the haunting (1963) - a masterpiece by robert wise

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. "She had spent so long alone, with no one to love, that it was difficult for her to talk, even casually, to another person without self - consciousness and an awkward inability to find words". 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 - a place "without kindness, never meant to be lived in... "

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

Four seekers have come to the ugly, abandoned old mansion: Dr. Montague, and occult scholar looking for solid evidence of the psychic phenomenon called haunting; Theodora, his lovely and lighthearted 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...

Some of the books in the list above are marked [wish list] because I would like to get them.
If you have a spare copy in mint condition... I'd sure like to buy it or maybe you would like a local French edition in exchange?

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.

Sadly, I only regret that we cannot find these books on CD, SA-CD, DVD-Audio, Minidisc, .mp3 file or any other recent format. An analog tape is nice but ... the quality is inferior to a digital media and you miss the advantages of a disc.

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, Inc.

'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: $6.50 (approx 5.4 Euros)
Fee: $60 (approx 50 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.

ISBN/Code: 0-8222-0504-1

'Carpe Diem'
by William Shakespeare

O MISTRESS mine, where are you roaming?
O stay and hear! your true-love's coming
  That can sing both high and low;
Trip no further, pretty sweeting,
Journeys end in lovers meeting-
  Every wise man's son doth know.

What is love? 'tis not hereafter;
Present mirth hath present laughter;
  What's to come is still unsure:
In delay there lies no plenty,-
Then come kiss me, Sweet-and-twenty,
  Youth's a stuff will not endure.

Isn't it ironic to think that Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, six miles away from the superb 'Ettington park', where the exteriors scenes of 'the haunting' were shot?

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, of course, 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 spoil everything.

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

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.

First of all, please don't read the next section if you haven't read the book yet and still plan to read it. This detailed section would spoil and ruin your surprise, revealing all the tiny little things you would enjoy discovering 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).

This part will point out most of the differences between the book and the script. This will help you draw your own conclusions about the work of Nelson Gidding.

in the book...	in the movie...
Hill House is 80 years old.	Hill House is 90 years old.
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.

in the book...	in the movie...
Dr. John Montague.	Dr. John Markway.
Grace Montague.	Grace Markway.
Eleanor Vance.	Eleanor Lance.
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).

in the book...	in the movie...
The book does not start with the history of Hill House. The story of the house is told much later in the book.	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 does not 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 does not 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 does not stop at all during the trip to Hill House.
Eleanor stops in Hillsdale, just to have a coffee.	Eleanor does not stop at all during the trip to Hill House.
In Hillsdale, Eleanor thinks obscurely "It's 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's 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's 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's 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.

in the book...	in the movie...
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, in the book, 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's 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 chess.
Theo touches Eleanor's hand, which makes Eleanor feel really uncomfortable.	This event did not 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 did not 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 does not 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 pictured 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 does not 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've 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's 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's a real issue because Eleanor is having a crush on Dr. Markway.
Luke finds "Help Eleanor, Come Home" after the breakfast, as he's going back to the kitchen, asking for more coffee.	Luke finds "Help Eleanor, Come Home", before the breakfast, as he's 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 did not 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 did not 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've 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's so familiar". And she gestured to them, almost in appeal. "Try to see", she said. "It's 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's only one of me, and it's all I've 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's 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".
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 did not make it to the movie version.
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's on your track. He's 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's 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 did not 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 in the book.	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 did not 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 did not 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.

in the book...	in the movie...
Eleanor's bedroom is blue (a cold colour) Eleanor 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) Theo is dressed in yellow.	The movie was purposely shot in black and white.

in the book...	in the movie...
Eleanor hates her mother.	Eleanor does not 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's 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 did not 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.

in the book...	in the movie...
Theo had an argument with her girlfriend when she received Dr. Montague's invitation.	This event did not 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 did not make it to the movie version.
Theo wrote back to accept the invitation the same night and left in the morning.	This event did not make it to the movie version.

A selection of reviews and comments from the 'Amazon' web site.
I don't agree with 100% of them but it's sane to read different points of view to make your own opinion.

In one of her best works, Shirley Jackson introduces us to a haunted, evil house that brings out the worst in the four - later expanded to six - people who agree to gather there. In the interest of science, Professor Montague invites a group of people to participate in a study of the psychological effects of the house. His group is winnowed down to himself; Luke, the flippant young grandson of the present owner of Hill House; the enigmatic, beautiful Theodora; and Eleanor, the repressed, 32 year old spinster who has spent the last 11 years taking care of her mother. Later they are joined by Montague's wife, an ardent spiritualist and oui-ja board devotee, and her bluff, hearty friend.

With a set of characters like this, Jackson's compact novel cannot fail to intrigue and satisfy. Readers who have seen the 1962 movie will find inevitable differences in plot and emphasis in the book. Jackson's carefully crafted prose will hook you from the first page to the last. Highly recommended.

Were the ghosts real at the Haunting of Hill House or was it just Eleanor's descent into madness? This is up to the reader to decide upon this thrilling piece of psychological terror.

The Haunting of Hill House does not describe the ghosts. It does not throw the ghosts at the reader. It only describes what the residents experience in the house: the noises, the turning of the door knob, and the grasp of a clenched fist. This book makes the reader use his or her imagination what terrible secrets lay within the house. Are they ghosts?

I read this book after I saw the first movie. Do not see the second movie, please! The first movie with Julie Harris is so much better than Lili Taylor was in the second movie. (Lili Taylor is a great actress in her own right - but not in this movie). The first movie, though, clearly captures the essence of the book. But that is not to say the book is not good. I found The Haunting of Hill House to be one of the best examples of modern horror literature in that it can scare "bejeebers" out of the reader with its nuances of sounds and noises.

Great reading, and beware if you read it late at night.

