Books and Links on Vintage Halloween

On this page you will find a number of resources on vintage Halloween including books on the subject as well as links to other Halloween websites. For all those who have an interest in vintage Halloween, I hope this page serves as a valuable tool for you! Book titles link to Amazon.com.

Vintage Halloween Collectibles by Mark B. Ledenbach. This is without a doubt THE best book available on the subject of vintage Halloween. The first edition was fantastic; the second edition is scheduled for release in June of 2007. I think both editions are worth having. Mark's book is astoundingly good, with wonderful photography and an amazing amount of material and information. The second edition has been expanded by 48 pages showing over 400 new items not in the previous version. If you can only get one book on vintage Halloween this is the one to get. Mark is an all around great guy whose attention to detail and extensive knowledge have made his book a real tour de force.

Halloween in America by Stuart Schneider. This was one of the first books published on the subject in 1995 and the first one I bought. It's generally a very good book. Its best feature is the large range of items shown. There are just tons of pictures in here. The downside is that there are quite a number of errors in the factual information about the pieces. Also, the prices listed are now outdated. Still it is an excellent book to own that I highly recommend.

Timeless Halloween Collectibles 1920-1949 by Claire M. Lavin. Released in 2005, this book profiles items made only by Beistle. Claire Lavin and her husband were given permission to photograph and catalog items in the Beistle archives. The best thing about this book is the quality of the photographs. They are exceptionally well taken and the pictures are just gorgeous. As a peek into Beistle's archives, this book also shows prototype items that were never released commercially. Overall it is a strong work. My only criticism of this book is that too many of the items shown have already been seen in earlier books. This is not a fault of the author, however, as Beistle's archives are not well maintained by the company. Otherwise an excellent read for people interested in early Beistle pieces.

Halloween Collectables: A Price Guide by Dan & Pauline Campanelli. This was another of the first books published on vintage Halloween in 1995, that profiles the Campanelli's personal collection. While its scope is somewhat limited compared to some of the other books it is nonetheless still a nice item to have. The only minor problem is that some of the items shown are in poorer condition than other books, however there are some interesting items not seen elsewhere. Prices will be outdated. The Campanelli collection was auctioned off by Noel Barrett Auction House in May of 2003, as Pauline had passed away earlier that year.

Spookshows.com -The website of Richard Miller, another avid Halloween collector. This is the website that started it all for me. It was just by chance that I found it in mid 2000, and stumbled into the world of vintage Halloween…I was hooked! A very informative site with pictures and a great selection of links. Be sure to check out the T-Shirts.

Traditions -This is the Halloween section of the website for “Christmas Traditions”—a year round holiday store in Canoga Park, CA. They have one of the largest online catalogs of vintage style Halloween folk art and collectibles. All items are available for sale through the website and they now have online ordering. A word of caution: this page has a huge number of pictures and takes a long time to load on slow internet connections.

Old Fashion Halloween -This website belongs to Dragonfly Design Studios and they offer an eclectic collection of vintage Halloween reproductions for sale as well as some unique party goods.

Jamieson Studios -These guys offer a small selection of unique Halloween reproductions. The items are handmade in their studio.


		LINKS TO OTHER HALLOWEEN SITES

	Halloween Collector.com -This is Mark Ledenbach's website. It contains great factual information on the current state of Halloween collecting and a photo gallery of select items. Mark is also offering a limited quantity of autographed copies of his book: Vintage Halloween Collectibles.

	Spookshows.com -The website of Richard Miller, another avid Halloween collector. This is the website that started it all for me. It was just by chance that I found it in mid 2000, and stumbled into the world of vintage Halloween…I was hooked! A very informative site with pictures and a great selection of links. Be sure to check out the T-Shirts.

	GregGuedel.com -This is Greg Guedel’s website which showcases some of his artwork for sale and also contains information on his pieces that have been reproduced by Bethany Lowe.

	Johanna Parker Design -This is Johanna Parker's website, which contains a gallery of her work sold to collectors. She sometimes has web sales where you can buy her pieces. There is also information on her current eBay auctions.

	Designs by CK - This is the website of artist Christopher Klingler...a talented young man who specializes in small format art with a special focus on Halloween. He regularly sells his hand-painted Halloween post cards on eBay.

	Ehag.com -This is the website for the “Eclectic Halloween Artist’s Group”. It contains a showcase of all the artists who are members as well as info on obtaining their work. Both Cali Lee and Pennie Griff are featured as Full Moon Spotlight Artists.

	Traditions -This is the Halloween section of the website for “Christmas Traditions”—a year round holiday store in Canoga Park, CA. They have one of the largest online catalogs of vintage style Halloween folk art and collectibles. All items are available for sale through the website and they now have online ordering. A word of caution: this page has a huge number of pictures and takes a long time to load on slow internet connections.

	Old Fashion Halloween -This website belongs to Dragonfly Design Studios and they offer an eclectic collection of vintage Halloween reproductions for sale as well as some unique party goods.

	Jamieson Studios -These guys offer a small selection of unique Halloween reproductions. The items are handmade in their studio.

	D. Blumchen Co -Blumchen's is another purveyor of vintage Halloween reproductions. They offer some nice lanterns and party goods not found anywhere else.


									BOOKS

								Vintage Halloween Collectibles by Mark B. Ledenbach. This is without a doubt THE best book available on the subject of vintage Halloween. The first edition was fantastic; the second edition is scheduled for release in June of 2007. I think both editions are worth having. Mark's book is astoundingly good, with wonderful photography and an amazing amount of material and information. The second edition has been expanded by 48 pages showing over 400 new items not in the previous version. If you can only get one book on vintage Halloween this is the one to get. Mark is an all around great guy whose attention to detail and extensive knowledge have made his book a real tour de force.




								Halloween in America by Stuart Schneider. This was one of the first books published on the subject in 1995 and the first one I bought. It's generally a very good book. Its best feature is the large range of items shown. There are just tons of pictures in here. The downside is that there are quite a number of errors in the factual information about the pieces. Also, the prices listed are now outdated. Still it is an excellent book to own that I highly recommend.



								Timeless Halloween Collectibles 1920-1949 by Claire M. Lavin. Released in 2005, this book profiles items made only by Beistle. Claire Lavin and her husband were given permission to photograph and catalog items in the Beistle archives. The best thing about this book is the quality of the photographs. They are exceptionally well taken and the pictures are just gorgeous. As a peek into Beistle's archives, this book also shows prototype items that were never released commercially. Overall it is a strong work. My only criticism of this book is that too many of the items shown have already been seen in earlier books. This is not a fault of the author, however, as Beistle's archives are not well maintained by the company. Otherwise an excellent read for people interested in early Beistle pieces.



								Halloween Collectables: A Price Guide by Dan & Pauline Campanelli. This was another of the first books published on vintage Halloween in 1995, that profiles the Campanelli's personal collection. While its scope is somewhat limited compared to some of the other books it is nonetheless still a nice item to have. The only minor problem is that some of the items shown are in poorer condition than other books, however there are some interesting items not seen elsewhere. Prices will be outdated. The Campanelli collection was auctioned off by Noel Barrett Auction House in May of 2003, as Pauline had passed away earlier that year.