Alvin Schwartz

Halloween writing, poetry, fan pics and more!
Post Reply
User avatar
Rising Dead Man
Halloween Master
Posts: 3392
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:06 pm
What is the highest number?: 9
Location: Eerie Acres Cemetery
Contact:

Alvin Schwartz

Post by Rising Dead Man » Tue Sep 22, 2009 4:52 pm

He has made SOME OF THE BEST SH*T EVER!

I love Stephen Gammel's illustrations. If I ever write a horror novel, even though it will be for adults, I want him to illustrate it.

Anyone love these books?
Halloween wraps fear in innocence,
As though it were a slightly sour sweet.
Let terror, then, be turned into a treat...
~Nicholas Gordon

User avatar
adrian
Halloween Master
Posts: 6231
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:55 pm
What is the highest number?: 10992
Location: Buice Manor in Beulah AL

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by adrian » Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:13 pm

sounds interesting, what books has he written? i LOVE horror novels.
Last night 'twas witching Hallowe'en
Dearest; an apple russet- brown
I pared, and thrice above my crown
Whirled the long skin; they watched in keen;
I flung it far; they laughed and cried me shame
Dearest, there lay the letter of your name!

User avatar
Rising Dead Man
Halloween Master
Posts: 3392
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:06 pm
What is the highest number?: 9
Location: Eerie Acres Cemetery
Contact:

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by Rising Dead Man » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:02 pm

Oh, I forgot to mention the books he wrote. :lol: Sorry about that.

Alvin Schwartz wrote books on folklore, old tales, superstitions, ect.

He is most famous for his Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark series.

http://www.amazon.com/Scary-Stories-Tel ... 798&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/More-Scary-Storie ... 798&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Scary-Stories-Tal ... 798&sr=8-4
Halloween wraps fear in innocence,
As though it were a slightly sour sweet.
Let terror, then, be turned into a treat...
~Nicholas Gordon

User avatar
adrian
Halloween Master
Posts: 6231
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:55 pm
What is the highest number?: 10992
Location: Buice Manor in Beulah AL

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by adrian » Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:52 pm

oh ok :) thanks!! i'm going to look up some stuff from him on Amazon
Last night 'twas witching Hallowe'en
Dearest; an apple russet- brown
I pared, and thrice above my crown
Whirled the long skin; they watched in keen;
I flung it far; they laughed and cried me shame
Dearest, there lay the letter of your name!

User avatar
MacPhantom
Halloween Master
Posts: 6178
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:56 pm
What is the highest number?: 10992
Contact:

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by MacPhantom » Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:48 pm

I can not recommend Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark books highly enough. I first read them when I was ten or so, and combined with the artwork by Stephen Gammel, they scared the bejabbers out of me. They still do. Rising Dead Man: you know the story in the first book about the ghost of the dead girl buried in the basement, and the picture that goes with it??? AHHHH!!! I'm freaking myself out just thinking about it!!!

User avatar
Rising Dead Man
Halloween Master
Posts: 3392
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:06 pm
What is the highest number?: 9
Location: Eerie Acres Cemetery
Contact:

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by Rising Dead Man » Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:55 pm

Remember the picture in The Thing?


AAAAHHHHHGGGGG!!! :shock:
Halloween wraps fear in innocence,
As though it were a slightly sour sweet.
Let terror, then, be turned into a treat...
~Nicholas Gordon

User avatar
adrian
Halloween Master
Posts: 6231
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:55 pm
What is the highest number?: 10992
Location: Buice Manor in Beulah AL

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by adrian » Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:24 pm

oh ok now i know who you guys are talking about :) sorry :oops: i'm a little embarrassed lol
Last night 'twas witching Hallowe'en
Dearest; an apple russet- brown
I pared, and thrice above my crown
Whirled the long skin; they watched in keen;
I flung it far; they laughed and cried me shame
Dearest, there lay the letter of your name!

User avatar
MacPhantom
Halloween Master
Posts: 6178
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:56 pm
What is the highest number?: 10992
Contact:

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by MacPhantom » Mon Oct 05, 2009 3:24 pm

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! AHHHHH!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! :shock:

User avatar
Rising Dead Man
Halloween Master
Posts: 3392
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:06 pm
What is the highest number?: 9
Location: Eerie Acres Cemetery
Contact:

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by Rising Dead Man » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:31 pm

I think the third book was the creepiest.
Halloween wraps fear in innocence,
As though it were a slightly sour sweet.
Let terror, then, be turned into a treat...
~Nicholas Gordon

User avatar
joossa
Master Reaper
Posts: 112
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:54 pm
What is the highest number?: 10992
Location: CA, USA

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by joossa » Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:55 am

Oh the memories! My elementary school had all three in addition to the the young reader's In A Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories back in the early to mid 1900's (all by Alvin Schwartz). However, in more recent times, the books have managed to end up on banned book lists for libraries and many schools no longer have them. :(

I, too cannot recommend these enough! They are excellent short stories, songs, and poems drawn from Schwartz's studies in anthropology. He would basically go around towns in the US and tell stories and ask other kids and people to share their stories with him. Hence, many have the urban legend vibe to them. However, the other ones are down right creepy and brilliant. That and the vivid and sometimes grotesque illustrations make the sorties to die for (sorry for the pun). He also included annotations as to where the sorties originated from.

I ended up buying the three book set on Amazon along with In A Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories a couple of years ago.

Give them a try. If you're older or an adult, enjoy them for what they are and try sharing them with a son/daughter or younger brother/sister.
-Joel from Southern California

Image

User avatar
MacPhantom
Halloween Master
Posts: 6178
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:56 pm
What is the highest number?: 10992
Contact:

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by MacPhantom » Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:06 pm

The thought of banning books makes me cringe, but I have to say that the pictures in those books could really freak out a smaller kid. I don't know about banning, especially for fourth and fifth graders, but kindergartners and first graders probably shouldn't be able to stumble on it.

Great books, though.

User avatar
Rising Dead Man
Halloween Master
Posts: 3392
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:06 pm
What is the highest number?: 9
Location: Eerie Acres Cemetery
Contact:

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by Rising Dead Man » Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:25 pm

People have banned books for the word fart. I'm serious! :evil: You can't effin shelter a kid forever!
Halloween wraps fear in innocence,
As though it were a slightly sour sweet.
Let terror, then, be turned into a treat...
~Nicholas Gordon

User avatar
MacPhantom
Halloween Master
Posts: 6178
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:56 pm
What is the highest number?: 10992
Contact:

Re: Alvin Schwartz

Post by MacPhantom » Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:12 pm

Rising Dead Man wrote:People have banned books for the word fart.
That really stinks. I mean it's foul, rotten, fetid. Banning books...*holds nose* Phewww! Makes me nauseous. It's putrid. It really, really reeks. Banning books, I'm talking about. :roll:

Post Reply