Halloween - Vintage Holiday Graphics by Taschen

For those who don't know, the ideology behind Halloween (or Hallowe'en, if you want to be particular about it) is about the one night of the year when the souls of the dead can wander among us, and by dressing up as something ghoulish it would keep them from bothering you, as they believed you were one of them. Ok, I'm not sure if the last part was added in later, but it's an old pagan tradition that is still well loved and cherished in places like Ireland, bonfires and all (even if the old beliefs are no longer followed), and has largely become a fun festival around the world that most people enjoy these days.

I sometimes do get nostalgic for the thrill of it all when I was a kid. I always enjoyed dressing up as something scary, as opposed to say, a pirate or cowboy (hey, we did that on a regular basis anyway, so there was nothing special about it), and the same went for girls. It saddens me to see how it has become 'sexy' for women at Halloween at this point; what's wrong with a gal looking her evilest or scariest? If you feel the same way, and yearn for the days of ghosts, goblins, witches and black cats, then this book is for you. It's absolutely stuffed to the gills with great images from the vintage American holiday season. It has everything from old coke and sweet adverts in magazines through to some decidely creepy photographs of children and adults alike dressed up and ready to put the shivers in the walking dead themselves. It's a great place to start if you are looking for something different or retro for your seasonal decorations or costume ideas, and a book that belongs on the shelf of any Halloween nutter.

Now this is how you do Halloween fancy dress.