people.

At their best, Yellows are innovative thinkers. They defy the traditional ways of doing things and seek out ways to make things better. They are resourceful people. They can grasp abstract theory easily and convert it into practical applications. They thrive on the complexities of problems and situations.

At their worst, Yellows are impractical, condescending, overly conceptual, uncompromising, verbose, and nit-picky. They become pre-occupied, mentally incapacitated, impatient with others, and irritated with themselves. They lose touch with reality and get lost in their heads. Yellows expend so much mental energy working to analyze and rationalize their way of thinking that they lose sight of objectives. When in this mental state, they tend to use intellectualizing as a means of appearing superior to others.

Extroverted Yellows

Extroverted Yellows are hearty, frank, highly energetic, dynamic, charismatic people. They love to engage others in intellectual banter. They are skilled at getting others to accept their way of thinking and to support their objectives. Extroverted Yellows are always looking for new challenges. They tend to be consummate entrepreneurs. If extroverted Yellows are told something cannot be done, they will not only take on the challenge to prove that it can be done, they will usually exceed expectations. They have a natural zest for life that attracts others to follow their leadership and jump on their bandwagon. Their methodology to get others involved can be likened to the "Huck Finn" technique. Make it look like so much fun that others cannot possibly resist the temptation to get in and roll their sleeves up to make things happens.

Extroverted Yellows are commandants. They believe it is their place in life to lead. They enjoy public speaking and sharing their thoughts and ideas with groups. They understand that in order to be a good leader you must lead by example. You must walk your talk. They know that mixed messages will undermine others' belief in them. They are outward-driven in their thinking. If they come up with an idea, they want to turn it into reality. Extroverted Yellows cannot be content with living with ideas. Their need to make things happen is too great. In the game of life, extroverted Yellows cannot remain on the sidelines. They not only need to be involved in the game, they need to be leading the team.

Introverted Yellows

Introverted Yellows are deep thinkers. An ideal job for them would be a "think-tank specialist". They are continually creating ideas and concepts in their minds. They have rich imaginations, which provide them with endless possibilities to explore. Their thinking process is to consider, do, then re-consider. Introverted Yellows need the time to think about things, then think about them some more. They become irritated when pressed to make decisions before they have had the time to fully understand all of the variables. They will massage a problem until they can find just the right solution. Introverted Yellows carry on extensive internal conversations. They play out scenario after scenario in their minds. They thrive on the complexities of their thoughts. They would much rather have quietness to contemplate and speculate than have to put things into action.

Their faith in their intuition makes them extremely independent and individualistic. They tend to live by their own intellectual formulas and expect others follow accordingly. They have little patience with confusion, ineffectiveness, doing things halfway or efforts that are not producing results. Introverted Yellows have a difficult time communicating their ideas effectively to others. They tend to explain their ideas in such a complicated manner that most people cannot follow their thoughts. Introverted Yellows expect others to be able to follow along, and if they cannot, these Yellows see repetition as a waste of time and energy.

Introverted Yellows are cool thinkers, consequently others will seek them out to solve problems in pressure situations. They have the ability to create win-win outcomes even in the most adverse conditions. The gift introverted Yellows have to share with others is their resourcefulness and the belief that every problem has a solution.

Study of the book

How to do that?

To be able to study the text of the book, I needed an electronic version. I scanned a cheap pocket edition of the English original version & of the French translation. I ran an OCR (optical character recognition) tool on these images, to get a text version. Then I proof read everything, because OCR is a great technology but you can't skip the human proof reading operation to correct some misinterpretations. As a result, I have a clean pure-text version of the novel.

And, voilà, now I can run different automated tools to study the original novel, in English or in French.

Please find below the initial results of my investigations and explorations.

Tag/Word clouds

First, I wanted to create some tag clouds / word clouds to highlight the most important topics of the book. I quickly realised that I needed to exclude the word "said", that would otherwise stand out in every graphic, because the novel is full of dialogues between the characters.

You can see that the book is mainly centred on Eleanor and Theodora, then on Hill House, Luke, and the Dr. Montague.

The Haunting of Hill House (English original text)

The Haunting of Hill House (French translation)

For the fun of it, I also ran the tool on the French translation of the book, the very first version I read back then.

