America's leading authority on Halloween presents interviews with spooky rock groups, amateur vampires, haunted house creators, champion pumpkin carvers, and more, all in the quest of explaining the nation's unique love affair with this holiday. The collection of essays and interviews explores the pop culture phenomenon that is Halloween, and why we celebrate it the way we do today.

"A sophisticated yet playful celebration of all things macabre, morbid and marvelous . . . Bannatyne makes a great case for celebrating Halloween everyday, all year long. . . . It's an energetic, thorough and breathless salute to everyone's favorite horror holiday." -Chris Alexander, editor in chief, Fangoria magazine "No one else has delved so deeply-and lovingly-into the mysteries of Halloween." -Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson, president and founder, the Vampire Empire It took two years of investigative work for Halloween authority Lesley Pratt Bannatyne to add a fifth book to her collection. Traveling across the country, she visited and talked with fanatics and fang makers, professional haunters, registered mediums, psychologists, and Halloween enthusiasts ranging from NPR's Garrison Keillor to Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger and The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" writer Mike Reiss to find out what the increasingly popular holiday means to people and how they celebrate it. Through the course of her research, Bannatyne attended a seance for Houdini, a Samhain ritual gathering, a World Zombie Day event, and the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Convention (HAuNTcon). Diving right into the heart of how fear turned into a form of entertainment, she asks hard-hitting questions: What kind of community does twenty-first-century Halloween create? Why are we so afraid of dead bodies? In the battle between Christmas and Halloween fought by Zombie Clauses, who deserves to win?

However, the essays in this volume also suggest that there is something ironic and unsettling about the immense popularity of a holiday whose main images are of death, evil, and the grotesque. Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life is a unique contribution that questions our concepts of religiosity and spirituality while contributing to our understanding of Halloween as a rich and diverse reflection of our society's past, present, and future identity.

So the first time you hear the concept of Halloween when you're a kid, your brain can't even understand it. "What is this? What did you say? Someone's giving out candy? Who's giving out candy? EVERYONE WE KNOW is giving out candy? I gotta be a part of this!" In his first picture book, comedian and bestselling author Jerry Seinfeld captures on the page his hilarious views on Halloween, from Superman costumes that look like pajamas to the agony of getting bad trick-or-treat candy. Seinfeld's tale resonates with vivid experiences of a night every kid loves. Both kids and adults will eat up Jerry's distinct and unwritten rules of Halloween. Hamilton King award-winning illustrator, James Bennett's outlandish illustrations perfectly depict these unique observations, reminding us why Jerry Seinfeld is still the funniest man alive.

"Ghostly games, creepy crafts, frightfully funny jokes, and more fun stuff"--Cover.

Using a mix of personal anecdotes and perceptive social analysis, acclaimed cultural critic David J. Skal examines the amazing phenomenon of Halloween, exploring its dark Celtic history and illuminating why it has evolved-in the course of a few short generations-from a quaint, small-scale celebration into the largest seasonal marketing event outside of Christmas.

"Lesley Bannatyne's fascinating book . . . will be widely appealing to anyone who ever wondered where witches, trick-or-treating, and jack-o-lanterns really came from. It is by far the best book on the history of Halloween available today."--Alison Guss, senior producer,"The Haunted History of Halloween," The History Channel"An excellent resource for research into the history of holidays...in the United States...Highly Recommended."--The Book Report"Deserves attention as a recommended library acquisition with years of 'life' to its information."--The Midwest Book Review"Overflows with rich and provocative details of ritual, feasts, superstition, and devilment." --North Carolina Historical ReviewHalloween has evolved from the Celtic celebrations of 2,000 years ago to become today the fastest-growing holiday in the country. This, the only book to completely cover All Hallow's Eve, from its beginnings to the present, examines the ancient origins as well as its traditions and celebrations, from costuming to bobbing for apples. Jack-o-lanterns, black cats, and witches are explained. Ghosts, ghouls, and goblins lurk behind every page.The book traces the contributions of America's immigrants to the holiday, documenting the beliefs each ethnic group has added to the mix. Related recipes, poems, songs, and photos perfectly complement the meticulously documented text. The result is the most educational and entertaining examination of Halloween, its myths, and its truths.

This spooky story captures the eerie feeling of Halloween with a surprise ending. Full-color illustrations.

Learn to make creative costumes designed just for adults -- everything from a sublime dancing queen to a fierce samurai warrior is included. Also contains directions for how to set the appropriate atmosphere for a halloween party depending on the theme.

Traces the history of Halloween celebrations from their earliest roots through contemporary times.