| Ruth Edna Kelly | |
| Birth Date: | 8 April 1893 |
| Birth Place: | Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Marblehead, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Librarian, writer |
| Education: | Radcliffe College |
| Genres: | --> |
| Subjects: | --> |
| Notablework: | --> |
| Spouses: | --> |
| Partners: | --> |
| Years Active: | 1919–1947 |
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.
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.[1]
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.