A Season of Madness

"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.