A Season of Madness: Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival

"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy."- William Blake

"A Season of Madness is 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."—Joanna Ebenstein, Founder and Creative Director of Morbid

Anatomy

Al Ridenour, creator and host of the popular podcast Bone

and Sickle and author of The Krampus and the Old, Dark

Christmas extends his study of Winter folk celebrations to the Spring,

exploring the Old-World Carnival in A Season of Madness.

Sumptuously illustrated with over one hundred historical and

modern images, Ridenour ushers readers into cultural hinterlands where

celebrations still echo the cruel realities of the old, agricultural world, and

medieval Christianity intertwines 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!

Ridenour’s first book, Krampus and the Old, Dark

Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil (2018) is

considered by critics the definitive authority on pagan winter celebrations.

Aside from his books and podcast, Ridenour is a sought-after expert and

lecturer.

"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." —Dr. Paul Koudounaris, author and photographer

of: Faithful unto Death, Heavenly Bodies, and numerous other

exquisitely beautiful books about death.