Reviews (63)

Could have been a lot better
The book is separated into 7 chapters, covering a pretty impressive variety of Halloween lore, beleifs and activities.
Halloween Traditions, Divinations, Recipes, Crafts and More
"Harvest moon, velvet sky, pumpkins glowing, children laughing, costumes, candy, snapping breezes...scary stories, Indian corn, haunted houses, smiling scarecrows, blowing leaves...apples, parties, spindly spiders, dancing bats, grinning ghosts, sparkling stars...hayrides, dances, screeching cats, big bonfires...just where did this autumn gaiety begin?" - Silver RavenWolf
My Favorite Holiday
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. In here the history of the holiday Halloween is explored as well as the second half is interesting recipes for Halloween goodies. Halloween is actually a neopagan holiday but a lot don't celebrate it because it scares them. Well it doesn't scare me. Finally a book that is a non-condemning tome about the subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    2. Body, Mind & Spirit    3. Divination    4. Halloween    5. History    6. Holidays (non religious)    7. Holidays - General    8. Magic    9. Manners And Customs    10. New Age    11. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    12. Witchcraft    13. Witchcraft & Wicca    14. Body, Mind & Spirit / Witchcraft & Wicca    15. Customs    16. Occultism & quasi-religious beliefs    17. The Americas   

Reviews (12)

Let's do the time warp again!
What a wonderful, nostalgic look at Christmases past.I was surprised to learn that some gifts and traditions came into being 20 years before I was born (1954), and because I lived in Germany until first grade, there were some toys, decorations and treats I never knew existed.
Wonderful nostalgic book!
I am always looking for books with vintage pictures of Christmas and this one is great!I'm reading it right now and I LOVE the old pictures!!!

Take McQUARTHY'S QUIZMAS QUIZ...

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Subjects:  1. Americana    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Christmas    5. History    6. Holidays    7. Holidays (non religious)    8. Holidays - Christmas    9. Inspirational    10. Inspirational - Gifts    11. United States    12. Religion / Holidays / Christmas   

Reviews (2)

In the Sumptuous Time of Autumn
Stuart L. Schneider's dynamic Halloween In America: A Collector's Guide With Prices spectacularly captures the spirit of the classic years of the American Halloween tradition: the period from the turn of the century through the end of the nineteen-fifties. Though the book includes more recent material, Schneider wisely focuses on what he recognizes to be the holiday's glory days in this country, when its spirit hadn't moved too far from its agricultural roots and American culture was predominantly positive, forward-looking, and uncynical--and its Halloween decorations charming and vividly imaginative. For the Halloween lover
This is much more than a book for collectors of Halloween.This is the best book on the subject. I've read all the others and this is the bible of Halloween. If you have only one book on Halloween, this has to be the one. It brings back childhood. This book is really a look at what Halloweenmeans. Ghosts and goblins, fall colors, adventure and childhood fears. I'veread mine over and over and over again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americana    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques / Collectibles    4. Antiques/Collectibles    5. Catalogs    6. Collectibles    7. General    8. Halloween    9. Holidays (non religious)    10. United States    11. Antiques & Collectables    12. Customs    13. USA   

Features

• Audiobook

Reviews (1)

As good as even Garrison Keillor can get
Garrison Keillor's "Horrors" is not only one of Keillor's great works of all time, but it is a marvelous take on Halloween itself. This cassette series has everything fans of Keillor could possibly want from brilliant, unique stories to sharp, witty skits to wonderfully appropriate music for Halloween. The best thing, in my opinion, on this series, however, is Keillor's unsurpassed reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven". To sum up, this cassette series is enjoyable year around and is a must-buy for any fan of Garrison Keillor and "A Prarie Home Companion". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Other    2. Holidays (non religious)    3. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    4. Humor / Parodies   

Reviews (9)

Spooktacular finds and helpful hints
i found this book to be helpful for decorating and having the scavenger hunt which i hope is a hit at my party. the foods were okay, because i think when you're having an adult halloween party, you need to have less sugary foods and more grown-up foods so to speak. otherwise, it was fine. thank you

101 Spooktacular Party Ideas
I love Halloween and had looked FOREVER to find a book to help with some ideas in the celebration and this book is it!This book gives ideas and step by step how to's in playing games, making recipes and creating props. Straightforward, easy, non-crafty and fun.Age limits are put on the games so you know which ones to use, or not to use.I have bought so many Halloween how to books that just sit on the shelf.This one does not!I have dog eared and paper clipped this one into tatters! This IS the book to buy!