Jackson has created a masterpiece of supernatural literature. It is as close to flawless as any writer may wish. This book is like a well played chess match, every move has a purpose and there are no useless movements. The book is structured so that by the end of the novel all you can say is, "Wow". Jackson has above all mastered the art of using the absence of stimuli to stimulate our fears. I dare anyone to read Chapter 5 part 4, and not have a shudder run through their entire body at the revelation of the last sentence. However, there are complaints about the book which must be addressed. They aren't that significant so go ahead and order the book now and read them later if you want. All the important stuff has already been said.

The first complaint about the book is that Jackson does not give us anything truly scary, only a couple of eerie messages on walls, banging cannon balls, and voices of doubtful authenticity. Proponents of this complaint are the same people who hated The Blair Witch Project but loved House on Haunted Hill (Geoffery Rush version). It is really not a complaint but a matter of preference, along the lines of red wine or white wine, Elvis or The Beatles, great tasting or less filling, etc. One may wish to see the blood splattered all over the room rather than see a crimson puddle leaking out from under the door while hearing the sound of the chainsaw. It is the approach of two different schools. Splatter punk or Gothic, it's your choice. The bottom line is that Jackson is the BEST from the school of the New Gothic and if she can't scare you then no one from that school can, a school which includes King and Straub among its visiting pupils.

The second complaint is that the lead character, Eleanor Vance, is a narcissistic, self centered, selfish (to use another adjective describing the same trait), unlikable individual. One may feel pity for her but there is never any true affinity that the reader feels towards Eleanor. Despite her deepest yearnings, none (at least no one among the living) wants to be Eleanor's friend and this sentiment extends beyond the fictional world of Hill House directly to the reader. We simply don't want to be her friend. This, however, is Jackson's intent instead of (as some readers may erroneously conclude) a flaw of the novel. It is a part of what King refers to as the "New Gothic" which is populated not by the "innocent" victims (like the "Old" Gothic was, just think of Mina in Dracula) or by dashing heroes (Van Helsing) but by deluded, narcissistic people with numerous faults. In other words, us. Etchison, Siddons, and even King, among others, have dabbled in this school. The Shining is a "New Gothic" masterpiece only surpassed by, of course, Jackson's work. Look at Jack Torrance and Eleanor Vance and you will find striking similarities in their descent to disaster. You may also find that you see your own reflection in these two people. That is just part of the fright of the New Gothic. And that is part of the fright of Hill House.

The Haunting of Hill House remains one of the most important horror novels of all time and certainly one of the most singular haunted house tales ever written. It is certainly worth mentioning that at no time do we or the characters actually see any sort of visible ghostly manifestation; the phenomena are limited to cold spots, spectral banging on the walls and doors, messages written on walls, and torn, blood - spewed clothing in one room. If Jackson had compelled Hugh Crain (the man who built Hill House) to pop out of the woodwork and say Boo!, this story would have been long forgotten. Still, it quite amazes me that Shirley Jackson has met with such critical success and eternal popularity; I say this only because her writing style is unique and rather off - the - wall. Truly, Jackson's writing itself is haunted, and she herself almost surely was in some manner. There is a degree of insanity in every page; the characters often engage in dialogue that is childish of a sort and certainly different from normal adult conversation. I would think such idiosyncratic writing would appeal only to those like me who are different, somewhat kooky, outsiders looking at the real world through thick - paned glass that sometimes fogs over or plays tricks with our eyes depending on the angle in which the sun hits it or does not hit it.

Eleanor is an especially appealing character to me because I share many of her doubts and fears: I don't belong, what are people saying about me?, are people laughing at me behind my back?, why am I here and where am I going?, etc. No one rivals Jackson in the ability to paint a deeply moving, psychologically deep portrait of the tortured soul. The fact that so many people praise this book must mean that most people are plagued with self - doubt, which I find sadly comforting. In any event, Eleanor is a perfectly tragic heroine; those who can't relate to her must surely at least pity her. The character of Theodora is also fascinating, as she largely represents Eleanor's opposite: a vibrant personality, full of life and a need to be in the middle of it, probably insecure inwardly but strikingly bold outwardly. This dichotomy between two "sisters" is a constant theme in Jackson's work. The Eleanor - Theo relationship is reflected and honed against the relationship of Hugh Crain's two daughters, twin souls who grew up the dark mansion as loving sisters but who eventually came to hate each other and fight for ownership rights to the house. Eleanor and Theo also have a subtle love - hate relationship, the conflict between the two representing a jealousy over the house. Both want to be the center of attention, although Eleanor would never admit such a desire, and the fact that the house itself obviously harbors a strange enchantment for Eleanor bothers Theo and enchants Eleanor. When Theo's room and clothing are painted in blood, the house clearly signifies the soul with whom its sympathies lay, and this marks a turning point in the text. Eleanor's rapid descent into madness seems a little sudden to me at times, and the exceedingly nonsensical conversations between all of the characters strikes me as quite mad. Of course, at the end, one wonders just which of the later conversations actually happened outside of Eleanor's own mind.

The introduction of the doctor's wife in the closing section of the book effects a radical change in the mood of the novel. Mrs. Montague and her associate Arthur are incredibly annoying people. Their professed beliefs in the paranormal and attempts to contact spirits by way of a planchette clearly upset the mood of both the house and its occupants (and the reader). Their over - the - top belief in spirits and determination to contact them using parlor - method techniques serve to ridicule the house and Eleanor and quickly usher in the dénouement of the story. Eleanor's sense of belonging to the house takes precedence over everything else in her life; she has come home, and the house's wish in this regard is fulfilled. The ending itself is striking and perfectly fitting, I feel, and does much to keep the spirit of this wonderful novel in your mind and soul for a long time. This is not a novel to cast aside and forget; long after you have finished the book, Eleanor and Hill House will haunt your mind and soul.

