It might give you Goosebumps to find out!

Goosebumps is a popular children’s horror fiction series written by R.L. Stine. At one point, the series sold over four million books a month, and more than 400 million Goosebumps books have sold overall, making it the second best-selling kids series next to Harry Potter. 

The first book in the original Goosebumps series, Welcome to Dead House, was published in July 1992. There were 62 original Goosebumps books (find a complete list here) and numerous spin-off series, each bringing its own unique brand of scary. 

Between 2008 and 2011, the first twenty-two books of the original series were republished with new covers and bonus materials. Following the release of two films, Goosebumps in 2015 and Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween in 2018, fourteen more ‘Classics’ were added to the list, bringing the total number of the series to thirty-six.

Other Goosebumps Series and Spin-Offs to collect

The spin-off series includedTales to Give You Goosebumps (1994-1997), Give Yourself Goosebumps (1995 to 2000), Goosebumps Presents (1996-1998), Goosebumps Series 2000 (published from 1998 to 2000), Goosebumps Horrorland (2008 to 2012), Goosebumps Hall of Horrors (2011-2012) and Goosebumps Most Wanted (2012 to 2016).

Tales to Give You Goosebumps (1994-1997) is a series of six books, including ten stories each. Every book in the series initially came packaged with Goosebumps merchandise. Subsequent reprintings of the books did not include the original merchandise. 

Give Yourself Goosebumps (1995-2000) is a horror book game series for kids in which the reader chooses the adventure. There were fifty books in the series, including eight special editions. Although credited to Stine, many were ghost-written. All books are out of print except Please Don’t Feed the Vampire! which was made a ‘Classic Goosebumps’ book after the first Goosebumps movie release in 2015. 

Goosebumps Presents (1996-1998) is a series of Goosebumps books based on the television series. They feature full-color photos from the episodes, and are all ghost-written by various authors, although credited to R.L. Stine on the covers.

As a follow-up to the original Goosebumps series, Stine was contracted to write forty books in the Goosebumps Series 2000 (published 1998-2000), but legal battles with Scholastic and Parachute press led to an abrupt ending of the series at number twenty-five, Ghost in the Mirror. Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls, The Haunted Car, and Bride of the Living Dummy were later reprinted as part of the Classic Goosebumps series. 

Goosebumps Horrorland (2008-2011) is a series of nineteen books centered around two story arcs set in the ‘Horrorland’ theme park. To end the series in 2011, a promotional book titled Write Your Fright was published featuring six story-starters that let kids write their own endings. This book is currently out of print.

Goosebumps Hall of Horrors (2011-2012) is a mini-series of six books featuring a story told by a child visiting the Horrorland ‘Hall of Horrors.’ The first two books in the series, Claws! and Night of the Giant Everything!, were printed initially as “Goosebumps HorrorLand: Hall of Horrors,”‘ but the four later books in the series dropped ‘HorrorLand’ from the title. Unlike the Goosebumps Horrorland series, each Hall of Horrors book was an individual story.

Goosebumps Most Wanted (2012-2016) is a Goosebumps mini-series. The series began with the publication of Goosebumps Most Wanted: The Haunted Mask, a standalone novel, in 2012 and went on to feature ten books, all taking place on Halloween, and four special editions. The special editions all take place on Halloween, except The Twelve Screams of Christmas. 

Goosebumps SlappyWorld (2017-Present) is the current Goosebumps series and features the character ‘Slappy the Dummy’ telling his own story. 

How Can You Tell If You Have a Goosebumps First Edition?

A “first printing” of a Goosebumps book will have a number line going down to 1 on the copyright page. A book can be a first edition, but not necessarily a ‘first printing’ or ‘first state.” First editions of Goosebumps books have an original cover design, and in many cases they had cover ads for things such as the TV series, contests, and the Goosebumps Fan Club. Later printings may have updated art and do not contain the ads.

The ‘original series’ would be considered first editions (although they may have gone through many printings), while the 2003-2007 reprints and Classic Goosebumps are second and third editions. The number line on the copyright page denotes the printing, with the last number in the descending line showing the print run. First printings of Goosebump books #1-#36 also had the price and ISBN printed on the cover. 

A Scholastic Book Fair favorite, many original books had inserts along with the ads, like bookmarks, tattoos, and masks. Finding an original first printing with inserts makes the book worth significantly more. 

There are four rare Goosebumps books; Legend of the Lost Legend (Goosebumps #47); Werewolf Skin (Goosebumps #60); I Live in Your Basement! (Goosebumps #61) and Monster Blood IV (Goosebumps #62). These books only exist as first editions and are known to Goosebumps fans as ‘The Unreprinted .’Depending on where you find the titles and the condition, these can range from $20 – $40 or more. 

The Haunted School, Deep Trouble II, and Don’t Go to Sleep are also some more rare ones that they opted not to reprint when they reprinted the series.