Best Halloween Book for Kid's Halloween Party!
This year I purchased a number of books on Halloween in order to get more ideas for my annual Halloween party for children ages 2 to 8. This book is a gem, best of the batch. I was able to use at least 10 ideas from this book, including "Stick the Nose on the Pumpkin", "Bopping for Apples", "Halloween Hunt" "Witches Brew" punch, etc. These ideas are easy to use, and not time consuming, unlike the ones I found in other books... where the prime requirement seems to be having a lot of spare time to carry out their ideas. I will use this book over and over again in years to come! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Cooking / Entertaining    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Crafts for Children    5. Dance    6. Entertaining - Party Planning    7. Family & Relationships    8. Family/Marriage    9. Seasonal    10. Social Science / Holidays (non-religious)    11. Entertaining    12. Halloween    13. Holidays (non-religious)    14. Parties    15. Planning    16. Social Sciences   

Reviews (6)

Title confusing - but charming collection
I see from a previous review that the title of this collection is confusing since it seems to indicate that there is information on Halloween customs in the book...I think this is arising from the fact that this is a companion book to the ACTUAL book (by the same author) called "Romantic Art and Customs of Yesteryear".If you take this one as an extention of that book (to give people the art as a separate, usable item) it makes more sense.I love it as the little vintage window it is.

Double your Halloween fun - get 2 copies!
I have a reasonable collection of postcard books, and I sincerely like Halloween. That's why I bought this.
Halloween: Romantic Art and Customs Of Yesteryear Postcard B
Customs?...what customs? This is just a collection of tear-out postcard reprints with no comments, far less writing, to go along with them. On top of that, none of the "notable" ones are shown (Schmucker, Clapsaddle, etc.). Another "why did I buy this?" item to put on the shelf. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Art    3. Art Media (Specific Aspects)    4. General    5. Holidays (non religious)    6. Postcards    7. Special Subjects In Art    8. Stationery / Gift Wrap    9. Customs    10. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    11. USA    12. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (2)

Planning a medieval Party?
If you are planning a Medieval Celebration of any kind this is a great book to buy. My Fiancee and I have been looking for medieval books to plan our wedding by and I stumbled across this one its been very helpful and I'm sure it will get alot of use. It has many tradations recipes and lots of fun games a must have.

So-So Information for Event Planning
My fiance and I purchased this book as we are planning a medieval wedding. The title and description of this book implied that we would find lots of valuable information on that topic. Well, we found lots of valuable information for feast planning, or putting on a re-enactment (a la Society for Creative Anachronism), and very little concerning period wedding traditions. The most interesting parts were the recipes/redactions and the instructions for medieval dance steps. There are also several pages that contain sheet music for period songs. If you are looking to put on a reenactment or feast, this is the book for you. If you are looking for anything else, I suggest you look elsewhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Customs & Traditions    3. Europe - Great Britain - General    4. Festivals    5. History    6. History: World    7. Holidays (non religious)    8. Manners and customs    9. Medieval    10. Medieval, 500-1500    11. Medievalism    12. Social history    13. Sociology    14. World - General    15. Europe    16. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    17. United Kingdom, Great Britain    18. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Editorial Review

Celtic scholar Jean Markale explores "the shadowy zones" of All Hallows' Eve in Read more

Reviews (8)

An Exhaustive Book About Halloween, Originally Called Samhain
Samhain.This is a word that many people are not familiar with today.It is the ancient Celtic name that was transformed (by converts into Christianity centuries ago) into what has become known today as "All Saints' Day", "The Day of the Dead", "All Hallows Eve" or the better known name of Halloween.
From the viewpoint of an Historian, a Poet and a Philosopher
Jean Markale is described as a poet, philosopher, historian and storyteller.His field of specialty is pre-Christian and medieval culture and spirituality.He is a very well known French author of over 40 books and is a specialist in Celtic studies at Sorbonne University in Paris.
Very scary...
...that anyone could think this book is hard to read. Whoever does must have been home-schooled by Scooby-Doo. There's nothing difficult to grasp in this book, least of all the language. I couldn't find a single word on any page that I had to look up in the dictionary, for Heaven's sake! Although it was written by a formidable scholar with stellar credentials, it is a concisely-written page-turner for readers who are interested in the mythic roots of Halloween, the origins of the Eve of All Souls, the pagan festival of Samhain. The only criticism I have of it is it uses words such as "carnival-like" and "manifestations" a bit too often, an easy oversight to forgive considering it is a translation. Come on kids, if it's a book about how to carve pumpkins you want, you can pick that up at the dollar store. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Body, Mind & Spirit    2. Halloween    3. Holidays (non religious)    4. New Age    5. Sociology    6. Spirituality - General    7. Spirituality - Paganism    8. Body, Mind & Spirit / Spirituality / Paganism    9. Customs    10. Occultism & quasi-religious beliefs   

Reviews (1)

