Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America An Anthology

This marvelous collection gathers together the great myths and legends ofAmerica, ranging from the creation stories of the first inhabitants, to the talltales of the Western frontier, to the legendary outlaws of the 1920s. Thisthoroughly engaging book is sweeping in scope, embracing Big Foot and Windigo,Hiawatha and Uncle Sam, Paul Revere and Billy the Kid, and the Iroquois FlyingHead and Elvis. In the section including dogmas and icons, for instance, Leemingand Page discuss the melting pot, manifest destiny, and Henry Adamss dynamo.And under Heroes and Heroines, they have assembled everyone from Honest AbeLincoln and George Washington, to Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and MartinLuther King, Jr. For each myth or hero, the editors include an excerpt, oftenthe definitive rendering of the story in question. Along the way, the editorsreveal how waves of immigrants, encountering this strange land for the firsttime, adapted their religions and folklore to help make sense of a new andastounding place. Ranging from Johnny Appleseed to Stagolee, this wonderfulcollection illuminates the myth-making process, and sheds light on what it meansto be American.

David Leeming is a former Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Connecticut and also the author of many books, including The World of Myth, Mythology: The Voyage of the Hero, and Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney. Jake Page is an essayist, science writer, novelist, and co-author with his wife Susanne of the books Hopi and Navajo. Leeming and Page have collaborated in the past on Goddess and God, both published by Oxford.