Every back road in America has a story attached to it. This book collects them.
American Folklore is a 200-page hardcover collection of the legends, lore, and strange tales that have been passed down across this country for more than two centuries — the giants who reshaped rivers and mountains, the ghosts who linger over unfinished business, and the creatures glimpsed just long enough to leave a witness certain of what they saw.
From Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed to Bigfoot, Mothman, the Bell Witch, and the Headless Horseman — plus hundreds of regional legends born in forests, small towns, and lonely stretches of road that most Americans have never heard of.
Told Honestly, Not Watered Down: Each entry traces where a legend actually came from, tells the story itself, and follows its legacy into the present day. Where a legend belongs to a specific cultural or tribal tradition, that origin is named directly. Where a story's history is genuinely uncertain, the uncertainty is part of the account rather than smoothed over.
What's Inside — 13 Sections, 200 Pages:
- Folk Heroes & Legendary People — Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crockett, Calamity Jane, John Henry
- Colonial & Revolutionary Legends — the Headless Horseman, Rip Van Winkle, Peter Rugg
- Southern Legends — Br'er Rabbit, Stagger Lee, Robert Johnson at the Crossroads
- Lumberjack & Logging Folklore — the Hodag, the Hidebehind, the Splintercat
- Cryptids & Legendary Creatures — Bigfoot, Mothman, the Jersey Devil, the Fouke Monster
- Ghosts & Haunted Legends — the Bell Witch, Resurrection Mary, Bloody Mary
- Appalachian Folklore — the Wampus Cat, the Moon-Eyed People, the Snallygaster
- Native American & Inuit Legends — Coyote, Raven, Thunderbirds, White Buffalo Woman, Sedna
- Maritime Folklore — the Flying Dutchman, the Bermuda Triangle, the Mary Celeste
- Frontier & Western Legends — the Jackalope, Tommyknockers, the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine
- Peculiar Regional Legends — the Melon Heads, the Enfield Horror, the Loveland Frogman
- Hispanic & Southwestern Legends — La Llorona, the Chupacabra, El Cucuy
- Symbols & Personifications — Uncle Sam, Columbia, Lady Liberty, Smokey Bear
Built to Last, Built to Display:
- 200 pages of full-color illustration printed on premium 170gsm coated silk paper
- Matte-laminated hardcover with 3mm thick cardboard backing
- FSC/PEFC-certified sustainably sourced paper
- Oversized landscape format, designed to lay flat and display on any coffee table, bookshelf, or desk
- Printed and fulfilled in the USA by Proud Patriots
The Book People Actually Pick Up: This is the one that gets opened at every visit — by the history buff, the campfire storyteller, the grandkid who wants to know if Bigfoot is real, and the guest who only meant to flip through it for a minute. It makes an exceptional Father's Day, birthday, or holiday gift, and a permanent one.
These are the legends America never stopped telling.