Online-utility.org analysis

This site was able to produce some statistics (figures) about the novel, and evaluate the education level required to understand it.

Figures

Indication of the number of years of formal education that a person requires in order to easily understand the text on the first reading.

Approximate representation of the U.S. grade level needed to comprehend the text.

Vocabulary

The site also offers a very nice functionality: the "vocabulary builder" function allows you to generate a whole listing of all the difficult words found in the text, complete with definition, synonyms and examples. Obviously, the very simple words are not listed.

I believe this is quite useful if you are a young reader or if English is not your native language. For convenience, the listing is available "sorted in alphabetic order" or "sorted in the reading order".

For those interested, you can download the vocabulary listings I have generated.

Most used word

Most used 2 words

Most used 3 words

Semantic

To dig a little bit further, I replaced "Hill House" by "HillHouse" to allow it to be considered as one word. Then I launched another analysis, trying to link the words with their semantic fields.

So, it is not a surprise if you have read the book : the novel is focussing on a small number of characters, related to a house, discussing a lot, involved in non action (to think, to see, to know, etc).

Voyant-tools.org analysis

This site offers to generate multiple visual representations of your text. There is such a plethora of options that I had to be reasonable and focus on two type of graphics.

Raw frequencies

The document is split into 10 arbitrary segments. For every segment you can figure out which character is the most prominent, important, in a word: often mentioned. The tool identified 5 main characters: Eleanor, Theodora, Dr. Montague, Luke and the house.

Connection graph

The tool examines the connections between all the characters and the world they relate to. The thicker the line is, the more intense the relation is.

The Haunting of Hill House

Eleanor

Luke

Theodora

Hill House

Dr. Montague

Differences between the book and the film

Figures

In the book...	In the film...
Hill House is 80 years old.	Hill House is 90 years old, although this change is not significant at all.
Hugh Crain has two daughters.	Hugh Crain has one daughter, Abigail.
Hugh Crain married three times.	Hugh Crain married twice.
Eleanor's mother died 3 months ago.	Eleanor's mother died 2 months ago.
Three persons take care of the house: Mr. and Mrs. Dudley, plus an unidentified person, seen in a car leaving the house with them. Mrs. Dudley with the First and the Second Murderer.	Two persons take care of the house: Mr. and Mrs. Dudley.

Names

In the book...	In the film...
Dr. John Montague.	Dr. John Markway.
Grace Montague.	Grace Markway.
Eleanor Vance.	Eleanor Lance.
Mrs. Sanderson.	Mrs. Sannerson.
Luke Sanderson.	Luke Sannerson.
Linnie (niece of Eleanor).	Dora Frederiks (niece of Eleanor).
Sophia Anne Lester Crain (one of the two daughters of Hugh Crain).	Only one daughter, Abigail Crain, in the movie.
Arthur Parker (friend of Grace Montague).	(this character is not present in the movie).

From the garage to Hill House

In the book...	In the film...
The book doesn't start with the history of Hill House. The story of the house is told much later.	The movie starts right away with the story of Hill House.
Dr. Montague informs Eleanor that the village just before Hill House is named Hillsdale and that in Hillsdale, people are rude to strangers and openly hostile to anyone inquiring about Hill House.	Dr. Markway didn't leave any recommendation about where to stop and where not to stop.
Eleanor first stops to admire a row of splendid tended oleanders blooming pink and white in a steady row. As she leaves, Eleanor says "Another day I'll come back and break your spell".	Eleanor doesn't stop at all during the trip to Hill House.
Eleanor stops in a country restaurant, an old mill, after 101 miles. She finds herself seated upon a balcony over a dashing stream.	Eleanor doesn't stop at all during the trip to Hill House.
A family is also in the same restaurant. The little girl doesn't want to drink her milk because she wants her cup of stars. This "cup of stars" is very important in the book and will be mentioned several times.	Not a word about the "cup of stars" in the movie, although this item seems to be very important in the book.
Eleanor stops again just outside Ashton because she saw a tiny cottage, buried in a garden, with a small blue front door.	Eleanor doesn't stop at all during the trip to Hill House.
Eleanor stops in Hillsdale, just to have a coffee.	Eleanor doesn't stop at all during the trip to Hill House.
In Hillsdale, Eleanor thinks obscurely "It is my last chance".	Eleanor have this thought later (see below).
Before she enters the park, in front of Hill House's gates, Eleanor thinks "It is my chance; I'm being given a last chance. I could turn my car around right here and now in front of these gates and go away from here, and no one would blame me. Anyone has the right to run away".	Eleanor says these words, after she enters the park, when she first sees the house. She says exactly: "It is my chance. I'm being given a last chance. I could turn my car around and go away from here... and no one would blame me. Anyone has a right to run away. But you are running away, Eleanor... and there is nowhere else to go".
Mr. Dudley says "I don't hang around here afterdark".	This is typically what Mrs. Dudley says later to Eleanor, when she introduces Eleanor to her bedroom.
Mr. and Mrs. Dudley lives in Hillsdale.	Mrs. Dudley: "We live over in town, miles away". The name of the town in not mentioned.

