The Halloween Tree (1972)

This short novel tells the story of a group of friends who discover the history and meaning of Halloween.

The novel actually began life as an idea for a cartoon. Bradbury and his friend Chuck Jones were disappointed by a Charlie Brown Halloween special they had seen on TV, and vowed to create something better. Unfortunately, with the decline of animation at the major Hollywod studios in the 1960s, it was impossible to get the film made. Bradbury decided to re-work the material into a novel, which eventually saw print in 1972.

In 1993, Bradbury adapted his novel for the screen - so, full circle, The Halloween Tree became a cartoon.

The original Knopf edition was edited as a children's book, and so a number of minor adjustments were required to Bradbury's original text. In 2005, the full textual history of The Halloween Tree was revealed in a new, limited edition edited by Jon Eller.

The Halloween Tree

First published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1972.

Picture shows Knopf paperback edition (year unknown).