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A bespoke "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" book from the production of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice autographed, inscribed, and gifted by Burton to director of photography Thomas Ackerman. In the film, recently-deceased Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) discovered a copy of the "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" in their home after their mysterious deaths in a car crash. Later, they consulted it for tips on how to remove the Deetz family from their home before Otho Fenlock (Glenn Shadix) stole their copy after he found it in the attic and used it to summon the Maitlands during Delia Deetz's (Catherine O'Hara) seance.
Designed to represent a gateway between the worlds of the living and the dead, the Handbook was modeled on Edward B. Greene's seminal psychology book, Measurements of Human Behavior with design elements in Burton's signature comic Gothic style added. This custom-printed edition was personally signed and gifted to Ackerman as a wrap gift by the Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker, who also wrote a personal inscription on the interior cover in red ink. This handbook originates from the collection of director of photography Thomas Ackerman.
While some books from the production contained no or exclusively blank interior pages, a select few were completed with an interior title page, including a screen-matched example sold by Propstore in 2025 as well as this example. Books of this style are exceedingly rare, with this Handbook being custom-made for Ackerman, based on the stronger color density and cleaner appearance for presentation as a gift.
In addition to its interior title page labeled for publisher "Handbook for the Recently Deceased Press," this entirely bespoke version features a custom, screen-printed cloth cover hand-weathered with sandpaper, a page printed with publishing dates dating back to 1620, and a table of contents bound along with photocopies of the first chapter of Measurements of Human Behavior at front.
The following pages include a printed copy of a newspaper article from November 1986 alluding to the film along with a Beetlejuice 137-page second draft script dated "2-3-87" and interspersed with black-and-white stills from the production. Only the pages which follow the script are blank. It shows evidence of wear consistent with use, handling, and age. Dimensions: 7.25" x 10" x 2" (18.5 cm x 25 cm x 5 cm)
Additional Provenance: The signatures on this lot have been verified by Grad Authentication
Estimate: $5,000 - 10,000
View all lots from BEETLEJUICE (1988)
View all lots from Thomas Ackerman Collection
Thomas "Tom" Ackerman is one of the most renowned directors of photography in American film. After securing early work as a camera operator on such esteemed films as Francis Ford Coppola's One from the Heart, Ackerman quickly rose to cinematographer, a role in which he has since gathered more than 50 film and television credits. His talent behind the camera has since come to span a multitude of genres and directors ranging from Tim Burton's horror-infused Beetlejuice to effects-heavy action spectacles like Joe Johnston's Jumanji to a number of modern classic comedies, including Anchorman, Dennis the Menace, and Balls of Fury, among many others. While shooting these acclaimed and beautiful works, Ackerman carefully preserved a number of personal artifacts, which in retrospect stand as totems from some of the greatest films ever produced. Propstore is proud to offer a curated collection of memorabilia from the Thomas Ackerman Collection to commemorate this one-of-one artist's sixth decade in Hollywood.
This item comes with a Propstore Certificate of Authenticity.