Life in Hill House

In the book...	In the film...
The facade of the house is made of wood, only the tower is made of stone.	The complete house is made of stone.
When Eleanor meets Theo, they decide to explore the garden immediately: "They ran across the grass; they followed the sound and smell of water".	When Eleanor meets Theo, they decide to explore the house immediately. But they never go outside Hill House.
Eleanor and Theo have a first experience down by the water: "They stared, watching the spot of hillside across the brook where the grass moved, watching something unseen move slowly across the bright green hill, chilling the sunlight and the dancing little brook".	Eleanor and Theo have a first experience in Hill House during their initial "exploration" of the house: Eleanor feels a chill and Theo concludes "It wants you Nell... The house is calling you".
As they come back, Eleanor and Theo meet Luke (in the Veranda) and then Dr. Montague (at the great front door).	Eleanor and Theo meet Dr. Markway (in the dinning room) and then Luke (preparing the drinks).
The doctor is round and rosy and bearded.	The doctor is slim, handsome and has a moustache.
Eleanor openly says "I love my love with a B. because he is bearded", directly referring to Dr. Montague. This is strange because Eleanor has a crush on Luke and not on Dr. Montague.	Eleanor is never that "pushy" in the movie.
The group manages to leave all the doors wide open and block them open.	They don't have that concern in the movie.
The doctor warns: "The last person who tried to leave Hill House in darkness - it was 18 years ago - was killed at the turn of the driveway, where his horse bolted and crushed him against the big tree".	The First Mrs. Crain died this way as she came to Hill House for the very first time. But nobody else did ever since.
The group talks about Eleanor's poltergeist experience after the dinner. They don't want to discuss anything during the dinner.	The group talks about Eleanor's poltergeist experience during the dinner.
Hugh Crain's (1st) young wife died minutes before she first was to set eyes on the house, when the carriage bringing her here overturned in the driveway.	Hugh Crain's (1st) young wife died minutes before she first was to set eyes on the house, when the horses bolted, crushing her carriage against the big tree.
The 2nd Mrs. Crain died of a fall. Dr. Montague adds that he has been unable to ascertain how or why.	The 2nd Mrs. Crain died of a fall down the stairs. Dr. Markway doesn't know exactly why but we know how she died.
After the death of their stepmother, the little girls were sent to live with a cousin, and there they remained until they were grown up.	Abigail Crain never left Hill House. She continued to live there with a nurse.
The 3rd Mrs. Crain died of what they used to call consumption somewhere in Europe, with her husband.	There were only two "Mrs. Crain" in the movie.
Hugh Crain died in Europe, shortly after his wife.	Hugh Crain died in Europe in a drowning accident.
The two daughters inherited Hill House. The older decided to live in Hill House. The younger was married and had given up her claim on the house in exchange for a number of family heirlooms, some of considerable value, which her sister then refused to give her.	Abigail Crain, unique daughter, inherits Hill House and naturally continues to live there.
The older sister died of pneumonia in Hill House. There were stories later of a doctor called too late, of the old lady lying neglected upstairs while the paid companion dallied in the garden with some village lout.	Abigail Crain died in the nursery, calling for help, whilst the companion was fooling around with a farm hand on the veranda.
The paid companion inherited Hill House but the younger Crain sister sued her. The paid companion won the case and remained in Hill House.	The paid companion inherits Hill House.
The paid companion hanged herself from the turret on the tower.	The paid companion hanged herself in the library.
The doctor makes his first experience that day, when he explores the house to find the chessboard. As he comes back, he repeats "My wild imagination; my own imagination".	The doctor only makes an experience at the end of the movie, when Grace is sleeping in the nursery.