Rather than beat every detail from her subject, author Shirley Jackson performs an astonishing feat by creating a sense of mounting terror not from what is seen, but what might be seen if we could only look around that corner, down that hall, behind that drape. And 'The haunting of Hill House' is her masterpiece.

In an effect not unlike Henry James' famous "The Turn of the Screw," Jackson presents us with Eleanor Vance, a woman who may or may not be already disturbed to the point of madness when the novel begins. Invited to join a group of researchers investigating a reputedly haunted house, Eleanor - stifled by unhappy memories and an unsympathetic family - leaps at the chance for escape from her humdrum life. She wants adventure, romance, and a dash of excitement. And at Hill House, a Victorian mansion of truly evil repute, she finds it in abundance.

Is there something - ghost, spirit, or simply mindless evil - at Hill House? Or is it Eleanor herself, empty and hungry for a place where she belongs, who creates the nightmare that swirls about the place? Jackson offers no easy answers in this, the finest American horror novel of the 20th century, a book often imitated but never equaled. It is certainly not a novel for reading alone in the dead of night, but is one that you may wish to read again and again, repeatedly testing the boundaries of reality - and guessing at that which is always just beyond the limits of our vision.

Hill House has stood for eighty years, and it waits patiently as a group of four begins to investigate the lurid history and supposed supernatural happenings that surround the dark dwelling.

The group of four is led by Dr. John Montague, whose avocation is parapsychology. There is also Luke Sanderson, a family heir; Theodora, a worldly clairvoyant; and Eleanor Vance, the protagonist of the novel, and a woman who has lived a sheltered life on the fringes of society and whose sanity hangs precariously in the balance.

It is Montague's intention to find the true reasons for the phenomena in Hill House; but he and the others are soon drawn past any type of investigation and caught up in a psychological nightmare, the focus of which is Eleanor herself. It seems that Hill House has found a kindred spirit in Eleanor will stop at nothing until it consumes her.

Jackson weaves her magic expertly in this novel, and other than a weak subplot that involves a potential romance between Luke and either of the women in Hill House, the story is tightly - woven with scares galore, and a literary framing effect which leaves the reader with the certainty that if Hill House was not truly haunted at the beginning of the novel, it undoubtedly is by the end.

A great read anytime.

The novel is very different from other common cheap - thriller ghost stories that I have read before. There has never been any physical appearance of the ghosts in this novel. You read and feel the effects of the supernatural in the house, and Jackson has managed to delineate this with consummate skill and power that you will be spooked by it. Not like the usual grotesque bloody looks of the spectre. The manifestations in the house are subtly expressed too, as you see the gradual, subtle change in Eleanor Vance throughout the story. As Roald Dahl once wrote in his selection of best ghost stories, "The best ghost stories don't have ghosts in them. At least you don't see the ghost. Instead you see only the result of his actions. Occasionally you can feel it brushing past you, or you are made aware of its presence by subtle means". Hill House does just that.

John Montague, a doctor of philosophy, invites Theodora, Eleanor Vance, and Luke Sanderson to assist him in seeking the possibility of psychic disturbances/manifestations in an eighty - odd year - old New England pile known locally as Hill House. Ever since it was initially published in 1959, 'The haunting of Hill House' has been Shirley Jackson's gift to countless readers around the world who have relished reading this highly original and exceptionally chilling ghost story - if a there is such a thing as a ghost story receiving cult status - then this ingenious novelette would definitely qualify for first prize! Not the type of terror you'd find in a Stephen King (he was a Jackson fan who dedicated FIRESTARTER to "Shirley Jackson, who never needed to raise her voice") or Dean Koontz novel. Jackson's technique is much more finely grained and subtle: this is literature. There are Freudian aspects to be sure, but the symbolism is amazing; (did anyone catch the meaning of the heading?) thirty years after I first read the book (I was nine) I found new symbolic elements which I had missed priorly. Jackson paints her heroine Eleanor Vance as a rather drab and timid wisp of a thing: a 32 year - old spinster who's "never known a life of her own". As you commence reading the book, you are drawn inside the mind of a schizoid person who desperately needs to be loved, yet cannot relate to people rationally, so she finds a safe friend in Hill House itself. Jackson writes in a poetic and mystical fashion which aids the reader throughout the book. Theodora is a free - spirited psychic who's rather spoiled and cheeky personality gives a much - needed contrast to Eleanor's repressed child - woman thinking. There is a scene in a grove of trees: Theo: "I don't understand. Do you always go where you're not wanted?" Eleanor: "But I've never been wanted ANYWHERE". Tingling aspects rise from little nuances throughout: Nell suggests that they look for nameless graves in the nettle patch when she and Theo become bored, a phantom picnic where there is a vision of sunshine, children and a puppy (at night!), walls with dripping blood reaching out for Eleanor to Come Home; a harp which plays by itself, the "cold spot" in the heart of the house, the cup of stars, the stone lions, the oleanders etc. Eleanor is given a bedroom painted blue, the colour of depression. The men in the novel are more like props, supporting players. It's like a spooky version of Lucy and Ethel getting themselves into another scrape with Ricky and Fred simply there when necessary. Luke and Montague ask what happened while they were outdoors chasing SOMETHING. Eleanor: "Nothing in particular. Someone knocked on the door with a cannonball, then laughed their fool head off when we wouldn't let them in, but nothing out of the ordinary" There are no real "evil" characters in the book: it is a foray into the mind of someone so desperately longing for understanding, love and companionship that she knows not where she goes...

