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Things I Took From the Dark: The Museum of Me
'Reece is a brilliant, funny tour guide into the world of arcane, strange phantasmagoria. I absolutely loved it!' Jon Ronson
'An absolute treat. Enter at your own peril!' Diane Morgan
For decades, Reece Shearsmith has been collecting terrible things, from our world and beyond, from the coffin of a vampire to pickled hands used in witchcraft, haunted paintings and mummified mermaids. Some of them he found. Some of them found him. But they all reside here in his museum, carefully stored and waiting for their stories to be told.
Through the lens of these items, Reece tells his own story, from a terrifying nighttime visitation on a council estate in Hull, via haunted inns and uncanny creatures that hovered around the edges of the League of Gentlemen, to the benevolent teaspoon poltergeist of the Inside No. 9 tour.
Beautifully illustrated throughout by Reece himself, things I Took From the Dark is a memoir like no other. You'll come away knowing the author far better - but the exhibits are quite keen to meet you, too...
'An absolute treat. Enter at your own peril!' Diane Morgan
For decades, Reece Shearsmith has been collecting terrible things, from our world and beyond, from the coffin of a vampire to pickled hands used in witchcraft, haunted paintings and mummified mermaids. Some of them he found. Some of them found him. But they all reside here in his museum, carefully stored and waiting for their stories to be told.
Through the lens of these items, Reece tells his own story, from a terrifying nighttime visitation on a council estate in Hull, via haunted inns and uncanny creatures that hovered around the edges of the League of Gentlemen, to the benevolent teaspoon poltergeist of the Inside No. 9 tour.
Beautifully illustrated throughout by Reece himself, things I Took From the Dark is a memoir like no other. You'll come away knowing the author far better - but the exhibits are quite keen to meet you, too...
- GenresNonfictionHorrorMemoir
373 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 9, 2026
Absolutely brilliant… one of best books this year. Being The Curator of Wakefield Ghost Walk and collector of weird and wonderful relics it was right up my street.
Read in a single day it was that good
👍🏻
Read in a single day it was that good
👍🏻
Want to Read
May 15, 2026placeholding, he wrote a fucking book YAY
October 10, 2026
Reece Shearsmith masterfully curates a cabinet of dark wonders, weaving personal histories and experiences into an intimate exploration of the macabre.
Even for the seasoned horror aficionado, familiar with many of the cases and curiosities on display, there is fresh delight to be found in Shearsmith’s telling. His prose breathes new life into the strange and unsettling, imbued with his trademark humour and wonderful surreal sensibility.
There is an intimacy to his writing that transforms what might otherwise be a collection of morbid curiosities into something altogether more personal: a glimpse into the obsessions, memories and imagination of a lifelong devotee of the dark.
Beautifully adorned with his own illustrations, this is a book to savour as much as to read. I took immense pleasure in turning each page, wandering through the shadowy rooms of Shearsmith’s very own museum of the macabre (including Gift Shop!)
Here’s to the Monster Kids.
Even for the seasoned horror aficionado, familiar with many of the cases and curiosities on display, there is fresh delight to be found in Shearsmith’s telling. His prose breathes new life into the strange and unsettling, imbued with his trademark humour and wonderful surreal sensibility.
There is an intimacy to his writing that transforms what might otherwise be a collection of morbid curiosities into something altogether more personal: a glimpse into the obsessions, memories and imagination of a lifelong devotee of the dark.
Beautifully adorned with his own illustrations, this is a book to savour as much as to read. I took immense pleasure in turning each page, wandering through the shadowy rooms of Shearsmith’s very own museum of the macabre (including Gift Shop!)
Here’s to the Monster Kids.
October 12, 2026
Brilliant book, excellent retelling of common paranormal experiences and even more excellent retelling of the more uncommon paranormal experiences.
Really, enjoyable to read especially the anecdotes from Reece himself.
Really, enjoyable to read especially the anecdotes from Reece himself.
October 10, 2026
As a fan of League and just adoring Reece, I was thrilled to read this. Bought my copy at his show and read the second half in tandem with the audio book! Fantastic!
To all us Monster Kids 🫀
To all us Monster Kids 🫀
October 13, 2026
I can't recall enjoying a book this much in a long time.
Funny, spooky, interesting...what more could you want?
Funny, spooky, interesting...what more could you want?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews