A Hallowe'en Anthology: Literary and Historical Writers over the Centuries

by Lisa Morton (Editor), Lady Gregory, Jane Francesca Wilde

This unique anthology gathers together some of the most intriguing and useful works on the history of Halloween. Ranging from pre??????Christian Celtic myths to early 20th century articles, the book's 27 entries include poems, short stories, sections from 19th and 20th century folklore books, a one-act play, Irish and Scottish folk tales, and the first book on the holiday ever published. Noted works contained in the anthology include William Wells Newell's 1904 study of the history of Jack-o'-lantern legends in "The Ignis Fatuus" and Alexander Montgomerie's oft-quoted 1584 poem "Flyting Against Polwart." Organized chronologically, most works are presented in their entirety and many include extensive annotations designed to make the original source materials more meaningful for modern readers. The book also includes 34 vintage photographs and illustrations.

Genres: Halloween, Horror, Short Stories, Poetry, Fiction, Holiday, Anthologies

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2008

About the author

Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author of horror fiction, and Halloween expert. She is a winner of both the Black Quill and Bram Stoker Awards, and her short stories have appeared in more than 50 books and magazines. Her first novel, THE CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES, was released by Gray Friar Press in 2010, and her first collection, MONSTERS OF L.A., was published by Bad Moon Books in October 2011. She is a native and lifelong resident of Southern California, and currently resides in the San Fernando Valley.

Reviews

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here in America, it can be safely said that the average child grows up with a minimal understanding of Halloween. Even though it is one of the top-grossing holidays in this country, just behind Christmas in revenue and one night which kids, young and old, look forward to with a mischievous, fanatical glee, the actual origins and meaning behind the rituals we perform each year (now greatly bastardized from the original rituals, but great fun nonetheless) are lost upon the masses. There are no stories (with perhaps the exception of THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN) that are passed down from one generation to the next, no moral or spiritual instruction and no sense of purpose or place. If you ask your neighbor's kid...or even their parents...what Halloween is about, I guarantee you that the response will be something about dressing up as the most recent superhero (this year I'm sure we're to see quite a few Iron Man and Joker costumes) and getting candy. Lots and lots of candy. End of story. If you ask them about the origin of pumpkin carving or the Celtic myths of Samhain I'm sure the eager hunger for corn syrup glazing their eyes would quickly dissolve into an innocent befuddlement and a mild annoyance, only children are truly capable of when regarding adults. That, I'm afraid, is the work of decades of this great capitalistic nation leeching the life out of tradition and siphoning it back into a plastic mold somewhere over in China in order to create cute little plastic pumpkins to hang in one's windows (again, tragic, yet great fun)... READ THE FULL REVIEW ON FEAR ZONE: http://fearzone.com/blog/haloween-ant...

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If The Halloween Encyclopedia filled one gap in the library of works available on the history of the holiday, then A Hallowe'en Anthology will fill another, in providing the first collection of complete, original source materials on the history of the holiday."

I recommend getting this anthology at the same time as Morton's Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween, then reading each of the 27 entries after that country or time period's been discussed or the title referenced in Trick or Treat. Bonus points for all the illustrations, even if they're all in black and white. My fave was the "Joyous Halloween" postcard on page 109. You can see it in color here.

Side note: I don't know why but it cracks me up that the first Halloween "book," published in 1898, was a 48-page pamphlet detailing how to throw a Halloween party. Bet those were some wild and crazy shindigs.

[Horror DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa Morton, writer of the well-regarded The Halloween Encyclopedia , created A Hallowe'en Anthology: Literary and Historical Writings over the Centuries back in 2008 and confides in the preface that this book came about because there was too much material to explore in-depth in the encyclopedic format. This "anthology" gathers together many works on the history of Halloween, from pre-Christian Celtic work to early 20th century articles. There's a lot of variety here, from poems to short stories, to a one-act play and more.

For a fan of the popular holiday, how does it stack up?

Make no mistake here: This is not an anthology of short stories. This is a deep dive into history. Your casual reader may find the majority of this book too dry for their tastes, but for anyone looking for a glimpse into the origins of Hallowe'en, this is a deep well.

You can read R.J.'s entire review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is a worthwhile volume for dedicated Halloween aficionados (aka, geeks). There is some interesting and valuable historical information to be found here. I gave it only three stars, though, because some of the content is a bit boring, and a few items are re-printed in their original dialect which made it very difficult to comprehend.

[Dylan Rock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful anthology of writing about the ancient yet strangely modern celebration of Halloween. It a perfect companion piece to Lisa Morton other book on the subject "Trick R Treat a History of Halloween "

[R. J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book had a lot of information in it, it was also very dry and somewhat boring.

[Danni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kinda weird

[Musings of the Moonchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you crave a healthy dose of Halloween history, this one is a must. It may be hard to find, so we encourage you to scour the web in hopes it will pop up! Learn the roots and traditions of our favorite holiday. Deep dive into Celtic folklore and early feasts of Samhain. We can’t get enough of the quirky divinations of early Halloween. Gone are the days of trusting your love life to a kale stalk.

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