I saw the original movie when I was a small child and thought it was the scariest thing I had ever seen! When I was a teenager I read the book and have re - read it many times since. If you are looking for cheap thrills, in - your - face gore and sudden shocks this is not the book for you. If you are a fan of deeper, more subtle psychological terror, you have come to the right place! Every re - reading brings you to a different level of understanding Eleanor's descent into madness. At first the house seems just evil; trying to shake the people out of it like a dog would with fleas. Then you start to wonder - is it the house or is it Eleanor who is causing all of the trouble. Her youthful experiences with poltergeists - which many believe are the manifestations of unbalanced teen - aged minds, awaken the dormant evil of the house. When she becomes angry and jealous of Theo, the house destroys Theo's belongings. Eleanor's insanity becomes woven into the insanity of Hill House. Soon they become deeply intertwined in each other and the rest of the houseguests can only watch in horror. For those that hated or didn't understand the ending, there was no other way out for Eleanor but to have history repeat itself (didn't you pay attention to the beginning of the book?) It was the final struggle between her rational and insane personalities - the rational one screaming in terror as it loses to the insane one which knows where is wants to be... where it must call home. As for the movie versions... The original was a very frightening, somewhat faithful rendering with fabulous performances by Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. The second one was a dreadful pile with little resemblance to the book and a really insane Joan of Arc martyr twist. Don't waste your time!

Beneath the brooding gables of Hill House, something walks alone - and if it wasn't haunted at the beginning, it certainly is now. Jackson's masterpiece is recommended for reading only in well - lit places, attesting to her genius in seducing one into the shadow world of the paranormal. Bleak and unforgiving, the story follows the fugue state of Eleanor Vance, thirty - two years of age and prone to disassociate disorders. From the hint of an isolated childhood spent in near - hysteria (and a brief poltergeist manifestation), to the eleven years spent caring for an invalid mother, Eleanor has lived her life with a sense of déjà vu, searching for completion. Responding to an invitation from philosopher/anthropologist John Montague to spend a summer at Hill House under the auspice of a paranormal investigation, Eleanor is drawn inexorably to her eventual fate, deep within a house "born bad". The slight imperfections of the mansion, from its misaligned rooms to the doors that never remain open, reflect the labyrinthine psyche of Eleanor herself, and, by inference, the personality of one who lived there before. Hill House remains one of the greatest villains of American literature, becoming at once malevolent entity and eventual "mother"; whether its haunting is actual or whether it becomes the focal point for Eleanor's own energy, the hallways and rooms within rooms provide a dark and disturbing ground for the reader to tread. Previous reviews criticize Jackson's seeming inability to resolve the story, but this suggestion is ridiculous. Hauntings, by definition, are subjective phenomena, and the story is carried forward to its most natural and plausible ending, as the house offers its arms only through the desolation and eventual suicides of those who share its guilt. From the terrifying manifestations of the second night to the degrading cold spot outside the nursery, Hill House both repulses and welcomes its own. We, like Eleanor, are beaten into submission by a greater force.

This book is very good - and I found the original movie to be an excellent adaptation as compared to the pitiful remake. If you've seen the original movie - there's not much to add. If you've never seen the original movie - it's the story of a woman named Eleanor who cared for her dying mother and is now quite delusional, who is invited to be part of a "team" investigating an alleged haunted house. Sometimes it's rather vague as to what is real and what Eleanor has imagined. Fairly suspenseful with a few frights. The book is rather short - and Jackson's style is a little different, but it is definitely a good book worth reading. As I've seen the original movie many times, there were few surprises, the exception being Mrs. Montague's characterization. Strongly recommended!

If you want blood and guts, stick with Stephen King. But for the more subtle and sophisticated reader, Shirley Jackson's book will provide the ticket for the "can't - put - this book - down" syndrome. I admit I had no idea what kind of story this would be. And yes, the beginning crept along at a snail's pace and who cares about Eleanor anyway? But, as the story developed, so did Eleanor's character. There's a definite interconnection between Eleanor's emotional state and the way Hill House seems to torment and then seduce Eleanor. The spirit of the house seems to be after Eleanor and we see Eleanor's initial terror of the house turn to a weird sense of belonging and neediness. Even stranger, even as you see Eleanor seduced by Hill House, the reader also falls under a strange spell as initially, the book starts off slow and a little boring, and then you get caught up in it's weirdness, and when it ends suddenly and climactically, you wind up brooding about it for many days afterward.

Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" is one of the classic suspense novels of the twentieth century. Jackson's ability to make the domestic seem alien, dangerous, and insane gives this work in particular its chilling quality. Jackson is one of the few authors of this century who can stand up to the demanding standards set by E.A. Poe, H. P. Lovecraft et al. Don't bother with the 1998 movie unless you enjoy being smothered by special effects. The 1963 version comes much closer to capturing Jackson's subtle and psychologically intricate tale; it's scarier in the first ten minutes than the new film ever manages during its entire length. But Jackson's austere prose style and the ease with which she slips terror into the commonplace make her book the most rewarding experience of all.

Ghost and horror stories today take the "blunt instrument" approach of trying to scare us with threats of physical violence, or trying to shock and disgust us with blood and guts. They're the "fast food" of the genre, mass - produced, lacking distinction, and bad for us. Anyone can write about chainsaw - wielding demons and other such things. But Shirley Jackson has written a masterpiece. This book gets you where you really live, in more ways than one. It shows that true terror lies in a threat not to the body, but to the sanity, will, mind, and soul. The characters in this book are fully human, the language poetic, the plot a work of art. Half of the chills come from the mounting tension of waiting for something to happen, and when it finally does, we, like Eleanor and the others, live through the terror, and then we (again, like Eleanor) have the further distress of not knowing quite what to make of it. The house catches not just her but us off - guard and then it keeps us there. I only regret that although Hollywood has made two movies out of this book, both of them miss the mark completely. Maybe the third time will be the charm. Be warned: Once you read this book, you'll find that nothing else in the genre, except for "The Turn of the Screw", can possibly measure up to it.

"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".

So opens Shirley Jackson's dark thriller about a house that was simply born bad. Eleanor, a quiet, observant woman with a troubled past, comes to the house for a study about the supernatural. Her comrades include Dr. Montague, the leader of the study, Theodora, a woman with some telepathic abilities, and Luke, the young heir to the house.

