TALLISTON PRESENTS:
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Tenth Anniversary
Hardback Edition
DISCOVER THE FULL STORY OF THIS
UNIQUE HOUSE & GARDENS
Brought together for the first time in one volume, The Talliston Grimoire: The Magical Guidebook to Britain’s Most Extraordinary Home explores the myth, magic and lifestyle of Talliston House & Gardens.
Discover how this remarkable imaginary world was brought to life on an unmissable journey through thirteen spectacular spaces where mythology, world heritage and fantasy meet reality.
Join author, creator and wizard John Tarrow as he takes you through the quarter-century project to utterly transform the UK’s most ordinary house, reveals how this unique interior design masterpiece was conceived, sourced and accomplished, his thoughts and ideas about magical living, a full almanack of days, how to create your own ritual year and a globetrotting culinary journey around the times and places of the house and gardens.
"STEP INSIDE THIS A REMARKABLE FANTASY WORLD" THE TIMES
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE ANNIVERSARY EDITION HARDBACK?
THE BOOK: Celebrating Talliston's Tenth Anniversary
The Grimoire is the definitive guide to the house and gardens, taking readers into the mind of its creator, tracking every step of the incredible twenty-five-year journey to conceive and build this unimaginable labyrinth of thirteen extraordinary rooms, captured inside the UK’s most ordinary house.
PRODUCTION DETAILS: A Stunning Edition
Produced as a full hardcover book containing 425 pages printed on premium 100gsm bookwove white stock in A4 portrait format (29.7 x 21 x 5 cm). The cover is by artist Patrick Knowles and includes gold foiling on both the dustcover and book cover. Also includes printed endpapers and more than 130 black and white illustrations.
FIRST HALF: Creating the House & Gardens
• INITIATION: introduces the author, the history of Great Dunmow and and the concepts of the project.
• TRANSFORMATION: in-depth, room-by-room building of the house & gardens.
• ENCHANTMENT: of the six senses of Talliston and the seven spells to magical living.
• SORCERY: a full ritual year plan, gardener’s almanack, lunar calendar and book of days.
SECOND HALF: A Guide to Magical Living
PROPHECY: introducing the Talliston Oracle and the steps to living a life filled with health, happiness and harmony.
KITCHEN WITCHERY: a full global cookbook with recipes, world cuisine,
meals and more from the thirteen rooms.
MASTERY: revealing John’s life philosophy of Shadowmagick, the belief system that conceived and built the house and gardens.
THE ROOM ATLAS: Full Colour Plate Centrefold
At the centre of the Grimoire is a 48-page full colour section with glorious photobook of images from the house and gardens. Every large-format page is packed with beautifully rendered full and double page colour photographs captured by award-winning photographer, Gavin Conlan, on high-quality velvet-finish paper.
THE TALLISTON GRIMOIRE ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Published to celebrate Talliston's tenth anniversary of the completion of this unique project.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Hardcover : 425 pages
Dimensions : 29.7 x 21 x 5 cm (A4 format portrait)
Published : Autumn 2025
Language: English
Set in IM Fell English type. Printed on premium 100gsm bookwove white stock
48-page full colour centrespread photobook
Frontspiece and more than 130 black and white illustrations
Colour printed endpapers. Gold foiling on cover and dustcover
Full colour photography: Gavin Conlan and GilesG Photography
Cover art: Patrick Knowles.
Internal artwork by Jon Harris, Rebecca Solow, Marcus Cotton and more.
ABOUT THE GRIMOIRE
Brought together for the first time in one volume, The Talliston Grimoire: The Magical Guidebook to Britain’s Most Extraordinary Home explores the myth, magic and lifestyle of Talliston House & Gardens.
Discover how this remarkable imaginary world was brought to life on an unmissable journey through thirteen spectacular spaces where mythology, world heritage and fantasy meet reality.
The Talliston Grimoire is a complete and comprehensive guidebook to “Britain’s Most Extraordinary Home” (The Times). It charts the 25-year transformation of the UK’s most ordinary house into an extraordinary labyrinth of rooms, plus charts its thirteen rooms, revelations of its moon calendar and ritual year, recipes from its exotic locations and how to bring magic and mystery into your own home, life and world to live healthily, happily and in harmony.
Join author, creator and wizard John Tarrow as he takes you through the quarter-century project to utterly transform the UK’s most ordinary house, reveals how this unique interior design masterpiece was conceived, sourced and accomplished, his thoughts and ideas about magical living, a full almanack of days, how to create your own ritual year and a globetrotting culinary journey around the times and places of the house and gardens.
Mixing fact, fiction and folklore, the grimoire takes readers into the mind of its creator, tracking every step of the incredible twenty-five-year journey to conceive and build this unimaginable labyrinth of thirteen extraordinary rooms, captured inside the UK’s most ordinary house.
