Ruth Edna Kelley

Ruth Edna Kelley (April 8, 1893 – March 4, 1982) was an American librarian and writer. She is chiefly remembered for The Book of Hallowe'en (1919), the first book-length history of the holiday.^[1]

The Book of Hallowe'en/The Witch of the Walnut-Tree

Ruth Edna Kelly
At Radcliffe in 1914
Born	(1893-04-08)April 8, 1893 Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	March 4, 1982(1982-03-04) (aged 88) Marblehead, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Librarian, writer
Education	Radcliffe College
Years active	1919–1947

Biography

Kelley was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, on April 8, 1893, the only child of Charles F. Kelley, a carpenter, and his wife Mary. She grew up in Lynn, and received a master of arts degree in literature, magna cum laude, from Radcliffe College.^[2]

The Book of Hallowe'en was Kelly's first book. Her second book, A Life of Their Own (1947), dealt with immortality and spirituality.

Kelley died in Marblehead, Massachusetts, at the age of 88.