Bangings in the night, writings on the wall, and whisperings from no live person are common in Hill House, and Eleanor begins to realize that she is connected to Hill House in a way in which she has never before been connected to anything.

This psychological thriller leaves you hanging on every last word, relating to the characters, and following the Eleanor's mental and emotional progress.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its unexpected plot twists. This is a good one for curling up with during a stormy evening.

I have read a number of reviews stating the blandness of this novel, but I can't understand how they come up with that conclusion! I read this novel in one night, and afterwards I was terrified of my own house! This novel may be very detailed, but it's worth the read! It is subtle, unlike recent novels that spell everything out to the reader, it actually leaves you some thinking to do; I dare say, more novels should do likewise. The novel is of superb quality and the writer is also one of great calibre. I recommend this novel to anyone with a taste for suspense and terror, as well as quality. It may be subtle, but it is also powerful...

I saw "The Haunting", the movie version of the book when I was in high school and I remember, quite vividly, how much it scared me. What's so ironic, taken in the context of today's effects and fireworks shows, is that back then, in the early '60s, this movie never shows a monster... or anything else that would OBVIOUSLY frighten. The breathing doors and sounds in the hall were more than ample to illustrate fear. The book is much richer in detail and includes, especially, two scenes which I feel really should have been included in the movie. The first is when Eleanor and Theo take a stroll around the grounds of the house with Luke and Theo and Luke pair off and Eleanor thinks they are right behind her. They are some distance away, yet she senses them (or something) close by. The second is after an altercation one night Eleanor stalks out of the house and Dr. Markway sends Theo after her to bring her back. The two of them are so wrapped up in their respective inner turmoil they fail to notice how far they've walked from the house (and at Night!) They notice, suddenly, that the landscape has become like a negative photograph, with light and dark reversed... they continue on and come upon a happy scene, in bright color, of a family having a picnic. The description of this made my hair stand on end. The horror is implied and erupts only occasionally but always with tremendous effect. This is truly a modern classic of the genre... the opening lines as memorable as "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" or "Call me Ishamel"... "Hill House, not sane, had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more... within, floors were firm, windows sensibly shut, and whatever walked there, walked alone". My suggestion... don't read this book alone, but read it!

No doubt about it, Shirley Jackson was a master of her craft! "The Haunting of Hill House" is a work of sheer genius in that it preys on the mind in subtle, subconscious ways. Eleanor is a homeless woman of 32 who spent 11 years caring for her invalid mother; she has had no real life of her own. Dr. Montague is a doctor of philosophy and he has invited Eleanor among two others to an old country estate called Hill House to explore psychic phenomena within its walls. The opening lines are justly famous among horror story aficionados. Theodora is cheeky and funny, a carefree psychic whose personality contrasts interestingly with Eleanor's. Luke Sanderson is weak and spoiled and Dr. Montague is serious and responsible for the well - being of all concerned during their stay in the creepy New England pile. The novel was written in a magical, dreamy and poetic style which is uniquely Jackson. There is the part where Theo and Eleanor witness a family having a picnic in the daylight when it is in reality night! This novel is enjoying a revival of interest since it's publication in 1959 due to the remake of "The Haunting" and many young people are getting acquainted with this uniquely gifted writer's magical storytelling. Brilliant!

I won't bother to see the recent movie version about this book, because the moving furniture and stuff mentioned by the reviews prove that the makers of the movie did not get the point of the book at all. The book is Scary with a capital "S," and it does not need any spectacular special effect to achieve that. The supernatural is only glimpsed at, but it is enough to generate an atmosphere, not of hair - raising terror, but of the deepest unease, which is considerably more difficult and demands a far subtler technique. In fact, Jackson's technique is so subtle, that the fans of grosser kinds of horror story may be disappointed by it, but for those who can appreciate it, the experience is absolutely unforgettable. This book does not merely scare you; it haunts you, for years to come.

Reading the other reviews of the book, one can tell that it will not appeal to people whose idea of horror is "Scream" or Freddy Kruger - it's not bloody - there are no decapitations, no gore, no scantily clad naughty teenage nymphets soon to be butchered... if that's your cup of tea, look elsewhere. But for people with taste, who appreciate subtlety, who are looking for eeriness instead of gross - outs, this is an imperishable classic. The writing is - more than superb; it is timeless - almost surreal, free - verse poetry, with an atavistic appropriateness like that of unwhitewashed fairy tales. The opening paragraph, the sequences of Eleanor's journey to hill house, her initial reaction on first seeing it, and her slow seduction by Hill House, are beautiful and horrible and unforgettable. A Chateau d'Yquem, a Crystal for lovers of classic horror. Unless the genre itself is not to your taste, you'll be captivated.

Shirley Jackson creates Hill House every time someone picks up this book. In the quirky Oz of Hill House, Eleanor and her three companions confront the monster from within and the reader is held captive by the machinations of evil which slowly and methodically devour the psyche of the hapless "Nell". The author weaves a web of images which insidiously attaches itself to personal fears of the individual reader. Although most readers remember best the scene in the bedroom when "Nell" realizes it was not Theo's hand she was holding, I urge new and old readers alike to pay close attention to the walk to the grove for an old fashioned picnic on the lawn, which devolves into a frenzied dash from what I can only describe as the source of primeval fear itself. This is undoubtedly the finest horror book ever written!

Listed in "Horror: 100 Best Books"
Listed in Cawthorn and Moorcock's "Fantasy: The 100 Best Books".

Shirley Jackson's novel is not a story of out - and - out supernatural happenings or gory tableaux. It's more of a melancholy tale, a picture of a person lost to despair and gloominess. Eleanor, the timid outsider who has her first taste of belonging at Hill House, plays both heroine and victim in this story. It is told from her viewpoint, allowing us to empathize with her. After living for years confined with her mother, she tries to prove herself and the world she isn't a pitiful thing. And yet, she is so sensitive and self - conscious that she stops herself from breaking free from her fears.