Luke and Dr. Montague are playing chess.	Luke and Theo are playing card games, gin rummy.
Theo touches Eleanor's hand, which makes Eleanor feel really uncomfortable.	This event didn't make it to the movie version. Still, Eleanor is not comfortable with Theo touching her in the movie.
Eleanor drinks some brandy.	Eleanor doesn't drink any alcohol.
Eleanor took care of her mother for 11 years. The mother died 3 months ago.	Eleanor took care of her mother for 11 years. The mother died 2 months ago.
Theo touches Eleanor's cheek with her finger.	This event didn't make it to the movie version. Still, Eleanor is not comfortable with Theo touching her in the movie.
Theo talks about her apartment while Luke and Dr. Montague are playing chess.	Theo talks about her apartment much later, when she moves in, in Eleanor's bedroom.
Eleanor says "Once I had a blue cup with stars painted on the inside; when you looked down into a cup of tea it was full of stars". She borrowed this detail from the family having lunch with her, earlier in the restaurant by the dashing stream.	Eleanor doesn't mention the "cup of stars" at all in the whole movie.
Dr. Montague reads "Pamela" Samuel Richardson's first novel, "Pamela: or Virtue Rewarded" (1740) was a bestseller in its time. As its heroine became an icon of feminine virtue, so she also became the subject of vicious parody. Within its didactic account of a servant girl who resists her libidinous master, this brilliant epistolary novel creates high erotic and moral tension.	We don't know about Dr. Markway's readings while at Hill House.
Nothing happens the first night.	Eleanor and Theo are "attacked" in Theo's bedroom during the first night.
A second event happened the morning of the second day, as Luke and Dr. Montague are waiting for Eleanor and Theo to have a breakfast. "That's how we knew you were coming. We saw the door swing shut".	This event is not pictured in the movie. Furthermore, Eleanor and Dr. Montague are having breakfast, then Theo comes, then Luke comes.
Eleanor and Theo are visiting Mrs. Dudley's kitchen, that features many doors.	The kitchen is not visited in the movie.
Luke holds Eleanor when she get dizzy, looking at the top of the tower.	Dr. Markway holds Eleanor when she get dizzy, looking at the top of the tower.
During the visit of the nursery, as they go through the cold spot, Theo mentions the "Borley Rectory" (supposedly the most haunted house in the UK).	The "Borley Rectory" is not mentioned in the movie.
Over the nursery doorway, two grinning heads were set; Luke explains: "When you stand where they can look at you, they freeze you".	The two heads are in the movie but the scene is so dark that you can't notice them.
Eleanor wants to plan a picnic outside.	No mention of the picnic in the movie.
Theo doesn't try to get in Eleanor's bedroom to re-style Eleanor's hair. They just go to each others' bedroom.	Theo says: "I'll come in for a second. You have been thinking of changing your hair. I know just the style for you".
During the attack, in Theo's bedroom, both doors are locked: Theo's door + Eleanor's door.	During the attack, in Theo's bedroom, only Eleanor's door is locked. They expect the worse because Theo's door is unlocked.
When she hears the Doctor and Luke passing the door, Theo opens her door. Eleanor is in her own bedroom, looking for some warm clothes.	When she hears the Doctor and Luke passing Theo's door, Eleanor opens the door. Theo and Eleanor are both in Theo's bedroom.
Dr. Montague mentions his wife during the breakfast: "My wife will never believe me". It is not an issue anyway because Eleanor is having a crush on Luke.	Dr. Markway never mentions her wife, until she pops up at the end of the movie. It is a real issue because Eleanor is having a crush on Dr. Markway.
Luke finds "Help Eleanor, Come Home" after the breakfast, as he is going back to the kitchen, asking for more coffee.	Luke finds "Help Eleanor, Come Home", before the breakfast, as he is going to the dining room.
After lunch, they all go to the garden.	In the movie, they never leave the house.
