Ramble House

Last updated
Ramble House
Founded1999
FounderFender Tucker
& Jim Weiler
Country of origin United States
Key peopleFender Tucker
Richard A. Lupoff
John Pelan
Gavin L. O'Keefe
Chase Griffin
Publication types Books
Fiction genres crime fiction,
true crime,
detective fiction,
supernatural fiction,
supernatural thriller,
horror fiction,
occult detective fiction,
science fiction
Imprints Surinam Turtle Press
(Richard A. Lupoff) &
Dancing Tuatara Press
(John Pelan)
Official website www.ramblehouse.com

Ramble House is a small American publisher founded by Fender Tucker and Jim Weiler in 1999. The press specializes in reprints of long-neglected and rare crime fiction novels, modern crime fiction, 'weird menace' and 'shudder pulps' short story collections from rare pulp magazines, scholarly works by noted authors on the crime fiction genre, and a range of other books of a collectible or curious nature. [1] In addition to its main publishing arm, Ramble House has two imprints: Surinam Turtle Press and Dancing Tuatara Press, headed by authors Richard A. Lupoff and John Pelan, respectively, both of whom are now deceased.

Contents

Ramble House titles were originally handmade by Tucker in small, craft editions, but growth in the publisher’s list, together with print-on-demand technology, led to the titles becoming available online as trade paperback editions. Gavin L. O’Keefe has served as cover designer for over 25 years, creating many original designs for the books or adapting existing artwork. He is also an occasional commissioning editor for the line. Psychedelic fiction author Chase Griffin joined the team in late 2025 as Loon Funhouse Operator.

Harry Stephen Keeler and crime fiction

The publisher began with the mission of bringing every novel written by Harry Stephen Keeler into print; these were mostly reprinted, though a number were rescued from unpublished typescripts and published for the first time. [2] [3] The press later published new works of scholarship devoted to Harry Stephen Keeler and Edward D. Wood, Jr., as well as titles focusing on the crime fiction genre authored by Anthony Boucher, Francis M. Nevins, and Jon L. Breen.

Other titles have focused on true crime, including Bill Johnson’s Satan’s Den Exposed and a collection of contemporary newspaper accounts of the Jack the Ripper murders, as well as American historical figures, such as The Amorous Intrigues & Adventures of Aaron Burr and Diary and Journal of John Surratt, Conspirator.

Other authors

Other authors published by Ramble House include:

References

  1. Flowers, Jennifer (August 4, 2005). "Bound & Determined". The Times (Newspapers.com).
  2. "The enigmatic case of the oddly persistent mystery writer | Features | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
  3. Dirda, Michael (2012-12-07). "In Praise of Small Presses". The American Scholar. Retrieved 2026-01-22.