Modern-Day Morticia and Gomez Addams Reveal Odd and Macabre Artifacts in New Book Releasing in Time for Halloween
In The Witch’s Door: Oddities & Tales from the Esoteric to the Extreme (Chronicle Prism; October 1, 2024; Hardcover; ISBN: 978-1797229584), Ryan Matthew Cohn and Regina Rossi, trendsetting tastemakers in artifact collecting and founders of the Oddities Flea Market, welcome fans of curiosities (and anyone simply curious) inside the bizarre business that brought them together and introduce some of the unusual stuff and eccentric people they’ve encountered while doing what they love. The result is an engaging mix of memoir, exposé, how-to guide, and curated tour, filled with jaw-dropping photographs and unbelievable-but-true stories of exploded skulls, wax penises, and lots more.
Through Ryan and Regina’s wild adventures in artifact hunting, gathering, assessing, haggling, collecting, and curating, readers will discover:
- How Ryan uncovered a treasure trove of Kapala skulls wrapped in a dead missionary’s underwear—and how Regina strolled through airport security, rocking a monkey skull necklace.
- The ancient history, meticulous craft, and the key to telling a genuine shrunken head from a knock-off: pay close attention to the detail in the ear.
- How a vast collection of anatomical wax antiques stashed in a basement in Munich made its way to Brooklyn’s celebrated House of Wax—after considerable care and shipping costs.
- Why determining the provenance of any artifact or artwork is so important, if challenging, to avoid being scammed into investing in something stolen, illegally exported, or fake.
- The work of established antiquarians, like Billy Leroy of Billy’s Antiques, and quirks of serious collectors, like Nick Parmesan, retired NYPD sergeant turned hoarder, who had valuable pieces—including an antique electric chair—buried under mounds of junk.
- The incredible memento mori collection of art dealer Richard Harris—and how, rather than being morbid, collections of death masks and skulls can help us come to terms with our mortality.
- Why collecting dolls can be rewarding and chilling—and evidence to support that two vintage Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist dummies in Ryan and Regina’s collection might be haunted.
About the Authors
Ryan Matthew Cohn is an artist, curator, art collector, and the Oddities Flea Market cofounder. His artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of Arts and Design, Armour-Stiner Octagon House, Copro Gallery, Last Rites Gallery, Morbid Anatomy Museum, Roq La Rue Gallery, and more. His curatorial work has appeared in Playboy, Revolver, and The New York Times, as well as in films such as Wonderstruck and The Greatest Showman. Between 2010 and 2014, Ryan was featured as one of the stars on the Discovery Channel show Oddities, and he currently appears on the web series Antiques and Their Afterlives on Atlas Obscura.
Regina Marie Rossi is the co-founder and producer of the Oddities Flea Market, a traveling high-end art market, which expanded from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Manhattan, and beyond under her leadership. In 2016, she collaborated with her husband, Ryan, to curate Brooklyn’s House of Wax, a bar, museum, and event space like no other. With a background in high-end fashion, Regina brings glamour and elegance to her exhibits and events.
Ryan and Regina live in Connecticut with their cat, three dogs, and a growing collection of rare art, oddities, and other ephemera. The Witch’s Door is their first book.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Witchs-