Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America:An Anthology

Description

This collection brings together the great myths and legends of the United States – from the creation stories of the first inhabitants, to the tall tales of the Western frontier, to the legendary outlaws of the 1920s, and beyond. It is sweeping in its scope, embracing Big Foot and Windigo, Hiawatha and Uncle Sam, Paul Revere and Billy the Kid, and even the Iroquois Flying Head and Elvis. In the book’s section on dogmas and icons, for instance, Leeming and Page discuss the American melting pot, the notion of manifest destiny, and the imposing historical and literary figure of Henry Adams. Under the heading Heroes and Heroines, they have assembled everyone from Honest Abe Lincoln and George I Cannot Tell a Lie Washington to Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Martin Luther King, Jr. For every myth or hero rendered here, the editors include an informative excerpt, often the definitive account of the story in question.