Though "The Haunting of Hill House" offers some eerie moments, it isn't horrific (giving you a gut - level scare). Its tone is closer to a fairy tale, especially in the first chapter, where Eleanor is making her way from the city to Hill House. She drives through the forest and finds beautiful spots where she daydreams of living in enchanted cottages or by magical trees. This tone is sustained in the playful dialogue: in one of the following chapters, the main characters do a little of role - playing, calling themselves a pilgrim, a courtesan, a princess and a bullfighter.

My one quip is that the ending does feel a little rushed, but that's just the effect the author wanted to give it. Just as some things seems to rush over and surprise the characters during their stay at Hill House, the ending hurdles towards the readers and brings them a halt. It works not towards a feeling of fear, but of sadness.

Ms. Jackson lays the pathos heavily, so this probably isn't a tale for the horror aficionado who's searching for guts and scares. For any reader who would like a more subtle ghost story, a fable built on para - psychological dealings, a modern fairy tale, step in, and be forewarned that whatever walks here, still walks alone.

Stephen King considers this work as one of the very finest, on a par with James' "The Turn of the Screw", and he is absolutely right. This is not a bloody gore - fest, and shallow horror fans looking for that should look elsewhere. This is a subtly shaded psychological horror story, where the reader is never sure whether the supernatural events come from outside forces (i.e., ghosts) or from internal forces (i.e., Eleanor, the increasingly unbalanced protagonist). Jackson's deft handling of character interaction (forced gaiety, hiding tension and unspoken motivations), combined with her absolute mastery of narrative techniques (not one wasted word in this novel) make this THE great novel of the supernatural written in this century. A masterpiece.

Jackson's masterful use of language makes this book remarkable. Her ability to control the pacing of the narrative, to make it both describe action and reveal the frantic interior life of Eleanor, holds the reader's attention. While it's not an out and out horror novel, with blood drenching the characters at every turn, it provides more than enough chills, and this story's method of frightening is much more disturbing than most, as the house seems to rise to meet its lover. Great stuff. Stephen King claims that this is one of only a handful of examples of truly great horror fiction. Good call by King.

Too bad five stars are tops - I'd add an extra for "Status: classic". It's interesting that the negative comments in other reviews tend to either expect there to be more action, more "shock value" (what do they want? Slice - and - dice stuff?) or less inwardness. Besides being exquisitely well written, it is a chilling vision of a psychological breakdown, and seen from the point of view of the incipient madwoman - Eleanor's madness is plain from her thoughts far earlier than she gives evidence of it in her actions. It's phenomenally creepy - shocking it needn't be. And it has perhaps the best single beginning (and ending) paragraph in the entire genre of horror/occult/ghost story literature, which the editors of the current Penguin edition perspicaciously frame, all alone, on the opening page. The sine qua non of horror literature! Ranks with the very best of Lovecraft, Machen, Stoker, Bierce and Poe.

"The Haunting of Hill House" is probably the best subjective description of a haunting ever written in the English language. It is frightening: from the inside - out. It is Jackson's masterpiece. No wonder then that other masters of the genre have so admired and emulated this book: for this is top - quality story - telling. I am convinced, for example, that Stephen King modeled much of "The Shining" after "The Haunting of Hill House". The famous first paragraph of this book is seductive. And I think that seduction is what Jackson pulls off so well here. We are drawn into the house. The house is the main character, present and witnessing in every scene: yet somehow elusive. This is a book in which to dwell. I wonder if those who complain about "seeing the ending of the book coming" aren't hurling themselves through the book too fast, projecting. "Hill House" is one of those Russian - boxes of a place, rooms that never seem to quite reveal themselves fully. "The Haunting of Hill House" is one of the few pieces of writing that physically made all the hair stand up on the back of my neck as I read. Brilliant!

Shirley Jackson's elegant, balanced prose does one heck of a job at creating the spookiest atmosphere I have ever encountered. A masterpiece of the English language. Jackson has created a terrifying malevolent presence in Hill House, a character whose gleeful evil still makes my skin crawl. At one point in the novel, the house starts making noise, and only some occupants of the house hear it. Insidious! Make the group turn on itself! Brilliant! I can do this book no justice. Please read it. Stephen King finds Eleanor's primary trait to be narcissism; while she is narcissistic, look for alienation and a profound yearning for acceptance. Eleanor doesn't necessarily know what she wants, but she doesn't have it. Jackson's account of Eleanor's journey to Hill House firmly establishes that character, and is, I think, even more effective than the oft - quoted and incredibly promising first paragraph of the book.

Shirley Jackson's incredible 1959 novel is that rare creature: a "genre" piece that transcends genre to take its place among the greatest works of American literature. The hyperbole of its critical acclaim is earned; her subtle prose and precise, witty dialogue and imagery demonstrate a rare command of the English - language narrative. Her portrait of the central characters - brooding, mysterious Hill House and of course Eleanor, the caged bird that finds freedom too much to bear - is unforgettable for the reader. And, as Stephen King has pointed out, the novel leaves a tantalizing mystery for the reader to decide: Is the haunter Hill House? Or is telekinetic Eleanor bringing on the events happening in that fateful week? Jackson also earns points for the teasing, slightly erotically charged relationship between Eleanor and Theodora. A masterpiece of American literature (and not just horror fiction)

Hill House has stood for nearly 80 years, vacant for the last twenty. With eerie stories of its past residents, what better place for Dr. John Montague to conduct his study on hauntings. With him are Luke Sanderson, soon to inherit Hill House from his aunt; Eleanor Vance, whose only experience with the supernatural was a poltergeist phenomenon that rained stones upon her house for 3 days; and Theodora, an artist with a bit of ESP.