GORGEOUS pictoral essay on this oh-so-very-Mexican holiday!!
BEAUTIFUL pictures!!!A photographer who captures the very HEART and SOUL of the people, and with a sensitivity to their culture and beliefs that merits the utmost applause!!!If you can't go to Michoacan on November 1st, this has got to be the next best thing to being there!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. All Souls' Day    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Customs & Traditions    5. Death And Dying (Sociological Aspects)    6. Holidays (non religious)    7. Manners And Customs    8. Mexico    9. Pictorial works    10. Social Science    11. Social life and customs    12. Sociology    13. Cultural studies    14. Customs   

Reviews (10)

A gathering of winter traditions from many sources
Most people who celebrate Christmas know that numerous elements of our modern traditions come from older religions than Christianity, but the range of source traditions astounds me. There is, for instance, no one source of the practice of observing the winter solstice itself, of myths involving the death or sacrifice and rebirth of a deity, or of father and son symbols for the old year and the new. Many sources are cited in the book as possible origins of Santa Claus, of the giving of gifts, and the custom of bringing greenery indoors.
Tradition and ritual without faith
I've always loved Christmas.But a few years ago I deconverted from faith; I found myself, as an atheist and humanist, longing for a connection to the holiday I loved.This book helped me forge a new perspective on, and a new connection with, Christmas as a worldly and human celebration.
getting into the spirit
a fascinating and stimulating account that seems to put things into the proper perspective. Makes the myths all the more enjoyable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christmas    2. Customs & Traditions    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. History    5. Holidays (non religious)    6. Holidays - Christmas    7. Inspirational    8. Inspirational - General    9. Religion    10. Winter solstice    11. Body, Mind & Spirit / Spiritualism   

Reviews (5)

Not a Good Book About Halloween
When the time came to read this year's Halloween book, I chose Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night by Nicholas Rogers. I was looking for an interesting, scholarly treatment of the holiday. I didn't find it.
Not a very "okay" book.
Holly, you are the true jerk. This book is a PC sociology tome masquerading as a historical overview of Halloween. Alexander's okay, Holly; you're not.

Hey Now...
Alexander, you are indeed a jerk, this book is great!And all of us "normal" people would enjoy it if we decided to have an open mind and heart.It's about HISTORY, KNOWLEDGE is so important in this world and the more we obtain the better off we are, so although I also enjoy Charlie Brown, this is a REAL book.Look elsewhere, before you offend someone else, and by the way "okayness" is not a word, nice try... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: American    4. Holidays (non religious)    5. Holidays - Other    6. United States - 20th Century    7. World - General    8. Cultural studies    9. Customs    10. Halloween    11. History / United States / 20th Century    12. History / World    13. History, World    14. Myths & mythology    15. Social Science-Holidays (non religious)    16. USA   

Reviews (1)

All the charm of a Christmas holiday on Nantucket!
As a ardent fan of Nantucket "style" and history, I can't be more delighted that the author has compiled a book devoted to the charms of a Nantucket Christmas! The copy and beautiful color photographs share all the beauty and uniqueness of the special holiday season on this "faraway" isle. In addition to sharing the special ambiance that is Nantucket, creative ideas abound in this book for bringing a bit of a Nantucket holiday to your own home. Thank you, Leslie Linsley, for a book I will treasure for many years to come!!
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Subjects:  1. Arts And Crafts    2. Christmas    3. Christmas decorations    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Crafts & Hobbies    6. Decorating    7. Entertaining - General    8. Hobbies/Crafts    9. Holidays (non religious)    10. Holidays - Christmas    11. Massachusetts    12. Nantucket    13. Nantucket (Mass.)    14. Religion - Christian Life    15. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (2)

very cute halloweeny book
This is a good book if you just want to get in the spirit of halloween!! It is a really easy read, it took me about a half an hour, so it's good for young children, or the child at heart!! A Merry "Mary" Halloween Treat!
This is a really cute little book very typical of Mary Engelbreit's work.It's well crafted on good quality heavy stock and has all the trimmings and flourishes we have come to expect from this talented illustrator and author.This treasury of Halloween folklore, jokes, artwork and recipes contains an abundance of fun ideas to treat yourself and your children to during the Halloween season. It has 17 charming Halloween poems, facts about witches, pumpkins, origins of Halloween, black and orange, customs and lore, and felines.It has 12 silly riddles and jokes and the legend of the Jack-o-lantern.It has 4 yummy, easy and festive recipes that kids can help to prepare.Best of all, it has Mary's fun-filled colorful illustrations.It's a real treat! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts / Hobbies    2. General    3. Halloween    4. Holidays (non religious)    5. Seasonal    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Cooking / General   

Reviews (1)

Beware!Highly misleading entry!
Be warned!This little book of lovely Halloween postcards is very nice, but NOT the one shown.1. The title is simply "Halloween Postcards," not the much longer title indicated.2. The picture shown in the listing does not appear either on the cover or inside.If you use the "Search Inside" feature you can see what's really on offer, including the real cover.3. The incomparable Ellen H. Clapsaddle did a few of these postcards but by no means all or even a majority of them, so she can hardly be fairly described as the "author."4. There are only 10 postcards, so saying the book contains 24 pages (and that includes both sides of the front and back covers!) is again very misleading.
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Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Holidays (non religious)    4. Postcards    5. Social Science    6. Stationery / Gift Wrap    7. Holiday/Halloween    8. Non-Classifiable    9. Social Science / Holidays (non-religious)   

