In *The Witch’s Door*, Regina and Ryan Cohn invite readers into an exquisitely curated realm of the macabre and mysterious, offering a spellbinding tour through their extraordinary collection of oddities. As the founders of Oddities Flea Market, the Cohns have built a reputation for curating the unusual and the eerie, and this memoir serves as a captivating showcase of their expertise and passion for the bizarre.

The book is a treasure trove of the strange and unsettling. Each chapter reveals a different facet of their collection, from taxidermied curios like Mr. Peepers to the haunting allure of Charlie McCarthy dolls that may harbor ghostly presences. The Cohns have an eye for the bizarre and the beautiful, turning what might seem grotesque or unsettling into an art form. They reveal the backstory of each artifact with engaging narratives that blend historical facts with eerie anecdotes, providing a rich tapestry of the object’s origins and significance.

What makes *The Witch’s Door* particularly enthralling is its combination of vivid photography and captivating storytelling. The book features jaw-dropping images that capture the intricate details of their macabre treasures, each one carefully selected to evoke wonder and curiosity. The photographs complement the stories, allowing readers to visualize the haunting beauty of the artifacts as they are introduced to the peculiarities and histories behind them.

Regina and Ryan Cohn’s dual perspectives add depth to the narrative. Regina’s background in fashion brings an aesthetic sensibility to the curation process, while Ryan’s experience with the reality show *Oddities* offers insider knowledge of the artifact collecting world. Together, they provide a comprehensive look at how they source and select these unusual pieces, offering readers an insider’s glimpse into the world of collecting and selling the strange and unusual.

The memoir also serves as a celebration of the Cohns' role as trendsetters in the realm of oddities. They have not only reinvented the market for collectors but have also brought a new level of appreciation and respect for the art of curating the strange. Their book is a testament to their dedication to preserving and showcasing artifacts that might otherwise be lost to obscurity.

*The Witch’s Door* is a delightful read for fans of *Oddities*, *Atlas Obscura*, and anyone with a penchant for the darker side of life. It’s a visual and narrative feast that delves into the allure of the macabre with a blend of humor, reverence, and genuine fascination. Whether as a gift or a personal indulgence, this book is a must-have for those who revel in the unusual and the unsettling. Regina and Ryan Cohn’s memoir is a journey into the heart of the bizarre and a celebration of the art of curating the strange.

As a fan of the TV show Oddities - I was drawn immediately to this offering. ( Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for a chance to review this book.) This is the memoir of a sorts written by Ryan Cohn - documenting his passion for "oddities" and his rise in the field as creator, collector, and authority.

I was fascinated by his early career, apprenticed to a jeweler, and learning traditional fabrication techniques. I can see how that diverse technical skill base held him in great stead as he began work with trephinated skulls - which he is an authority in during the show. The tales of his youth starting his personal collection were intense! The book goes on to cover the experiences related to filming the show - and then on to his meeting and courtship with Regina. I found it compelling as it continued up until 2020, and related their struggles starting a fledgling business during a global pandemic.

One thing I was struck by was the desire for and joy in finding community. As an artist and a member of the Mythic Arts community - it is a homecoming to find the peers that work in the same motif and share the same passions. I found myself relating to Ryan's experiences among the circuit of collectors and clients... although this isn't my genre, the sense of finding community was so relatable!

I found the book to be a fast and easy read, it is very conversational in tone. It contains many illustrations - which I think are essential to telling its tale. ( Although I wished for more.) I think it would be a great gift, or "coffee table" book for collectors, fans of the macabre, collectors of natural history...

Do you love all things dark and witchy? Do you love trinkets? Antiques? This book is for you! Creators of the Oddities Flea Market reveal their distinctly curated collection. This is so cool!

A fun trip through the world of collecting oddities and curiosities.

This was enjoyable, though I think it’s best as a book you pick up and put down at leisure, reading bits at a time, rather than something to be read straight through.

There’s a lot of personal anecdotes and personal stories included, and though some of that is both expected and welcome, I wish there had been less of that and more detail on history and background of the objects. The authors are interesting enough people, but I wasn’t interested so much in them as in their knowledge of these sorts of art and collectible objects.