But, they are not alone. Thanks to Jackson's unique descriptions of the house, Hill House itself becomes a character, with cold spots, shaky metal stairs, the rooms built in concentric circles, and slightly off - kilter measurements (doors not on the jamb, the stairs leaning slightly toward center, a tower that can only be seen from certain angles). It seems to be designed to keep people slightly off - balance.

No one experiences this more than Eleanor. The recent death of her mother seems to be lingering in the air, and maybe the house is picking this up. Of all the characters, she is the only one whose thoughts Jackson allows us to see, and her unease permeates the whole house (and novel).

With a surprise ending, this is one of the creepier haunted house novels, and it doesn't rely on blood and gore. It's very atmospheric and character - driven.

Shirley Jackson's classic 1959 novel "The Haunting of Hill House" quite simply is the standard of which all other American haunted house tales will be judged by. It laid the groundwork, inspiring authors from Richard Matheson ("Hell House") and Anne Rice ("The Witching Hour") to Stephen King ("The Shining," "Rose Red").

A brilliant author (her "The Lottery" must rank as one of the most terrifying short stories in history), Jackson's ultimate tale combines elements of our basic fear of isolation with the groundbreaking emotional angst of female spiritual independence in the 20th century. Equally fascinating about "The Haunting of Hill House" is the unnerving fact that perhaps the house is not truly haunted, and the manifestations are being caused only by disturbed female protagonist Eleanor Vance.

Occult scholar John Montague assembles a hodgepodge group of psychics to spend their vacation in the isolated New England mansion known as Hill House - reportedly a genuine haunted house "holding darkness within and whatever walked there, walks alone". Soon this group is experiencing cries in the night, mysterious poundings on the wall and doors opening and closing at will. It soon becomes apparent that the spirits of the house are focusing on Eleanor, a desperately lonely woman, 32 years old, suffering from the trauma of having to care for her dying mother for 11 wasted years.

The emotional, if not heartbreaking angst of Eleanor is the true backbone of this novel. Her sad plight, intensified by the brooding horror of Hill House, eventually becomes the ultimate conflict of Jackson's story. Additionally, Jackson's flowing prose, especially during her descriptions of Hill House, will raise goose bumps on the most hardened of readers. Like Hill House, Eleanor is an isolated soul trapped by a tragic past. In some peculiar way these two entities bond, their link transforming into the darkest of romances.

Jackson was certainly in her element when writing this unparalled haunted house tale. "The Haunting of Hill House" is as much about the human need for companionship as it is about brooding supernatural elements hiding within the dark. Of course, it is also an uncomfortable examination of a woman's struggle with finding her place, if not independence, in an oppressive Eisenhower - era society. This is truly a classic in American literature, if only because the skeletons rattling in the closet may be within our own minds.

		According to a fan from the USA, this is the cover of the second print of the very first US edition of the book, published by Viking Press in October 1959. Not to mention, very rare...

		I don't have any idea of WHEN this edition was released but, obviously, after the movie. If you have any idea, please let me know... Published by Popular Library.

		This one is supposed to be the 1982 US edition. To be confirmed...

		This 1984 US edition is a present from another fan from the USA (thanks again!). The book was reprinted numerous times. I've got a second copy, dated 1987, with a different slice but identical cover. Published by "Penguin books". ISBN: 0-14-007108-3. Pocket format, 240 pages, about $12 (approx 10 Euros). 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...

		In 1991, 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 I have no other information about this item. If you have, please let me know.

		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: 0-14-028743-4. Pocket format, 240 pages, about $12 (approx 10 Euros). The text on the back cover is identical to the 1984 Penguin edition. 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. [wish list]

		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: 1-841-19097-7. Pocket format, 246 pages, about £8 (approx 12 Euros, approx $14.50). [wish list]

		This one is supposed to be another 1999 UK edition. To be confirmed... [wish list]

		The book The haunting of hill house is available in a French translation. It was published by "Pocket" (12 avenue d'Italie, 75627 PARIS Cedex 13, FRANCE) in 1993 under the title Maison hantée, in the Terreur collection. ISBN: 2-266-05527-5. Pocket format, 250 pages, about 40 FRF (approx 6 Euros, approx $7.5) at that time. Here is the very first paragraph of the French translation: 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.

		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 in 1993). ISBN: 2-266-09780-6. Pocket format, 250 pages, about 4.5 Euros (approx $5.5). You can notice that the front cover picture is taken from the commercial poster of the remake. Here is the very first paragraph of the French translation: 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.

		This one is the 1999 edition, to match the look of the dreadful remake. Read by Roscoe Lee Browne. ISBN: 0-7871-2357-9. Format: Audio book. Release date: July 1999. Publisher: New Star Media, Incorporated. Edition Description: Unabridged, 4 Cassettes. About $25 (approx 20 Euros) [wish list] Click below to play a short sample (0:36, mp3, 192Kbps) ... with the Microsoft Media Player applet Click below to play a short sample (0:36, mp3, 192Kbps) ... with the Apple QuickTime applet

		Luke Sanderson's bedroom. [+] 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.

		This one is the 1999 japanese edition, to match the look of the dreadful remake. Special thanks to Keiko for this lovely present. ISBN: 4-488-58301-6. Pocket format, 332 pages, about 550 Yens (approx 4.5 Euros, approx $5.5)

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

		This is my personal copy. It was printed in 2003. ISBN: 0-8222-0504-1. You can still buy mint copies of this booklet without any difficulty.

		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.

		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.

		Dr. John Montague's bedroom. [+] 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.

		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 does not 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.

		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.

		This is the 1992 US edition of The lottery and other stories, first published in 1948. Published by "Noonday Press". ISBN: 0-37-451681-2. Pocket format, about $12 (approx 10 Euros). Here is the text that can be found on the back cover: The lottery, one of the most terrifying stories written in this century, created a sensation when it was first published in The New Yorker, "Powerful and haunting", "horrible", "superbly contrived", "cancel my subscription" and "nights of unrest" were typical reader responses. This collection, the only one to appear during Shirley Jackson's lifetime, unites "The lottery" with 24 equally unusual stories. Together they demonstrate Jackson's remarkable range -from the hilarious to the truly horrible- and power as storyteller.

