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	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Annelie Geissler

A SEASON OF MADNESS

Al Ridenour

Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival

With a blend of humor, personal anecdotes, scholarly research, and details so peculiar they are scarcely believed, author and lecturer Al Ridenour brings the colorful history of carnivals to life

Al Ridenour ushers readers into cultural hinterlands where celebrations still echo the cruel realities of the old, agricultural world, and medieval Christianity inter-twines with pagan practice. From ancient Rome to modern Bulgaria, readers encounter a holiday at once beautiful, strange, and savage. Spring is welcomed by clowns waving inflated pig bladders. Stalking sheepskin monsters brandish clubs bristling with hedgehog spines, and plows are dragged over cobblestone streets by celebrants wearing masks painted with cow's blood. Folk horror fans take heart as the Old World welcomes Spring! AL RIDENOUR is the author of the only English-language book on Krampus history and folklore, The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas. He has lectured at the international Goethe-Institut, The San Diego Art Institute, New Americans Museum, Tucson Museum of Modern Art, The Bowers Museum, and at London's Last Tuesday Society and Whitby's Winter Ghosts conference. He is considered by critics to be the definitive authority on pagan winter celebrations. He is creator and host of the popular podcast Bone and Sickle.

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Book Published 2025-05-01 by Feral House

Comments

A fantastic carnival of a book. Equal parts irreverent and erudite, it lovingly captures the depth, complexity, and subversive nature of the carnival, from its ancient roots to modern expression. Gorgeously illustrated, intellectually hefty, and also fun, it is a seductive introduction to the material cultures, legends, and history of this perennially fascinating and slippery subject.

Sumptuously illustrated and written with clarity, eloquence, and wry humor, A Season of Madness is one of those rare books that can pass muster as an academic study yet also provide a good read. Al Ridenour's meticulous research exposes the subtleties and outrageous quirks of a topic you didn't know you wanted to learn about until you picked up his book. Under his direction, the madness once again reigns, as the neglected history of European Carnival is placed center stage before the reader, in all its seedy, wild, and triumphant glory.