[edspengler]

Given the successful outcome of my recent book replica project I have decided to take on another one. I took the time today to draft some cover artwork that I am quite happy with. Pictured below are preliminary drafts of the front and rear covers:



According to the references, this book was a compilation of 34 yearly periodicals published by Spates between 1901 and 1935. Meaning, I will need at least 34 stories. Given the information I have amassed for my occult books project, I think I have more than enough resources to cover the subjects. I will want to cover subjects that are not included in the recent prop replica of Tobin’s Spirit Guide, so this will be a bit of a challenge.

Stay tuned and drop me a line if you have any suggestions!

[mrmichaelt]

Well, to start, that cookbook from Insight that came out in recent time did mention an entry in Spates was verbatim, Ray on page 102 saying "In more modern times, there was an occurrence in a Pennsylvanian chocolate factory in 1949. The manifestation first happened on October 20, which Spates' Catalog argues as the Gregorian calendar's equivalent to the start of the Mayan month of Muwan, when Ek Chuah is honored. Whether or not the math works out, what's true is that for twenty days, at approximately 1 a.m. each day, a solid minute of screams were heard emanating from the factory, culminating in several Maya glyphs being found smeared on the factory floor in melted chocolate. From November 9, 1949, until today, nothing similar has occurred. Was this a manifestation of one of Ek Chuah's followers, or the Maya deity himself?"

Yeah, the IDW canon had it as annual periodicals from 1901-1935. You could have some fun with that and compare that to those years in Afterlife where Gozer was predicted to crossover and embellish i.e. in 1908/9, a Russian whaler encountered a possessed native claiming to be Vinz Clortho and regaled him with story about his master manifesting as Torb and you make a longer account of the story Vinz told Egon and Janine in GB1. That story about Vinz in the West End Games Tobin's Spirit Guide was amusing in that same vein.

Was Cthulhu the one where in the lore his name is made up because humans knowing his real one would drive them insane? Would be logical to include in a book with Nameless Horrors in one version of its title.

[edspengler]

I have been brainstorming and collecting information on obscure yet fascinating documented historical events. Perhaps mixing in some of what you mentioned would be great to make this more in universe. Unfortunately I never read the IDW series, and trying to acquire it now seems to be a big rabbit hole to go down. I have seen some for sale here and there but have held off because I know where it will lead.

[mrmichaelt]

There's only a few quotes from Spates in the IDW canon so I can just list them here but they're all in the wiki along with scant glimpses of the Idulnas pages (https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Spates_Catalog)

In the first arc, pages literally appeared and text filled itself in Spates Catalog, and an entry on Idulnas appeared, "And so the third minion of Gozer, Idulnas, came into being and his power eclipsed that of Zuul, and it surpassed that of Vinz Clortho. Idulnas would, through his power, allow for a new selection of the Traveller's Form. And through his power, the world would drown in the tears of its people."

In Volume 2, Ray and Kylie used it among other books to look up instances of recurrent child hauntings and supernatural abductions in the last 50 years when they did bogeyman research. Or alternatively, you could always through in Grundel.

Then in Ghostbusters 101 #5,
"A more sensationalized reference than its contemporary -- Tobin's - the Spates Catalog is a compilation of an annual periodical published by T. Watson Spates from early 1901 to 1935."

"It was billed as a "compendium of nameless horrors" (a slight misnomer since, in fact, it gave names to most of the horrors of which it spoke) and was a favorite of both Harry Houdini and H.P. Lovecraft."

[edspengler]

I am still trying to wrap my head around this project and writing out some notes for now. There are certain subjects I want to cover, such as particular hauntings/locations (California has some excellent examples excluding the ones covered in Tobin’s), specific witches and mystics, and at least one case of a mysterious disappearance that I am aware of… a disappearance seems like a nameless horror to me… you’re there one minute and then poof you’re gone… who knows where?

Perhaps the subjects above with some IDW content is what I am looking for… lesser known historical items that the ghostbusters would definitely be aware of.

[mrmichaelt]

I am still trying to wrap my head around this project and writing out some notes for now. There are certain subjects I want to cover, such as particular hauntings/locations (California has some excellent examples excluding the ones covered in Tobin’s), specific witches and mystics, and at least one case of a mysterious disappearance that I am aware of… a disappearance seems like a nameless horror to me… you’re there one minute and then poof you’re gone… who knows where?

Perhaps the subjects above with some IDW content is what I am looking for… lesser known historical items that the ghostbusters would definitely be aware of.

Or a cult summoning in the forest gone awry, but police described it as a mass suicide. Or really haunted places like Winchester House in California, the Bell Witch Cave in Tennessee, Lemp Mansion in Missouri, or Skinwalker Ranch.