		The book The Lottery and other stories by Shirley Jackson is also available in a French translation. It was published by "Pocket" in 1994 under the title La loterie, in the Terreur collection. ISBN: 2-266-06075-9. Pocket format, 270 pages, about 40 FRF (approx 6 Euros, approx $7.5) at that time. Here is the very first paragraph of the French translation of the story "La loterie": C'était le 27 juin, une belle matinée claire et ensoleillée, vibrante de chaleur toute neuve du plein été remplie de foisons de fleurs et d'herbe grasse et verte à souhait. Les habitants du village commencèrent à se rassembler sur la place, entre la banque et le bureau de poste, aux alentours de dix heures. Dans certaines villes, les habitants étaient si nombreux que la loterie durait deux jours et qu'il fallait par conséquent la commencer le 26 juin. Mais dans ce village-ci, qui ne comptait que trois cent âmes environ, la loterie ne prenait pas plus de deux heures en tout : on pouvait donc commencer vers dix heures du matin et avoir tout terminé à temps pour que chacun puisse rentrer chez soi pour le déjeuner.

		This is the 1997 US edition of Life among the savages, first published in 1953. Published by "Penguin books". ISBN: 0-14-026767-0. Pocket format, 256 pages, about $12 (approx 10 Euros). Here is the text that can be found on the back cover: Shirley Jackson, author of the classic short story "The lottery", was known for her terse, haunting prose. But the write possessed another side, one which is delightfully exposed in this hilariously charming memoir of her family's life in rural Vermont. "Our house", writes Jackson, "is old, noisy, and full. When we moved into it we had two children and about five thousand books; I expect that when we finally overflow and move out again we will have perhaps twenty children and easily half a million books". Children who won't behave, cars that won't start, furnaces that break down, a pugnacious corner bully, household help that never stays, and a patient husband who remains lovingly oblivious to the many thousands of things mothers and wives accomplish every single day - these pages are blissfully crowded with the raucous and endearing voices of Jackson's extraordinary family living a wonderfully ordinary life.

		The book The sundial by Shirley Jackson is also available in a French translation. It was published by "Pocket" in 1995 under the title Le cadran solaire, in the Terreur collection. ISBN: 2-266-06667-6. Pocket format, 250 pages, about 40 FRF (approx 6 Euros, approx $7.5) at that time. Here is the very first paragraph of the French translation: Après l'enterrement, ils rentrèrent à la maison, qui était, sans contestation possible désormais, la maison de Mrs. Halloran. Ils restèrent un moment à se dandiner, comme s'ils hésitaient sur la conduite à tenir, dans le beau vestibule aux proportions majestueuses, tandis que Mrs. Halloran allait dans l'aile droite annoncer à Mr. Halloran que les derniers devoirs avaient été rendus à Lionel sans mélodrame.

		This one is supposed to be the 1962 first US edition. To be confirmed...

		This is the 1984 US edition of We have always lived in the castle, first published in 1962. Published by "Penguin books". ISBN: 0-14-007107-5. Pocket format, 246 pages, about $12 (approx 10 Euros). Here is the text that can be found on the back cover: All is peaceful at the Blackwood estate - until a murderer strikes. Merricat Blackwood lives on the family estate with her sister Constance and her uncle Julian. Not long ago there were seven Blackwoods - until a fatal dose of arsenic found its way into the sugar bowl one terrible night. Acquitted of the murders, Constance has returned home, where Merricat protects her from the curiosity and hostility of the villagers. Their days pass in happy isolation until cousin Charles appears. Only Merricat can see the danger, and she must act swiftly to keep Constance from his grasp.

		The book We have always lived in the castle by Shirley Jackson is also available in a French translation. It was published by "Pocket" in 1999 under the title Nous avons toujours habité le château, in the Terreur collection. ISBN: 2-266-09101-8. Pocket format, 280 pages, about 40 FRF (approx 6 Euros, approx $7.5) at that time. Here is the very first paragraph of the French translation: Je m'appelle Mary Katherine Blackwood. J'ai dix-huit ans et je vis avec ma soeur Constance. Je me suis souvent dit que j'aurais fort bien pu être un loup-garou, car l'index et le majeur de mes deux mains sont de la même longueur, mais il a fallu que je me contente de mon sort. J'ai horreur de me laver, je déteste les chiens et le bruit. J'aime bien ma soeur Constance, Richard Plantagenet et l'amanite phalloïde. Tous les autres membres de ma famille sont morts.

		This is the 1995 US edition of Come along with me, first published in 1968, that is 3 years after the death of Shirley Jackson in 1965. This is not, actually, a novel but an unfinished novel accompagnied by sixteen stories, and three lectures. Published by "Penguin books". ISBN: 0-14-025037-9. Pocket format, 243 pages, about $12 (approx 10 Euros). Here is the text that can be found on the back cover: If you were thrilled by Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" but aren't familiar with her other stories, don't miss the chance to pick up this important collection edited by the author's husband. In addition to "The Lottery," it includes classics like "The Beautiful Stranger" (body snatcher theme with a twist), "The Summer People" (a tale of sinister villagers), "A Visit" (a lyrical ghost story), "The Rock" (where death is a short, shy gentleman), and "The Bus" (Jackson's most overtly ghoulish and frightening story of all). The unfinished novel Come Along with Me is mesmerizing, and Jackson's "Biography of a Story" is an utterly hilarious account of readers' reactions when "The Lottery" was first published in the New Yorker in 1948. As the New York Times said, "Everything this author ... has in it the dignity and plausibility of myth ... Shirley Jackson knew better than any writer since Hawthorne the value of haunted things."