Aaron Mahnke

A fascinating, beautifully illustrated guide to the monsters that are part of our collective psyche, from the host of the hit podcast Lore They live in shadows - deep in the forest, late in the night, in the dark recesses of our mind. They're spoken of in stories and superstitions, relics of an unenlightened age, old wives' tales, passed down through generations. And yet, no matter how wary and jaded we have become, as individuals or as a society, a part of us remains vulnerable to them. Werewolves and wendigos, poltergeists and vampires, angry elves and vengeful spirits. In this beautifully illustrated volume, the host of the hit podcast Lore serves as a guide on a fascinating journey through the history of these terrifying creatures, and explores not only the legends but what they tell us about ourselves. Aaron Mahnke invites us to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where the notorious winged, red-eyed Jersey Devil dwells. Mahnke delves into harrowing accounts of cannibalism-some officially documented, others the stuff of speculation . . . perhaps. He visits the dimly lit rooms where séances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, and Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert. The monsters of folklore have become not only a part of our language but a part of our collective psyche. Whether these beasts and bogeymen are real or just a reflection of our primal fears, we know, on some level, that not every mystery has been explained, and that the unknown still holds the power to strike fear deep in our hearts and souls. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore... Praise for the Lore podcast 'Truth can often be much scarier than fiction - something Mahnke proves as he dives deep into the world of folklore and the darker side of history in a quest to root out the fragment of truth at the bottom of our fears." - Entertainment Weekly 'Narrated by Mahnke in a style that evokes spooky campfire stories, Lore is a history lesson like no other.' - Esquire

A chilling, lavishly illustrated who's-who of the most despicable people ever to walk the earth, featuring both rare and best-loved stories from the hit podcast Lore, now an online streaming series. Here are the incredible true stories of some of the mortals who achieved notoriety in history and folklore through horrible means. Monsters of this sort - serial killers, desperate criminals, and socially mobile people with a much darker double-life - are, in fact, quite real . . . including H. H. Holmes, the infamous Chicago serial killer; William Brodie, the Edinburgh criminal mastermind who inspired The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; and Bela Kiss, a Hungarian tinsmith with a most disturbing hobby: collecting women in gasoline drums. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore.

For fans of Neil Gaiman and Welcome to Night Vale, Aaron Mahnke's The World of Lore (based on the popular LORE podcast) explores the chilling truth behind the legendary creatures, peculiar people and horrific places that arouse our deepest fears. For you see, sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction... Volume 3: Dreadful PlacesHumans have an uncanny ability to leave their indelible mark. Homes can sometimes reflect the characteristics of their occupants and even cities become more and more like living beings after a century or two. So, it's logical to assume that darker deeds, horrible tragedies, and the worst of human nature all might leave a nefarious taint on some of these places. This third book in The World of Lore series will explore dark and dreadful places on land and at sea, places haunted by tragedy and filled with echo es of evil. These are the stories about cities, and buildings, too, from New Orleans to Louisiana and Richmond, Virginia, as well as infamous places like the Stanley Hotel in Colorado and England's most frightening and brooding castles.