Description: This marvelous collection gathers together the great myths and legends of America, ranging from the creation stories of the first inhabitants, to the tall tales of the Western frontier, to the legendary outlaws of the 1920s. This thoroughly engaging book is sweeping in scope, embracing Big Foot and Windigo, Hiawatha and Uncle Sam, Paul Revere and Billy the Kid, and the Iroquois Flying Head and Elvis. In the section including dogmas and icons, for instance, Leeming and Page discuss "the melting pot", "manifest destiny", and Henry Adams's "dynamo". And under "Heroes and Heroines", they have assembled everyone from Honest Abe Lincoln and George Washington, to Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Martin Luther King, Jr. For each myth or hero, the editors include an excerpt, often the definitive rendering of the story in question. Along the way, the editors reveal how waves of immigrants, encountering this strange land for the first time, adapted their religions and folklore to help make sense of a new and astounding place. Ranging from Johnny Appleseed to Stagolee, this wonderful collection illuminates the myth-making process, and sheds light on what it means to be American.

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