Johnny Appleseed The Man, the Myth, the American Story

"Finally, the clichÉ is peeled away and the essence of this utterly American character is so revealing. John Chapman comes alive here and it is a thrilling experience to escape the specific gravity of the decades of myth" (Ken Burns). A portrait of John Chapman, alias Johnny Appleseed, that separates man from legend and explores how one of the most extravagant myths about early America got born and grewfrom the frontier wilderness to Walt Disney and beyond.

Howard Means is a former senior editor and senior writer at Washingtonian magazine. He is the author of many books, including The Avenger Takes His Place: Andrew Johnson and the 45 Days That Changed the Nation, Colin Powell: A Biography, the novel CSA, and The Banana Sculptor, the Purple Lady, and the Ail-Night Swimmer, coauthored with Susan Sheehan.