Published in 2020 (first published 1918)
217 pages
Ruth Edna Kelley (1893–1982) was an American librarian and author. She is remembered for The Book of Hallowe’en (1919), the first book-length history of the holiday. Kelley was born in Massachusetts, the only child of Charles F. Kelley, a carpenter, and his wife Mary. She grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, and received a master of arts degree.
What is this book about?
Halloween was once a day of mischief, oracles, ghost stories and fires: author R.E. Kelly tells the history of Halloween from the perspective of the early 1900s United States.
In The Book of Hallowe’en, you’ll discover the roots of our modern Halloween holiday in the religious and cultural traditions of the ancient Celts, Irish, Scots, Welsh, Britons, Germans and other Peoples of Old Europe, while also catching an enticing firsthand glimpse of how the holiday was enjoyed during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, in both Europe and America.
Filled with Halloween poems, games and tried and true ancient methods for divining the future (especially for discovering the identity of one’s future spouse), The Book of Hallowe’en opens a captivating window onto the past of one of today’s most beloved holidays.
(This work contains historical materials that are products of their particular times, and may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes.)
