Clarence John Laughlin (1905–1985), who spent most of his career in and around New Orleans, was dubbed “Edgar Allan Poe with a camera.” His images capture the weathered elegance and dreamy decadence of Louisiana’s buildings, streets, and cemeteries. This stunning volume brings together 65 master images by the celebrated photographer and essays by eight distinguished writers—Jon Kukla, John H. Lawrence, Andrei Codrescu, Ellen Gilchrist, Shirley Ann Grau, Jonathan Williams, Albert Belisle Davis, and John Wood. Haunter of Ruins showcases classic and previously unpublished photographs complemented by Laughlin’s own words, as well as those of his correspondents.

The limited edition of Haunter of Ruins combines the bookcrafter’s art with the beauty of Laughlin’s photographs. The edition of 100 numbered copies, presented in a handsome slipcase, celebrates Laughlin’s genius and his mastery of photography. Under Loops of Moss (1940), a photoprint from an original Laughlin negative, is included with purchase.