On the 3rd day, Theo finds her bedroom with blood all over the place.	This event didn't make it to the movie version.
"Help Eleanor, Come Home Eleanor" is also written in blood in Theo's bedroom. Slight change: Eleanor is repeated at the end.	This event didn't make it to the movie version.
What are they afraid of? Dr. Montague: "We are only afraid of ourselves" Luke: "[We are afraid] of seeing ourselves clearly and without disguise" Theo: "[We are afraid] of knowing what we really want" Eleanor: "I am always afraid of being alone".	What are they afraid of? Dr. Markway: "A modern man can react with the same unreasoning terror... to a supernatural event" Eleanor: "I have always been more afraid of being alone or left out..." Theo: "[I'm afraid] Of knowing what I really want" Luke: "What I just saw in the hall".
Eleanor comments the writing on the wall: "Those letters spelled out my name, and none of you know what that feels like - it is so familiar". And she gestured to them, almost in appeal. "Try to see", she said. "It is my own dear name, and it belongs to me, and something is using it and writing it and calling me with it and my own name...". She stopped and said, looking from one of them to another, even down onto Theodora's face looking up at her, "Look. There is only one of me, and it is all I have got. I hate seeing myself dissolve and slip and separate so that I'm living in one half, my mind, and I see the other half of me helpless and frantic and driven and I can't stop it, but I know I'm not really going to be hurt and yet time is so long and even a second goes on and on and I could stand any of it if I could only surrender - "	Eleanor comments the writing on the wall: "My name. It is my name! It belongs to me and something is using it. Writing it and calling me with my own name! That's it! It knows my name, doesn't it? It knows my name!"
Theodora comments the picture book (the legacy for education): "You were a dirty old man, and you made a dirty old house and if you can still hear me from anywhere I would like to tell you to your face that I genuinely hope you will spend eternity in that foul horrible picture and never stop burning for a minute".	Eleanor comments the picture book (the legacy for education): "Hugh Crain, you were a dirty man and you made a dirty house. If you can hear me, I'm telling you to your face... I hope you spend eternity in that foul, rotten book... and never stop burning for a minute".
The picture book is signed with Hugh Crain's blood.	The signature is not seen in the movie version.
When Theodora is tormenting Eleanor about her apartment ("is there any room for two"...), Eleanor is not angry at all and keeps on repeating "I had to come". Eventually, Eleanor leaves the room and the house, and walks in the night towards the little brook. Theo joins her...	When Theodora is tormenting Eleanor about her apartment ("is there any room for two"...), Eleanor is really angry and leaves the room to go to the terrace, where, joined by Theodora, they will hear Mrs. Markway coming.
... and the night looks like a negative picture, with luminous evil glowing objects. They go on, deeper, in the forest. "Eleanor and Theodora looked into a garden, their eyes blinded with the light of the sun and rich color; incredibly, there was a picnic party on the grass in the garden". As they come back, Luke and Dr. Montague are really worried: "We've been nearly crazy; we've been out looking for you for hours!" added the Doctor.	This event didn't make it to the movie version.
The statue is in the drawing room.	The statue is in the conservatory.
Mrs. Montague arrives one afternoon, with Arthur Parker.	Mrs. Markway arrives alone, one night.
Mrs. Montague wants to be in the "Most haunting room" and Dr. Montague suggests "The nursery, I think".	Dr. Markway wants her wife in his room but she objects "I'll be very disappointed if I don't see a ghost. Hadn't you better put me in the ghostly dungeon...". Eleanor suggests the nursery but Dr. Markway is angry and very reluctant to let her wife alone in that room.
Arthur has white hair and he works as headmaster of his school.	Arthur didn't make it to the movie version.
