The Californer - Get in the Halloween Spirit at Rare Books LA Union Station

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The earliest modern vampire story, a rare encyclopedia of the occult, first editions of Stephen King, and classified files about an alien encounter are just a few of the items you will encounter at Rare Books LA October 5-6.

LOS ANGELES - Californer -- Ghostly tales and haunted halls, oh my!

Get into the Halloween spirit at Rare Books LA Union Station and stroll through shelves of spooky tomes, eerie stories, and haunted images.

The earliest modern vampire story, a rare encyclopedia of the occult, first editions of Stephen King, and classified files about an alien encounter are just a few of the items you will encounter at Rare Books LA. The book fair will take place October 5-6 at Union Station in the historic Ticket Concourse, the ideal paranormal playground for these spooky materials. Union Station has its own ghostly legends. One of the most famous is the Woman in Red, whose spectral figure is often seen in the waiting area and near the ticket booths.

Visitors to Rare Books LA can take a self-guided tour of the book fair's haunted offerings. Look for Spooky Tales tour placards at participating booksellers' booths during the fair.

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Dark Parks of Reno, Nevada is offering a special copy of Stephen King's Pet Sematary, signed with quotes by five of the actors in the film version of this classic horror novel. "It took me over five years to gather all these signatures at various trade shows," says Ryan Parks. "I personally had each actor sign a quote from the film that I picked out myself to make this copy the only one in the world with these inscriptions and character names."

London bookseller Peter Harrington is exhibiting the first edition, second and earliest obtainable issue of the first modern vampire novel (1819), together with the first edition, second issue, of Lord Byron's Mazeppa, which includes the first appearance in print of his vampiric tale, "A Fragment", which inspired John William Polidori's story. Fast forward nearly two hundred years, for a new vampiric interpretation offered by Swan's Fine Books of Dracula: The Definitive Edition (1996), illustrated by Edward Gorey.

Rootenberg Rare Books of Los Angeles will feature the Second and best edition of Dictionnaire infernal (Paris, 1825-26), a sweeping encyclopedia of the occult. Arranged alphabetically, the entries provide a comprehensive explanation of all knowledge regarding demonology, magic, divination, superstition, and sorcery.

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Direct from Greg's Fun Shop in Los Angeles the archive of a retired U.S. Air Force captain whose research often ventured into controversial territory, exploring topics such as alleged government cover-ups of UFO encounters and the existence of extraterrestrial technology. The archive includes a binder filled with declassified top-secret government documents, including letters, slides, and photographs of a reconstruction of an alleged alien autopsy conducted at an Air Force base.

Tickets to the book fair are $20 on Saturday and $15 on Sunday. Save by purchasing a weekend pass for $25!

Union Station
800 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles

Saturday, October 5
10am – 6pm

Sunday, October 6
11am – 4pm