| As Autumn approaches, I retire to the library in the darkened east wing of my haunted mansion, light a smoldering fire, and grab a frightful book from my ever growing collection. Below is a loathesome list of my favorite books – some scholarly (in case you want to learn more about the horrific history), some entertaining (for a trip down memory lane), and some crafty (for those of you who are good with a knife). These books will surely get you in the mood for Halloween. |
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Halloween Merrymaking
by Diane C. Arkins
(Pelican, 2004)
A retro blast picture book filled with inspiring images of yesteryear. |
A Halloween Reader
by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne (Pelican, 2004)
Read old poems and stories of Halloweens past. |
Halloween Romantic Art and Customs of Yesteryear
by Diane C. Arkins
(Pelican, 2007)
Second in a series of retro images, poems and history. |
Halloween: Vintage Holiday Graphics
by Jim Heimann
(Taschen, 2005)
A small book of nothing but vintage images – full color & glossy! |
Dressed for Thrills
by Phyllis Galembo
(Abrams, 2002)
A whimsical look at many vintage children's costumes. |
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Halloween: The Best of Martha Stewart Living
by Martha Stewart
(Clarkson Potter, 2001)
"THE" definitive book of Halloween crafts, recipes, and decor |
Extreme Pumpkins
by Tom Nardone
(Penguin, 2007)
This is not your mother's jack o'latern book! Featuring some crazy, unique designs. |
Great Pumpkins
by Peter Cole
(Chronicle, 2003)
Beautifully designed, high gloss book of hip pumpkins. |
The Perfect Pumpkin
by Gail Damerow
(Storey, 1997)
A complete reference for growing and using pumpkins. |
Halloween Propmaker's Handbook
by Kenneth Pitek
(McFarland, 2006)
Exhaustive how-to of special effects for the advanced house haunter. |
Halloween: A Grown-up's Guide To Creative Costumes...
by Joanne O'Sullivan
(Lark, 2003)
Simple costumes, great pictures and few ideas for theme parties. |
A Halloween How-To
by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne (Pelican, 2002)
A lackluster general book that covers parties, costumes, and places of Halloween. |
The Original Duct Tape Halloween Book
by Jim & Tim
(Workman, 2003)
Dumb fun with "clever" ideas for transforming duct tape into costumes. |
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Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night
by Nicholas Rogers (Oxford University, 2002)
A scholary overview tracing the muddled European origins to American manifestation. |
Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History
by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne (Pelican, 1990)
Picks up in America, and focuses on regional traditions, songs, and stories. |
Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween
by David J. Skal
(Bloomsbury, 2002)
Opinionated and varied essays examine the traditions, movies and stories that make up the modern holiday. |
Witches: History of Persecution
by Nigel Cawthorne (Chartwell Books, 2006)
Historical overview of many witch hunts and trials pervading England and colonial America. |
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Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places
by Brad Steiger
(Visible Ink Press, 2003)
Encyclopedia of the supernatural with truly frightening photos. |
Weird Hauntings
by Joanne Austin
(Sterling, 2006)
Chockful of stories of real haunted places, with many pictures to set the scene. |
The Ghost Chaser Chronicles
by Paul Keen
(Barnes & Noble, 2006)
Ghost hunting book with tools of the trade and many personal accounts of the supernatural. |
Haunted Places
by Dennis Hauck
(Penguin, 2002)
A directory of supernatural locations, with listings from ghosts to UFO landings. |
Encyclopedia of Haunted Places
by Jeff Belanger
(New Page, 2005)
A thorough ghost huntrers directory of allegedly haunted locales complete with addresses and phones. |
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VideoHound's Horror Show
by Mike Mayo
(Visible Ink, 1998)
A thorough encyclopedia of some of the best, weirdest, and nontraditional horror movies. |
How to Survive a Horror Movie
by Seth Grahame-Smith (Quirk, 2007)
A very fun read about what to do if you find yourself in a horror movie. |
Fangoria: 101 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen
by Adam Lukeman
(Three Rivers, 2003)
A guide to lesser known flicks that's both informative and entertaining for hardcore fans. |
The Rough Guide To Horror Movies
by Alan Jones
(Rough, 2005)
Comprehensive overview of the horror film genre, icons and history. |
Trick r' Treat: Tales of Mayhem, Mystery & Mischief
by Michael Dougherty (Insight, 2008)
Amazing companion to the movie features great illustration, stills and even Halloween facts. |
Horror Poster Art
By Tony Norumand and Graham March (Aurum, 2004)
A rich collection of 80 years of movie posters with descriptions of the cultural settings. |
Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film, The Art, The Vision
by Frank Thompson
(Disney, 1993)
Overviews the classic movie from concept to execution – a must for any fan. |
The Haunted Mansion
by Jason Surrell
(Disney, 2003)
Released with the so-so film, the majority of the book overviews the history of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion ride. |
Corpse Bride: An Invitation to the Wedding
by Mark Salisbury (Newmarket, 2005)
Making-of book featuring the complete lyrics, art, stills, and Burton's concept drawings. |
The Art and Making of Monster House
by J.W. Rinzler
(Insight, 2006)
Massive book companion features amazing insight to the groundbreaking movie. |
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Tales of Mystery and Madness
by Poe/Gris Grimly (Atheneum, 2004)
Fascinating illustration breathes new life into Poe's classics stories. |
Visions of Heaven and Hell
by Clive Barker
(Rizzoli, 2005)
Gothic collection of drawings and paintings from the truly twisted mind that brought us Hellraiser. |
The Afterlife
by Ruben Martinez
(RLMX4, 2007)
Images of death, monsters, and mariachi zombies – amazing graphic artist. |
The Haunted Realm
by Simon Marsden
(Little, Brown & Co, 1998)
Eerie photos of haunted places and their twisted stories. |
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
by Irving/Gris Grimly (Atheneum, 2007)
The perennial story gets a spooky rendering by Gris Grimly. |
After Halloween
by Daniel M. Davis
(Steam Crow, 2007)
Charming children's books of what monsters do for a living the rest of the year. |
Beasts!
by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics, 2006)
An impressive A-to-Z catalog of monsters with bios and artfully drawn illustrations – Superb! |
Thirteen O'clock
by James Stimson
(Chronicle, 2005)
Creepy kid's book with many monsters hiding in dark places. |
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Day of the Dead
by Gina Hyams
(Chronicle, 2001)
An artfully designed book complete with mini-altar and figurine. |
The Days of the Dead
by John Greenleigh and Rosalind Rosoff Beimler
(Pomegranate, 1998)
Photographic essay captures the art, people and customs of Mexico. |
The Festival of Bones
by Luis San Vicente
(Cinco Puntos, 1999)
Very slight but artfully drawn bilingual children's book with a special section for adults. |
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