Nierme is a shorthaired tabby/peach calico mix who joined us in July 2006. She is gentle, remarkably intelligent, chatty, and loves music for solo piano, particularly Satie and Chopin.

Nothing pleases her better than being admired. She will sometimes jump up and sit with a quiet reader in one of the armchairs, and she loves to be rubbed behind the ears. (Respect her boundaries, though - she does not like to be picked up.) She likes to give tours - whenever she stops, you're invited to tell her, "Yes, that's yours" - and to play with crumpled paper balls, which she usually bats to left field.

Her birthday is observed on each anniversary of 7 November 2004. Her name is taken from a Sindarin word meaning "sorrow" because she lost a kitten at a young age. Since joining us at the bookshop, though, her saddest gazes have been reserved for empty treat dishes and departing ear-scratchers.

If you're looking for her, check the Military History section in Virginia's Room upstairs, the Linguistics section in Anna's Room, or in the sunny southwest room, near the piano, when a sunbeam falls right on the cushion of the big rocking chair.

Logan started at the Haunted in January 2007 and retired in 2019. His friends are always welcome to share pictures and stories to celebrate him! We'll see about setting up a visit when the pandemic is over.

Aeschylus (nicknamed Esk) is a ginger tabby with a big head and a bigger heart. If he is not actively bumping his forehead against your shin, it's only because somebody else is scratching his head, and he'll be along soon to make sure you get a "boop". He is a shelter rescue, likely born in April 2017, and his birthday is observed at Passover/Easter.

Sophocles is an exceptionally fluffy dilute tortie with the unusual ability to detect humans with empty laps. She can be shy, but once she knows you're gentle, Sophie is an absolute snuggle machine. You are welcome to request her brush at the front counter, or just rub her forehead; she will press her head up against your hand if she's in the mood for attention. She came to us from a nearby family via the local shelter, and it's really obvious that she has been raised to trust and love. Her birthday is observed on each anniversary of October 16, 2016.

We're named after The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley.

We are not presently hiring.

The Haunted Bookshop opened in 1978 and moved to this location in 2013. The present owner purchased the business in 2004.
You were somewhere else, then another place, now - what happened? Okay. The bookshop has lived at three previous locations (on South Johnson, East Washington, and North Linn), but moved to its own home at last at 219 N Gilbert Street. South Johnson was the yellow house with the red door, ca. 1978-1982; East Washington was the house with the big porch, ca. 1982-2008; we bought and merged with Northside Book Market in 2009 and moved to that store's location; we bought The Bookery in 2010 and merged it into the North Linn location; and when Murphy-Brookfield Books moved online in 2013, we bought their house at 219 N Gilbert. Why did we move? Well, when you see the house, you'll understand. It's on the national historic register, we can curate it for the future, and it has precisely cat-sized windowsills.

The Wentz house was built in 1847 and is the foremost example of Greek Revival architecture remaining in Iowa City today.

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