A wonderful gem parallel to I-26 just outside of Columbia, the Book Dispensary never fails to have a few amazing finds! The Book Dispensary is meticulously organized, with excellent signage, organization, and variety. Both nonfiction and fiction are to be found, situated in multiple rooms, all with excellent lighting. In addition to accepting trade, one thing that struck me was the number of excellent collectable titles across genres.

On my first visit here when I first moved to Western South Carolina, I met Brian, a fellow horror afficianado and collector, whose wealth of knowledge about horror is encyclopedic. On that visit, I had some incredible finds (a very good edition of Rex Miller’s Chaingang, among them!). Today, I came across a few others that have been on my wishlist for some time.

After reading Shadoweyes, I was keen to read more Kathryn Ptacek. Beginning in 1857, a mysterious fever accompanied by the arrival of an alluring stranger. Then once again, the terror begins anew elsewhere, also with another arrival. A seeming departure from some of her other books (though Blood Autumn and Shadoweyes covers are so similar), Ptacek’s incorporation of geography and history is meticulous and I’m eager to dive into this one.

Darklings‘s blurb promises quite a stake: “Something is loose in your world that wasn’t there before.” A host of victims are taken over, and soon, “each is it victim, driven by a grotesque impulse to acts of murder, mayhem, nymphomania, infanticide, cannibalism.” You know, every day 1985 things. I’ve yet to read a Ray Garton I didn’t thoroughly enjoy.

Nick Sharman is new to the Macabrary and me. A quick search reveals a series of titles released beginning in 1980 through 1986, with varying premises and Kindle reissues available. The Switch promises a tale of vengeance; a man who got away with a vehicular homicide only to later find his daughter swept away by the affections of “a handsome new boyfriend,” whereafter a supernatural evil begins to pervade and take its revenge. Sharman is a pseudonym for Scott Grønmark, who recently passed. A moving eulogy by his friend, detailing his incredible life, is cited below.

As many collectors may begin to experience, sometimes it’s not just about finding a title. There are times we want to get a better copy of a favorite. Other times, we’re hoping for an earlier edition with its original (and usually more interesting) cover. A few Dell Abyss titles were available on both of my visits, and finding a copy of Ray Garton’s Darklings made this visit all the more awesome.

The Book Dispensary is definitely a place to visit when you’re in the Columbia, SC area!

Works Cited

Morris, Roderick Conway. “Scott Grønmark: 20 November 1952 – 29 June 2020.”
Scottgronmarkeulogy.com, scottgronmarkeulogy.com/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.