Mrs. Montague came to Hill House to perform some sessions with "planchette".	Mrs. Markway came to Hill House to convince her husband to come back home ("A reporter's been telephoning all day. He is on your track. He has heard about you renting this place"). Suspecting he would not accept, she took all she needed to stay too.
Mrs. Montague is very into supernatural, very exited and not really reasonable.	Mrs. Markway does not believe in the supernatural, she is calm and reasonable.
After a session with "planchette", Mrs. Montague has got a really weird message for Eleanor: - Who are you? - Nell - Nell who? - Eleanor Nellie Nell Nell - What do you want? - Home - Do you want to go home? - Want to be home - What are you doing here - Waiting - Waiting for what? - Home - Why? - Mother - Is Hill House your home? - Home - Are you suffering? - (no answer there) - Can we help you? - No - What do you want - Mother - Why? - Child - Where is your mother? - Home - Where is your home? - Lost. Lost. Lost.	This event didn't make it to the movie version.
Eleanor thinks about what she really wants: "Peace. What I want in all this world is peace, a quite spot to lie and think, a quiet spot up among the flowers where I can dream and tell myself sweet stories".	Eleanor thinks about what she really wants: "Journeys end in lovers meeting. All I want is to be cherished. And here we are listening to that ridiculous harp".
Arthur and Mrs. Montague are somewhere in the house. Dr. Montague, Luke, Theo and Eleanor are in the doctor's room. And the attack begins...	Mrs. Markway is sleeping in the nursery. Dr. Markway, Luke, Theo and Eleanor are downstairs in the parlor. And the attack begins...
This event is not in the book.	The parlor's door "breathes".
Mrs. Montague does not disappear.	Mrs. Markway disappears during the attack.
Luke, Theo and Eleanor are walking outside, towards the brook. Eleanor is heading the way. Suddenly, Luke and Theo are not following anymore, and Eleanor can see footsteps of an invisible creature in the grass.	This event didn't make it to the movie version.
All the members have gathered in a room, and Eleanor "looked at the empty center of the room where someone was walking and singing softly, and then she heard it clearly": Go walking through the valley, Go walking through the valley, Go walking through the valley, As we have done before... Go in and out the windows, Go in and out the windows, Go in and out the windows, As we have done before... Go forth and face your lover, Go forth and face your lover, Go forth and face your lover, As we have done before...	This event didn't make it to the movie version.
Eleanor had awakened with the thought of going down to the library. Once in the library, Eleanor calls "Mother" and a voice answered "Come along". Eleanor ends up pounding on the door of Mrs. Montague and then in the bedroom where Theo is sleeping. Then she runs and hides in the whole house, escaping the team that is looking for her everywhere. Then she finally ends up in the library, and gets up the spiral staircase.	During the last attack, Eleanor runs and ends up in the nursery. Dr. Markway, Luke and Theo join her there. While they're talking, Eleanor disappears again. She passes by Hugh Crain's statue and offers to dance with him. Then she finally ends up in the library, and gets up the spiral staircase.
The little trap door leads to a turret.	The little trap door leads to an attic where Mrs. Markway appears.
Luke saves Eleanor in the library stairs.	Dr. Markway saves Eleanor in the library stairs.
Eleanor leaves Hill House in the morning, after the breakfast.	Eleanor leaves Hill House immediately, in the middle of the night.
They stayed in Hill House "A little over a week".	They stayed in Hill House just a couple of days.
Mrs. Montague waves Eleanor good-bye, with all the others.	Mrs. Montague is not there to say good-bye and re-appears behind the tree where Eleanor crashes her car.
This event is not in the book.	After her death, Eleanor continues to live in Hill House in a different form (a ghost, we assume). Robert Wise then confirms the theory that there are actual ghosts in Hill House. Still, Eleanor seems to be all alone, as she laments "and we who walk here, walk alone".