Most Collectible of the Goosebumps Spin-off Series

The Most Collectible Goosebumps Presents:

Goosebumps Presents TV Book #16 – Attack of the Jack-O’-Lanterns (1997) 

Goosebumps Presents TV Book #18 Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes (1998)

An ad on the back cover of Goosebumps Presents TV Book #18 Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, featured The Blob That Ate Everyone as the next book in the series; however, it was never published, and #18, Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, was the last of the Goosebumps Presents series.

The Most Sought-After Give Yourself Goosebumps:

The end of the series, #30 You’re Plant Food (1998) through #42 All-Day Nightmare are generally hard-to-find and sought-after by Goosebumps collectors. 

#31 The Werewolf of Twisted Tree Lodge (1998)

#32 It’s Only a Nightmare! (1998)

#33 It Came from the Internet (1999)

#34 Elevator to Nowhere (1999)

#35 Hocus-Pocus Horror (1999)

#36 Ship of Ghouls (1999)

#37 Escape from Horror House (1999)

#38 Into the Twister of Terror (1999)

#39 Scary Birthday to You! (1999)

#40 Zombie School (2000)

#41 Danger Time (2000)

Also in this category are two of the Give Yourself Goosebumps Special Editions:

Give Yourself Goosebumps Special Edition #6 – Revenge of Body Squeezers (1999)

Number six in the special edition series of Give Yourself Goosebumps, Revenge of the Body Squeezers is a sequel to the Goosebumps Series 2000 books Invasion of the Body Squeezers: Part 1 and Invasion of the Body Squeezers: Part 2.

Give Yourself Goosebumps Special Edition #7 – Trick or… Trapped! (1999)

Seventh in the special editions of Give Yourself Goosebumps, Trick or … Trapped!, published in 1999. The cover artist was Craig White. 

Goosebumps Series 2000 – Slappy’s Nightmare (1999)

Slappy’s Nightmare is the twenty-third book in the Goosebumps Series 2000 series and the fifth book in the Living Dummy saga. 

Other Collectible Goosebumps Books

Goosebumps Live on Stage – Screams in the Night is an unnumbered standalone book sold at the Goosebumps Live on Stage play in 1998. This item is very obscure, and the price can vary widely depending on the seller and condition. 

Goosebumps Haunted Library is a collection box containing three “mini-books” short stories, “Bad Dog”, “Don’t Make Me Laugh”, and “The Halloween Game”. It was released in 1996 as a mail away for Hershey Foods Corporation, PepsiCo., Inc, and Frito-Lay, Inc.

Goosebumps How to Draw A Monster, a mini-book released through a Taco Bell promo, was released by Scholastic and Parachute books in 1997.

Goosebumps: How to Draw Goosebumps was released by Scholastic in 2010.

Goosebumps Official Collector’s Caps Book and Goosebumps Holiday Collector’s Caps Book are two gift books that came with limited edition caps, or POG, featuring artwork based on the series and a special ‘Goosebumps Slammer.’ 

It Came From Ohio! , initially published in 1998, covers the life of R.L. Stine, creator of Goosebumps. In 2015 it was updated with new information and re-released in conjunction with the movie. 

It Came from New Jersey (1998) is an autobiography about Goosebumps artist Tim Jacobus, including his childhood and how he created his famous Goosebumps covers. It also provides step-by-step guides for drawing the works. 

The Art of Goosebumps (2021) by Sarah Rodriguez, featuring artwork by Tim Jacobus, includes fun facts and information regarding the covers and art of the  Goosebumps series.

In 2017 Scholastic released a Goosebumps 25th Anniversary Retro Set including Monster Blood, Why I’m Afraid of Bees, A Night in Terror Tower, The Beast From the East, and Legend of the Lost Legend with their original cover art. 

But Really, What Are Rare Goosebumps Books Worth? 

The first Goosebumps books sold for $2.95 retail in the early 1990s. Goosebumps: Slappy, Beware!, published in September 2022, retails for $7.99 (for a hardcover). Because of their extreme popularity, there are hundreds of millions of Goosebumps books in print. The rarest may be hard to find, but generally, if you’re patient and diligent, you can find them for $20 – $40. You can pay much more if you don’t want to be patient. First printings and out-of-print titles are worth the effort, and collecting is an investment in both time and money. Gains can always increase long-term if the book condition is kept pristine. But collecting is also about the passion and the thrill of the hunt. Finding a rare gem in a thrift store or for a few dollars online may be just the reward you need for your effort. 

Additional resources for collecting Goosebumps:

There are a lot of resources and fan sites for fans and collectors of Goosebumps.

Goosebumps Wiki has loads of information on the series, including lists and descriptions of all the books.

Vocal Media: Geeks has a “History of Goosebumps.”

YouTube also has many videos on collecting the series. Here are a few:

And finally, here is a really good checklist if you want to keep track of all your Goosebumps books. The “Goosebumps Swap & Shop” store is in Adelaide Australia.