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A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts Paperback – October 4, 2016

4.6 out of 5 stars 220 ratings

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] lively chronicle―part travel guide, part history lesson…Ocker moves easily among the archivists, historians, and performers he interviews, and he describes the carnival atmosphere that descends upon “Witch City” with enthusiasm and vividness."
Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"What better place to celebrate Halloween than Salem, Massachusetts? Festivities begin with a parade on October 1 and end with Halloween parties and costumed celebrations on October 31. In between, Ocker, a travel writer with an Edgar Award, and family stay the entire month, exploring Salem’s many attractions. Although the witch trials in 1692 only lasted for nine months, Salem has been branded “Witch City,” overshadowing its maritime history. Ocker samples everything: cemeteries, museums, gift shops, performances, wax museums, and more. He talks to street performers and street preachers as he tries to understand the appeals of the city. He interviews curators, haunters, costumed tour guides, a policeman, the mayor, and cemetery caretakers. Ocker devotes whole chapters to real witches, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and TV shows and movies set in Salem. His comic asides lighten the details of haunted houses, hangings, and hysteria without disrespecting the history. The result is a fresh, fun glimpse of a town that has come to grips with its sordid history and prospered. Armchair travelers will enjoy the trip."
Booklist

"An entertaining and historical guide to the varied sites of Salem, with Ocker interviewing everyone from the mayor to local archivists to men in scary costumes, covering burial sites of witch trial judges, and perhaps the most awesome Halloween street party ever described in print, with Ocker’s good humor and touch of sarcasm marking his readable style."
Library Journal

About the Author

J. W. Ocker is the Edgar Award-winning author of Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe. He runs the website OTIS: Odd Things I've Seen (Oddthingsiveseen.com), where he chronicles his visits to various oddities of culture, art, nature, and history. His first two books, The New England Grimpendium and The New York Grimpendium are personal travelogues of his visits to deathly sites in those regions. Both won Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers. His work has appeared in Rue Morgue Magazine, The Boston Globe, CNN, The Atlantic, and other places people stick writing. He's from Maryland, but has lived in New Hampshire since 2008.

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Countryman Press; 1st edition (October 4, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1581573391
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1581573398
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 220 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
220 global ratings
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2016
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4.0 out of 5 stars Bell, Book, Candle, and Ocker
By Carl Boehm on October 4, 2016
At first I thought this would be a fitting addition to the Halloween shelf of tomes by Bradbury, King, and Lovecraft. Upon receiving an advanced copy courtesy of a Patreon reward, I read through the text and found the book to be one of the most brilliantly planned examination of a time and place.

This nonfictional account of a man who packs up his belonging and gains extensive support from his wife and two daughters to spend all thirty-one days of October in Salem, Massachusetts exceeds the classification of mere travelogue. The book gives history lessons without the fulsome tour guide embellishments, provides way findings to see the key spots in Salem, and delivers conversationally toned interviews with all the infamous and local figures that make the modern town as interesting as its past.

The author acts as a window between modern day Salem and the days of the witch trials, providing a well-researched glimpse into the past courtesy of interviews with those living in the present day Witch City.

And all this is done with an air of fun and adventure that will have readers turning a shade of witch green with envy about spending the most interesting month in the spookiest town in the Northeast.

Like David J. Skal, J.W. Ocker works exhaustively to legitimatize Halloween as a source of study. The candid interviews chronicle the city with a magnificent eye for detail. For instance, the interview with “Steve the Vampire” street performer may seem whimsical, yet it unearths a sociological facet reflective of society. We have a fascination with the macabre that is as undeniable as the billions spent yearly on Halloween in the United States. Ocker’s Salem works as a microsomal reflection of the greater whole, so when he studies the events in Witch City, he illuminates the modern world that refuses to shake its fascination with ghosts, goblins, and, of course, witches. Even interviews with the police chief and mayor of Salem capture the sense of identity that the paranormal mascot imparts on the people of the historically rich city.

And Ocker hides his philosophical explorations so well behind a mask of innocent inquisitiveness that readers will want to shower him with treats for his work.

My only reservation and lack of a perfect score comes from the decision to make the beautiful photos taken by Ocker’s talented wife Lindsey in black and white. The publisher did a disservice to the readers by not allowing the rich colors of Salem to come through.

And now I must go and look up flights and hotels in Salem because the book compels me to visit.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
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Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2016
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Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2018
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5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, entertaining, enthralling!
By JP Ferraccio on December 29, 2018
Bought this book because I was determined to enjoy a Halloween season in Salem. It did not disappoint. While I did not experience the depth of adventures he did (did not look for Salem victims' burial places and monuments in Danvers, didn't get to talk to the interesting people he did, etc.), I still visited almost all of the Salem locations he did. I found the things he recommended to be worth it, and the other corny things delightful in their own way.

Count Orlock's new location is fantastic, most of the witch shops delightful (avoid the ones that feel really touristy and go for the quaint ones closer to PEM and at the Wharf (Enchanted and New Aeon in particular). Food excellent, service excellent, etc.

The book really helped us navigate the town. Kudos!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2020
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Top reviews from other countries

Adrian Drew
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not well produced!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2018
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hippyrainbow
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book .
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2021
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Cliente Amazon
4.0 out of 5 stars For Halloween’s lover
Reviewed in Italy on October 26, 2017
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