The section on cabinets of curiosities was probably my favorite, though there are lots of interesting treasures to be found throughout the book. I much appreciated that many photos were included, and I thought that both the selection and the quality of the photography was good.

As I've done in the past with other primary or autobiographical sources, I'm not going to "rate" this book in the traditional way. I don't believe in giving a social media "star rating" to someone's life experience as they saw fit to tell it. However, I would like to say that I found this work incredibly charming.

I never watched the Science Channel show "Oddities," so here I was greeted by Ryan and Regina for the first time. I am a natural history fan, so the idea of collecting bones, morbid ephemera, and other curiosities doesn't bother me. One of my favorite shops is The Weeping Glass here in Pittsburgh! That being said, I can only aspire and admire these two for pursuing what they clearly enjoy.

It was refreshing to learn of the respect and dignity that Ryan has achieved for his collection. From self-taught tinkering to museum-worthy pieces. But when making a purchase, the reader finds out how slippery the slope can be. Ryan warns that thorough research, data, and photographs are necessary; assuring all laws are obeyed and with respectable sellers. In the Oddities trade, stolen items and fakes are a constant threat. Along the way, the reader will learn about the misconceptions of shrunken heads, the history of "exploded" skulls, cabinets of curiosities, reliquaries, anatomical wax sculptures, and more!

But what the reader also comes to learn about is the true fondness that Ryan and Regina have for each other. It was a quick courtship, but then again you get the impression that these two don't play by traditional rules. How refreshing it is to see two business partners, lovers, and hosts, work with such heart! In the end, it is a memoir of two people, their happiness, their passions, their struggles, and their friendships! It's a beautiful book inside and out, perfect for the witchy readers, collectors, Oddities Flea Market fans, or simply the curious!

I'll be sure to attend the Oddities Expo someday and thank you Chronicle Books for approving "The Witch's Door" for me on Netgalley!

This was such a weird and entertaining book! I loved learning about all the different oddities they showcased. There was also quite a bit about their personal lives included, which sometimes made sense (like how they came to acquire a certain collection) but other times just kind of felt like space filler.

I’ve been a fan of both Ryan and Regina for many years now and was so excited to receive an early copy of their book. As a collector of antiques and oddities myself I loved hearing stories of how they came to acquire some of their most interesting finds as well as some of the ways they have impacted the community. Because I’m a fan I loved the inside look into their personal lives that is mixed in. I had a lot of fun with this book and I think anyone into the macabre and strange will also have a good time. Thanks again NetGally and the publishers for the ARC!

It is not often that I decide to pick up a book that is nonfiction, I however decided to take a chance on this one. The cover and the blurb really peaked my interest to the point I wanted to give this a go. To say that this book was a let down is being nice. Rather than this being mostly about oddities and the stories behind them, it seemed that it was mostly a memoir about the author and his wife. If the two focuses of this book could be separated that would be awesome.

1.5/5

This was a very interesting book. The book is filled with different stories in the world of oddities. It talks about what made the author interested in the different odd items listed in the book. Definitely a book different than anything I’ve ever read.

This book is a great example of how a person can be a storyteller, but not...a writer. (That feels like I'm being judgmental.) (But I am! I'm judging a book on the book-judging place!) Which is to say that the prose was sometimes - not even infrequently - so boring that it actually got in the way of how potentially interesting the stories were. The chapters had the quality of very long Instagram captions, stories that must be great when you're sitting with the authors in some velvet and skull-fest of a room, moodily lit to highlight their fancy outfits while you drink expensive cocktails and they tell you all about their lives. There's dry ice smoke coming from somewhere, but you can't tell exactly where. In the distance a wolf howls, which is weird because you're in Brooklyn.

I was not familiar with either of the authors before this, but I can absolutely see how it was a gimme for them to put together a book. But their story is a visual one - from the obvious fact that they're collectors of neat-looking curiosities, to the way that they likely would not have gotten this level of fame and TV exposure if they weren't a good-looking and well-dressed couple of professional goths. It was frustrating reading about all of these cool objects they were tracking down while not getting to see all that many of them; the photos are few and far between in this book compared to the volume of prose.

