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Bookish Goods for Goths

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Tirzah Price

Senior Contributing Editor

Most of Tirzah Price's life decisions have been motivated by a desire to read as many books as humanly possible. Tirzah holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has worked as an independent bookseller and librarian. She’s also the author of the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries, published by HarperTeen, and Bibliologist at TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations. Follow her on Twitter @TirzahPrice.

Nightfire

Launched in 2019, Nightfire, the new horror imprint from Tor, encompasses the breadth of horror, from short story collections to novellas and novels, from standalone works to series, from dark fantasy to the supernatural, from originals to reprints of lost modern classics. Nightfire’s novels are now appearing on shelves in bookstores and libraries near you. Do you dare stretch the spines on these terrifying titles this autumn?

A lot of the bookish goods you can find on the internet are usually bright and colorful, bordering on whimsical with a cheerful “YAY BOOKS” vibe. Now, normally that is a sentiment I can buy into, but sometimes a book nerd wants something a little moody. A little dark. A bit more bleak, but still beautiful in a forlorn, creepy way. Something that says, hey, I’m dead on the inside, but I still love books about dark magic, betrayal, forbidden romance, and things that go bump in the night. In which case, you’ve come to the right place.

If you’ve been living for the dark academia aesthetic, if you love horror novels and monster heroes, if you own black lipstick and your wardrobe is all dark and dramatic colors, if you’ve got a dark, bookish heart…then you’re going to love these bookish goods featuring skeletons, dark colors, classic horror, and other slightly macabre elements! From stickers and pins to apparel to candles and brooding artwork to add a certain dark and dangerous aesthetic to your reading lair, we hope you’ll find something that makes your gothic-loving dark bookish heart happy. Because Halloween may be over, but these bookish goods for goths are always in season.

A sticker of a smoking skeleton clasping a large leather-bound book to its check against a background of flowers.

Book Loving Skeleton Sticker ($4): A little creepy, a little pretty, just perfect.

A bookmark featuring a stack of books with a skull on top and the words "do not disturb"

Do Not Disturb Bookmark ($6): Nothing says don’t touch my TBR stack like this skull!

A book sleeve made in black and grey skulls and roses, with black accents and a button closure.

Skull Book Sleeve ($21): You gotta protect the corners of your leather-bound grimoires while on the go!

A mannequin with a bright red scarf and the first page of Dracula printed on it.

Dracula Wrap ($44): If you must add some color to your wardrobe, make it a pop of blood red!

A dark blue candle in a glass jar with a white label that reads "Nevermore"

Nevermore Candle ($5+): Set the perfect creepy reading mood with this Edgar Allan Poe-inspired candle that smells like blackberries, sage, and mint. For extra ambiance, get the wood wick.

a black and white drawing of a book on a table with a skull, quill pen, manuscripts, and a candle

Vintage Skull Illustration ($5): For all your reading nook inspiration!

A trio of three wooden bookmarks in various wood times displaying a carved selection of Dark Academia book spices including The Secret History, Vicious, Ninth House, Truly Devius, The Truants, and more.

Dark Academia Book Marks ($7): For a hefty, no nonsense bookmark, grab this wooden bookmark displaying a shelf of dark academia books.

A sticker sheet full of black and white stickers with quotes from literary Gothic classics.

Gothic Literature Sticker Sheet ($5): Add some classic gothic literary flair to your journals and letters.

Books Are Magic Pin ($11): Is it just me or does this enamel pin look like it’s teeming with dark, bookish magic?

A white t-shirt with a stack of book spines featuring Dracula, Frankenstein, The Shining, Edgar Allan Poe, Jekyll and Hyde, with a skull and flowers on toy.

Horror Novels T-Shirt ($26): Showcase your love for some truly horrifying reads.

A sticker of a black book with a pink crystal on the cover.

Crystal Grimoire Sticker ($3): For you witchy, bookish types.

An email pin in the shape of a skull wearing aviator sunglasses and the words "one flesh, one end bitch"

Gideon the Ninth Enamel Pin ($10): The coolest pin for the coolest sword-wielding lesbian necromancer book!