New York's a great place to die, but if that's not on your agenda, it's also a great place to be fascinated by death. 'After all, this is the state that gave us the Headless Horseman, Son of Sam, Rosemary's baby, Rod Serling, the Addams Family, the electric chair, Troma Studios, Typhoid Mary, Sing Sing, and the Amityville Horror. The Empire State is full of the macabre, the dreadful, and the grim-all of it just dying for you to visit. Part personal travelogue, part detailed guidebook, The New York Grimpendium covers hundreds of macabre sites, attractions, and artifacts, all drawn from the firsthand experiences of J. W. Ocker, who, over the course of a year, did New York to death, driving more than 9,000 miles of its roads and stopping to investigate every shadow along the way. From a visit to a 19th-century brain collection to the home of an artist whose muses are serial killers to an old ship graveyard, Ocker darkened many days to find New York locations connected to legendary personalities of the macabre; infamous crimes and tragedies; horror movies; classic New York monsters; and notable cemeteries, tombs, and other memento mori. So if you're looking to go gently into New York's own unique good night, let The New York Grimpendium show you all the best spots.

Book jacket.