Product Description Halloween 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.
Critique the critic July 27, 2007 0 out of 6 found this review helpful
Actually, this is a review of another reader. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I wonder how many books Mr. Broedel has written??
halloween an american holiday, an american history January 3, 2007 0 out of 4 found this review helpful
a very resourceful piece of lititure that gives the holiday from it,s humblest beginings to the present it,s due just.I would recomend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about halloween in it,s true form than from what you,ve been told weather it,s good rap or bad.This is a holiday ment for pure fun than it,s religious overtones.Set back and enjoy.
best all-around history December 16, 2005 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
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 summary of 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 new so 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 meant at 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. October 30, 2005 3 out of 5 found this review helpful
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 history about this awesome holiday this book is for you.
great halloween information March 20, 2002 14 out of 19 found this review helpful
this is an awesome book if you are looking for the whole history behind halloween and how it became an american holiday.This book is not for someone who is looking for a holiday read,but rather for someone who really wants to know the history behind this greatest of all holidays.I learned things about halloween that i never knew before,and being a real halloween nut, I thought i knew alot.You will learn the whole history behind halloween with this book,I enjoyed it greatly.
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