I don't know why this book in particular makes me feel like I shouldn't be mean, but I'm going to try and say this delicately: although I get why the couple thing is a big selling point, I think the inclusion of some of Regina's sections should have been reconsidered given that the totality of them ends up being kind of a bunch of complaining. (Ugh, our TV wedding might have looked cool but filming it sucked. Ugh, our honeymoon was ruined by Ryan working on a wax doll deal the whole time. Ugh, the pandemic interrupted our plans. Ugh, where are we going to put all this stuff Ryan just bought?!) Like, all the complaints are fair! Just...you know, not all that interesting to hear about.

This book will likely be interesting for fans and fellow collectors (I'm a vintage dealer myself, so I did connect to the passion here!), but if what you really want is an in-depth peek inside a cabinet of curiosities, I gotta say this ain't it.

My thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I got about 40% of the way through this and DNF'd it, although I did skim through the last half. From the synopsis, it seemed like the oddities that Ryan and Regina collected and dealt with would be a more prominent part of the book. It was described as "packed with jaw-dropping photographs," but I would say roughly half of the photos were of Ryan and Regina themselves or of people they knew/met along their collecting journey. This is definitely more a memoir of how Ryan was interested in curious items from a child and the story of his life than it is a look at the oddities and curiosities that they gathered along the way. I think this book should be more prominently marketed as a memoir than as "Oddities and Tales from the Esoteric to the Extreme." From the description, I definitely expected more about the items they collected and the stories or "tales" behind those items. Also, of the items that were included, many were about the exploding skulls and jewelry that Ryan himself made or altered and so it seemed less focused on interesting pieces and more of a "hey look at what I can do, you should check out my stuff."

The Witch’s Door is primarily the memoir of Ryan Cohn, who became a collector at a very early age and turned that passion into profit to become one of the foremost collectors of oddities in the world. It is also in part written by his wife Regina, who brought her business sense to the endeavor and pioneered the Oddities Flea Market.

I loved their tales of collecting and the people they encountered along the way. This book definitely focuses more on their personal experiences and while their favorite artifacts are talked about at length and pictured on the page, this isn’t just a book of photographs.

Some of the pieces in their collection gave me weird vibes for sure, but on the whole was fascinated by their lives. I appreciate the lengths they go to ensure the legality of their collecting, but I did also feel some type of way about the tribal artifacts they have collected, and while it was always mentioned that the collection was legal, there was less mention of their ethics.

On the whole I think this book would be the best fit for a reader that likes memoir, and/or has a particular interest in antiques, oddities, art, or curation.

I hate writing negative reviews. I want to start by saying I love all things dark, witchy, and strange. I thought this book was going to be like that. I wasn't aware it was from the show Oddities and I was excited when I found out. Which is why it is so hard to write this negative review. I had to DNF it at about 100 pages. It was just so frustrating. The book starts by talking about the things they collected and while I understand that just because I see the sacredness of items doesn't mean others do. This book just felt so icky. The way they discuss the items felt so disrespectful. While talking about Kapala's there are pictures of the two of them making out in a photo booth and they talk about how they found it at a flea market like it was an old vase. But what really caused me to abandon the book was the completely disrespectful way they talked about the time they accidentally sold a stolen shrunken head. I was so disappointed. Sacred items should not be a centerpiece to show how edgy you are.

1 star

This book was amazing! Its been at least a decade since I have read a full length non fiction book and of all the books in the world I'm so glad that this one made its way to me. There is not a chapter in this book that is not absolutely fascinating. I have so many things floating around in my head that i never thought I would have the know how of. I now know how exploded skulls are made and work, I could in theory make my own shrunken head. A skill I will keep under wraps until the Apocalypse of course. I have an extremely profound new respect for these collections and their respected collectors. I have always had a keen fascination for oddities and tend to lean towards the darker end of the spectrum. I just honestly don't know what else to say. I loved this book so so much and I cannot wait to get my hands on a hard copy for my collection!!

