Professor with more than 2,000 Goosebumps books says building his collection helped ease his anxiety during the pandemic

A psychology professor with more than 2,000 Goosebumps books says building his nostalgic collection became a comforting escape and helped ease his anxiety during the pandemic.

Jarid Goodman, 37, a lecturer at Delaware State University who lives in Delaware, US, grew up loving the Goosebumps series and recalled how surprising it was to be allowed to read horror books as a child.

Goosebumps books are a popular series of thrilling and suspenseful novels for young readers, written by American author RL Stine, featuring spooky tales with unexpected twists, with the original series published from 1992 to 1997.

Rediscovering the books in 2019 brought back “childhood joy” for Jarid, and after his wife Sharron, 35, gave him a complete original set the following year he began collecting other versions.

His collection has since “got out of control” and he now has around 2,000 Goosebumps books and 1,000 1990s children’s horror books.

He finds the process “therapeutic”, enjoying the thrill of bargain hunting and paying just a few dollars for most books.

Highlights of his collection include a misprinted The Haunted Mask, a rare print of Welcome To Dead House worth around 200 dollars (£157), and a Goosebumps pamphlet worth 1,000 dollars (£787).

With more than 11,400 Instagram followers, Jarid shares his passion for 90s memorabilia and hopes to pass his love of books to his daughters, Sunday, two, and Wednesday, five, who already enjoy exploring his library.

Jarid told PA Real Life: “Definitely for me as an adult who has anxiety … it’s just helped me.

“It improved my mental health.

“So when you know something’s out of control in the world and the universe, collecting is something I can control.

“It’s something that keeps me focused on something fun and exciting, so that’s why I do it.

“Also, by collecting all of these things from our childhoods, we’re regaining this part of ourselves that we’ve lost.

“So I feel like that’s part of it too and I think that a lot of nostalgia collectors probably feel that way.”

Goosebumps books were “the first book series” Jarid “really got into” as a child.

He explained: “Goosebumps, at the time, was the first kids’ horror series out there, and I think for a lot of kids from my generation, it was just shocking that we were even allowed to read horror.”

The first Goosebumps book Jarid remembers reading was The Haunted Mask, which remains his all-time favourite.

“The story is so interesting, the cover art is so striking … and the episode was amazing,” Jarid said.

“It’s about a kid who’s being bullied, and then she gets this mask, so now she’s able to fight back against her bullies – but she goes too far.

“She ends up being the bully.”

In 2019, Jarid rediscovered his love for the series when he came across two titles, How To Kill A Monster and Monster Blood II, in an antique shop.

This rediscovery “brought back a lot of childhood joy” and reignited his passion for the books.

In 2020, Jarid began actively collecting Goosebumps books, and that same year, his wife gave him a complete set of the original series, books 1–62, for their anniversary.

His collection soon grew with him collecting multiple editions of each book, as well as other 90s children’s books such as Bone Chillers and Fear Street.

He added: “I think that collecting is a very therapeutic thing because if you’re the type of collector where you’re on the hunt for things – things that are difficult to find, such as some of these books – you can get really caught up in the flow.

“You’re just really homed in, really focused on the task at hand, and some psychologists say that’s real happiness.”

Jarid’s collection has since expanded to include more than 3,000 books, and he displays them in his basement, which he also uses as a home office.

He said: “At least two-thirds of them are Goosebumps books.

“I like the way that the books are all lined up, and it kind of looks like they’re colour-coded in a way.

“When I look out at my collection, it just brings me joy while I’m preparing a lecture or grading.”

Although Jarid feels he currently has “everything” he wants for his Goosebumps collection, he is missing some specific print numbers.

He said: “When the books were first released, they didn’t know how many they were going to make, so they didn’t put numbers on the spines.

“The first print of Welcome To Dead House without a number can sell for 200 dollars – I have that one, plus several copies of it and The Haunted Mask because it’s my favourite.

“I have a version of The Haunted Mask with a mask inside … and it has a printing error – the bumps on the cover are misplaced.

“I bought a pamphlet for like 20 bucks and the same one sold for 1,000 dollars.”

Jarid describes himself as a “bargain hunter” and typically spends just a few dollars per book.

He often buys books in bulk on eBay, keeping the ones he needs and reselling the rest, meaning he usually breaks even.

Jarid added: “It’s so hard to say how much the collection is worth, I have no idea, because things change in value.

“I don’t know how much I’ve spent in total because of buying them in bulk. All of them are very low cost.”

Jarid’s loved ones are supportive of his unique hobby.

“I was a weird kid, and as I got older, I’m a weird adult,” he laughed.

“I just like silly things and surrounding myself with stuff I had when I was younger – things that bring me joy.

“I’ve never heard any negative remarks about it.”

Since starting his collection, Jarid has shared it on Instagram under the handle @90skidlibrary, amassing more than 11,400 followers.

“Part of the joy of my Instagram is not just sharing my collection but also seeing everyone else’s collections,” Jarid explained.

“There are so many amazing collections out there of not just Goosebumps but other 90s memorabilia.

Looking ahead, Jarid is excited to share his collection with his daughters.

He said: “They’re already interested, which just makes it all worth it, right?

“They love playing in the library and I love for them to be here.

“Sometimes I do have to be careful if they pick up a really rare book, but I love that they’re making this connection between books and joy.

“I’m really excited to share all this with my kids – I think it’s very possible they just won’t be into them when they’re older, but I still hope my joy of books will rub off on them just like my love of books came from my parents.”

To find out more about Jarid’s collection, visit: www.instagram.com/90skidlibrary.