It seems like Spate looked for a headlines dealing with the supernatural, did some research, and jazzed it up with details that basically a newspaper editor would cut out. Huhn. Basically, Kolchak if Vincenzo printed his submissions in full.

[timeware]

Little fun fact, what part of the Winchester Mansion ispired a famous Disney ride?

[mrmichaelt]

Little fun fact, what part of the Winchester Mansion ispired a famous Disney ride?

Room where they did the seance in Haunted Mansion?

[edspengler]

The Bell Witch haunting is definitely on the list! I was combing through Tobin’s and I didn’t see it. The Winchester house is covered in Tobin’s so I don’t want it to be covered twice in the two books. My first write up I am developing is on the disappearance of Orion Williamson, which is an extremely bizarre and quite terrifying tale. I have some other ideas brewing too…

[timeware]

Little fun fact, what part of the Winchester Mansion ispired a famous Disney ride?

Room where they did the seance in Haunted Mansion?

The seance room, the circular stairs, and the repated numerology. The winchester mansion is still on my top ten lists of places to visit. Second to the Stanley hotel.

[mrmichaelt]

Will you do cursed objects? There's urban legends like The Crying Boy that allegedly causes fires to its owners.

[timeware]

https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/gho ... -paintings
Yeah, Ghost adventures did a special on that.

Do they cover the Civil war in Tobins?

The civil war has a plethora of history you can choose from as well. There's quite a few books on the subjects. Phantom smells in Gettysburg related to cannon fire, civil war soldiers on video, bullet holes in the walls of the shops, I can go on and on. Any major civil war battle really but Gettysburg, and Antietam offer a ton of haunted history.

There's a legend of people taking old time photos where they both end up wearing the same uniform after their pictures are taken. Of course there's Zach's bridge, and George Spanglers farm.

If you're looking for cursed objects the old west is a good place for starters. In Tombstone AZ, take your pick. The crystal palace saloon is said to be haunted by a miner protecting their gold, and Virgil Earp has been seen in his office.

[Indy Magnoli]

Great project... this was one I thought about doing to follow-up our version of Tobin's. Spates Catalog is hinted at in our forward by Tobin. I think you're on the right track to concentrate on specific hauntings as opposed to more general articles as we have in Tobin's, though we have included several hauntings as well... there's no reason why there couldn't be a cross over. For a full list of articles we included, see this post at the RPF: https://www.therpf.com/forums/threads/t ... st-5468488

I think the main thing though, which you seem to be zeroing in on, is to make it a bit more fantastic and less academic which will separate the two tomes and make them compliment each other well.

I wouldn't mind still doing this at some point in the future, but we'd do it as a vintage "original edition" piece as opposed to your more modern Ghostbusters-edited version.

[timeware]

Calvin and Hobbes? That was the only one to really jump out at me, unless you're talking about trolls and not the comic strip. I would assume Hobbes would be something like those creatures in Fable?

[edspengler]

I am gathering notes on the story of a man that was known as “Doctor Koku” who was an African Magician that lived for a time in New Orleans at the turn of the last century. The story is quite fascinating and sensational, but information is very limited. So far I have been able to track down one newspaper clipping dated May 24, 1902 in the Times Democrat of New Orleans.

I am aware of 2 YouTube videos on this subject, but if anyone has any other sources I would very much appreciate it.

I have a substantial amount of information on the Bell Witch that I will have to consolidate into a write up for this project too.

A write up on cursed objects can be included, I am aware of a very well documented story of a cursed chest of drawers that was made by a slave in the American South in the early 1800s. Anyone that put clothes in the chest subsequently died, true story and well documented. The chest still exists and sits in a museum and it is ensured that nobody ever use it again.

I am aware of one documented haunting in which the spirit was said to set fires, from memory I think I have it marked down as the Amherst Haunting. It is on my list.

Appreciate the support!

[timeware]

There isn't much in Google search. If you want something that involves seances gone wrong have you ever looked into something called Gore Orphenage? It's definitley a creepy area if you get to check it out. Didn't know that someone made a movie on it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore_Orphanage

[edspengler]

I think I may have settled on the methodology for these stories. I will use as much as I can from actual historical data, such as newspaper clippings etc. put those together into one write up and then insert embellishments to the story as appropriate. In case anyone is wondering, I am in data collection mode which will likely last a very long time. But please feel free to drop any suggestions on anything you might like to see covered. Below is another clipping about the mystic I mentioned in the earlier post - I am currently working on his writeup since I find his story quite fascinating.

[Indy Magnoli]

Calvin and Hobbes? That was the only one to really jump out at me, unless you're talking about trolls and not the comic strip. I would assume Hobbes would be something like those creatures in Fable?

That's one of the entries from the RPG Tobin's Guide... there are a LOT of puns in that book... and most of them REALLY bad. I kept most of them in for completeness sake... but it was tough.