Witch's Door: Oddities and Tales from the Esoteric to the Extreme
by: Ryan Matthew Cohn + Regina M. Cohn
due 10-1-24
Chronicle Prism
5.0 stars

I am blowing kisses .....I fell in love with this book. It is exactly what you would want from a book by Ryan and Regina Cohn. Strange, Extreme and absolutely wonderful. I was (still am, actually)a huge fan of the television series,'Oddities'. Ryan starred on the reality show and every episode I marvelled at the wild and awesome adventures finding real and true artifacts, and their presentation of them. Ryan is so personable and fun, it made the show even better.

Ryan and Regina kept the dream alive, after the tv series, by forming and founding 'Oddities Flea Market', curating the best artists and collectors of taxidermy, oddities and dark art. It is an actual flea market, and is held in different cities across the USA (and beyond), throughout the year; and is one of the few places you actually can go to see and purchase these amazing artifacts outside a museum. Ryan and Regina travel and scope the world looking for purchases of the odd, strange and extreme. Regina is the co-founder and producer of 'Oddities Flea Market'. Her dedication and hard work helped to expand the Flea Market, from Brooklyn to LA - Chicago- Seattle and many more cities. I loved reading about how they found the actual artifacts, the people they met and dealt with while searching and finding them. It was so interesting to find out what seperated the pieces they kept, from the ones they pass on, of purchase for re-sale. Like, Mr.Peepers, the taxidermy monkey, decorated Kapala skulls. Haunted dolls, and an actual, real Witch's Door. And so many more.... Fascinating stuff.

This is a collectible book I am looking forward to purchasing for myself. Ryan and Regina are such awesome people. Filled with daring photographs and stories, presented with excellence and finesse. Unbelievibly real and true, check this out. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending this e-book ARC for review.
#WitchsDoor #NetGalley

This book gives a interesting look into a niche world. Each chapter is filled with gripping stories in the world of oddities. I was very interested to learn how Ryan Cohn became interested in these items like skulls, shrunken heads, and how he works with collectors.

Rating: 3.75 rounded up. I recently joined Netgalley, and this was my first ARC. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. As other reviewers have mentioned, this book serves mostly as an autobiography for the collectors. While I thought the engagement story and others were humorous and entertaining, I found many of the sections to be repetitive. The progression wasn't chronological so the author spent time revisiting some of the same details. This worked in a sense that the Witch's Door was the introduction and conclusion. Metaphorically, doors serve as portals that can defy space and time, and when I thought if it that way, it didn't bother me. I wish there had been a little more focus on sub-categories of oddities, history, detection of authenticity, etc. Since the author related collectibles along his journey to memories associated with tattoos, I'm sure there are plenty of other stories that could've been shared about individual pieces. Maybe they were not included because the acquisition of collections that had been most career-altering.

P.S.: I hope Mr. Peepers can be restored to full glory.

"The Witch's Door" by Ryan Matthew Cohn and Regina M. Rossi is a really interesting read. As a lover of dark academia and all things spooky and weird, I felt like I was invited into a secret world full of fascinating oddities and curiosities. If you're a fan of "Oddities," you'll definitely find this book intriguing.

That said, I was a bit surprised by how much the book focused on the authors' personal lives. I was expecting more stories about oddities and curiosities. While I appreciate learning about their background, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Still, it's a compelling read if you're into the peculiar and the extraordinary.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the huge collection of oddities and strange objects within it. There are lots of pictures and stories about these weird and wonderful pieces. I would have liked more focus on the objects and less on the personal journey of the authors and their collection, though it does give good insight into the world of collectors.

This book is an autobiography and I ended up skimming the second half of the book.

When I received this book, I honestly had no idea it would be a piece of non-fiction or an autobiography. I think I thought it would be another paranormal or fantasy story.

Instead, its the first person narrative of how Ryan Cohn, from the TV Show Oddities, came into being interested in items like skulls, shrunken heads, etc. How he formed collections, preserved pieces, worked with collectors, started House of Wax and more. While parts of this book were interesting, such as the history behind shrunken heads and the real-life photos of item he talks about in the book, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I got bored half way thru and started skimming the book. So... you could say this is a DNF for me. BUT I do believe that if oddities are interesting to you, you'd probably like hearing about it from Ryan- he's definitely a scholar of it.