Colours

In the book...	In the film...
Eleanor's bedroom is blue (a cold colour) and she is dressed in red.	The movie was purposely shot in black and white.
Dr. Montague's bedroom is pink.	The movie was purposely shot in black and white.
Luke's bedroom is yellow.	The movie was purposely shot in black and white.
Theo's bedroom is green (another cold colour) and she is dressed in yellow.	The movie was purposely shot in black and white.
The team gathers in the little parlour, with a violet decoration.	The team gathers in the purple parlour, although we see it in black and white.

Eleanor

In the book...	In the film...
Eleanor hates her mother.	Eleanor doesn't mention that she hated her mother.
Carrie is 6 years older than Eleanor.	We don't have this information in the movie.
Eleanor's father died when Eleanor was 12.	We don't have this information in the movie.
The poltergeist started one month after the death of the father, so Eleanor was 12 years old.	The poltergeist happened when Eleanor was 10.
Bud thinks that it is unfair that Eleanor should have the car during all the summer.	Bud is a coward and tries to convince Eleanor. Carrie is the mean one.
Bud and Carrie plan to spend the summer in the mountains and want the car in case Linnie gets sick.	Bud and Carrie don't have any special plan, they just want to forbid Eleanor to use the car.
Eleanor takes a cab to go to the garage.	We don't know how she gets to the garage.
Eleanor crashes into a very little lady, sending packages in all directions.	This event didn't make it to the movie version.
Eleanor comes to the garage and leaves immediately with the car.	Eleanor has to request the keys to the garage attendant.
Eleanor is expected on Thursday 21st of June.	We don't have this information in the movie.

Theodora

In the book...	In the film...
Theo had an argument with her girlfriend when she received Dr. Montague's invitation.	This event didn't make it to the movie version.
Theo smashed the lovely little figurine. The girlfriend ripped to shreds a volume of Alfred De Musset, a present from Theo.	This event didn't make it to the movie version.
Theo wrote back to accept the invitation the same night and left in the morning.	This event didn't make it to the movie version.

A different pace

Independently from all the facts listed above, the pace of the novel is also very different from the movie. The action spans over more than a week — approx 10 days, with two minor inconsistencies: about the date of Grace's arrival first, then about 4 days, unaccounted for.

Wednesday 20 June

• Eleanor at her sister's, begging for permission to use the little car that is only half hers

Thursday 21 June

• Eleanor takes the car from the garage anyway and leaves, heading to Hill House
• Long trip, day-dreaming, stop for lunch, the cup of stars, stop for coffee at Hillsdale
• Eleanor arrives at Hill House
• Eleanor and Theo explore the garden; strange rabbit by the little brook
• Drink in the parlour
• Dinner
• Another drink in the parlour
• Quiet night

Friday 22 June

• Breakfast
• Visit of the house, including the library
• Eleanor gets dizzy while looking at the tower
• Lunch
• Siesta
• Visit of the nursery, discovery of the cold spot
• Dinner
• Drink in the parlour

Saturday 23 June

• At 4 a.m., knocking on the wall and doors
• Breakfast
• Chat in the parlour
• While on his way for more coffee, Luke discovers "Help Eleanor, come home" on the wall
• Quiet afternoon
• Eleanor, Luke and Theo explore the garden, summer house, rose garden
• Quiet night

Sunday 24 June

• Measuring the cold spot
• Lunch
• The doctor announces that his wife will be here the day after tomorrow, on Saturday [inconsistent]
• Blood in Theo's bedroom. "Help Eleanor, come home Eleanor" written in blood and her clothes are ruined
• Dinner
• Drink in the parlour
• Night cries & "Whose hand was I holding?"

Monday 25 June

• Eleanor and Luke by the summer house
• Reading the home-made book for Abigail's education
• Dinner
• Drink in the parlour
• Eleanor flees in the garden, at night, followed by Theo. Phosphorescent landscape, daylight at night, picnic, family, dog scene...

Tuesday 26 June
[no information]

Wednesday 27 June
[no information]

Thursday 28 June
[no information]

Friday 29 June
[no information]

Saturday 30 June

• Eleanor wanders alone in the hills
• Grace and Arthur arrive at dinner time
• Dinner
• Seance in the library, planchette delivers a message through Grace
• Grace and Arthur have a quiet night in their bedrooms whilst Eleanor, Theo, the doctor and Luke have a crazy night in the doctor's bedroom

Sunday 31 June

• Breakfast
• Eleanor, Luke and Theo in the garden. Eleanor — then alone — witnesses mysterious steps on the slope
• Luke and Theo in the summer house. Hidden, Eleanor listens
• Drink in the parlour, while Grace and Arthur have a seance with planchette — no message this time
• Then all 6 in the parlour, while Eleanor hears someone walking and singing in the room
• Eleanor flees and ends up in the library, on the spiral staircase, where she has to be rescued

Monday 1st July

• Breakfast
• Eleanor is asked to leave immediately, after breakfast
• Eleanor kills herself — or is killed — in the park with her car