Limited Quantity of Hard Back Editions of "Death Makes a Holiday"

From acclaimed cultural critic David J. Skal, an original in-depth look at one of the most popular and perplexing holidays in America.

Using a mix of personal anecdotes and perceptive social analysis, 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.

Traveling the country, Skal profiles a wide cross-section of America—hard-nosed businessmen who see Halloween in terms of money; fundamentalists who think it is blasphemous; practicing witches who view it as sacred; and more ordinary men and women who go to extraordinary lengths, on this one night only, to transform themselves and their surroundings into elaborate fantasies. Firmly rooted in a deeper cultural and historical analysis, Death Makes a Holiday seeks to understand what the various rituals and traditions associated with Halloween have to say about our national psyche. From pumpkins and witches to haunted houses and the rise of the major motion picture monster, Skal brilliantly uncovers the motifs and myths surrounding our morbid, unflagging fascination with death and fear, creating a unique and enthralling portrait of one of America 's most beloved holidays.

Hard Back with Dust Jacket, 224 pages. Illustrated with black and white photos. New Remainder*

Contents

• Introduction
• The Candy Man's Tale
• The Halloween Machine
• The Witch's Teat
• Home is Where the Hearse Is, or, How to Haunt a House
• The Devil on Castro Street, and Other Skirmishes in the Cultural War
• Halloween on Screen
• September 11 and October 31
• Notes

Please Note:*Remainders are publisher overstocks. This book has a black dot on the bottom edge of the book that indicates that it is a remainder, which does not detract from the contents or appearance of the book itself. Remainders are a great way to build a library on the cheap. Remainders may sometimes show some minor shelf wear from storage.