The Penguin Dictionary of American Folklore

by Alan Axelrod, Harry Oster

The Penguin Dictionary of American Folklore will appeal to a vast range of readers in addition to folklorists. Here is a stimulating companion and authoritative resource for students of American literature, history, and cultural studies -- from adolescents to centenarians -- and for anyone lured by the highways and byways of our country's traditions. Entries range from brief definitions to essays (with suggested further readings) on such topics as folklore heroes (real and mythical); music; rural tales of weather and vampires; modern urban legends; and much, much more. This is a comprehensive, absorbing reference of a kind never before available.

Genres: Nonfiction, Folklore, Reference

640 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Alan Axelrod, Ph.D., is a prolific author of history, business and management books. As of October 2018, he had written more than 150 books, as noted in an online introduction by Lynn Ware Peek before an interview with Axelrod on the National Public Radio station KPCW. Axelrod resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

[Derek Kimball · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just bought this shiz.

A taste: (random page) The ghost dance was part of a spiritual and religious movement among reservation Sioux and other tribes, which alarmed government officials and ultimately triggered the last major conflict of the American Indiand Wars, the battle at Wounded Knee, Dakota Territory, on Dec. 28.1890.

I just learned the hell out of that!