Abstract
Compilations of American folklore are constantly being rewritten to reflect the increasing diversity and variety of American culture. Many readers grew up with Benjamin Botkin’s classic collection A Treasury of American Folklore (Crown 1944), which featured a foreword written by Carl Sandburg and stories about Pecos Bill, Johnny Appleseed, Brer Rabbit and other popular myths, legends, and tall tales. Today, new legends are entering the folklore lexicon to reflect the influence of urban myths, historical events, science fiction, conspiracy theories, and mass media. This three-volume set offers a fascinating look at both traditional and newer folklore, including “Internet Hoaxes,” the “John Lennon shooting,” “Roswell,” and “Slender Man.”
Document Type
Review
Publication Date
Spring 2017
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.56n3.215a
Related Content
Fee, C. R., & Webb, J. B. (Eds.). (2016). American myths, legends, and tall tales: An encyclopedia of American folklore. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2016.
Repository Citation
Bartlett, Jennifer A., "Book Review: American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales: An Encyclopedia of American Folklore" (2017). Library Faculty and Staff Publications. 294.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/libraries_facpub/294
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Reference & User Services Quarterly, v. 56, issue 3, p. 215.
© 2018 RUSA
The copyright holder has granted the permission for posting the review here.