Julia was published by Coward, McCann & Geoghegan in 1975 (UK edition: Jonathan Cape, as Full Circle). Julia Lofting leaves her controlling husband Magnus after the death of their daughter Kate (who choked on a piece of meat — Julia attempted an emergency tracheotomy that failed). She buys a house in Kensington and begins to experience presences: a malevolent child-spirit connected to a murder that occurred in the house decades earlier.
Straub was living in London when he wrote the novel (he spent a decade as an expatriate, 1969-1979), and the book owes as much to the tradition of British supernatural fiction (particularly Robert Aickman’s uncanny stories) as to American horror. The horror is atmospheric rather than visceral: Straub builds dread through suggestion, through the uncertainty about whether Julia is experiencing genuine supernatural events or psychological breakdown following her daughter’s death.
The novel is apprentice work — Straub had not yet found the structural complexity and prose brilliance that would distinguish Ghost Story and later novels — but it demonstrates his core strengths: the ability to create sustained dread, the interest in damaged psychology, and the conviction that horror fiction can address serious human themes (grief, guilt, the possibility that the dead are not gone).
Collecting Julia
First edition (Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, New York, 1975): Cloth with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $100–$300
- Very good: $40–$100
- UK first (Cape, as Full Circle): $75–$200
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate-to-strong appreciation. Straub’s first horror novel.
Straub’s Haunted London
Julia (1975) was Straub’s first horror novel, written while he was living in London. The story follows Julia Lofting, a wealthy American woman who, after separating from her controlling husband, buys a house in Kensington — a house haunted by the spirit of a malevolent child. The novel is subtle and atmospheric, more Henry James than Stephen King, with Straub building dread through suggestion rather than shock. Published by Coward, McCann & Geoghegan in the US and by Jonathan Cape in the UK (as Full Circle), first editions are uncommon. Peter Fonda starred in a poorly received 1977 film adaptation titled The Haunting of Julia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which edition should collectors seek? The US first (Coward, McCann, 1975) under the title Julia is the primary target. The UK first (Cape, 1975) under the title Full Circle is a variant and also collectible. Both are scarce in jacket.