Encyclopedia Horrifica: The Terrifying TRUTH! About Vampires, Ghosts, Monsters, and More [Hardcover]

Joshua Gee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007 | Age Range: 8 and up

Bursting with eerie photos and Special Investigations, a nonfiction compendium of all things ghoulish and ghastly--from Aliens to Zombies!

Vampires, ghosts, monsters, and more--ENCYCLOPEDIA HORRIFICA invites you to join our quest for the terrifying truth about all things ghoulish and ghastly. But beware! Surprises lurk at the turn of every page. . . .

Discover a time line of ALIEN LIFE on earth--beginning 4 billion years ago! Meet a man recruited by the U.S. government to become a PSYCHIC SUPERSPY. Spend a dark and stormy night with professional GHOSTBUSTERS. Visit a mysterious library in search of DRACULA's shocking origins. Witness new photos of the actual sea monster that inspired the mythical KRAKEN. And much more!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"4.5 ALIEN SKULLS OUT OF 5. Delivers on all levels...[E.H.] would make a great spooky holiday present." -- Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest

"GRADE: A. A handsome hardcover volume with a lenticular frontispiece...A must-have for your reference shelf." -- The-Trades.com

"A fun blend of fact and fiction (with many comparisons between the two), this gorgeous hardcover won't disappoint." -- Rue Morgue Magazine

"Aimed at kids and teens, [E.H.] is also nice reading for the not-so-adult grown-ups. . . . Tons of references and links for each one of us to further investigate the unknown." -- Razor Reel

*** A YALSA Quick Pick *** -- *** Nominated for the BRAM STOKER AWARD for "SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION" ***

From the Author

JOSHUA GEE is most frequently sighted in New York City, according to eyewitnesses. Encyclopedia Horrifica is widely believed to be his first book.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439922550
• ISBN-13: 978-0439922555
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.6 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias
  • #55 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Mystery & Wonders
  • #71 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Mythology & Folklore

More About the Author

JOSHUA GEE devotes his life to the unflinching pursuit of all things ghoulish and ghastly. He is author of the award-winning ENCYCLOPEDIA HORRIFICA and founder of Spidertech Studios, where his team publishes books and apps for fright fans of all ages.

Mr. Gee also cofounded the wildly successful Multimedia Publishing department at Scholastic, home of GOOSEBUMPS, THE 39 CLUES, and SKELETON CREEK. As editor, Mr. Gee has worked with internationally bestselling horror-humor authors such as R.L. Stine and Seth Grahame-Smith.

According to eyewitnesses, Joshua Gee is most frequently sighted in New York City and Maine.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too July 11, 2007

By TeensReadToo

Format:Hardcover

ENCYCLOPEDIA HORRIFICA is the perfect book for anyone who loves the spooky, the eerie, and the downright weird. Want to know about ghosts, vampires, ESP, werewolves, or anything else even partially paranormal? Then this is definitely the book for you!

The book is broken down into four main parts: Real Nightmares, "That's the Spirit!", Every Day is Halloween, and Fearsome Fates.

In part one, you can read about vampires, sea creatures, aliens, and werewolves. Part two covers ghosts: where to find them, how to catch them, when they've been caught on film, and animals who could have been extras on the movie Pet Sematary. Part three includes weird shops (where you can even buy a three-pound jar of dead flies), ESP and other psychic abilities, phobias and superstitions, and the most horrific books you could ever find on a bookshelf. Part four covers zombies, pixies and faeries, mummies, and everything death related.

This book is hilariously horrifying. Although that may sound like an oxymoron, author Joshua Gee has made sure to make the facts he covers interesting, funny, and entertaining. Besides being a reference book, this is one tome that you'll find yourself reading over and over again for its pure entertainment value.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Horrifying...ly good! November 28, 2007

By Lil' E

Format:Hardcover

This is a surprisingly good book. I ordered it out of my niece's school's book order for a laugh, then started reading it and was enthralled! It has a Guinness Book of World Records feel to it, including a ton of information pertaining to each subject and interesting facts about everything surrounding the subjects. This book has cool pictures and illustrations, is easy to read and jam-packed with information on the superstitions and lore that have been part of our culture since the dawn of time. One of the cool things is that the book doesn't claim these figments of lore are real, per se, but rather, provides one with the facts and stories related to the topic so that one can make their own decision, or just be entertained and become more informed. I would definately recommend this as a cool book to own if you have any interest in the supernatural and cultural history :)
Schematics: cool holographic cover, thick book

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Blood sweet blood" February 2, 2008

By E. A. Lovitt HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

In spite of the `horrifica' in the title, this author's tongue was tucked firmly into his own cheek during the compilation of this witty encyclopedia. Joshua Gee never comes right out and says, for example, that vampires really exist. Instead he leads his reader on with teasers such as, "If we could ask Stoker himself whether or not he believed in vampires and werewolves, what might he say? Well, hopefully nothing. After all, he's been dead since 1912!"

Mindful of the age of its intended readers, this encyclopedia doesn't go into too much shocking detail. For instance, it never does state what Vlad Dracula a.k.a. Vlad the Impaler did with all of those six-foot wooden stakes. Mr. Gee just drops a big hint: "It [impalement] is best described in a foreign language that the reader does not understand..."

Nevertheless, there are lots of interesting bits of folklore and science to entertain your young Buffys and Van Helsings. For instance, did you know that vampire slayers had to ride a horse "...as black as the blackest ocean" or that vampire bat spit contains a substance called `draculin' that prevents its victim's blood from clotting?

Although this is a standard, hard-bound book with multiple pictures (in gory color) per page, there are lots of interactive features to engage the computer-savvy reader, such as a quiz on the `real' versus movie Dracula: "Who would win in a furious fight to the (un)death? YOU decide."

I'll go with the real Dracula whose "victims accumulated on his front lawn like `a mighty forest'!"

"Encyclopedia Horrifica" has something for everyone who is interested in the supernatural, from aliens to zombies. It's not really arranged in an encyclopedic format, i.e. A to Z, but there is an index if you need to look up, say, "The Call of Cthulhu" or `fugu sashimi.'

This review wouldn't be complete without mention of the many wonderful pictures that adorn this book, from the holographic spider that crawls in and out of a skull's eye socket on the front cover, to the scariest photo of all: an eyelash mite in its natural habitat on your skin, magnified 240 times to look like a wormy alligator. Ugh!