A Whimsical array of ghosts and goblins, spooks and skeletons, animals and nursery-room characters parade through this unparalleled collection of more than one hundred years of American Halloween costumes and masquerade. Photographer Phyllis Galembo approaches her subjects with the delight and wonder of one who has discovered an entire cast of characters backstage in an abandoned theater. Through her lens, the costumes rise from the dead to once again dance, play, and amuse. Ranging from handmade to store-bought, satin to polyester, the masks, wigs, and costumes, whether recognizable figures or obscure, pique our childhood memories. In her celebration of Halloween revelry, Galembo never settles for the ordinary; instead she creates evocative scenes of dressed-to-scare young trick-or-treaters "modeling" their disguises and of undead spirits haunting their surroundings. The costumes, which span over a century, take on magical qualities through fanciful sets and specialized lighting effects. Accompanying the costumes is a history of this always-popular holiday and essays discussing Galembo's inspirations and techniques. Through her art, Galembo allows us to act out our youthful fantasies of transformation -- to become, or at least observe, what we most want to be: free of inhibitions, of fixed notions of identity. Her images make us laugh and dream and maybe even believe in ghosts. Book jacket.

The American Girl's Handy Book was one of the earliest works written primarily for girls' amusement and enjoyment. It introduced original and novel ideas to open new routes for enterprise and entertainment for girls. The main goal was to engrave upon the girls' minds that they all have talent and the ability to achieve more than what they think is possible. During the time of this book's publication, it was unusual to promote girls to be inventive. But the writer desired to awaken this creative side in them by giving detailed methods of new tasks and amusements, to put them on the road they could travel and explore alone. Anyone curious about knowing the initiatives taken for girls' empowerment in the olden days will find this work beneficial.

Learn to make creative costumes designed just for adults -- everything from a sublime dancing queen to a fierce samurai warrior is included. Also contains directions for how to set the appropriate atmosphere for a halloween party depending on the theme.

At the turn of the 20th century, a young bride escapes the maddening prison of domestic life by serving the poor as an unlicensed nurse, but she risks the wrath of her lawyer husband, whose employer ruthlessly pursues and prosecutes unlicensed medical practitioners.

This “entertaining” guide features “Halloween trends past and present...costumes, recipes, movies, parties, myths and expeditions” (Publishers Weekly). What is the difference between a goblin and a ghoul? What's the recipe for pumpkin soup? Where can you see the oldest Halloween parade in the United States? Have you ever wondered how to keep your carved pumpkin from decaying too quickly? If you're looking for information and instructions about every aspect of Halloween, you've come to the right place. A Halloween How-To is packed with ideas for October 31. There are fifty great costumes you can make yourself, recipes for everything from fake blood to pumpkin soup, and lists of great movies, CDs, and spooky books. Author Lesley Bannatyne has even assembled a number of games drawn from early twentieth-century Halloween celebrations and includes sample text for party invitations. “This how-to offers everything anyone would ever want to know about All Hallows Eve. . . . A useful reference for both the growing population of adults who revel in Halloween and folks who seek to make the trick-or-treat experience a little more harrowing for unsuspecting children in costume.” —Booklist

Macabre tales of death and mourning in Victorian America.