Ed Gein Books

Want to learn more about the Butcher of Plainfield and his horrific crimes that shocked the world? This hand-picked selection of Ed Gein books will take you deep into the deranged mind of the Plainfield ghoul as he exhumed bodies from local cemeteries and filled his home with demented craft project made from the remains.

Who really was he, what drove him to these ghastly acts, and how did his actions influence some of the most disturbing works of fiction ever created? You’ll find all the details inside the pages of these books about Ed Gein.

Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein

Acclaimed true crime writer Harold Schechter brings the story of Ed Gein’s crimes to life with his quintessential book on the tragic life, gruesome murders, and bizarre acts committed by Gein in his rundown farmhouse in Plainfield.

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Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?

This graphic novel brings the details of Ed Gein’s life and crimes into disturbing focus with artwork by Eric Powell and a story crafted by Powell and true crime author Harold Schechter.

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Edward Gein, America’s Most Bizarre Murderer

Written by Robert H. Gollmar, the judge who presided over Ed Gein’s trial in 1968, this book is a fascinating read about Gein’s crimes. The book includes rarely printed details about the case, a few minor factual errors such as Gein’s date of birth, Gollmar’s speculations about other murders Gein may have been responsible for, and hand-drawn illustrations. Gollmar wrote several nonfiction books during his life, including Tales of a Country Judge and My Father Owned a Circus. The Gollmars were cousins of the famous Ringling Bros, and were also from Baraboo. Robert’s father started the Gollmar Brothers circus with his siblings in 1891. By 1916, it was the fourth largest travelling circus in America.

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The Ed Gein File

True crime researcher John Borowski compiles the official case documents, including Ed Gein’s full confession, his psychological report, the autopsy report of Bernice Worden, and more.

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Psycho

Wisconsin author Robert Bloch, a friend of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, was living near Plainfield in Weyauwega, WI when news of Ed Gein’s crimes broke in November, 1957. This inspired him to pen Psycho, about a Gein-like man named Norman Bates who lives alone with his overbearing mother and murders female guests of their motel. An old abandoned motel in Weyauwega that has long since been torn down is said to have been Bloch’s inspiration for the Bates Motel.

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