Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween - Hardcover

'Trick or Treat covers the history of Halloween from its ancient Celtic roots to its stunning growth in global popularity in the 21st century. Morton is an accomplished horror short story writer, and her ability to draw readers in quickly and keep them turning the pages shines through in her nonfiction as well. Lavishly illustrated, this solidly researched and concise work is fun to read and a great choice for readers who want to know why we seek out the scary each October.' - Library Journal 'full of historical nuggets and strange folklore, Lisa Morton's Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween is the perfect bible for all devoted disciples of the holiday.' - Michael Dougherty, Writer & Director, Trick 'r Treat 'With Trick or Treat Lisa Morton gives us a charming, creepy, insightful and thoroughly fascinating history of Halloween. It's a delicious blend of cultural history and pop-culture savvy that is a true delight to read!' - Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of Flesh and Bone and Assassin's Code 'This is an excellent survey of the Halloween scene, informative and accessible, far more treat than trick.' - Kim Newman, author of Nightmare Movies and Anno Dracula 'In a modern world, increasingly filled with pop culture fads and gimmicks, Lisa Morton reveals much of the underbelly history and unknown facts regarding the biggest pop culture event in history - Halloween. Her sheer delight and well-researched enthusiasm in tackling many of the unrecognized aspects of this monstrous topic makes one wonder what we don't know about everything else that should be as commonplace to our psyche as a bag of candy.' - Del Howison, Bram Stoker Award-winning editor of Dark Delicacies and Book of Lists: Horror

Halloween has spread around the world, yet its associations with death and the supernatural as well as its inevitable commercialization has made it one of our most puzzling holidays. How did it become what it is today? Trick or Treat is the first book ever to both examine the origins and history of Halloween and explore in depth its current global popularity. Lisa Morton reveals how holidays like the Celtic Samhain and Catholic All Souls' Day have blended to produce the modern Halloween, and she shows how the holiday has been reborn in America, where costumes and trick-or-treat rituals are new customs. Morton takes into account the influence of related but independent holidays, especially Mexico's Day of the Dead, as well as the explosion in popularity of haunted attractions and the impact of events such as 9/11 and the global economic recession. Trick or Treat also examines the effect Halloween has had on popular culture through literary works by Washington Irving and Ray Bradbury, films such as John Carpenter's Halloween and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and television series, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Simpsons. Trick or Treat takes us on a journey from the spectacular to the macabre, making it a must for anyone who wants to peep behind the mask to see the real past and present of this ever more popular holiday.