{"product_id":"a-season-of-madness-fools-monsters-and-marvels-of-the-old-world-carnival-paperback","title":"A Season of Madness: Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAl Ridenour\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.\"\u003cem\u003e- William Blake\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A Season of Madness\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e is a fantastic carnival of a book.\u003cbr\u003eEqual parts irreverent and erudite, it lovingly captures the depth, complexity, \u003cbr\u003eand subversive nature of the carnival, from its ancient roots to modern\u003cbr\u003eexpression. Gorgeously illustrated, intellectually hefty, and also fun, it\u003cbr\u003eis a seductive introduction to the material cultures, legends, and history of\u003cbr\u003ethis perennially fascinating and slippery subject.\"--Joanna Ebenstein, Founder and Creative Director of Morbid\u003cbr\u003eAnatomy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAl Ridenour, creator and host of the popular podcast Bone\u003cbr\u003eand Sickle and author of \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Krampus and the Old, Dark\u003cbr\u003eChristmas\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e extends his study of Winter folk celebrations to the Spring, \u003cbr\u003eexploring the Old-World Carnival in\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e A Season of Madness\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e.Sumptuously illustrated with over one hundred historical and\u003cbr\u003emodern images, Ridenour ushers readers into cultural hinterlands where\u003cbr\u003ecelebrations still echo the cruel realities of the old, agricultural world, and\u003cbr\u003emedieval Christianity intertwines with pagan practice.From ancient Rome to modern Bulgaria, readers\u003cbr\u003eencounter a holiday at once beautiful, strange, and savage. Spring is welcomed\u003cbr\u003eby clowns waving inflated pig bladders. Stalking sheepskin monsters brandish\u003cbr\u003eclubs bristling with hedgehog spines, and plows are dragged over cobblestone\u003cbr\u003estreets by celebrants wearing masks painted with cow's blood. Folk horror fans\u003cbr\u003etake heart as the Old World welcomes Spring! \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRidenour's first book, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKrampus and the Old, Dark\u003cbr\u003eChristmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e(2018) is\u003cbr\u003econsidered by critics the definitive authority on pagan winter celebrations.\u003cbr\u003eAside from his books and podcast, Ridenour is a sought-after expert and\u003cbr\u003electurer.\u003cbr\u003e\"Sumptuously illustrated and written with clarity, eloquence, \u003cbr\u003eand wry humor, A Season of Madness is one of those rare books that\u003cbr\u003ecan pass muster as an academic study yet also provide a good read. Al\u003cbr\u003eRidenour's meticulous research exposes the subtleties and outrageous quirks of\u003cbr\u003ea topic you didn't know you wanted to learn about until you picked up his book.\u003cbr\u003eUnder his direction, the madness once again reigns, as the neglected history of\u003cbr\u003eEuropean Carnival is placed center stage before the reader, in all its seedy, \u003cbr\u003ewild, and triumphant glory.\" --Dr. Paul Koudounaris, author and photographer\u003cbr\u003eof: \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e Faithful unto Death\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eHeavenly Bodies\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, and numerous other\u003cbr\u003eexquisitely beautiful books about death.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAl Ridenour's passion for the horror genre is genuine, as is his eagerness to explore and seriously analyze its relationship\u003cbr\u003ewith the folkloric realm. Throughout his life, Ridenour has eagerly embraced\u003cbr\u003ethe weird and macabre, exploring his obsessions through various creative\u003cbr\u003emodes and undertakings.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSince the 1990s, Ridenour has worked as a journalist, \u003cbr\u003eauthor, artist, animator, arts impresario, and small-time cultural agitator (the\u003cbr\u003elast with the \u003cb\u003eCacophony Society\u003c\/b\u003e under the nom de guerre, \"Rev. Al\"). Most\u003cbr\u003erecently, with the enthusiastic reception of his 2016 book \u003ci\u003eThe Krampus and the Old, Dark, Christmas\u003c\/i\u003e he has made a name for himself as the\u003cbr\u003epreeminent English-language expert on the folklore of the \u003cb\u003eKrampus\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNow in its second printing, Ridenour's \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDangerous Minds' Christopher Bickel described the Krampus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e as \"the definitive work on Krampus\" and a \"must read,\" while \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLA Times \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ebook critic Elizabeth Hand found the book \"gleefully erudite,\" remarking that\u003cbr\u003eit \"deserves to be a classic.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRidenour's research on the \u003cb\u003eKrampus\u003c\/b\u003e began in 2012, \u003cbr\u003efollowed the next year by travels to Europe to observe traditional activities\u003cbr\u003efirsthand. Shortly after that, along with long-time friend Al Guerrero, he\u003cbr\u003efounded Los Angeles's annual and ongoing Krampusfest and Krampuslauf, engaging both local and\u003cbr\u003eEuropean performers for these annual events. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe has translated, produced and directed adaptations of\u003cbr\u003etraditional European Krampus plays, lectured on the \u003cb\u003eKrampus\u003c\/b\u003e at the\u003cbr\u003eInternational Goethe-Institut, The San Diego Art Institute, and the New\u003cbr\u003eAmericans Museum. He also crafts and sells \u003cb\u003eKrampus\u003c\/b\u003e masks and teaches\u003cbr\u003eworkshops for those interested in making their own. In 2018, he was recruited\u003cbr\u003eby Geek Nation Tours as onboard consultant for tours of Austria and Germany\u003cbr\u003efocusing on \u003cb\u003eKrampus \u003c\/b\u003eevents and traditions.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 9.9 x 7 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 06, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51966772838701,"sku":"9781627311564","price":32.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/W0cQlcAYwx9781627311564.webp?v=1775538898","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/a-season-of-madness-fools-monsters-and-marvels-of-the-old-world-carnival-paperback","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}