Reviews (12)

excellent book for chinese culture and celbrations
this is an excellent book in explaining whys, whats and hows in chinese cultural events. being 1/2 euro caucasian and 1/2 chinese and growing up with grandmother and father from china, i was always curious to why we did certain things and the reason why things are a certain way. this book explains all in detail and it also has EXCELLENT RECIPES for certain all time favorite dishes...this book made everything i grew up with become clear.
American Chinese
I enjoyed this book so much.It gave me an insight on my own culture.Growing up my parents did not teach us the language and some of the customs.Chinese New Years to me was family get together and red packages.I never understood why we did or did not do certain things.This book gave me a generalization of my own culture.I would recommend this book to everyone.

Very helpful
My mother's family is Chinese, but we don't live near them and I've missed out on a lot of traditions and customs. At family events, I understand that certain things are always a part of the ceremony, but I've never understood the meanings behind these traditions. This book was easy to read and divided into clear sections. I loved it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chinese Americans    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Ethnic Studies - General    5. Holidays    6. Holidays (non religious)    7. Regional & Ethnic - Chinese    8. Rites and ceremonies    9. Social life and customs    10. United States    11. Cooking / Chinese   

Reviews (12)

best all-around history
This history is the best around for telling the story of Halloween in America in a fun (e.g., not academic) way. The distant Celtic past is not really the focus of the book, and its treatment here looks like a summaryof sources available at the time this book was published (1990--Newer editions correct some common misunderstandings, I notice) The strengths of this book have to do with the folklore of Halloween, both in the colonies and throughout young America, and with the holiday's Victorian celebration. A Halloween History surveys life in the colonies and the sorts of beliefs that existed there to make an American celebration of Halloween possible, like ghost lore, traditions of some ethnic groups (Scots, Germans, etc.), religious backgrounds (All Saints and All Souls celebrations) and evidence of certain kinds of superstition: of magical black cat bones, listening at the crossroads to hear the future whispered in the wind, of wandering jack-o-lantern lights that can lead you astray, etc. Moving on through the 18th and 19th centuries, Halloween symbols are described in terms of folklore recorded both in the old world and the newso we can see the parallels--which was really fascinating for me. The Victorian chapter examines 19th-century mass media to translate what Halloween looked like and meantat the time when it emerged as a full-fledged American holiday. The book finishes with a decade-by-decade coverage of 20th-century celebration (up through the 80s, and publication). A treasure for Halloween fans in my opinion!

Fun read.
I enjoyed this book.It wasn't as in depth and as scholarly as I thought it was going to be, but don't let that keep you from buying this book.It's a fun and accurate story about how Americans have had such an great holiday passed down to us.If you want a quick read that gives you a clear hisroty about this awesome holiday this book is for you.

A lotta trick, a little treat
Halloween is a fascinating time, and there is not enough written about it, as yet. That's why I have to give this book 4 stars, just because it addresses Halloween. Otherwise, with all its faults, I'd probably go 3 stars only, maybe even 2.
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Subjects:  1. Halloween    2. Holidays (non religious)    3. Social Science    4. Social life and customs    5. Sociology    6. Sociology - General    7. United States    8. Customs    9. Leisure   

Reviews (4)

Very informative.
The best book I've seen on the subject!

The Skeleton at the Feast
I bought this book several years ago at the Museum of Mankind, in London.It was the book for the exhibition, which featured incredible paper sculptures of skeletons and demons. a comprehensive look at a bizarre custom
As an anthropologist who teaches classes on Mexico, I use this book often. The "day of the dead" in Mexico exemplifies, for me, the difference between the U.S. culture and that of Mexico. Just as othercultures might find our U.S. Halloween celebrations strangely at odds withnormally conservative Judeo-Christian religious observance, this bookillustrates clearly the almost unfathomable blending of pre-Columbian cultsof death and sacrifice with Spanish-Catholic traditions. Starting with itsorigins in Mexico's ancient civilizations, the book discusses andillustrates this observance through modern times, and takes the readervicariously to the areas of Mexico in which it is most enthusiasticallyobserved. Sit down with a cup of chocolate' and some "pan de losmuertos" (bread of the dead), and enjoy a book whose topic you mighthave thought too morbid for your taste, but which you will probably end upfinding much more compelling than repulsive. Unfortunately for me (butbetter for the publishing company!), I am about to order my 3rd copy of"Skeleton at the Feast"--apparently the students to whom I loanit find it too interesting to return! ...